Il Pavone — Restaurant in Walnut Creek

A Mixed Bag of Great Flavors and Disappointing Service

I recently visited Il Pavone, an Italian restaurant I had been looking forward to trying for a while. The overall experience left me with very mixed feelings—while the food and ambiance were delightful, the service was unfortunately disappointing.

Let’s start with the good. The ambiance at Il Pavone is charming. From the moment I walked in, I appreciated the tasteful decor, warm lighting, and relaxed atmosphere. It had that classic, cozy Italian restaurant feel that makes you want to settle in for a long, satisfying meal. To top it off, there was no wait time when I arrived, which was a pleasant surprise.

The food itself was fantastic. Every dish we tried was full of flavor and made with high-quality ingredients. The pasta was cooked to perfection, and the sauces were well-balanced and authentic. I had no complaints about the taste or presentation. It was, in fact, one of the best Italian meals I’ve had in the city.

But here’s where things took a turn. Despite the restaurant being far from crowded, our server vanished after taking our initial order. We had planned to order more food, maybe a second round of appetizers or a dessert but the opportunity never came. After our dishes were served, no one came to check on us, refill water, or ask how things were. We sat waiting for quite some time, trying to flag someone down, but no one seemed to notice or care. Eventually, we gave up on ordering anything else and just left.

To make matters worse, the portion sizes were surprisingly small considering the steep prices. For a restaurant charging at this tier, I expected either more generous portions or a more upscale service experience, preferably both. Unfortunately, neither was delivered. Value for money felt way off the mark.

The most frustrating part was the server’s attitude. Not only was she inattentive, but when we did interact briefly, her tone came off as dismissive and even condescending. At one point, she tried to explain something to us about a dish in a way that sounded more like a lecture than helpful information and unfortunately, she didn’t even seem to know the correct details. It left us with a bitter taste after what could have been a lovely meal.

Final thoughts: Il Pavone has the potential to be a standout Italian spot thanks to its food and ambiance, but it falls short due to poor service and a lack of attentiveness that makes guests feel unwelcome. I sincerely hope they work on their service training and pricing structure because otherwise, they’re wasting a great kitchen.

Until then, I’m hesitant to return or recommend it. Good food alone isn’t enough when the overall experience doesn’t make you feel like a...

if there were a lower star, this restaurant would earn that distinction!

I had reservations to celebrate my 72 birthday with my son, but on arrival, were told there was only seating in the crowded, noisy bar. were were led to an obscure,dark corner to a bleak table, still loud from bar conversation. Of course I objected and requested a table I saw in the main dining area. We were were told that this was for regular patrons but were seated at a small table adjacent to that table that was vacant. i asked of we could move the table a bit since my seat put me face-to-face with someone in an adjacent booth. My request was met with hostility! Even though we had reservations, the receptionist and later the waitress were very condescending. rued, and unprofessional, and forced us to leave because of their toxic and disrespectful attitude. This has been the pattern for the last two visits, I thought that with my comments to the waitstaff, things would change. but this has not been the case; i'ts only gotten worse. This is a family owned restaurant, and is run by the grandchildren of the owner, who collectively seemed to have lost sight of the goal of service in deference to they're own biases. If it were not for the cowing of their elderly clientele, this restaurant would fail! I will never go here again.

Hahaha, after posting my negative review, I got a message from the owner's son, attacking me and "banning" me from their restaurant. The owner, an elderly (like me) woman pretended to not "speka da English too good", nonetheless spoke perfectly when defending her "waitress" granddaughter. The son then accused me of disruptive actions, but none of these things were true; He was only defending the family's bad behavior. The waitstaff, being all related seemed to have a sense of entitlement and arrogance, and disdained anyone complaining about their service. Turns out, the ownership is shared by the Matriarch and her two sons, with they're issue being employed...

The place looks nice from the outside, and it was crowded which is norlally a good sigh. However, the room is so packed with tables and people, that we felt uncomfortable. My glass had spots of red lipstick, which was disgusting. And they barely said sorry and replaced my glass, and didn't offer any compensation. We had to leave then and there, but we were curious about the food. The food was ok, but definitely not as good as it cost. More than that, their online menu had about 30% lower prices than what we had to pay. Yeah, I was a little overwhelmed with the crowds and didn't check the prices on the menu, after all, we made our selections using the online copy. I'm wondering if they have several sets of menus, where patrons from Rossmoor get the lower, online pricces, and strangers like us get the inflated-price copies. To me, $150+ is a little steep for 2 entrees, a pasta and 2 appetisers, when only the entrees tasted above...