I am editing my review because yelp took the last one down and someone named Brian P. who only has one review and that is of Paoli's is making disparaging comments to me via the compliments system.
The food is average at best. it is overpriced.
The bar is to fine but they have a weird policy about charging for Soda refills after a certain time. Whatever. Try telling the people that though.
My main problem was and still is with the Karaoke DJ. You have to bribe him to get your song played. He told us in no uncertain terms that information. We had tipped him early in the evening and we wanted more people from our party to do a song. You know the $1500 dinner party we had. he told us that to many of our party had already done songs and that we needed to tip again basically.
Fast forward to march. We were having dinner and this same  Karaoke DJ came up and called me out on my first yelp review in front of everyone. Everything I said in my initial review is 100% true so i have nothing to hide. This restaurant does apparently so that is why they had yelp remove my edited review.
AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE
I ate lunch here today with two co-workers. I have been here before and while they do have good pizza, especially the all white pesto Alfredo, today's meal was not so good. We started with the minestrone soup which was pretty watery. Caesar salad was romaine lettuce and chewy croutons with a very heavy dressing. Pizza was too doughy and sorely lacked cheese. There was way too much tomato sauce on the pizza too. I think I will stick to the white pizza.
Review Source:Had the pizza, it was salty and crust soggy, undercooked. Â Just not my taste. Â Oh and the sauce was bland (crushed tomatoes only basically) and barely any cheese. Â The decor was so dated and not in any way a throwback, more like they haven't done anything to the place in years. Â Just a sad sad night. Â Wanted to like it but alas, not.
Review Source:My review is solely based on my pizza experience and not on the bar or dining service. Â I picked up a pizza to go.
My friend suggested that we pick up a pizza at Paoli's for an early dinner so that we can watch the game at home. Â We didn't call it in. Â We went there to look at the menu first.
The wait was only 15 minutes and we ordered a large sausage and onion pizza. Â The price was reasonable at $19.35.
The GOOD: the sausage tasted homemade and was very legit in flavor and size. Â Definitely not for a vegan hippie.
The onions were plentiful and also large in size.
The BAD: They make their pizza sauce with chunks of tomatoes like some pizza parlors do but unfortunately when you do so, the pizza overall lacks sauce. Â One of the most important ingredients in a good pizza IS the sauce!
Overall, the pizza lacked enough cheese. In fact, it lacked so much cheese that I couldn't really taste the cheese.
The quality of the pizza if really good overall. The size of the pizza with the thick crust is plentiful.
If our pizza had more cheese and real homemade sauce on it, it would have been right up there with the best of them.
I have decided that the next time I go I'm going to bring a batch of the red sauce from Round Table pizza with me and ask for extra cheese. Â Then...it will be the bomb pizza for sure.
I have seen this place a thousand times and wanted to try it. First visit was a success as I tried the lasagna and found it to be awesome. Not too greasy, with lots of flavor without being overbearing. The wife really enjoyed a pasta dish with the house marinara which was good too. The atmosphere is a little dated but homey feeling.
The guy at the piano was tinkling away making for an interesting time. The srive was great and the prices were decent for the early bird half off dinners. Try it.
I love Paolis! Love the people who work there, and love (most) of its patrons.
It's a super fun place to karaoke, reasonably priced drinks... never had food there, but I've only heard good stuff. If you're looking to have fun any given night YOU GOTTA GO THERE, open 'till 2am and...Karaoke EVERY NIGHT!!! I mean C'MON! what else do you need?!
Several times in the last few weeks a group of our friends have gathered at Paoli's to celebrate birthdays and do some really bad Karaoke. Â Because there were so many of us (25-30) we could have a good time anywhere. Â But Paoli's has really changed since I used to come here some years ago. Â
What do I mean? Â Service, bar and management staff have a less than helpful attitude....like they are doing you a favor. Â In fact, the bartender was downright rude to a few of us. Â The food? Â Not anywhere near as good as it used to be. Â The red sauce pizza dry and bland....the "used to be my favorite" white pizza....doughy and bland.
And to top it off.....Karaoke at Paoli's...... Â or maybe I should call it Payola's. Â My name was on that guys piano for over 2 hours, but apparently because I didn't "tip" him I never got called up. Â Others who came in toward the end of the 2 hours went up quite rapidly and some even sang twice! Â
I don't think that many of us will be going back anytime soon!
Where to start . . . Â
When we arrived at the restaurant the waitress pointed us to our table, not walk us over just pointed.
We ordered drinks and the glasses came fresh out of the dish washer all warm and steamy. To add insult to injury the waitress said "sorry they are warm but I put ice in the bottom to cool them down" and by the time she had taken the glasses from the bar to our table there was just a pool of water in the bottom of each one! Â
Prior to the pizza finally coming to our table it was taken to the wrong one beforehand, the dough was raw and it ended up on my suit trousers due to her lousy placement of the dish!
The one positive is the manager covered the dry cleaning and did not charge us for the horrendous experience, all in all a real shame considering the location and history of the place.
With some good management and staff training hopefully they can turn this disaster around.
Came here last week on a first date for late-night drinks so this review has nothing to do with the food (how often have i "EVER" said that) ...so keep that in mind.
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LOCATION
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On VENTURA BLVD. right past DE SOTO AVE. It's located right next (maybe 2 doors down) to Pickwicks Pub, which I've been to a few times. Inside is pretty dimly lit... more of an upscale alternative to Pickwicks. It seems like a very good date spot because of the lighting, general interior and the way the small tables and seating is set up.
There's a seperate bar area that is a bit confined but in a very good way. It feels like the bar is in a seperate room, but it really isn't.
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THOUGHTS
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So I think about 4 months ago my friend Berj B. had his birthday party here. There was a good 12-15 of us. Some of us walked over to Paoli's... I looked in, wasn't feeling it and walked back.
One of the things about this place is the crowd is generally older. There was a small mix of some people in their 20's but the general audience was 40's and 50's.
Parking in the back was pretty full. I drove, we luckily found one solo spot near the door in the back.
Once inside we sat at one of the small 2-person tables and my date told me that we could either wait a waitress to come or order at the bar. Since I wanted to wait and chat for a bit, we went the waitress route. She came right away, but we weren't ready and I told her "give us 1-2 mins" ...but she never came back. At all.
After about 5-6 mins of talking, we had a brief lull in the convo and realized we needed drinks so we went over to the bar. Morale being... the waitress dropped the ball on the service.
The bartender was pretty cool. Talkative, nice... but not overbearing. I'd later comeback to order our second round of drinks and asked him for a suggestion for a girl who liked "Malibu+Pineapple" and he recommended a SCOOBY SNACK (Malibu, Pineapple, Midori), which she liked. Â Bonus pts. for the bartender.
We went to Paolis mainly cause she'd suggested it a few nights before... but we ended up doing THE FEDERAL instead. I was a bit curious about Paoli's and she wanted to do karaokee.
===KARAOKE===
This is where Paoli's drops a few stars.
First off... my friend John C. gave me a bit of a background on this place prior because his ex, and his aunt used to come with him all the time years ago. He warned me it gets pretty loud for Karaoke.
UNDERSTATEMENT.
As soon as we sat down we both realized the music was blaringly loud. I repositioned my seat adjacent to her and many, Many times couldn't hear.
They needed to turn it down a couple of notches.
Additionally, after my date sang her first song... we over an hour until they called her up again. Very disappointing. Â
At this point 80% of the people had already cleared out. I walked up to ask the lady running the Karaoke if my dates name was up there... and she's looks for a second... goes "yes...." and sticks her hand out.
***I'm a karaoke newb, love watching it, rarely go
...I was completely unaware this was a SHAKE-DOWN. Really?!
I walk back... tell my date the scary lady said she'd be up soon then I tell her about the Shake-Down. My date informs me that, that does happen often "when it's busy." I can understand... slipping the host a few extra $$$'s or a $5.00 bill to move up the list. Money talks... but really..... you make us wait over an hour and then want some money when no ones there.
Apparently it's usually a guy who does the karaoke so it's not a problem for my date, but this chic running it that night -____-
To top it off... she had sooooooooo much work done. We pretty much had a laugh, checking her out and pointing out ALL THE DIFFERENT plastic surgery jobs she's had done.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
===============
I asked the waitresses for a few more mins, never heard from her again. The bartender was chill. The crowd was older but pretty lively especially the older black guy singing "Suck My Black Balls" from Southpark which had both of us cracking up in laughter. The Karaoke music was waaaay too loud, kind've disorganized and the drinks were pretty expensice. I think I dropped $60 on 5 drinks.
Unless they have amazing food I'd probably steer clear of Paoli's. It's got a nice romantic setting but quite a few issues.
Upon the recommendation of a dear friend, I tried the white pizza with mushroom at Paoli's and I am delighted at the taste, texture, and crispy crust. It was served deep dish style, so it was plentiful. Their house chianti was also smooth and refreshing. So why only 3 stars? First, no happy hour. Come on, this is why the place was EMPTY at 5 PM. The seats are also hard and uncomfortable; no booths. Old decor, old TV. Don't mistake the dim lighting for ambiance. Restoom was diry, vandalized, holes punched in the wall. The details count. Paoli's presents itself as a cozy, classy joint, but it is not. So it isn't really fine dining. But maybe I'll try other pizza offerings and I'll just know it for what it truly is.
Review Source:Paoli's is basically a dive bar that serves pizza instead of hot wings. Â So don't expect to be impressed by the food nor the surroundings - you won't be. Â Put another way: If you like good Italian food, this isn't your place. Â If you like "trendy" and "upscale", this isn't your place. Â And if you like great live music, this DEFINITELY isn't your place.
A short story to illustrate my point: The last time I was here, I walked up to the bar and ordered a martini. Â When I asked the bartendress if they had Chopin, she gave me a distinct look, kind of like I was wearing a top hat and tails and who the f-ck did I think I was trying to impress? Â She told me with a sneer "No, we don't have Chopin, but we do have Stoli.". Â I felt like a metrosexual in a Jersey sports bar.
So why do people still come to this place? Â Well, like Marty and Elaine at the Dresden, there's a certain threshold where divey/tacky morphs into hip/cool. And for some at least, Paoli's crosses that threshold. Â Actually, I'd speculate that people go to Paoli's for the same reason I watch 1950's bug movies; Â Yes, they're beyond bad, but then "bad" can also be entertaining. Â And who doesn't love a good train wreck every now and then, right?
Note: I'm not sure what's with the "Piano Bar" in the restaurant's name; Â There have never been any pianos to be found the few times I've been here. Â Air pianos perhaps, but no Steinways or Bosendorfers that I could see.
So unless you prefer your piano bars sans pianos, this might not be your scene. Â But did I mention that they have Karaoke? Â Yes indeed, they do. Â In fact, Paoli's is actually a Karaoke bar disguised as an Italian restaurant. Â And as we all know, Karaoke bars can provide great train wrecks from time to time. Â The only problem is that they aren't very consistent about it. Â
Some nights, you'll get a couple of hams that will liven the place up and make you forget the depressing mediocrity of the stuff on your plate. Â The first time I went here, the place was suddenly raided by a pack of Cheesecake Factory waiters (just off work and still in their white frocks), who filled the room with an incredible amount of energy and had us all laughing our asses off. Â A few of the guys could actually sing too. Â One even tried to hit on me (the Stoli martini impressed him, no doubt).
Another night when I was here with my parents, the vibe wasn't quite so good. Â After enduring three or four "singers" doing questionable renditions of such hits as "Staying Alive" and "I've Gotta Be Me", my dad couldn't take it anymore and literally bolted for the door. Â My mom rushed after him and pleaded with him to come back, but to no avail. Â He was resolute and opted out of the Paoli's experience for some diner down the street, leaving us to suffer through our entrees and many, many more "memorable" performances. Â I'll never forget the peaceful and contented look on his face when we finally found him later that evening - it was priceless. Â (true story, that; One we still laugh about at family get togethers).
Long/Short: Â Shakey's PIzza with a Karaoke bar and a bad attitude. Â Good times can be had, but proceed with extreme caution (and skip the Chopin).
Karaoke - 4 stars: I'm also a KJ (karaoke jockey or host), the song selection is pretty good, the KJ was nice. Â The sound was "eh" & rotations were long for the amount of people who were in there, but fair. Â Overall a good experience. Â The crowd was fun & showed a lot of love. Â
Pizza - 4 stars: I've had better pizza, but their pizza is up there. Â It was kinda pricey for what it was. Â I traveled pretty far to come to this place and I'd go again for their pizza. Â
Service - 0 stars: I work in a bar/restaurant and I ALWAYS tip. Â I found their service to be one of the $hittiest around, I've never left a place without leaving a tip, until I came here. Â It took FOREVER to be acknowledged by the staff and to get a drink. Â I work in a place that's 4 times busier & 4 times more prompt. Â Catch my drift?
Bar - 2 stars: Their drinks are standard size/servings but a little on the pricey side. Â It took forever for the bartender to acknowledge me and there was less than 10 people at the bar. Â I probably waited 15 mins to get my drink. Â
IMHO, there's only 2 things that would make me keep coming back to this place: it's the karaoke and the pizza. Â Perhaps if I came back more often or if I was a "regular", the experience would be a lot more pleasant. Â I give this place 2 1/2 stars.
Came here on my friend's 21st birthday.
As what everyone is saying about the place, the Climax pizza is a must try pizza.
it's like worth every single piece.
My friends and I have a blast in this place. They had karaoke night and full bar.
Our server is very accommodating and very nice.
I would definitely come back when I'm near the area.
I cant believe I skipped writing a review on Paoli's Pizzeria. Â Ive been here 3 times & for some reason I have to order the same thing every time. Â Why you ask. Â well because I am sold on their pizza but not just any pizza "The Climax" yes people you read right.
The Climax is a pizza that is worth cheating on any diet any day of the week. Thank god I don't go to Paoli's to often or else I'd be the blimp of the year. Ok back to the pizza. Â Make sure you order your Climax with white sauce. Pizza comes out right out the oven, gooey cheese, sausage, pesto, & white sauce. Yummy!!! My mouth is watering as I write this review. Â The perfect combination of flavors & not to mention their crust is pretty darn good.
Restaurant is cute they have tons of pictures they have displayed all around their walls. Staff is friendly staff, karaoke begins at 9pm & the crowds that go there are fun loving people who want to have fun. Just last night the couple that was sitting next to us asked what type of pizza we ordered. Â I told them The Climax & yes when you bite into it you literally want to climax. Â LOL
This place is indeed great if you're a karaoke junkie, they have it pretty much every night. It is a bit small, kind of a hole-in-the-wall type restaurant, but the stuffed mushrooms are a must!
There are regulars on certain nights for karaoke, but it's not everyone's cup of tea and certainly not a place to have a conversation unless you like yelling over the karaoke singing.
I liked it, it's just right and a fun place to go weekly to watch and sing karaoke.
My only tiff with Paoli's is that it's not a "piano" bar. There is a piano and a bar, but the piano serves as a stand for the DJ's karaoke machine. Interesting plus, if you do get up to sing for karaoke, you may be accompanied by a wannabe go-go dancer. This opener should tell you what to expect as far as the ambiance and layout.
Paoli's is either an opening for your evening or a closer. If you want a stiff drink, no-fuss sitting and a descent quick bite, go here. Added plus is the laughs from the karaoke.
Park across the street on Ventura. Street parking is free. You may be able to find parking on the off-streets. There is a tiny parking lot in the back.
Otherwise, pizza is awesome, waitresses are friendly and courteous. No cover charge but there is a 2-drink minimum.
You may be torn to go to the pub next door - they play their music really loud and it's always crowded. It's worth checking out both joints. The karaoke regulars are hilarious and will keep you coming back.
Leave the Hollywood/LA attitude on the east side of 405. :-)
Met up with friends here.
We walked in to think we'd be seated, well we stood there. They asked "would you like a table". Seeing that the bar was full and another section full, I thought to myself maybe the floor. Lol
It took roughly 20 minutes for the menu, another 15 to come by for drinks. We waited for our buddy to come through and all of a sudden the service came and then went.
The pizza's were stuffed and veggie, me the Catholic observing lent and my friends saying they were watching it. Lol Hella good! !!
4 slices each and we were done.
Yet, we had to track down our waitress to pay. Isn't that the part where they most want to be around?
I'd come back for takeout but not to dine in. Definitelynot a place to bring a date unless you wanted to close the door on your relationship. Really 2 and half hours for pizza?
Oh, another reason I don't sing: karoake night. We had to shout and were halfway back from the first timers. I clapped at the end of each song, later not realizing they'd go up for more. What was I thinking??
I'd give them another shot.
Paolis!!! Karaoke! Deep dish! Killer lunch and dinner specials! Live piano! Regulars! Patio seating!
Ive had a great time here every time! I typically go here for the awesome 1/2 dinner specials, it makes the prices reasonable! The service changes as the nite goes on, dinner can be quiet then a crowd starts to build as the nite goes on. Either karaoke or live piano begin, it's always a good time! People dancin, regular singers, happy DJ's, and a lot of commotion at times!
I do think the drink prices could drop a dollar or two, I really go for the food!
The climax pizza is ridiculous!
It's... um... interesting up in Paoli's.
I really am at a bit of a loss for what to say... how to rate... even a legitimate categorization of what's abrewing here.
I walked into what I expected was going to be a dark, quiet, charming Italian restaurant and found myself instead trapped in a bit of a loud, raucous, karaoke nightmare. Not sure what typical nights here encompass, but Saturday evening's bring you not much eating and just a whole bunch of shrieking.
Out was the spaghetti and meatballs and in was Snow's 'Informer', Sonny & Cher's 'I Got You Babe' (twice), Meatloaf's 'I Would Do Anything for Love' and a whole lotta Whitney Houston (RIP, Whitney). Oh, and did I mention all of this was taking place right smack dab in the middle of Paoli's main dining room? Yup.
I'm all for a singy good time, trust me, but at this point it was abundantly clear that canoodling over a nice Chianti was not going to happen and while we probably should have just left to pastures of a lower decibel, my friend and I opted for bar seats as far away from the action as we feasibly could be. It wasn't far enough. Â
So, if you're a big karaoke buff and care less about food and ambiance than you do about mic time, Paoli's is your paradise.
Interesting bar to say the least...it definitely has potential though...if they removed the 50-something drunks...and updated their karaoke system and redecorate the space.
Paoli's is in a great location on Ventura in Woodland Hills. Â They could totally vamp up the decor and make it dark and sexy. Â However, it just looks dark and trashy.
Also, the service is extremely slow, from the bartenders to the waitresses. Â However, the drinks are strong and cheap. Â They also have a nice covered patio.
What is there to say about Paoli's? Honestly... I've been eating more Italian food than ever before and I find the old timey, cheesy decor comforting and novelty. We had some apps, soups and salad here and I've gotta say I enjoyed it. The calamari wasn't greasy, the stuffed mushrooms cheese-packed and the Caesar salad wasn't too heavy (I know, right?). The bar was a little bit slow and the service was standard.
The karaoke attracted some oddballs and it got a little weird as soon as the music started up. We were in the area and wanted a quick bite - Paoli's got the job done and with some awesome company the evening went well.
*This is not a review of the food*
I can't think of anything better than "Eek! Methinks not."
Honestly, I felt as if I had taken a trip back in time.... A bad trip. Â It wasn't quite the decor that bothered me - in all honesty I kind of liked it in there. Â But, the layout was AWFUL for karaoke, the MC was slow and tedious, and the karaoke equipment was pretty primitive.
The crowd... Oh, the crowd. It was well.... Interesting. To say the least. Â Loud, drunk crowd, check. Â Loud, drunk, obnoxious middle-aged crowd, check. Â
The biggest plus? Â The drink was strong. Â And as soon as I finished, we transferred to Pickwick's.
If your fave dive/small sports bar and Bucca de Beppo had a love child, Paoli's might possibly be the offspring... Suggested by the front desk attendant of our hotel (Holiday Inn Woodland Hills -- Warner Center), my colleagues and I were too tired from our 5-hrs meeting earlier in the day to even ask for another suggestion -- heard "little Italian restaurant" and was sold!
I'd call the restaurant quaint and eclectic. The staff seemed to consist of the typical bartenders you'd find at the local fave dive bar in LA and waitresses who were between the ages of 19-22. Our teeny tiny waitress was like speedy Gonzalez; our butts were about to touch the chair and she immediately asked for our drink order. She was polite to an extent but just way too quick about everything.
We noticed people around us were eating the deep dish pizza that other Yelpers mention in their reviews but we weren't in the mood for something that heavy. Both coworkers ended up getting the linguine with garlic, olive oil & parm (I forgot the actual name of the dish) and I got ravioli with meat sauce. Average portions but kinda just right in my opinion. With our pasta, they got the salad (iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, kidney beans and garbanzo beans -- nothing special) and I got the minestrone. Warning vegetarians! They put chunks of beef and pork in their minestrone and MAN did that make the soup taste fantastic! The cup of soup totally hit the spot. Although the warm bread that the waitress brought to our table was delicious, it was kinda weird to see small globs of garlic herb butter dolloped sporadically over the rectangular chunks of bread.
The craziest part about dinner here was that their pasta and meat/seafood dishes were HALF OFF before 7:30pm! Regular price of our pasta dishes would've been $12-14; kinda pricey for what we got but eh, kinda expected for a non-chain Italian joint. Because we ate dinner around 7:15, the bill for the 3 of us ended up being $26 and some change -- same price it cost our full group of 4 to get coffee and light breakfast at Starbucks the next day. Cray cray!
I noticed everyone on Yelp talks about the karaoke here. Sadly, we did not stay till 9 to see the freaks that come out at night lol. However, the concept of an Italian karaoke restaurant/bar makes Paoli's A-OK to me! If I'm ever in the area again, the pizza and karaoke shall be a must!
Karaoke - 5 Stars
Food - 2 Stars
Price - 1 Star
Service - No Stars
I keep going back for the Karaoke. It's 6 nights a week, and they have a very extensive book. Someone mentioned a drunk KJ in August 2011, but he was fired in September, so it's safe to go back again.
The drinks run around 9 bucks each, which isn't great, but the real rip off are the 8 ounce sodas - no refills, all ice, $4. WTF?
The pizza isn't to my taste, but my husband really likes it. However, a medium cheese pizza is $18, and toppings are about $3 each to add. I had the chicken parmesan, and not only did they forget to make it the first time, but it was soggy and cold by the time I finally got it.
I definitely suggest eating before heading over for karaoke.
I was driving down the road with a friend looking for something to do on a Tues. night.
She told me this place had karaoke, we went in.
It had a nice vibe the crowd was around my age and older.
The people doing karaoke were having fun, in fact there was a fun vibe.
So why two stars then, the service of the bar.
It was friendly don't get me wrong, it was just really annoying having to wait for service.
The first beer was frozen, and undrinkable. The bartender said "Free drink" joking that was trying to scam another beer. It was a joke but I just wanted my beer to be i don't know, drinkable?
The second time I went to get a drink no one was at the bar. and the waitress who came to get the drinks herself was too busy for me. If I had to wait a few minutes that was understandable, but I was waiting for a long time while the bartender went to have a smoke.
i might come back for the karaoke or food but i don't know....
So...2 words. RIP OFF!!
Their pizza is YUM! There's no question about that....But we are SOOOO offended by their BS toppings policy that we will NEVER and I mean NEVER go back.
We couldn't decide between the "stuffed" pizza or the "veggie" pizza. So the waitress recommended splitting the pizza....which we did. 10 minutes later, she comes back, pretending to have "checked with the cook" and said she'd have to charge for the veggie toppings placed on only HALF the pizza....Well, that isn't what happened.
We were charged the $18 for the FULL (we only got half) "stuffed" and charged $3 PER TOPPING for HALF the veggie.... tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers($12 total). So, for the price of almost TWO PIZZAS....we got one..... FOR THIRTY DOLLARS!!!!
I'll reiterate, we will NEVER, EVER, return. These prices and policies should be expressed in detail on the menu and by the waitress proposing the idea.
Plus it's cheesy and small.
It's too bad. That stuffed pizza was amazing.
I took my gf to dinner here for the first time and was really taken back by a few things. Â 1) They charge you for ice tea refills-COME ON!, I could understand if we were only ordering sodas and not dinner but we ordered full dinner entrees with dinner salads. Â Just rubbed me the wrong way to get hit with $2.00 every time I want a refill on a tiny glass of ice t. Â 2) It was too loud! Â They were having a band but I couldnt even carry on a conversation.
The waitress was decent and the food was better than typical italian faire thus my 3 stars.
I went there last Sunday with my friend and two older girls. We were on a double date, and when we walked up to the restaurant, the Asian chick outside asked to see our IDs.
Normally, I don't have a problem with this, because I'm of the legal drinking age. But when you're going on a double date with older chicks, I don't need them to be reminded how much younger I am. The Asian chick took the girls IDs first, studied each for about 30 seconds, looked at them with a flash light, and then let them in.
Then it was my turn. She took my ID, shined the flash light in my face, back at the ID, back at my face, and IN FRONT OF EVERYONE, OUT LOUD, SAID "SO YOU TURN 21 IN 2010?"
NO YOU F****ING PIECE OF SHIT, I TURNED 21 TWO YEARS AGO, WHAT KIND OF FUCKED UP QUESTION IS THAT. SHE WAS DOING THAT TO TEST ME...FOR WHAT REASON? READ MY F*ING ID CORRECTLY AND LET ME IN. DID YOU HAVE TO SAY IT OUT LOUD, IN FRONT OF EVERYONE?
The girls we were with heard her question me about my age, and gave a look to each other. THANK YOU VERY MUCH YOU PIECE OF SH*T. You had to ruin my chances of laying them. I'm NEVER coming back here and I'm telling all my friends what a horrible experience I had.
We left 5 minutes later to go to another bar because the karaoke sounded horrible and it was a small bar. Paoli's Sucks.
Paoli's is a restaurant that has a lot of character. I first went when my friend Pat recommended it. She always has great suggestions and she was right again. This isn't the newest, hippest, swankiest spot but it's a good place to go for pizza and pasta.
It's been a while since I've been there but I recall that during early dinner hours there were discounts on entrees. Towards the later night, there's piano entertainment. It is a one of a kind place.
This is the ABSOLUTE LAST place I would ever return to in the Valley. I can't comment on the food or the drinks because the bartender was so incredibly rude that I didn't get the chance to dine, she asked how many were in my party, then after witnessing countless open tables and waiting 30 minutes to hopefully sit in one of them she saif she didnt want to serve us. huh? Isn't that the wait staff's decision?
I hope someone other then that digruntled employee from Paoli's reads this because I will NEVER return.
I discourage groups of attractive women from dining here as Im sure you may upset the Elderly Female bartender and you will be sent away as well.
I get a hankerin' for some Italian food every once in a while and the mood struck me one day while sitting at work. I jumped on Google Maps (this is before I discovered Yelp!) and looked up Italian places near my work area. I saw a few places and, judging from their websites/menu, quite a few of them looked pretty good. But one really stuck out above all the rest was Paoli's - because it had "piano bar" in its title. When I asked my co-worker, who is a lifetime SFV resident, about Paoli's, he mentioned that it is an okay place and that growing up he and his family used to go there every once in a while. It didn't sound like it was anything special, but he said it was worth checking out if I was in the mood for some Italian grub.
I won't attempt to relay the entire story since that was more than 3 months ago and I couldn't possibly remember all the details, but let me just say that Paoli's is now what I consider THE BEST RESTAURANT in the Valley. Yeah, yeah, I realize there's a ton of restaurants in the Valley, but for what it's worth if anyone ever asks me what a good place for dining in the SFV, Paoli's always springs to my mind first.
My first trip there, I ordered the Tortellini Paoli (or whatever it's called) and really was pleased with it. The sauce was creamy and rich, the pasta was perfectly al dente, and each bite was pretty dang good. For somewhere in the mark of $10 I also got soup and the standard bread we've all come to expect on the table while dining Italian. The soup and bread were both really good, but nothing really over the top. The real gusto is in the entrees at this place. Or so I thought.
As everyone undoubtedly mentions, the pizza here is also something else entirely. It isn't the Chicago deep-dish I heard (or read) someone mention... or even close. But it is some of the best pizza I've ever had in my life. As a matter of fact, their white-sauce pizza tops my list of favorite pizzas of all-time. Granted, you may gain a good couple pounds just looking at it... but it's definitely worth it. Try the 5-cheese, spinach Alfredo (I forget the special name they give it), or "The Climax" (sausage, white sauce, pesto, and some other stuff) for the crème de la crème.
The interior is dark enough that your eyes definitely have to adjust and then... it's all over. I know a lot of people don't like the decorations and stuff, but I found it reminded me a lot of the bars back home in the Midwest. There's definitely a Chicago vibe to this place and I can dig on that a lot. The walls are plastered with Polaroid photographs of customers through the many years this place has been in business and you could spend hours just looking over them trying to find some interesting stuff.
As for the entertainment value, I've only been to the actual piano playing stuff once. There was a much older set hanging out in this place, but it didn't make myself or my friends uncomfortable at all. The pianist was really good and the singing was good enough. No American Idol winning performance but you won't cringe away in pain either. I hear they have karaoke nights too, and I would love to check it out but I don't think I'll make it out any time soon as I am a Koreatown resident and I've got plenty of decent karaoke places nearby.
For me, at least, the overall magic is in the dining here. Everything was the top of the heap as far as I am concerned. The waitstaff and even the owners, who occasionally walk through, are all extremely friendly and good people. Sometimes if your waitress disappears in the back it can be a hassle to get some refills or your check, but it has never gotten to the point that I've considered actually getting up to search for them... which I am no stranger to doing.
Check this place out, you won't be disappointed. And, if you are, box up your leftovers and get them to me before they go bad. I'll gladly take them off your hands.
Paoli's creeps out a lot of my friends when I bring them here for the first time. I have no idea why. I really dig this place! So what if all the polaroid snapshots of patrons over the (many) years that plaster their walls are turning yellow and curling at the corners? It's a pretty MASSIVE (and impressive) collection, by the way. You could easily lie to your friends and say your picture is up there. No one would ever know. My picture is up there... for real!
The food is alright. Not the greatest, but not too shabby. Of course, the pizza is the thing to order here. But the fried calamari is really nice, too. Not too heavily battered. All of the pastas that I've had have always been satisfying. Minestrone soup here is surprisingly hearty and tasty.
But the best thing about Paoli's is the piano bar/karaoke. The singer is awesome and takes requests (I always request Elton John tunes). Even the drunk karaoke patrons are fun and really liven up the atmosphere. Best times to go for entertainment are after 10 pm. Anytime before that is snooze-ville. Unless you want to have a quiet dinner, then it' all good.
Oh, and this place is SO not the spot to pick up girls/guys. The crowd is an older set - think 40 plus - so unless you're intentionally scoping for cougars or sugar daddies, come here with your boyfriend or girlfriend or a group of friends to just hang out and have a drunken good ol time.
One stop that is a must when visiting the valley is Paoli's Pizzeria. JayChan doesn't even ask, "Mom, do you want to go?" He asks,"Mom, WHEN do you want to go?"
And our order is always the same---yep, the Alfredo, homemade sausage deep dish pizza! Hands down, the best white pizza around.
The one reason to go here, Alfredo pizza.
The one reason to get Lipitor, Alfredo pizza.
The one thing I always love here, Alfredo pizza with homemade sausage and mushrooms!
This has been my pizza dive for 15 years and I'm (we're) still in love. I do strongly warn that not everything on the menu is as good as the pizza and the outdoor seating is only nice on warm nights (361 in LA) when no one is smoking (it's a small space and covered). If you decide to stray into the entree items go during happy hour (M-F) when most selections are 1/2 off.
OHHHHH look at the walls of Polaroid pictures. I'm in there somewhere!
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