Paesano

5 stars for the service.4 stars for the food.We had a lovely evening at Paesano's last night. Once you step inside, the restaurant feels much more intimate and inviting than its exterior suggests. The warm ambiance and beautiful decor were a pleasant surprise - especially since I've driven past this spot countless times over the years!I'd definitely return to explore more of the menu, but here's what we tried this time:- Tossed Green Salad- Bruschetta - on the house (a nice touch!)- Veal Scallopine Alla Sorrentino- Linguine Chicken Anchovy Olio (add capers)Each dish was beautifully presented, but the flavors were a bit hit-or-miss. My veal pasta, while well-cooked, was quite bland, even after adding extra cheese in hopes of bringing out more saltiness. My wife enjoyed her chicken olio, but we both found it unfortunate that the crispy skin was plated face-down, causing it to soften before she could fully enjoy its texture.That said, the service was truly exceptional - prompt, friendly, and incredibly attentive to the table service. The hospitality alone makes this place worth a visit.Overall, a great experience, and we'll be back to try more!

***late post***I ate here last week Friday. I called and asked if I need to make a reservation, and was told there was room for my party of 2. It's located in Waimalu Shopping plaza with Safeway and City Mill and there's ample parking spaces. There are 2 separate dining areas: one as you enter and another to the right. You pass the bar as you head towards the second dining area. It's nice and romanticish. Not necessary to be dressy.The service was good: friendly and attentive enough.The food: we ordered Cesar Salad, lasagna and Chicken Paesano and a glass of white wine. The complementary bread was hot and tasty. The Cesar salad tasted homemade but was a tad bit salty, maybe too much anchovies? Idk. My lasagna was just ok because it was missing seasoning and too sweet. The serving was huge for me. The Chicken Paesano was good but the sauce was too watery and not enough noodles. My total bill was $93.04, not including tip.I always wanted to try this place but it wasn't an authentic Italian experience. If you like your Italian food sweet, you won't be disappointed eating here.

I would not have thought that I could find good Italian food in Hawaii. I was wrong. The special was the scallop, shrimp, and clam linguine. I wanted a red sauce so I went only with the clam spaghetti. Wow! It was so good! The clams were so fresh. It was definitely one of the better clams spaghetti dish I had. And the red sauce was seasoned so perfectly! The service here was excellent and the ambience was more in the romantic side rather than a family style side. Their salad was good. I would definitely come back here in the future.

First time here with the wife, and she loves Italian food. Friend of hers recommended it! Service was fast and everyone was super friendly. The place is clean and has the Italian vibe!

Located at the same plaza as Safeway and City Mill near the Aiea/Waimalu area Paesano is a sorta fancy Asian Fusion Italian Restaurant. PARKINGNo problem finding parking here. Abundance of stalls. They're located on the Waikiki end of the plaza so there's not too much foot traffic there. RESTAURANT Everything looks fancy here. There's an Asian motif with fancy dressed waiters. The decor is elegant and doesn't feel like a typical Italian restaurant. Parsanos is very clean and well lit. It can get noisy at times. As far as price it's not that affordable for what you're getting. There are other reasonably priced better tasting pasta placesFOODFood seemed pretty basic here. My saltimbuca didn't really have much taste. I added quite a bit of salt to get it to where it tasted decent. Marsala could have been better. Even with all the grated cheese it still tasted under seasoned. Granted the portions here are huge. I ordered a regular and my wife got the "smaller" portion and she still couldn't finish it. That was probably the best thing about this place. This is similar to Assagio. It has that sort of feel. Could be the same owners. Not sure. Would I come back to Parsano? Probably not. I just feel like for the amount I paid for my entree I could've gone to another Italian restaurant and got 2 items for that price and probably wouldn't have to add salt to my dish. Would I recommend it? Yes come and try it out. Maybe I just had a bad time. There seems to be a loyal following for Paesanos as some of the waiters are on first name basis with their customers

Always a pleasant experience each time I have dined here. The service is always great and the servers are always attentive.We ordered the crab cakes and shrimp salad appetizers. My main dish was the New York steak, small size option with sautéed vegetables.The coffee here is also a favorite of mine. I have to have it whenever I'm here.The dining area is pretty large and the lighting is dim and comfortable.We didn't have any reservations and was able to get a seat as soon as we walked in.

Great place to celebrate our friend's birthday. Love what I had which isn't in the menu. My friend suggested it. It was garlic and scallops! There were so many scallops. It was delicious! The staff were friendly and the service was great.

Dinner with friends. Nice open atmosphere here. Well lit and great service here. They let us stay there for a very long time to talk with each other and enjoy our meal here. A bit noisy with large groups tonight. We just needed to speak a bit louder to hear each other. Appetizers were delicious and tasty. Wine choices were very nice. One fruity and light, while the other red, was rich and smooth. I ordered the small clam garlic sauce Farinacca. The pasta was covered with chopped clams and three shelled clams. The sauce was light and garlicky. Fresh hot bread was provided with butter. A nice touch, but don't eat too much! Your appetite will be spoiled. See pictures for the yummy dishes we enjoyed here. Restrooms are available inside the restaurant. Service : 5/5 starsAmbiance: 4/5 starsGood: 4/5 stars

A great neighborhood restaurant. We went to celebrate a birthday, and everything was well seasoned, hearty portions, and service was efficient, but not rushed. The complimentary bread was warm and crusty served with lots of butter, so slather it on! The starter salads (a chicken and a caesar) were nicely dressed with their respective dressings. We also got the fried calamari which were generous strips, nicely fried and served with a light tomato sauce. A dish of grated parmesan cheese was brought out so that you could dust your entree with as much or as little cheese as you wanted. A much nicer way to put cheese on your food than having a server looming over you. The pasta dishes can be a small or large portion. We all opted for the small portion and none of us finished it. Not because we didn't want to, but because we were full. I got the clams casino with linguini. It was garlicky and loaded with at least a dozen Manila clams, bacon pieces, and basil. The Shrimp with Vegetables, Eggplant Parmesan, and Chicken Piccata were all flavorful as well. The birthday boy got served a complimentary slice of cheesecake and some in the group got the Affogato and Coffee Ice Cream Tartufo. See the pictures on the desserts and my partially eaten entree. (Sorry, I really gotta grab my camera sooner). It is a nice place for a date or a family gathering, or if you are just looking for some good Italian food. One thing, I called to make my reservation and a few days before the reservation day, I called to confirm my reservation. There must have been a miscommunication and they had the wrong number of people in my party. No big deal, the restaurant made the correction, but this is a good reminder to double check your reservation, especially for large parties or an important event.

The location is convenient and there is ample parking. The wait staff is friendly and accommodating. The portions are good and the food is tasty.