Paisano's — Restaurant in Kowloon

Fri 11 april 5-6 pm

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to be overcharged for disappointment and served a side of contempt, look no further.

Let me begin by saying I currently live in Japan, and I’ve spent a good part of my life travelling and eating across the world — including trips to Hong Kong. So when I walked into this place, I wasn’t expecting Michelin-starred magic. I just wanted a decent slice of pizza and a little basic human courtesy. What I got instead was an eye-opening experience in how low a restaurant can set the bar.

The staff? Imagine being served by people who visibly resent your presence — like you’ve just interrupted their day by doing the unthinkable: placing an order.

We were given the wrong drink. Not the end of the world — mistakes happen. it was fixed.

But the real downhill roll began with the fries. HK$20 got us a sad, lonely bowl of burnt matchsticks. They weren’t “crispy” — unless you define crispy as “turns to ash the second your teeth touch it.” I half expected them to disintegrate like ancient parchment. We didn’t complain. Not yet. That was our mistake.

Then came the chicken wings. Deep-fried into oblivion in what I assume was oil left over from the Ming dynasty. They tasted like guilt and regret. I would’ve preferred cardboard — at least it wouldn’t have been so greasy.

Still, we held out hope. The pizza — surely the pizza would redeem things? We ordered a chicken pizza. What arrived was… fascinating. A dough base topped with what looked like forgotten leftovers from someone’s lunch. Two limp threads of what may or may not have once been chicken sat awkwardly on top. For HK$170, I was almost impressed — not by the food, but by the audacity.

I finally spoke up. I showed the fries — cracked one in half like kindling. A Nepali staff member told me, stone-faced, “we make them crispy.' I had to laugh. “Crispy” is not the word for something that shatters like chalk. She repeated it — louder this time, as if volume would somehow change the texture. She could not believe I could not believe her 'the fires are crispy' rehearsed excuse. Then came the offer to replace them — but only after passive-aggressively suggesting we had eaten half. There were barely ten fries in total. Frozen store own brand fries.

Staff Member #2 — older (48 years old), glasses.

I pointed out the severe lack of chicken on the pizza. She carefully located two shreds and explained, “our chicken is shredded.” I said, “Then maybe… put enough shredded chicken to actually call it a chicken pizza'. This is nothing but cheese and cheap tomato sauce.

Her answer: “That’s what the boss tells us to do.”

And there it was — the corporate shrug. Translation: not our fault, not our problem.

What this place is trying to do is mimic the New York pizza slice shop vibe — bold slices, decent prices, casual dining. What it actually delivers is overpriced cafeteria food, sullen service, and the lingering taste of regret. I sat there for 45 minutes and didn’t see a single pizza being made fresh. Just slices, sitting in the glass display like exhibits in a museum of mediocrity.

The meal cost us US$35. For that, we got a burnt side, flavourless, burnt wings, a depressing pizza, and a ice tea.

And don’t be fooled by the glowing five-star reviews. You can spot the ones written in exchange for a discount. or a free side a mile away. You know the 'oh my god they are amazing, perfect slice of pizza' reviews. The liars who mislead others. The real story is in the one-star reviews — you just have to scroll far enough to find them buried beneath the owner's dishonest attempts at buying reviews.

Two stars for the environment — i actually witnessed people clean the tables.

I’ve also submitted this review to the Hong Kong Tourist Board — because frankly, if this is the welcome Hong Kong is giving visitors, we may need to re-evaluate the whole tourism strategy. Beijing needs to know.

Avoid. Seriously. Life is too short for bad pizza and worse attitudes.

Don't waste...

Amazing New York style pizza in Hong Kong!! After stopping there yesterday with a friend who pointed out this pizza gem, I decided to stop again today. The pizza is so good and the price is spot on. What stood out to me today was the service by the employees. Yesterday I had asked them how their day was going as I made my order and I liked very much that they didn't just tell me good, but actually let me know how their day was going. Imagine that people actually being real with you, how very refreshing. Anyhow, when I went back today I was not expecting anything out of the ordinary, however, the ladies treated me as though I had been coming there for a long time and they remembered me. They even asked me if I had a long walk back to wherever I was going and I said about 15 minutes. They then proceeded to take the fresh wrapped pizza they had given me and put it in a bag so that I wouldn't have a hard time carrying it. It made my day and I told them I would be back often whenever I come to Hong Kong. I have been coming to Hong Kong for 20 years and the only regret I have at this point is that I didn't find them earlier. I highly recommend stopping in there and having a slice, and don't forget to ask the ladies how they're doing today. Sometimes the human element is what makes an ordinary day seem very unordinary! Thank you ladies for the great service today look forward to coming back...

I don't wish any management can read the comments from us . And do any improvement . This kind of service doesn't deserve survive in hong kong . There's much more better than this .

I was walk in and just try to grap a slices of pizza for take away . The very rude staff - at around 9ish almost 10. . At the front door refilling the drinks to the fridges. Was totally yelling at me and said "What do u want ?" I said , can i ...... "What ? " Yelling at me few times with "What" , She has no other word that has been educated by parents or the company . She's not even deserve a job . There's much more People willing to work and earn money And when i go back . I asked her is that necessary shout ? . She said , they are busy . They the reason being mad to a person who walk in . I didn't ask her for service , and alll she does is wanted to kick me out , because she doesn't wanna serve anymore .

I honestly ok to wait . But not ok being yelling or shout. We all had enough stress to deal with this kind of people ? Even stranger on the street don't seems talk in this way . . please close down the restaurant , when you dont even know the meaning of respect and being a basic human being should be...