Cafe Paisano — Restaurant in Longwood

I've shared a prior 5 star review because my family has enjoyed this restaurant for many years & have bought so many friends here to enjoy a good meal & good service.

However our most recent experience was a stark contrast & worth sharing.

We went last Friday evening (March 29th) with family following my nieces dance recital. We were a group of 10 called to see if they were busy and knew there was a wait time. We get there & the tables inside are mostly full but the patio is totally EMPTY. We advise that we're great with sitting on the patio (it's a nice evening anyway), there's hanging lights and ambiance. One of the servers begins to start attempting to accommodate us. The manager comes out and abruptly advises that they CANNOT accommodate us. I looked around and said, 'the patio is empty, there's enough tables here and we don't mind splitting our party up.' She goes on about how she can't (without providing a reason).

We didn't argue or make a fuss, because clearly we wouldn't want to dine in a place that clearly didn't want us there. We just left and went elsewhere. Uber disappointed in the way we were handled and will not go back or recommend. Even the server was confused and kept apologizing for the managers actions. We've literally been taking our family of 6 here on a regular cadence for several years 😒

4/8/24 Adding in response to the owner: Yes, we were quoted a wait time as I mentioned above the 'server' was trying to accommodate us. But then ALMOST IMMEDIATELY the manager came out and flat out said they could NOT accommodate us. She rescinded our option to wait at all by advising us she couldn't accommodate us. Thus intention is not at issue...

We have eaten at this location several times and it was delicious. Today, sadly we had a terrible experience. We love calamari and order it wherever we go. Today I’m afraid I’ve been turned off calamari. It was grossly undercooked. I knew the tentacles were raw but I thought the rings were cooked. I was sadly mistaken. I had to pull the food out of my mouth and stringy pieces slid into my throat. I sincerely thought I was going to choke. My husband had one piece , he came home and vomited. I’m not sure who the cook was Saturday October 15 for afternoon service but he either needs additional training or let go. Horrible experience we will not be going back. Update I’ve vomited 2 times since. i don’t believe you can eat raw squid this for sure was not an experience I want to repeat I wish I had had the forethought to take a picture. The calamari was not fried we were given raw calamari.the color was blond not the beautiful fried color posted on other posts. I’m so happy you think it’s ok to serve it raw it made both my husband and I sick. We will not be returning unfortunately as we thought it was going to be our spot . Yes it was removed from our bill . I not only blame the cook, but the waitress both knew this plate was not fit for service. you were just ok. No we will not be repeating I don’t return to establishments that make me vomit . Congratulations you’ve made it ! An establishment that we can cross...

Cafe Paisano is a gem! We had dinner there for the first time last night, and we could kick ourselves for not trying it sooner. Dinners include a dinner salad and garlic knots. The Chicken Marsala with Linguini was delicious. My dining companion had the The Tower of Caprese and Baked Penne with an amazing Pomodoro sauce. The garlic knots just came out of the oven and they were hot & delicious. We could have finished the entire basket, but needed to leave room for the main courses. The dinner salads were fresh and the Balsamic and Red Wine Vinegar dressings were equally good. You couldn't find a better Caprese salad with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes & basil beautifully arranged and perfectly dressed on the plate. The wine list is reasonable with some pretty good choices. Our server, Josh was friendly and professional. He was busy at another table, so another server delivered our main courses...team work at it's best! An added bonus is that Cafe Paisano has a 100%- A+ rating from the Florida Health Dept. (check out the Life Kitchen app. for all FL restaurant ratings). They must be doing something right in the kitchen. The prices are reasonable, and the food & service are outstanding. Everyone was very friendly and made you feel like valued guests. We will be back and can't wait to try...