Paulie’s

My friend brought me to this restaurant. I really enjoyed it. I’m a pretty basic person when it comes to Italian cuisines, so I had the specter to without meatballs (vegetarian).
The spaghetti was excellent and the service was also great. Pricing is adorable and the atmosphere is pleasant (makes you feel like you are in a diner).
I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone interested in Italian food.

INCREDIBLE. Upon walking in, even the smells alone are unreal. I got the rigatoni bolognese to go and it was so, so delicious. Dining in would be an even better experience, I’m sure, as the staff is so incredibly friendly and nice. 2 thumbs up!

I’m not a big fan of pasta but this place is pretty amazing. For most pasta entrees they offer two sizes and the smaller one was extremely filling for lunch with leftovers to take to-​go. I got the pesto one with the olives and pine nuts and it was delicious.
They also have a coffee/​pastry counter with a variety of cookies and cakes to pair with some coffee for dessert.
It does get pretty busy on the weekends during the dinner hour and weekdays during the lunch hour. Parking can be annoying because the lot behind it isn’t too big, but I’ve always been able to find street parking on Westheimer or down the street in front of the houses.

It all started with a search for Italian food via Unilocal… And I ended up at Paulie’s which was such a great idea! If you don’t want to read this extensive review… Here’s a brief: I was grateful for the amazing food, service and atmosphere of Paulie’s and suggest anyone and everyone to give it a go!!!
Getting there: It is in a very tight shopping strip type area with selected parking behind the building or street parking in the neighborhood.
Walking in: this is not your typical restaurant. More like a café without the cheap feel of it. The set-​up of the tables is meant for 2 – 4 people to dine together. I imagine this would be great for intimate lunch and dinner dates. The Windows alongside the restaurant give it a great open feel, which I love! Now to the food. Sort of. You will have a board of menus to your left that will consume you for a couple minutes of you haven’t been there before. Everything on the menu looks amazing! Especially if you were in the mood for Italian. They offer: pizzas, pasta, soups, salads, and sandwiches from what I can see just at first glance.
Ordering: You order prior to seating. It is first come first serve on the seating. My experience was great. The server seem knowledgable of what each plate entails and really sells you on each and every item (kudos to them!). I had lunch there on a Monday, and saw that thy had select half price wine and beer, so I inquired and the gentleman set me up with a tasting and that took me by pleasant surprise! I got a killer white wine for $ 5! After you’re done ordering, you’re given a buzzer to come back and pick up your food when it’s ready.
Sitting down: it is first come first serve on seating and honestly anywhere you sit, you will feel the open concept and ready for you meal.
Food: Picking up your food, very easy and simple and on trays, similar to a cafeteria. I ordered the Canestri alla Funghi (half order, 10 $) and it was more than enough for me to eat two times! My friend had the Skirt Steak and Pesto Gnochhi which also looked delicious. The food was amazing!!! And the price of the food was almost unbelievable, especially being in the Montrose area. We finished our meal with coffee, bread pudding, and rocky road ice cream from Cloud 10 — which finished the meal perfectly!
Overall: You need to go and try this place out!

This was my first time at Paulie’s. I met a friend on Friday which from what I read was supposed to be ½ of wine. I didn’t care for the fact that they didn’t have any of their beverages on a list. I don’t like ordering anything I can’t see the price of before hand. (Guess I’m a cheap olé broad!) I got the Caprese Sandwich and Mediterranean Pasta Salad. It was fantastic and I couldn’t finish my food. My wine was NOT half off :(
Nice staff and nice ambiance.

The salads are huge. I think I ate like 3 heads of romaine. So, you know, if you’re getting the veggie soup, the half portion might be enough.
This is like what Panera always wanted to be, but never made it. Delicious, with healthy options with a classy dining room and staff that is knowledgable and cares about your food.

Very nice atmosphere and delicious food and drinks.
Ginger lemonade had a great kick. I am addicted to fresh juices and this place has dedicated jars ⁵⁄₅
Canestri alla Funghi — This Shiitake and Crimini Mushroom Pasta dish was absolutely fantastic. $ 10 for the small portion, but huge and shareable. ⁵⁄₅
So so so good. Thinking about it still.
Serious pasta and ingredients. They take care in preparation and presentation.
WiFi until 5pm. Spacious. Clean. Decent parking. Very friendly folks. Coffee, desserts, very versatile.
Can’t believe I haven’t been here before, it’s eighteen years old.

The only drawback to Paulie’s is the small lot, but if you know what’s good, a short walk down the street shouldn’t hurt. I’ve been here mostly for lunch, and I’m not sad that I had. They have a nice menu ranging from fresh salads and vegetarian selections to pizza.
They also offer wine and daily happy hour specials. Usually, I get a panini, which is one of the best I’ve tasted, despite the bread being toasted so well that it’s almost as hard as a rock (my poor soft pallet). They offer complimentary cucumber water as well, for those like me who try to avoid sugary drinks.

My friend talked Paulie’s up a lot so I was really looking forward to it. We came in about 8 on a Saturday night. There was a short line and it took us about 5 – 10 minutes to order. The ambiance was cute and the inside is pretty spacious. It is good for small parties of 2 – 4.
I ordered the fusilli pasta with pesto, the bread pudding, and a frozen bellini. The pasta was alright, but I really wasn’t a fan of the pesto. It almost had a licorice flavor which was strange to me. The pasta had good texture which helped the dish, but overall I wasn’t a fan. The frozen bellini was delicious and I would definitely recommend it. The bread pudding was good, but the sauce was way too sweet.
Ultimately, I wasn’t a big fan of my meal, but will be back to try some other dishes.

At Paulie’s, you order at the counter and then find your own table. Their half-​portion of pasta is pretty good sized, and the full portion is just ginormous — you’ll have plenty of leftovers.
Canestri alla Funghi: 4 stars. Pasta that is nice and mushroomy, great creamy sauce — Pretty good, but I think there are a lot of other items on the menu that I’d want to try before ordering this again.

I came here with a friend who had been here many times before. The staff were all super friendly and the girl who took my order was super sweet and had tons of great recommendations. I finally decided on a new pasta dish they had but can’t remember the name. I got the small portion and it was still so much food! My friend got the chicken piccata (which is amazing) and we split it up. The only reason I’m giving it 4stars is because our food took forever to come out but we think it was due to a lost ticket. Parking was decent which is nice for this area. This place is great if you want a good meal at a low key and quite restaurant.

I tried Paulie’s for the first time yesterday and the food was really good. I went around 4 and we did not encounter long lines at all (fine by me). I tried the rigatoni balognese and it was delicious. I got the half portion for $ 10 and honestly it’s huge. I have no idea who eats the full portion but I would like to meet those blessed individuals. Point is their half portions and the size of a full entrée.
I really liked the inside of the restaurant. It’s quaint and has a decent amount of space. I wasn’t able to try coffee or dessert but next time I will def have to get some.

This place surpassed my expectations!!! I usually am not impressed by Italian food unless it is extremely special and Paulie’s IS EXTREMELY AMAZING!
There’s a reasonable sized parking lot. The menu is quite varied, including items such as pasta, pizzas, soups, to even dessert items and your cup of coffee. You order at the counter and they give you a buzzer once your food is ready.
Expect large portions because their bowls are HUGE! I believe you can do half orders on items but we had a group of four when we ate here so we were all for whole orders. We ordered the mediterranean pasta salad, which I loved due to the abundance of feta, artichoke, and olives. Next comes the best part… the housemade pastas… If you’re looking for spicy spaghetti… order the bucatini amatraciana! IT’S THE BEST! It has smoked bacon, cherry tomatoes, chili flakes, and all these flavors jam packed into pure happiness. We even ordered meatballs to go with it and the meatballs were so tender and juicy. The next pasta we tried was the canestri alla funghi which is more of a white sauce pasta with mushrooms and delicious cream. The noodles in all the pastas were all so soft and al dente, I could tell it wasn’t store bought. Our meal also came with delicious toasted bread.
Wow, I’m not even ashamed to admit that when I was writing this review, my mouth was watering looking at the menu and pictures from Paulie’s. Definitely try this underrated restaurant!

Quick tips: Oh Paulie’s, you are so delicious. Great prices, great italian food, cute ambiance. Other than your long lines, you are perfect in my eyes. My husband and I have a usual order– split a half order of the fettucine alfredo and chicken parmesan. I love that they always have a speciality order.
Food: Very generous portions. My husband and I always get half portions of entrees and share. I’ve also gotten pasta primavera (healthier option if you ask for less oil) pizza (deep dish, I would say skip for a pasta), and chicken piccata (fairly good if you like lemon).
Service: Great, friendly service. Although, sometimes so friendly that you understand why the line is so long. I would estimate about 3 – 7 minutes for each order, which for me is way too long. I wish I had a European mentality and could just enjoy life while waiting, but I fear New York has rubbed off on me.
Ambiance: Cute café. Order at the counter. Would be a cute casual date, fun evening with friends or a place to take your parents in town (I’ve done all three!).y

Parking: There is a small parking lot in the back. If you need more parking, you can park along the street in the neighborhood in the back so parking should be okay. I highly recommend that you carpool with people if you are coming to eat here on a busy night (like I did).
Time and Day: Ate on a Friday at 7:30 PM and it is busy. All the tables were full and the group I was in waited for someone to leave before one of us sat down to reserve the table. Around 9:00 though, the crowd died down and there was plenty of tables to sit down at (obviously because the place is about to close). If you want to just try the food, you can order the food to go. Also note that the tables are pretty small (4 people max) so large groups is not recommended here. Since I came on a Friday night, the cashier informed me that there would be a 30 minute wait on food unless you got a sandwich. My sandwich came out in 5 minutes while my friend ordered the veal and waited 20 minutes for his food to come out.
Food: Ordered the pork tenderloin sandwich with the Italian potato salad ($ 10.00) along with the Italian Soda with Vanilla. The pork tenderloin sandwich was average. It was very dry, very little flavor, and was cold. I usually have the pork tenderloin served hot. The potato salad on the other hand was very good. The outside part was a little hard but the inside of it was where you want to be. The flavor was packed inside the center. The Italian soda was nothing special and was mediocre. Overall, the food gets a 3.5÷5.
Service: There is no waiter/​waitress here. You ordered at the counter, and they buzz you when the food is ready. However, the cashiers here are super friendly and one of the best I have ever seen. My cashier smiled, friendly, made recommendations to me, and I have seen her allow customers to taste drinks (and this explains why it takes a long time to order food). Because of the incredibly nice cashier who assisted me with my food selection, the service gets a solid ⁵⁄₅.
Price: Price was cheap for the amount of food I got. I say it was a good deal.
Overall: I would come back again only because the price is right, the service was awesome but would try a different dish. This place gets a ⁴⁄₅.

This place is really cute and I’ve been meaning to try it with all the good reviews. Came a little early on a Friday cause I thought it’ll be packed. There was a small parking lot in the back with an attendant, which was nice! He was friendly and helpful. The restaurant did have a line but it moved fairly quickly and tables cleared up by the time we ordered. They give you a buzzer and you just go pick up your food as it buzzes! Friendly staff and clean restaurant.
The food. The caprese salad was good! They have a vinaigrette dressing over the tomato, basil and mozzarella that made it unique. I wish the basil didn’t come in a batch cause you had to try to cut it up to eat with each bite. The dish was small so it didn’t leave room for maneuvering. But good nonetheless. The canestri alla funghi was good with a distinct mushroom flavor. The sauce was creamy and not overly rich. The pasta was not overlooked but also not as soft like I would think homemade pasta should taste. Good flavors but I thought it lacked a little salt and flavor. I’m not usually an overly salty dish type person so that says a lot. The rigatoni bolognese was also good. Tender pasta and a nice veal bolognese sauce. I preferred this over the canestri alla funghi but still didn’t wow me. I also had the Cloud 10 rocky road. It’s cloud 10 ice cream. Can’t go wrong!
Overall, I really liked this place. Good pastas and large portions even for the half size. So good amount of food for the price! Cute restaurant where you order at the counter. Could be a little of a wait but we didn’t have that problem. I’d definitely come back but I would try the veal chop. You get it on the bone and our neighbors raved about it, saying they come back every two weeks just for that dish and the Caesar salad! Will try it next time!

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed Paulies!
Paulies is perfect for a date, meeting, lunch, etc.
Find parking and the rest is pizza pie.
Food: Noodles are homemade, even spaghetti + meatball is delicious and comes w bread. Entrees are good for sharing because they are more than generous, and I’d say fairly priced. Salads and pizza too– both beautifully crafted and recommended.
Cucumber or other fresh fruit water is available for self service.
Employees are friendly and knowledgable. They are not afraid to take the time to answer any questions.
Order first, get a buzzer, have a seat. Enjoy!

I’ve had the cookies here numerous times at other people’s parties and weddings but I’ve only recently come here to dine. They have wonderful pastas and pizzas. There is always a daily special, last times was a panini and salad. The panini was a very substantial portion size. I had the caprese style with tomato, mozzarella, and pesto. It was quite delicious! I’ve also come here for an evening meal and had a wonderfully spicy pasta.
Now on to the cookies! When I was planning my wedding, my husband said he really wanted to have a take home favor. I think the cheap wine corks, candy bars, etc. are all so over done, and just not that classy franky. Paulie’s however, I can get behind! Paulie’s cookies are just so delicious and the artistry is wonderful. When placing a large order you can get proofs so that you can make sure you are getting exactly what you want. We decided on a heart monogram and a mini wedding cake. They came out beautiful and were so sophisticated and the colors were wonderful. Best of all, they were delicious! We got tons of compliments and people asking if they could take more than one home. I am so happy we went with Paulie’s. From start to finish they were easy to work with and dependable.

Good food, huge portions, nice prices. I ordered Rigatoni Bolognese. Since portions are huge, I opted for the ½ size portion. And, it was more than I could eat.
This space is smaller than the average restaurant but there is decent seating. They also have a parking lot out back which is much appreciated. Patrons can opt to dine in or get carry-​out.

Carbs on carbs on carbs. And loving every minute of it.
For a Montrose locale, Paulie’s has OK parking; they have a small dedicated lot and another after 6pm. You really can’t miss the gigantic PAULIE’S signage as you drive by; once you find a parking spot, you walk in, order at the counter, and pick up your food when it’s ready.
I can see how the lines here get crazy long, but fortunately I only had to deal with an indecisive couple in front of me during lunchtime — gave me some time to process their menu. I ended up picking a half order of Canestri alla Funghi, a short pasta in cream marsala with heaps of mushrooms. I think most people just call it «the pasta with mushrooms.»
I was starving coming to lunch since I had skipped breakfast, skeptical of being full from a «half» portion of pasta that doesn’t include any meat. I would say I was pleasantly surprised, but it was kind of a rude awakening that I couldn’t finish the last couple of bites. But, of course, I powered through and cleaned my plate because this pasta was SO good.
The pasta came with 2 pieces of toasted bread (yes, there is a difference between toast and toasted bread), and those were addictive, too. Perfect to wipe your plate clean since that sauce… man, it’s addictive.
From a macronutrient perspective, the pasta (and bread…) is primarily carbs and fat, so I wouldn’t recommend getting it terribly often. However, Paulie’s is so good for the soul — it’s pure comfort food. All of us can use a cheat meal now and then, and Paulie’s would be an excellent choice for that!