I enjoyed my dinner here and loved the ambiance. We came here on a week night and I was immediately drawn to its modern but rustic décor. Shortly after we had sat down, the waiter came and asked to move us to a different spot since a bigger party was arriving and needing an extra table. However, the wait staff was apologetic and immediately found us another table close by. I appreciated their politeness and efficiency in their handling of this situation. I ordered a cocktail and a pasta dish here — both were quite good(and strong in the case of the cocktail). The service during the meal was also speedy. The only downside is it can be a bit cramped and loud during the meal. But that can be said about a lot of restaurants in London.
Elianne S.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Poughkeepsie, NY
Went on a Saturday night to the downstairs bar area. The drinks were delicious, out bartender was a delight and the music that night was mostly Latin inspired which was amazing. It was pretty late and still fairly crowded. Had a blast, would go again.
Andrew M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
A bit surprised I haven’t reviewed this already. Excellent rustic Italian food and it’s amazing how much they churn out of the very small kitchen. Limited menu but it’s bursting with flavour. If you go during drinking nights, check out the cocktail club in the basement which does a top notch negroni for a fiver.
Sanj M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
Not sure what the restaurant is like but the downstairs cocktail bar is good fun! We popped in here after a weeknight dinner for one last drink, a little apprehensive at first given the bar was quite empty. But once the five of us got comfy in one of the arch-ceilinged booths we didn’t really notice what else was happening. They were playing some good tunes too so it was far from quiet, and the whole place has quite a fun vibe about it — I really liked some of the neon sign décor on the walls. All reinforced by the far-too-cheerful barman who came over to give us menus(and crack a joke about how he was available if the sole male in our group needed some company). I got a g&t which was fine and it would’ve been a fairly unmemorable experience were it not for the fact that about half an hour later the bar staff rang some bell and brought out trays of free shots for everyone! It wasn’t anything too strong(some kind of schnapps I think) but the thought definitely counted and they even had their own special chant. A little cheesy perhaps but it made us smile and hey, that’s what counts :)
London Foodie Mam A.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
I took a risk and brought my Italian sister-in-law to an Italian restaurant in London. But am so glad I took her to Paesan as this place is amazing(and apparently rather authentic). Forget boring pizza — this place does proper Italian food! The fresh breads are superb and stand out dish was the Pasta Vongole(clams). We’ve been here for lunch and early dinner; families are a common site at Paesan — the staff are great with the kids! Plenty of high chairs(we once had 4 toddlers eating at our table). Only negative is no baby changing facilties but hey, this is central London.
Mark T.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
I’ve eaten in Paesan about 3 – 4 times. Initially I really liked it, but I have found it very hit and miss on subsequent visits, so it is now well down on my list of spots to eat in Exmouth market. The menu format is similar to the popular Polpo chain with an emphasis on sharing a combination of smaller and larger plates. And in fairness, I would choose Paesan over Polpo any day of the week, as I think the quality of food in Polpo has declined significantly in the past year or two as they have expanded. For me, the problem with Paesan is that they don’t do any one thing really well. Their bruschetta is ok, some of their pasta dishes are nice and the sharing concept can be fun with a large group. But with much superior alternatives like Santore(Pizza, pasta, bruschetta) and Caravan/Morito(sharing) on the same street, I don’t know why Paesan would ever be your first choice in Exmouth Market.
Jack S.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
Paesan was recommended by a friend, and with a few hours to kill before my train back I decided to wander in with my dad and try it out. The setting is nice… All exposed brick and an open kitchen which I love(it shows there is nothing to hide) and the service is fantastic. I didn’t understand half the menu but the waiter was very patient and explained everything to us perfectly. As for the food. Wow! For starters we had Parma ham with toasted bread and olive oil which was delicious, but the star of the show was definitely the main. Belly pork with cabbage, Apple sauce(with loads of real Apple in it) and tonnes of fantastic crackling. It was a taste sensation. Definitely a 5 star meal. Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Already looking forward to the return
Rachel H.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Rafael, CA
Paesan translated is a friendly greeting for your friend, buddy, homeboy. Keeping that traditon, Paesan near to Exmouth Market, is a fun, easy pasta spot with exposed brick and filamented lightbulbs, run by a friendly crew of Italians who will make you feel right at home. The upstairs is a corner view onto a street with dark woods and leather booths, while inside an open kitchen and a low-key young crew is putting out some simple, tasty food. Mostly appetizers, pastas and some pesce and carne dishes. Not a destination, but a good spot and one of the few restaurants on the street open on a Sunday. The downstairs basement hosts a cocktail bar that was closed on the Sunday we visited. We enjoyed the feel of the place, along with a bit of montepulciano d’abruzzo, some olives, a green salad, pork belly and a toothsome risotto with zucchini and prawns. Not a bad meal, priced pretty well, and a nice setting with friendly staff. We had such a good time that we failed to notice the police inspectress inside talking to the Paesan crew. The white and red police tape line both inside and outside the restaurant were in our peripheral view the whole dinner, but once outside, we noticed that a gigantic police triangle of tape took up the entire street corner, a female inspector was stationed there, and that down on the cobblestone sidewalk, a streetful of dessicated lemon and lime wedges lay from the night before, leading us to ponder, what exactly had happened here?
Katie F.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
This is my new favourite restaurant! The restaurant used to be the Dollar burger restaurant, and has been revamped as an Italian artisan place with free bread and olive oil, big bottle of tap water and Arcoroc glasses for everything. The specials all sounded fantastic but I plumped for dandelion salad and the pumpkin and goats cheese pizza. Utterly yummy! Not excessive portions just packed with flavour. The waitress was helpful and calm and the red wine warm and fruity. I’ll come again for definites. There is a cocktail bar in the basement and a choice of some interesting sharing options on the main menu for groups. Prices are very reasonable and if my meal was anything to go by, the rest will be as good. I am well impressed.
Ali K.
Chicago, IL
Decent Italian food on offer here at decent prices. We ate the bruschetta and burrata starters both of which were fantastic and followed up with the beef shin ragu and tortelloni mains which I highly recommend. The décor and atmosphere were great, helped in no small part by the friendly staff. The restaurant felt a little on the cold side but a few glasses of wine quickly fixed that. Downstairs is a cocktail bar however it was so quiet when we were there we gave it a miss. I imagine that later on it would be a good post meal option. Exmouth market is a really nice street allowing people to escape the traffic however Paesan is located just a fraction short of this and the restaurant can only offer views of the busy road, which is a slight shame.