Pacioni's Pizzeria — Restaurant in Mount Vernon

We were a party of six. The place was smokey which means the kitchen ventilation may not be functioning sufficiently. We waited 40-45 minutes for our meals even though the restaurant was only a third occupied. My friends ordered a pizza each, and thought it was average. Each was about $13 and I considered pricey for a small pizza with just average rating. I ordered the calzone which came in two pieces. The crust was not brown, and they looked "uncooked". I did not return the calzones. Regardless of the "beige colored crust", they were good but very pricey ($18). The desserts were good and priced like other restaurants (about $7-8). We split up the bills since we were friends. When my bill came, I noticed a 20% gratuity included (and in every one of my friend's bill). Generally, most people do not look at the bills and then pay additional tips when they sign it. I did some research a few days later, and here's what I found on the internet about automatic gratuity: "Revenue Ruling 2012-18 classifies automatic gratuities as service charges, which are considered restaurant income. If these service charges are distributed to employees, they are considered wages and not tips." I checked Pacioni's menu (online) and I do not see anything mentioned about automatic gratuity, what is considered as "large party", and how they distribute the gratuity. It will be nice to specify clearly. In total, I paid almost $46 for my husband and I. He had a beer, a small pizza, and I had the calzone. I could have paid the same if I go to Anthony's which has a better ambience and quicker service. Pacioni is not...

Paccioni's is a demonstration of how a restaurant goes from wonderful to awful in a few short months. The food here has always been on the expensive side for pasta and food that is inexpensive to make, but once the new owners took over and started changing things, the high standard of cooking dropped to the level of a fast food Italian restaurant. We have gone many times over the past 4 years. It was usually a great, if not spendy experience. The last few times we noticed everything had dropped except the prices. Pasta is a very cheap thing to make, less than $1.00 for a dish in costs. They used to make very tasty sauces with a grilled garlic bread that could not be beat. Since the new owners made changes, subtle and not so subtle things have become clear. Pasta portions are little more than side size portions now. The sauces have poor taste compared to the previous owners. Wonderful garlic bread has turned into single hardened bread sticks that were stale and tasteless. The size changes of the pasta plates and drop in quality demonstrate greed, pure and simple. Service was slow, and non-attentive to refills and payment. Atmosphere was smoke-filled, like something burned in the kitchen and was not caught quickly. Sad to say I used to brag about this place and recommend it to many friends. Now I won't be back and would never think of recommending it as an option to friends. I would sooner go to a fast-food place; the quality is...

Weird, cause it says it’s a “pizzeria” on here, and elsewhere, but going directly in off the street, the sign says “Pacioni’s Italian Restaurant”.

We went for lunch. The drinks were good. My husband said his pasta and meatballs were ok. He said the meatballs were over cooked. My ensalada caprese was not good.

Amazing that the caprese was served unsalted, nor offer of a peppering, and without olive oil! The tomatoes could have been fresher. The dish was served with toasted French bread under each of the 6-7 tomato slices, with a huge bowl of watery canola or vegetable oil mixed with balsamic vinegar. The huge bread slices are sure to allow skimping on the actual salad. The Buffalo mozzarella was cut into small quarters. jUSt super unhappy with the dish.

After speaking to the waitress about it, she went back to the kitchen, and we could hear the cook in the back loudly saying, “Well, that’s the oil I have—” something Like that. She brought me out a small ramekin of what she said was olive oil, but it was not great. The caprese salad is WAY overpriced and not an authentic rendition.

So, we probably will not be coming back.

However, maybe now they are focusing more on pizza? Since it is in the title now online? We may be back sometime to try the pizza, since the drinks...