Paesanos – Sacramento Restaurants

(UPDATED 8/20/19) Description and review of Paesanos, a casual Italian restaurant located in the Handle District in Midtown Sacramento.

A friend and I recently met for lunch at Paesanos in Midtown Sacramento.  It had been a while since I was last there, and this was her first time. The Midtown Sacramento location is one of three Paesanos restaurants – the other two are located in Elk Grove and Davis.

Parking in the Handle District can be a challenge – so instead of circling around looking for on-street parking I decided to park in the nearby lot located off of L Street.

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I arrived first, and was immediately seated.  I chose a table inside as it was a chilly day, but I am sure the outdoor patio would have been comfortable as it was both enclosed and heated (space heaters).  The outdoor patio is a great place to sit and people watch when the weather is nice as there is always a lot of foot traffic.

Paesanos is a casual restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere and I have found the food to be both reasonably priced and consistently good.  The restaurant can get very loud and crowded.  On weekends there can be a bit of a wait to be seated – it all depends on when you arrive.

My friend arrived shortly after I did and we proceeded to look over the menu.  Paesanos offers a variety of “starters”, salads, pastas, sandwiches, calzones and pizzas.

My friend was in the mood for pasta.  She ordered the Tortellini Formaggio (tortellini with sun dried tomatoes in a pesto cream sauce topped with Parmesan) ($12.95).  All pasta dishes are served with garlic bread, and gluten free pasta is available on request for no extra charge.

I zeroed in on the Meatball Calzone (three house-made meatballs smothered in marinara, mozzarella and Parmesan, wrapped in pizza dough and baked) ($13.95).  All sandwiches and the calzone are served with a side Italian Tossed Salad.

My friend enjoyed her lunch of Tortellini Formaggio and garlic bread and I found both the Meatball Calzone (served with a side of marinara sauce) and salad to be tasty. The meatballs were flavorful, as was the marinara sauce.  The calzone was huge – and I gladly took half of it home for dinner.  I made a point of asking to have the remaining marinara sauce boxed as well.

Our waitress was both friendly and attentive, which always makes for a pleasant experience.

My friend had walked from her Downtown Sacramento office, and gratefully accepted my offer for a ride back as it had turned out to be colder than she had expected.

I have made a mental note to myself to keep Paesanos in mind for Happy Hour in the future.

Comments on Paesanos?

What has been your experience at Paesanos?  Do you have a favorite menu item or two?

Paesanos Snapshot:

• 1806 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento, CA  95814
• (916) 447-8646
• Hours:  Monday – Wednesday (11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.); Thursday (11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.); Friday (11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.); Saturday (Noon to 10:30 p.m.); Sunday (Noon to 9:30 p.m.)
• Street Parking
• Outdoor patio

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