Paulie's Little Bite of Italy — Restaurant in Sun City

I loved that they worked with Arizona Golden Retriever Rescue by arranging that if customers mentioned it, Paulie's would donate 20% to their great organization during the day of their Dine with the Dogs event, so I made sure I mentioned it! It was good to see the owner present and chatting with some folks, but the waitstaff seemed spread too thin so there were gaps in the service and the table nearest us was impatient with it. The sampler appetizer allows for some nice choices, but the amt. of each was skimpy esp. since the wings were tiny and only had 2 strips of celery and they were out of blue cheese, the toasted ravioli was dry, although the meatballs and sauce were excellent: a fairer price would have been about $15. They make a good thin, almost matzo-like crisp crust pizza which isn't my go-to style, but great for carb conscious folks, and heck, I do what I must to help a great organization😉. I thought the overall prices were steeper than they should be for Sun City, but it does have better than average atmosphere with Italian flags and pictures of celebrities lining the walls which add to a comfy retro feel. There is also a gurgling fountain inside and although there was no music for awhile, eventually they put on some retro Italian music which was quite charming, and unlike so many restaurants today, the volume was conversation comfortable. There's a pleasant outdoor seating area with a fountain, and some potted trees although there used to be more and I hope they add them back as they were a type of evergreen that looked like those tall and pointy cypresses of the Mediterranean but they didn't water them enough I watched them slowly die which was sad. They always allow dogs on the patio which is nice to see, lending a European air, so during the Retriever event there were more than usual. The dog volunteers explained to me that they don't have an actual shelter, but they utilize a network of fosters to help save Golden Retrievers until they can be placed in a forever home. This particular benefit also provided special funding for those who have retrievers with cancer and need some financial assistance. It's nice when a local business can help a...

I've frequented Little Bite for close to 20 years and while doing some shopping in the 'Paulie's Little Bite' center last week on day 2 of post-shutdown reopening, a sign over the door touting the "Tuscan T-Bone" drew me in. I asked the young cashier how the steak was prepared, what made it so "Tuscan-y" and added that, like many other seniors in the community, I had some dietary and food allergy concerns. The young cashier said she didn't know, this was just her first day on the job. I asked if she could find out? No, she was just the cashier. Wow, miss, stand proud in your ignorance of helpful customer service! Me: You weren't trained on the menu? YC: No. I turned to two middle age servers with the same questions, citing the same dietary concerns. The first was was carrying food to a table said she'd find out. The second one did a U-turn back to the kitchen and in a few moments she came back and told me it had Italian herbs and other spices and herbs too. Me: Which ones? S: I don't know. Well, okay then . . . Here's an easier question for you: If the front house staff hasn't been trained on the menu and can't answer diners' questions about ingredients, do they at least know the Heimlich maneuver or general CPR in case a diner chokes or goes into anaphylactic shock? Does anyone there even know the number of 911 emergency assistance? When Paulie took over Little Bite, he served me and my partner and were impressed with the young man, his ideas for improvement in menu and decor. That was then, now my opinion of his enterprise became tarnished at the cashier's counter and didn't improve much with the servers. There are other excellent Italian eateries in the area with excellent good food and a far more pleasant and knowledgable staff. Please Paulie, I want to see you succeed too so please train your staff on the menu and all ingredients used. And maybe put someone with personality and basic people skills at the front counter? I'll be back but I'll have to wade in gradually . . . Pass me a...

Wed., 3/27/2024 - Ate at "Paulie's Little Bite of Italy" restaurant. Address is 15456 N 99th Ave, Sun City, AZ 85351. Ginette, our waitress, was very nice and professional.

Pros:

1. lots of parking.
2. we made reservations so got seated right away.
3. they have outdoor and indoor seating.
4. service was great. Staffs great. They checked on us several times and made sure our tables were clear from any dirty dishes. They also made sure we had our drinks filled.
5. foods were presentable.
6. plates, cups, utensils were all clean. Our table and chairs clean.
7. cheese cake was so good. Didn't even need any strawberry sauce or anything. You can eat it as is and it's perfect.
8. they do provide a little spumoni ice cream for birthday.
9. water tasted great.
10. they do have a bar.

Cons

1. bathroom is outside, separate from restaurant. When I went to the bathroom at around 8:15pm, the women's bathroom was locked. You need a code to get in. I asked one of the female server for the code and they said it's not locked. I told her it was. I went back outside and tried to open the bathroom again and even pushed on the door, it would not open. The men's bathroom, on the other hand, was not locked. I saw someone go in there.
2. We ordered our t-bone medium rare, it was cooked medium.The 2nd t-bone was ordered medium rare on the rare side, it too was cooked medium.
3. chicken Alfredo: chicken dry and over cooked. Alfredo sauce on the watery side and not much flavor. Pasta dry.

Conclusion Cute restaurant. We liked it. Cute decorations. Nice and professional staff. Cheesecake is off the hook! You gotta try it! Shrimps were big. Took 3 bites to finish each one. The cocktail sauce that came with the shrimp didn't have horse radish. Instead they used pepper. It was different, but good....