Pacini Mississauga — Restaurant in Mississauga

Avoid this overpriced gimmick of a restaurant.

Decided to dine here last night for my friend’s birthday given the recent buzz on social media.

This restaurant has probably one of the worst service I have ever seen at a restaurant. We waited about 20 minutes after being seated just to get some water and when we told our server we were ready to order our apps she said she would be back, but she did not return until 15 minutes after.

We ordered 2 pizzas along with beers and a diet pepsi. These drinks took over 20 minutes to arrive despite seeing them sitting at the bar ready nearly after we ordered.

In the meantime we decided to check out the bread bar as it had already been 40 minutes and we had no food at our table and were starting to get hungry.

The bread bar is a huge disappointment as they just loaded it with some cheap store bought breads and processed “butter” spreads that you are expected to put on a dirty grill that has burnt butter on it from other people grilling their breads.

The pizzas took over 45 minutes to arrive and they were disappointing. They were oddly shaped and looked like they were made on soggy naan bread with scarce toppings and lack of flavour.

As we ate our pizza we had run out of drinks and tried to catch the eye of the servers that kept zooming by but none of them would look at your table and would just ignore you. It took about 10 minutes of waving down to finally get someone over so we could place another drink order (also to mention they gave regular pepsi to our friend instead of diet who is a diabetic) and to get some chili flakes and chili oil.

The chili oil bottle they brought us was almost empty and the pepper grinder at our table was also empty. So, it took us another 5-10 minutes to get new ones.

We had ordered some mains during this time to ensure that we would be able to get them when we were done our pizzas.

We ordered the carbonara, the penne picante and the veggie spaghetti . But, alas, it was about 10:15pm and we had been seated at 8:45pm and we still did not have our mains. The other people in our party kept going back to the bread station as there was nothing else to eat. Our drinks also took another 20 minutes to arrive after we ordered them and again were simple pour and serve orders.

After asking the server if our food was coming she ensured us it was on the way. We finally saw 2 of the 3 dishes arrive and placed down on our table. We waited a few minutes for the last dish (the veggie pasta for our vegetarian friend) and when the lady brought it she said “here is the lasagna”.

We were confused and said we did not order the lasagna but the spaghetti. The server then says yes this is the shiitake veggie spaghetti and when I looked at it I said this does not look like spaghetti.

I then got the menu to point out the dish we ordered and the lady kept insisting it was the spaghetti until our original server came and said that it was lasagne she brought us and they must have punched it in wrong. This was very frustrating as the lady kept arguing and did not want to admit the mistake.

The time was 10:30 and we had almost been here for 2 hours and had other places to be after, so we decided to cancel the order and my friend just filled up on more bread. The two pasta dishes were also horrendous, as the carbonara was just cream and the penne lacked flavour.

Avoid this place and save your...

We gave Pacini a try, and… it’s safe to say we won’t be back for seconds.

Let’s start with the bread bar—because apparently, dinner now includes a field trip. You have to leave your table, line up at a small buffet, and grill your own bread on a hotplate that’s seen better (and definitely cleaner) days. The result? Bread with a lovely charred crunch—not from the grill marks, but from the leftover carbon buildup. And to add to the ambiance, it’s uncomfortably close to the open-door washroom. Nothing like the faint scent of bleach and bathroom to whet your appetite.

We hoped the food might redeem things. We tried the Americana pizza, the penne with grilled chicken and pesto, and the Calabrese. The pizza crust tasted straight out of the frozen food aisle, and while the pesto sauce was fine, the grilled chicken was dry and bland—like it had been cooked out of spite. The Calabrese? Utterly volcanic. It should come with a waiver. It was so spicy it felt like a dare, not a dish.

We ended up sending everything back and ordered the spaghetti and lasagna instead. Sadly, still no wins. The spaghetti was drowning in sauce, and the lasagna was mostly noodles with the occasional speck of pork and a timid smear of sauce between layers. It was like the filling had stage fright.

In the end, Pacini felt more like a quirky chain restaurant trying too hard than an authentic Italian spot. Between the bathroom-adjacent bread bar and the underwhelming food, we’ll be looking elsewhere. ⸻

Thank you for the theatrical response—clearly, the flair for drama is mutual.

To clarify: we certainly weren’t expecting a fine-dining experience at Pacini, but we did expect something better than what felt like a cafeteria with mood lighting. The bread bar is unique—but let’s not romanticize the idea of walking across the restaurant to grill your own bread next to a washroom hallway. Whether it’s the bathroom or its “hallway,” it doesn’t exactly enhance the aroma of garlic and basil.

As for the grill being cleaned “throughout the shift,” we can only speak to our visit—and the grill was not clean when we used it. Carbon build-up isn’t a “flavor note.” It’s just burnt.

Now, on to the food. You’re right that the Calabrese is described as spicy. But there’s spicy, and then there’s “tongue-numbing endurance test.” A server might offer a quick heads-up for guests who aren’t training for a chili pepper eating contest.

It’s true we flagged the quality of our dishes after trying them—but “consumed a majority” is quite the stretch. We didn’t devour the meals; we gave them a chance. When they disappointed, we asked for alternatives. The spaghetti and lasagna were better but still fell short—one too saucy, the other too sparse. Saying “the lasagna was enjoyed” based on a photo of a half-eaten dish is a bold move. It’s called trying to find something salvageable. Spoiler: we didn’t.

We appreciated the 20% discount, truly. It was a gesture of goodwill, and we left without complaint. But goodwill and good food are two different things—and this review was about our experience, not your brand philosophy.

In the spirit of honesty, we wish Pacini well. But no amount of spin can change that the food and experience just didn’t deliver for us. Sometimes it’s just not a match—and...

We had the pleasure of dining there a few weeks ago and absolutely relished our bountiful feast 🤤

Here’s what we got to try:

Lasagna grandiosa Shrimp and arugula risotto Duck confit pizza Lasagna tradizionale Piatto di salumi to share

Every plate was bursting with flavours and you could really taste the love and care put into each dish, for such a big restaurant the service and quality of food was nothing short of what you could get at a warm Italian nonna’s place lol 😝

I can’t even pick a favourite because everything was just that good 👀

The lasagna grandiosa was soooo cheesy and filling, definitely one to share 😋 the risotto was maybe my favourite only because ya girl loves a good creamy risotto and this was just that 💯 the duck confit pizza was so yummy and different from any other pizza we have tried before! The lasagna tradizionale for sure lived up to that classic rustic flavour we expected and more, that pork sauce was chef’s kiss 😘 perfecto 👌🏼 lastly but not the least especially because we started out with it was the piatto di salumi for 2 to share and it was SO filling pretty much a full meal haha so keep that in mind 😂

They also had such tasty desserts but we were SO full we opted for some little dolci jars and they were the perfect creamy treats to end our meal 🙌🏼

They have amazing quality and quantity with each and every plate that is put out, we had so much leftover to take home and enjoyed for days after lol 👍🏼

Not to mention there unlimited bread bar you can choose from a selection of breads and types of in house made butter, they really give you bang for your buck 💲

We had a fantastic experience and can’t wait to be back and try the rest of the menu! Shoutout to Christine our amazing server for her awesome recommendations and service 🥰

So what are you waiting for ?! If you read this far then make sure to check them...