Paulo's Italian Kitchen — Restaurant in Shawnee

My wife and I have been coming to Paulo and Bill’s for several years now. It was one of my wife’s late father’s favorite restaurants when she was growing up and carries a lot of nostalgia for her. Over the last several years, we have noticed a decline in quality. Sadly, the complimentary bread and oil/herb/red pepper dip for the table was discontinued a couple years ago. I understand this as costs of product have steadily risen but it was by far our favorite bread and dip in the city. It was simple but classic, and delicious. (I will note that owner responses to other mentions of the bread say it is available upon request to limit waste. We have asked in the past and was told they do not serve that bread anymore but it could have been a new server or a misunderstanding.) My favorite dish was and will continue to be the Chicken Parmesan. The goat cheese sauce with the fettuccine is absolute divine. Again, we have noticed a decline in portion size over the years but that is to be expected. It is still a decent portion size and the price mostly reasonable. However, the biggest concern has been my wife’s favorite dish, the Chicken Marsala. For years, the Marsala Demi-glacé was far and away the best of any restaurant we have frequented in KC. With the recent change to menu, the Marsala sauce just doesn’t taste the same as it used to. It may not be the sauce that has changed, but the chicken. The menu calls it pan seared chicken breast but it is at most, a chicken tenderloin in size. In the past, it appeared to be two chicken breasts. Over the years, we have noticed the portion size shrinking, which is again, understandable. That being said, the price of the Chicken Marsala seems to have gone up at a much greater rate than the rest of the menu when you consider the shrinking portion size. What was $19 only a few years ago for a portion that usually would have enough left over for another meal later in the week, is now $28 for a meal that doesn’t quite satisfy. The major redeeming factor is the service. Though we feel the menu has declined and the costs have gone up too much when considering the reduction in portion sizes, the service has always been top notch. The servers have always been attentive and pleasant, checking on us and asking about special occasions or making pleasant conversation. The host or hostess has always been kindly and greeted us quickly. To my wife’s displeasure, the nostalgia and appeal of this KC classic has mostly been lost and we are unsure if we will return in the future. As great as the service has been, the changes to the menu, prices, and portion size just doesn’t have the value that...

Great food for those on a medically restricted diet........

2002-2012 the restaurant used to give huge portions totally able to be shared. The Alfredo sauce was thick & creamy. The best around. They used to roast full cloves of garlic & serve them with toasted baguette for an appetizer. It was the best place for Italian food. Everything was on point. 2019 - After being absent for a few years, we came back to our dear Italian restaurant. Service was friendly & the atmosphere was exactly like I remembered. On point. We were seated very quickly & the restaurant was spinning with “grey hairs” (as many have called the crowds over 70 in the past). Upon being seated we were greeted with a delightful older teenaged waitress. Sweet & clean gal. She took our drink order & headed off. Looked to the menu for appetizers and it wasn’t there! The cloves of garlic are gone. But they serve a complimentary scarce shake of stale seasoning on a plate then doused with tangy olive oil meant for dipping bland stale bread in. The service was wonderful. But the quality of presented edible flare was not. We ordered our favorite meals. Anything with Alfredo was always a sure hit. Our meal came out before my wine. Boo. And our meals were very small. I wondered if we were delivered the half size. My chicken parmigiana was not dry but not super flavorful. My fettuccine was naked. I couldn’t see any sauce. Just yellow noodles. My husband’s too! Upon inspection, the Alfredo was so thin that it all drained to the bottom of the plate. None stuck to the noodle! The Alfredo sauce was like butter & milk. Had to add lots of parmesan to thicken it up a bit & salt & pepper. It was just bland & made me feel like it was a waste of carbs. Within a few bites our meals where done. We used to bring home leftovers & leave feeling satisfied. Tonight we left feeling disappointed & worst of all...hungry. I don’t know if they have had a change of hands but the quality of Italian food has severely dropped. I sure miss the old Paulo & Bills who had not only a great atmosphere & service, but great food too. The food we received was just not worth the money anymore. Meal prices went up & meal quality went down. My husband called it “grey hair food”. Made for those on bland restricted diets due to medications & ailments. With this said, we will not return until our...

We've been dining at Paulo and Bill’s for nearly 30 years (back when it was part of the PB&J group) through anniversaries, birthdays, and countless weekday lunches — and it has long held a special place in our hearts. The food was consistently excellent, the staff was the best and so welcoming, and we loved having family celebrations here. However, our most recent visit left us so very disheartened. The restaurant has undergone a major transition, with a new chef and general manager now at the helm. Naturally, we expected a few updates or tweaks to the menu — change can be a good thing — but some of the new choices have altered the essence of what we loved about the place. One item we always looked forward to, Paulo’s Chicken salad we’ve ordered countless times, tasted noticeably different. The honey mustard dressing, which used to be flavorful and distinctive, tasted like balsamic with no hint of the distinctive honey mustard that made it the best dressing around. This dressing has been a staple from the day this restaurant opened as it came from the flagship PB & J’s Paradise Diner where it was known as Cory’s Fried Chicken Salad. When the new manager stopped by our table and asked how everything was, I politely mentioned that the dressing seemed different and asked if the recipe had changed. He responded in a rude and condescending voice: “It hasn’t changed in the month I’ve been here,” and abruptly made a swift exit. No curiosity, no further engagement, and he made it clear he wasn’t interested in our questions, thoughts, or opinions. It was a dismissive moment that summed up how different the atmosphere feels now. I want to emphasize that the wait staff is fantastic and has been and continues to be one of the best in the business. We sincerely hope the new management team takes the time to understand what made this restaurant special in the first place. We'd love nothing more than to continue supporting it, but right now, it no longer feels like the place we once knew so we...