Paisano — Restaurant in Toronto

Firstly, with a name like Paisano you would believe authentic Italian food would be served... not the case, it's Italian Style so if you are an Italian food foodie you will be disappointed.

We had made reservations in advance as we knew there was a wait for a table. When we arrived 5 minutes before our reservation time, the hostess advised we did not have a reservation. I showed the email I received confirming the reservation and she responded the reservation system doesn't always work! We waited all along seeing our reserved table sit empty and remained empty until we left after finishing dinner. Just as we were leaving I asked about the reservation for that table and it finally dawned on the hostess the table WAS reserved for us, she simply ignored the confirmation email I received.

Our server, Calvin, was abrupt and not interested in answering our questions about the menu. When we ordered, we were rushed.

When our food arrived, only half the party had food while the remaining half waited about 10 minutes for their food to arrive. The food arrived Luke warm, but for the roasted potatoes which seemed to taste like they just came out of a deep fryer. At best the food was just average nothing to say knocked our socks off.

One of the party had been given a voucher for a free appetizer and the server refused to accept it without reason. Again, the server was not pleasant. The member if the party received the voucher for poor service on a previous visit... they now say because the service has not improved returning here is not an option.

As the designated driver, I ordered a soft drink but was amazed free refills was not an option.

Overall, the food isn't great and the service is very poor; the reservation system or hostess staff is ridiculous. Management should rethink this and do something about it.

Update: Management gives some totally unrelated response below and their facts just don't make sense!! The voucher was not a thank you gift, but an apology offering AND IT WAS REFUSED WE PRESENTED. Management: how about listening to your guests' comments and READING...

This restaurant was recommended by friends, coworkers and family. I visited on July 25 to order takeout for first time. The hostess provided a us with take-out menu, I asked her specifically about chicken options. After the hostess gave me the overview, I decided on the Pan-seared chicken breast topped with a lemon sauce, served with penne pasta and vegetables. When I got home, my family and tasted the Pan Seared chicken breast was gravely disappointed. There was no seasoning on the entire food and the chicken tasted like cardboard. Wasn’t edible. I kept it in the container to take back to the restaurant the next day. Next day I contacted the restaurant and spoke to the manager. He said he would follow up with staff and call me back. Within minutes he called back and ACCUSED me of modifying the Pan seared chicken meal AS PER INFO HE GOT FROM THE COOK. (of which I did not) and said that he had to follow up with the hostess who comes in the evening time. I found that rather unprofessional and inexcusable. For a manager if a customer is unsatisfied with the quality of the service/food. It’s THE MANAGER’S responsibility to resolve the matter and instead of putting blame on the customer. The first impression is key. My friends, coworkers and family were not correct in stating this local restaurant which we try to support local, was offering good food and service. This restaurant left a bad impression. The end goal should be for the MANAGER to come with a solution that is satisfactory for the customer and an apology. Since then, he GHOSTED me and hasn’t followed up with an explanation or apology. Goes to show the integrity of this restaurant and their staff and lack of professionalism. I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND OR BE VISITING THIS...

This is a review for delivery:

their Caesar salad ($12 for large size) used way too much dressing, so much so that if I actually had romaine lettuce on hand I could have augment the salad by another 50% without skimping on flavour. And that despite the relatively higher price point for the salad, it was a bare bones interpretation of the dish: lettuce, sauce, a few croutons, and powdered parmesan instead of shavings.

On other dishes, they don’t skimp on the cheese, such as the garlic bread ($8), a hefty portion with six thick baguettes covered with ample amount of the dairy. Although, I would have traded some of the mozzarella for garlic as it just tasted like bread with butter and cheese.

While I didn’t taste their eggplant parmigano ($18), it’s another dish encapsulated with mozzarella and is made to feed two given you’re provided with so many pieces of eggplant, a side of penne big enough to feed a child, and an equal amount of vegetables. Paisano knew that cheese is the way to my husband’s heart (emotionally and literally) as he loved the dish.

Since the meal was being delivered, I moderated my expectations for the grilled salmon ($23) and knew it wouldn’t be a lovely pink doneness in the centre. Indeed, it was cooked through-and-through but still fairly moist, especially on the thinner end where there’s more fat in the meat. The simple lemon, basil, and olive oil was just enough to flavour the fish and compared to everything else the dish was a more manageable serving with crunchy vegetables (broccoli, peppers, and carrots) and the roasted potatoes that arrived overdone but nonetheless...