PaPa GeGe's Italian Villa — Restaurant in Ohio

Restaurant pricing with fast food service. Sauce killed our stomachs the entire evening. So disappointing for the price and hype. First Impression should have been a precursor to what was coming. We seated ourselves and were told to come up to a counter when we decided what we wanted. Ok, different, but ok. When we went up to order, I was a little surprised I had to pay upfront. Then she asked what we wanted to tip...HUH???? Are we at a sub shop, or a restaurant??? I said we'd leave tip after. Order took about 20 min. Chicken Parm panini: tasted good, although the bread was a little chewy, portion was decent though for 12 bucks. I added the fries and a drink for 5 dollars more, which is a joke for a dozen frozen tasting fries and a soft drink I have to refill myself. Meat Lasagna: ok this one takes the cake. The 'special" of that day for 16 bucks came in a small width, oblong bowl which felt 200 degrees on a wooden serving dish. It did not look very appealing, but she dug in anyway. I had a bite and was really underwhelmed by the taste. We could barely find, or taste, any of the sausage which was so finely ground you had to play where's Waldo to locate it. The cheese was ridiculously cheesy, to where it was clinging to the plate...i thought there was ricotta in it but the texture was completely lost in this mess. Aside from that, it was SWIMMIMG in sauce, and not thick tasty sauce, but watery sauce...i mean you would put a fork in and "sauce' would spill out...Just wow. We went here fully ready to pay 50 bucks for two dinners from what all reviews said was the best sauce anywhere, and "authentic " italian, but honestly this tasted no better than canned sauce. We went home luckily afterwards, and were treated to an entire evening of tag team action with the bathroom. Yippee. Here is some advice to anyone who wants to go here: Temper your expectations. It wasnt bad tasting (the panini only), but it also was NOT the hyped up 10 dollar a jar sauce. Honestly, olive garden was better and you actually get table service for that price without being elbow to elbow with 30 other people waiting in line for refills. Ownership: honestly, these things matter when charging what you charge. If you want AUTHENTIC, go...

The way Italian food should taste! We have passed Papa Gege's multiple times when going to Boardman. Finally, we tried it & we were not disappointed. The salad had quality greens, tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, & croutons with their homemade dressing. My husband got blue cheese & I got ranch. We both enjoyed them. In addition to our pasta meal we also got 3 garlic knots. These are not the tiny garlic knots that you're used to getting. They were very good sized. Our son ordered a mini pepperoni roll which was filled with plenty of pepperoni & a slice of thin crust pepperoni pizza. The chef cooked them a little too long & were a little dark but he sent them out for our son to munch on. The pepperoni roll was still delicious & they gave a good size of marinara sauce for dipping. Shortly after, my son received a perfectly cooked pepperoni roll & slice of pepperoni pizza. Later, the chef came out & apologized to us about the overdone pizza & pepperoni roll. We were impressed he took the time to humble himself and acknowledge his mistake. My husband ordered beef ravioli & I ordered the spaghetti with bolegnase sauce & a meatball. All the food were good serving sizes & we took a few containers home. The servers of the restaurant were helpful & great! They were on top of getting food to us & clearing away plates and utensils. The soft drinks are serve yourself. We are continuously on the lookout for real cooked food, this is the place to go. Forget the chain restaurants-when you want great Italian food-go to Papa...

My sister and her husband went here for their anniversary dinner and raved about the quality and quantity of the food. My husband and I decided to take our adult son there for lunch today (Sunday).

We were greeted warmly when we arrived and told we could sit wherever we wanted. Immediately another menu was brought to us along with wrapped flatware.

Once we decided on our orders, we placed them at the counter and paid. I got the Italian hoagie and a pepperoni roll to go, but my husband and son both got the sausage and pepper rolls, one with a salad, and the other with fries. That salad was quite generous and I sampled a fry to find it very tasty -- crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and not at all greasy. My Italian sub was incredible! It was so delicious and fresh, but also quite generous. I could only finish half and I was STUFFED! Both my husband and son loved their sausage and pepper rolls and also said they were stuffed. We all skipped dinner tonight because we were still full! We also shared an order of peppers in oil with garlic knots. My goodness, they were the best peppers in oil I've ever had and a very generous serving!

I am so glad we went here and will definitely return for an evening...