Paisano's Italian Restaurant & Lounge

This is one of Lexington Kentucky's best kept secrets! It is now my absolute favorite restaurants in the world (and yes, I travel). It has an Elegant Dining room, relaxing Jazz played on the sound system and absolutely Delicious Italian food and wine. Incidentally, Try the Chicken Dante! It is NOT on the menu but the waiters will know what you mean. I first tried this well over 20-30 years ago and it is just as good. My favorite dish EVER! I love to eat, I have had lots of good and lots of bad. But this is the absolute best i have ever had. My only complaint is that they don't open until 5 pm. So no lunch menu. But the food is so good, i still have to give them the highest rating of any restaurant, EVER!

Walked in to an empty house Ordered carry out at bar Wine glasses above bar are covered with dust Place was empty however a empty plate and jacket/ purse sat next to me for 30 minutes while I waited for below average food and service Sad that half of the people who came in only came because they didn't realize that planet Thai was closed on Monday Won't return to this place

Great food and service. The family that runs the place are fantastic people! They were very nice to my grandmother and put up with her requests like it was nothing when she was still around!

Wasn't impressed at all.The baked cannelloni was very dry and came with red sauce.Any real Italian knows cannelloni goes with white sauce

Old school Italian restaurant. Good food but not fancy at all. Tucked into a small shopping center so you could miss it if you're not looking.

Really good. Italian sausage and peppers were very nice dish after a long work day. Served ce was fast and friendly. Will for sure be back.

We dined at Paisano's last night and had a wonderful experience! Our server, Lizzie, was flat out amazing--warm, charming, funny, and patient-- despite the fact she was dealing with ten of us-- including two 2 year olds, one 5 year old, and and one 6 month old. The fried mozzarella was so good we had to get multiple orders. It comes perfectly seasoned and with a delicious marinara. My baked penne was great, as was my husband's meat and pasta dish. The garlic bread and other dishes were all top notch. We love the charming, kitschy decor (must be a requirement for all old-timey Italian eateries to have the Tuscan murals, Roman statues, fake greenery, etc) This place has been operating in Lexington for almost 40 years but somehow flies under the radar of most folks. The prices for food and wine are very reasonable. After last night we resolved to eat at Paisano's far more frequently. I'm salivating as I relive the goodness of last night's meal.

Fat Man Reviews found its way to Paisano's Italian Restaurant & Lounge in Lexington, KY. Paisano's is an Italian restaurant serving traditional pizza & red-sauce classics plus they offer a full bar.I started off with a cup of Minestrone soup containing green beans, corn, carrots, potatoes, celery, tomatoes and cabbage. It looked like the veggies came from a can. The soup was heavy on the Italian seasoning and had a slight bitter taste, possibly from red wine vinegar. It was different, not bad, just not my favorite.I tried the Paisano's Sampler, including chicken Parmesan, lasagna, Italian sausage, and spaghetti with meatballs. I could tell that pretty much all of it had been made earlier and sat for a while. The Italian sausage was excellent. The casing snapped, and the flavors were great, I really enjoyed this. The chicken Parm was not bad. It was juicy, breaded and cooked well. It just tasted a little old. I could tell by the cheese on top of the lasagna it had been sitting and when cutting into it, the top layer of cheese came with it. The noodles were a bit over done, but the flavors weren't bad, and it was not dry. The meatball was a little burnt on the outside, but it was not dry just had been sitting for a while. The spaghetti was ok. The red sauce was really, wonderful. It tastes authentic, homemade, with a little sweetness, light garlic and oregano flavors, and chunky. My fiancé tried the Baked Manicotti, large pasta noodles stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with homemade sauce and mozzarella. The shells were overcooked and dry, the cheese was bland but fresh. The sauce again was the star and delicious.Paisano's Italian Restaurant & Lounge offers a lot of different traditional Italian dishes ranging from chicken to veal and veggie. They also serve several anti pasta appetizers, salads and desserts. They are a small place, so plan ahead. The service was okay, but the server was new. Paisano's Italian Restaurant & Lounge is not Fat Man Approved.

The atmosphere resonates aged by loyal hearts. Tables have plenty of room to enjoy dinner with friends; loved the wheels on the chairs. The waitress was bubbly. Unfortunately, after offering to bring bread then being asked several times she never delivered any bread for the dinner. One friend ordered the mussels and pasta which she enjoyed; my husband ordered the veal masala with a starter of minestrone. He claimed to enjoy the dish though the masala sauce was unlike any I have ever had. Another friend enjoyed the sampler platter but could not eat the meatballs as he said they tasted like they were too old. I had veal piccata with capers. It was like eating a tablespoon of salt; the sauce was greenish brown and clearly had not been cooked with the capers. There was zero lemon butter flavor. Last but not least, the veal cuts were chunks of meat not think slices as it should be. The side serving of spaghetti was served with spaghetti sauce which, had I known, I would have requested just lemon butter. Neither veal entree had the promised side of zucchini and potatoes. I should have requested another entree but I did not want to make anyone uncomfortable by complaining. It was our first visit after living here for decades. I was really excited to experience Paisano's but sadly will not be returning.

Good food & service. Too bad I'm too far north to get sweet tea. Love the old world charm.