Paisano's Pizza — Restaurant in Fairfax

We decided to have a lunch catered for my mother's memorial. Although she grew up in Fairfax, we hadn't been in the area in years and it was a nerve-wracking experience trying to choose a restaurant without having tried them first.

We're glad we chose Paisano's. I called in to the store and they were very friendly and guided me to their online catering menu. The menu was easy to navigate and the ordering process was straightforward. I had a few questions on some of the items and they happily answered them.

The food was ready on time and was very well packaged. It's clear that a lot of thought has gone into their catering process. We weren't expecting to see all of the extras that came with the order; the red pepper flakes, the parmesan cheese, napkins, plates, serving tongs, plenty of condiments and dips and dressings... it goes on. The food was laid out in the trays attractively. You eat with your eyes first, right?

ALL of the food tasted great. We heard a lot of compliments throughout. The bread for the subs was soft and delicious, the pizza well-cooked and had nice flavor, the ricotta in the sauce for the baked ziti added a little extra pop.

From start to finish, it was evident that this restaurant CARES. We had an early pickup, which meant that Paisano's had to start the order early. They could have phoned it in and done the bare minimum, but didn't. A big "thank you" from our family for your hard work and going...

I had high hopes, but don't waste your money. There are two kinds of pizzas: Junk food and high quality. What this place is doing is making glorified junk food pizza. The pizza sauce and crust are bland, but they attempt to create flavor with cheese and grease. Good pizza shops know it is all about the sauce and the dough while the cheese acts as another layer of flavor. This place is insulting in that it has the nerve to claim they are making "NY gourmet style pizzas". They may be charging that price range, but the quality does not stand up to the claim. Paisano's is pretending to be the high quality local pizza chain of Northern VA. The reality is that they are a tiny step up from Domino's / Pizza Hut. Little Caesars at least has the decency to not overprice what they are selling - unlike this place. If you want high quality gourmet pizza, find a good mom and pop shop or learn the art of pizza...

Ordered delivery online. One large pie half and half, and a chef salad. First the good, delivery was fast and the salad was good. Two stars earned. Now the bad, not sure how someone can mess up the toppings when they are clearly spelled out on the order but it happened. Neither side came out as expected. Second, clearly provided instructions where to deliver and how to open gate for a no contact hand off. Well written instructions and spoken instructions twice through my ring doorbell were not sufficient. Had to walk out and meet the driver. Anyhoot, I know times are hard, covid, etc, but if I plunk down 80 bucks for a pizza and salad I would hope for a...