Paisan’s

I had the shells with red sauce and meatballs it was very good! I would come back for more. This restaurant was huge good for me parties.

Paisan’s has been our family favorite for more than a decade, right from their earlier location on University Avenue
The last few times we felt that the food (esp the pizza) was not upto the standard that we were used to. However the lake view, ambience and service more than made up for the perceived short comings in the food quality.
Unfortunately, our most recent experience seems to indicate the the food shortcomings have spread to the service as well. The service we encountered was really sub par. The place was not full and it took almost 10 mts for the waitress to show up and from then it went downhill. Wine glasses not for everyone, very slow, did not even offer us desert. I guess all good things come to an end, sadly.

Very mediocre food (tried some of the lunch specials & pizza) but nice bread basket, friendly service and wonderful lake view (indoor & outdoor seating), so I’ll return! Parking is $ 2/​hour underground.

Not impressed. I received a salad that the lettuce was black and wilted. I informed the waitress and she said she’d get the manager. The manager came over said «I’m so sorry we won’t charge you for that.» And walked away. Never did he offer to replace it or ask if I wanted something in its place. So much for my dinner I guess… Probably won’t be coming back.

Paisan’s Restaurant has a great atmosphere and location with a great view to the lake… When we arrived a Paisans we were seated near the patio area. At first a service started very good but quickly decline when are food took longer than a hour and half almost two hours for one Crispy Pizza it was unbelievable… When our pizza arrived it was one the burned side and server explained that a Crispy pizza takes a long time to cook but it dose not take a Hour and Half!!! Beside the burnt edges it actually tasted good and I enjoyed the pizza… Paisan’s will definitely NOT my first pizza place option but I could return…

The worse smoked turkey sandwich, even probably Subway has a better turkey sandwich, the sandwich had brown lattice, onions seem like2 days old. Worse taste in my life for a sandwich! The service was slow and understaffed. It was my first time eating at this place and definitely my last time too! Pretty lame experience, for the location and the view they have. They can have great potential! Too bad! And the worse part is eating there for Mother’s Day! I wish I can give them 0 Stars!

This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the Madison area. I have been to Paisan’s a couple of times and always had good service and good food. It is nice to have the option to look at the lake or sit in a private booth.
The toasted spicy cheese bread isn’t too spicy as an appetizer but you don’t want to get too full because the dinners are awesome. The pizza is really good but I usually order a dinner. The cannelloni is my favorite and you get hot bread which is always a great plus. My friend had the spicy meatball sandwich last time and could not finish. The prices are reasonable and I always bring home the leftovers for lunch the next day.
If you are looking for good Italian food this is one place not to miss.

I love going here. I go there a lot for family gatherings. My mom used to work there when she was younger and she knows the owner. We always get great service when we go there. My favorite thing to eat on the menu is the Portobello salad it’s the best.

Arrived around 4:30pm on a Saturday evening with a group of 8 total. We were told over the phone they do not take reservations, but when we arrived we found out they DO take reservations. Our wait time was only 15mins or so, which isn’t bad. We were seated with a beautiful lake view! Had our party not consisted of 3 children we would not have fit into the bench seating.
Our waiter was a nice college aged fellow. No complaints on our service one bit!
The pizza was GREAT and would recommend! They do not scimp on any of the toppings!
The pasta dishes were very bland. No real flavor. It wasnt BAD, but for an Italian restaurant it was bad.
When our check came we were trying to figure a good tip, but realised they had already added an 18% tip.

My parents used to go to the original location on dates, and brought us to the University Square location as kids. We mainly got pizza, but what made an impression even as a child was the Garibaldi.
I’d only been to the current location once before, shortly after it opened, and my date and I made the mistake of ordering pasta. The other reviews arent joking: steer clear from pasta and traditional (American) Italian classics. This is not the place. I vowed not to go back after that experience. I understand and respect keeping the menu the same after so many decades, and I bet people that grew up on these dishes are overjoyed that they can still get them. Since I grew up on the pizza and sandwiches. .. didnt work for me. If you havent had Paisan’s pasta before, dont start now.
Recently I got the strongest craving for a Garibaldi. I used to be able to get them from Delitalia, a long closed sister restaurant, and Deli Roma, an unaffiliated restaurant that ripped off their trademarked sandwich and made a FAR better version of it. But alas they are also closed, so I decided to give Paisan’s another shot.
Garibaldi is still a Garibaldi and as far as I can tell, this is the only remaining place you can get one by any name. Gino’s, Fraboni’s, you cant introduce a Gandolfini or something? I also tried the renowned Porta salad.
For the price, I expected a more substantial sandwich, either in size or quality. It was excellent but did not seem like an almost $ 10 sandwich. The same with the $ 10.50 portion of the Porta.
I will continue to go back unless we start making Garibaldi’s at home or some place more convenient starts offering them.
3 stars for the food quality, the 4^th is for being the only place to have the Garibaldi.
Have I said Garibaldi enough? Garibaldi Garibaldi Garibaldi Garibaldi. Man I wish when there were multiple places all over Madison you could get them. Garibaldi Garibaldi Garibaldi. If you’re not from here you might not understand.
Oh, I want to add, I only got takeout, but the service was excellent. They had gotten part of my order wrong and charged me for something less, and they corrected it without upcharging me. The woman who appeared to be the manager was very friendly and helpful. My food was ready quicker than expected.
Garibaldi Garibaldi Garibaldi Garibaldi. Garibaldi Garibaldi Garibaldi Garibaldi.

I’m sorry but this is not good Italian food. Burnt pizza and canned sauce is not my idea of good Italian cooking. The service is weird, tons of high school and college students running around with no food service skills. I think this place is only still open because it caters to UW alumni who come into town looking for a taste of the past… a bad taste from the past. Save your money, Skip the old stand by and look for something better…

We’d heard great things about Paisan’s and the pizza did not disappoint. Crispy, thin crust which is always my favorite. Intense, delicious red sauce, full of herbs, tomatoes, bustling flavors. Ours was topped with sliced onions, banana peppers, sausage, and pepperoni. We went with the spicy cheese blend and it was velvety smooth and melded well with everything else. It was truly delicious and we devoured every bite.
We also ordered the mozzarella sticks as an appetizer. These did not compare well with the pizza. The coating tasted burnt and yet the insides were slightly cold and not molten at all. The marina sauce for dipping was delicious. Chunks of tomatoes and peppers, loaded with oregano — very tasty.
The restaurant is much larger than you would expect while driving up. It covers the majority of the ground floor. There are myriad rooms. Lots of dark wood benches. Where we sat, it definitely felt dark and enclosed.
The service was fine. They greeted us when we came in. Had us sit and the bar until a table was available. Picked us up from the bar and ushered us to our table. Took our order and delivered our food. Nothing wrong, nothing extra. Just the minimum to get the job done w/​out doing anything wrong.
Besides the mozzarella sticks, my only complaint was the prices. It is very good pizza and you are paying for it. We waited at the bar before being seated and noticed those same mozzarella sticks are half price there. At more than $ 1 for stick, I’d definitely prefer to sit in the bar area. Beers were also much more expensive than I expected, but again I see they have a happy hour special which would have been much more reasonable for pizza and beer. When we go again, we’ll definitely do that instead.

Paisan’s menu is pretty limited and pretty old school. They have a beautiful view of the lake once you’re in the dining room but the parking garage looks like it’s about to fall apart. The food did taste good and the service was very nice (but at 2pm on a Thursday we were the only people in one of the many empty dining rooms). I’d try somewhere else first :-/

I am shocked… just shocked that Paisans only has 3 stars on Unilocal.Now reading through the reviews I see a lot of people complaining about he wait time to get in, the slow service, the rude service, and the fact that they do a traditional pizza and not that froo froo fancy horse crap that many of the snobby typical Madison douchy places serve.
Well I will say this… you are spot on about the service… it is slow and the people who work the front are rude (the servers I have never had an issue with) and it does take forever to get in unless you show up early. BUT… never in a million years would I call their pizza and food not delicious. IMO… and that is the reason we have Unilocal… Paisans is pretty close to the best Pizza in madison and the spicy cheese bread… holy lord. lets just say the garlic cheese brad is like crack on plate… and no I have never done crack.
Normally I dock a star or two because of the service but I cannot here because the pizza is just too good. Lots of toppings, cheese, nice flaky crust, the chopped onion sauce… seriously I feel like making a trip this afternoon now. It is real tasty and traditional pizza… that is what I like if you cannot tell by my reviews.
Oh…and the views are good too but lets get back to the delicious and orgasmic spicy cheese bread. You know when you cut into it and your wife takes the middle forcing you to eat the end pieces… it is still delicious. And then you slowly dunk it into the… ok…you get it.
Anyway, my recommendation for Paisans would be to start taking some reservations and maybe have your staff at the front smile a bit. Other than that… the food is perfect and if you are stuck waiting… you can always order pizza at the bar.

Had a delicious pizza loaded with topping. Usually don’t like thin crust but this was very good. Had a small veg salad that was very good. Fresh with plenty of veggies. $ 6.50 was a little much but don’t mind paying for fresh ample ingredience. The service was great, friendly, personable waiter. The view was great. We sat in a roomy booth with a lake view! We’ll be back.

I enjoy Paisan’s — I really do. I’ve had some good dining experiences. Nothing earth shattering, mind you, but I’ve never had a bad meal. Having said that, I have a few things I want to highlight.
~ The cheese bread is SO delicious (I swear there’s crack in it or something). It’s perfectly crispy yet tender and flavorful topped with copious amounts of mozzarella. Eat the cheese bread!!!
~ Getting the spicy cheese rather than the regular cheese on a pizza is a VERY wise decision. And the Italian sausage is just THE best.
~ They kept our water glasses full which I so appreciate. Many places forget this important detail.
~ The service was just… meh. Our server was odd and when we asked a question about wine selection his reaction was to boldly tell us employees «aren’t allowed to drink» there. Well, ok, but you don’t have to drink there to be knowledgeable about the wine selection. See… odd. He just didn’t seem like someone who really knew what he was doing and definitely lacked in people skills.
I’m sure we’ll be back. I just hope we have a different server next time.

A Madison classic serving «classic» Italian food as in the same things they were serving 3 decades agon when I was a student living in Madison. Now, my tastes in Italian run more to the authentic and less to Americanized food that defined these type of restaurants when Italinan food was considered «ethnic» and «exotic.»
While it is a great festive atmosphere, especially after a football game, the food is fine but not something I’d go out of my way for.

First off let me say that the hospitality and genuine politeness in this establishment is incredible. Jeff is one of the nicest and friendliest bartenders I have honestly ever met.
I placed a take out order here for the Professor Smith Burger.
–Professor Smith Burger $ 6.95 (Keep in mind I am eating this about an hour after it was finished.)
1/​3# broild burger with lettuce tomato cheddar and bacon.
The burger was cooked perfectly. It was juicy on the inside with a little crisp on the outside. The bacon was that tantalizing level between undercooked and burnt. Nice chewiness but not so much that it will not come apart. It was just an all around great burger. Nothing over the top fancy or extravagant but just a solid classic.
What made this place stand out in Madison for me was what happened when I went to pick up my food. I decided to sit at the bar and grab a drink. Jeff was tending bar this night. From the moment I sat down he was attentive and friendly. Told me about some drink specials, the happy hour they do, and this is one of the best happy hours in Madison, and more about the surrounding area since I just moved here. Before long I was making friends with some people at the bar and enjoying a few rounds of drinks.
Tom Collins — I don’t like gin. Actually I kind of can’t stand it, but he talked me into trying one. I was really good. Not overpowering just very tasty.
Old Fashion — I am a lover of this classic cocktail, I always have been. Jeff makes a GREAT old fashion. These drinks are easy to make but perfection can be difficult. He has found perfection.
After some rounds I had to go but before I did he gave me a few places to trying for drinks and food in the future. Because of Jeff and the friendly patrons at the bar I will be back and back often to this gem. Although I did not try any of their Italian food yet Paisan’s has a secured a spot on my Madison Go-​To List.

I went to this restaurant with my wife and three friends. Our server was pretty rude to us and actually rolled his eyes when we asked about certain dishes or if they had any specials. It was candidly pretty benign set of questions yet he seemed completely annoyed. I get that we all have bad days but you don’t need to take it out on the people that are ordering food.
The food itself tasted pretty good. We ordered a number of dishes including cheesy garlic bread, pizza several different salads, spaghetti and meat sauce, and an Italian sausage. All dishes were pretty solid.
The food came out pretty fast and was a relatively good value considering the price.
Great view of the lake.

There is no place in Madison that has as much history with me as Paisan’s. Years (like lots, and lots of years) ago in high school we would eat there after our state forensics meets — we drove 4 hours from Northern WI to get to Madison, and this was the highlight of our trip (well, that and getting to stay in a hotel without our parents, score!). In college we went to their University Square location after every concert and recital because it was a short walk across the street from the Humanities building. My roommate used to use her fake ID to buy their sangria. Once, I even went to eat just in the hopes of catching glimpse at the guy I was crushing on (now my husband) who was there with a friend that night. Paisan’s has history for me.
I don’t love their new location as much as the old. Even with the transported booths, it doesn’t have the character as the original, but they tried. I’ve had amazing servers and so-​so servers. All of that aside… what I love about Paisan’s is their consistency. Their manicotti remains in my top 5 foods of all time… because it NEVER changes. It’s always served in the same plates, the same way, with an olive on top. The sangria. The mozzarella cheese bread. The porta salad. It’s all exactly the same as it was when I was a fresh-​faced 15 year old, excited to be in Madison for the first time. To some people this might be frustrating, but to me, it’s nostalgic and perfect. No, Paisan’s may not be the very best Italian food you can get in the Madison area. But it’s good — and will always be one of my favorites!