(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 in the area.
Paesanos Menu/Review
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.
See related blog posts: Annual Sacramento Restaurant Review Recap and Sacramento Ethnic Restaurants
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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Hands down favorite order at Paesano’s is the Farmer’s Market Salad, which has dates and cornbread croutons…I order it every time I go, plus at Paesano’s quick restaurant, Pronto, and sometimes for delivery by PostMates!
I am going to have to try it – it sounds great! Thanks.