The food and history here are very good. A Parisi's you can feel comfortable in a suit or in jeans. The food is very good. Try for a starter the Pizza Margheritta which is a thin traditional grilled oblong pizza with fresh mozzrella, hand crushed tomato, fresh basil and olive oil.... It is amazing and truly a must try! Or try their true itallian bruschetta is excellent (and it is pronounced Broos-ketta not broo-sheh-ta like the american and chain places call it. the ch is pronunced like a K)
I can tell you the fish entrees are some of the best around period. The osso bucco (veal shank) is my favorite, the best I have had any where! A Tip if you get the osso bucco do not ignore the marrow inside the bone... It is butter of the gods and should not be wasted. Spread it on some bread it is so beefy, rich and wounderful! I like my osso bucco on angel hair pastaeven though the serve with rice they are always happy to prepare it this way. The chicken limon and veal saltimboca is always great. FYI Parisi's used very good veal and hand pounds the veal and chicken in all the dishes, No frozen veal chopped veal patties here like Pasquale Rulis (eww)! Â The pasta with a mix of all the seafood in the house is a fav so is the red clam sauce. Ask for Pasta Calabrese (I don't think it is on the menu but they will make it) All the dessert are home made and excellent.
I would highly recommend not just ordering spaghetti and meatballs or pizza (uless it is the grilled pizza margheritta!). Basically, what I am saying is this is common fare you will find everywhere and chance are you will be dissapointed in it. Pasta comes with every meat entree as a side, just ask for a meat ball if you want or ask for you side to be with alferedo or garlic and oil if you want but try the more traditional, delicious and elegant things that shines here. And you will not leave hungry.
Roberto Parisi is usually there don't be afraid to ask him to make something special. If it is not too busy he is happy to jump back there and prepare something great for you.
I truly want to give them 5 stars in all the food I mentioned because these are "as good as it gets!" The prices are high but fair when you consider the cost and taste of good ingriedents.
We were seated promptly, and asked if we wanted anything else. We asked for lemon for the waters. It never came. We waited 15 minutes to order our food, and finally had to flag another waitress down. The salad we ordered had a hair in it. The waitress took our appetizers away before we were finished, without asking. The main course was decent, a little on the cold side. I've definitely had better Italian in the area. While it wouldn't be tops on my list for a second visit, I believe in second chances. I may visit again, or maybe not. We'll see.
Review Source:Went here for dinner. Pro's: clean, attentive wait staff, food was good and Brie appetizer was awesome.
Cons: tables for 4 are way too small and we aren't large people, price was kind of high for portions.
Overall I'd eat here again, but would ask to sit on the enclosed patio as the tables looked larger.
I ate here for dinner. Â I had the toasted ravioli which was really good. Â It came with a dish of their homemade pasta sauce. Â The sauce was so good we used it for dipping the fresh bread in. Â Our server saw how much we liked it and brought another small dish of the meat version of the sauce to try. Â
The food was good. Â It tasted fresh and was quite flavorful. Â I think many of the entrees are somewhat expensive, but if you are looking for a good dish of pasta this place is pretty good.
I have been to Parisi's multiple times, and only once was I not left 100% satisfied. Â And the one time I just felt they were a bit slow even though we had 12 people at our table. Â The food is always fresh and wonderful. Â The drinks are always plentiful and stiff. Â I go back at the drop of a hat
Review Source:We've lived in town over 12 years, and wanted to try this place. Â We met friends the first weekend in March. Â We arrived when they first opened and they were still dead when we left. Â I now believe the only time they are busy is when there's a ND home game in the fall. Â I hardly believe a local would return once they've been there. Â
Appetizer: flat bread pizza basil, tomato, and fresh mozzarella. Â Not too bad.
I ordered the rustico, $24 this is like a glorified (home made, I don't want people thinking Kraft box) Â mac and cheese made with spaghetti. Â There was chicken, shrimp, and maybe crab in it. Â The dish was cheesy but dry. Â It needed a bechamel sauce or a little cream added to it. Â The flavor wasn't too bad. Â Had the waitress came back before I was finished eating I would have asked for some sauce.
Husband had carbonara pasta (spaghetti- chefs choice for the night). Â He added grilled chicken $22. Â He said the chicken was good, but again very dry sauce less pasta. Â I know it's egg based, but another dry pasta dish. Â
Lasagna looked good and the people we were with liked it. Â It was actually covered with marinara sauce. Â
Your dish comes with a salad and bread. Â The salad was a small romaine with 1 cuke and a slice of tomato. Â The vinaigrette was good. Â The bread was good. Â
Service ok, we had to ask for refills and more bread. Â I guess the bread refill only comes with butter when asked. Â In a restaurant that pricey and so dead the service should be spot on. Â
I would recommend going to Papa Vino's or Polito's if you're looking for a consistently good fresh Italian meal at an affordable price.
I had bad food here a long time ago. Â Don't know of anybody from in town who ever goes here to eat. Â Like so many other places which remain inexplicably in business around town, it's probably just a Domer thing, eh? Â Just keep that in mind when it seems like they couldn't care less whether you eat here or not... they probably don't.
Review Source:This is a italian restaurant in disguise. My food was served cold and had no taste. They must just heat up sauce from a jar and slap it on a plate  They don't make soup!!! The service is horrible! Beware the wait staff is very unfriendly and act over worked. They have never heard the expression "service with a smile"
I will never return.
I'm vegetarian so I can't speak to the meat items on the menu (I hear it's great) but I must say that the pasta/sauces are AMAZING. Â I would highly recommend mixing the alfredo and tomato con fungo sauces over top of penne pasta. Â I have been in the Michiana area for a long time, and I have yet to find a better plate of pasta. Â Will definitely be back!
Review Source:I have definitely experienced much better italian food. I'm from the Northeast in a heavily populated italian community with many great italian restaurants so I know what I'm talking about. Â We were passing through and took a chance on this place because the town literally shuts down after 9pm and this seemed to be the only restaurant still open. It was very disappointing, from the appetizer straight through to the end. The service was great which is the only reason I gave this place 2 stars.
Review Source:While the ambience is pleasant and the waitstaff was attentive, this food was mediocre at best and extremely overpriced - especially for South Bend standards. Â My husband and I stumbled upon Parisi's and we were under the impression that it was run by a local Italian family. Unfortunately, the calamari, lasagna and chicken parm all tasted like reheated leftovers from the Olive Garden. Though the restaurant may be family-operated and conveniently located near the border of the Notre Dame campus, the quality of ingredients are comparable to those of Chef Boyardee. Â I'd strongly encourage you to spend your money at an establishment that takes pride in their food!
Review Source:Me and my wife eat out--a lot. Parisi's is on our regular schedule.
Pros--the food is usually very good. Sometimes great, othertimes good. Yes, the menu is shorter than the on-line menu. However, if you ask for a dish, they will usually make it. For example, I have twice gotten veal marsala which isn't even on the menu. Our favorites are: the brie, bruschetta, pizza, angel hair with meatsauce (if you want meat sauce ask for it) and the osso bucco. The decor isn't great, not bad but if you want true Italian experience, go to Italy. Also, don't expect the food to arrive fast. This is not a bad thing! They actually make stuff from scratch and good things come to those who wait. It is the same at Francesco's, Cosimo and Suzies and Carmela's. Personally, if I want fast Italian I go to Fazoli's, if I want great Italian I go to a place like this.
Cons-it is pricey. Again, no more than any nice restaurant. It can be very slow when busy. However, go there on a week night and you can be seated immediately.
Overall, this is a great place to take a date. Great food!
From these reviews, it sounds like Parisis is good when it isn't crowded (i.e football weekends) and bad when it is.
I've been here twice (on winter, Saturday nights) and have had very pleasant experiences both times. The atmosphere is quite nice - a very romantic environment, and the food has been good both times as well. The bruschetta was tasty, very fresh, and the stuffed shells are delicious. I also disagree with some reviews which say the menu is inadequate, I thought the menu had a very nice variety (pastas, pizza, meats, etc) and had everything to expect for an Italian restaurant.
The prices are expensive for South Bend (half an appetizer, pasta, and glass of wine for $25) but reasonable for anywhere else.
This restaurant is fake all the way. Bolognessa Sauces with no meat, what the hell is that? a mix of tomato campell's soup with onions? seriously guys get a real chef, change the menu, hire the real people to help review your restaurant. Obviously the owner does not know what it takes to run a place like that. You have a great location, take advantage of it! I hear the health department scores were not great neither...
Your Rissoto tastes like mexican rice!
By the way you're not open to any suggestions and constructive criticism... You'll get very far with that.
In response to the owner comments: I'm 100% sure I ordered Bolognessa (meat sauce), perhaps you should check for previous versions of the menu or just accept a false advertisement. I have been eating Italian food all my life and I was very dissapointed at your restaurant. I also heard a story of you kicking out a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) because the kids were running around their table. What do you expect they are kids,by the way there are ways to handle those situations. Harassment is not one of them. Good luck!
I have been waiting to try this restaurant for awhile. I first checked out their website and looked at the menu to have an idea of what they serve. I was pleased with what I saw. I called them up, on a Saturday and asked if they were still taking reservations for that evening. The lady who answered the phone said they were pretty busy, and she only had something available at 8:30pm, for a party of two, for before then she said we could go on a wait list. I said great.
Well, we arrived there at about 8:15pm. There were two hostesses, two unfriendly older ladies. I informed one of them of our phone conversation and gave her my name, she looked at her sheet and just said ok, then simply wrote down my name, (last on the wait list), as if we were just a walk in and said it would be half an hour. She did not find my 8:30 reservation when I asked her.
We agreed to wait, what was another 30min... But at that point we were at the bottom of the line to get in. I still agreed to wait because I was excited to try the place.
Well, we were seated 1 hour later! I would have been ok with that if the rest of the experience had made up for it. But it didn't.
The inside of the place has an horrible decor, some wall paper with some roman columns, to give you that authentic italian feel, ya know.
But what I was so very disappointment about was the menu. When I looked online they had a pretty good list, **but don't be fooled by that**. When you actually get there you will be given a ONE PIECE OF PAPER WITH ABOUT 6 OPTIONS TOTAL, including appetizers, entrees, dessert. AWFUL. And what I really wanted wasn't even on that sheet of paper.
We ordered bruschetta to start, then ravioli and some fettucini. It wasn't bad, it was ok. BUT, its just like what you could get at an Olive Garden and PAY HALF THE PRICE. The food was OK, not good, nothing special about it. If I wanted Olive Garden I would have gone to Olive Garden, would have had faster service, same food and saved my money.
At least now I know and I will not be going back. I would NOT recommend this place to anyone.
My friend and I remembered this place fondly when we were treated to dinner there during undergrad by visiting parents. Â We decided to revisit this weekend as alums, but were sorely disappointed. Â The menu is miniscule- Don't bother looking at the menus on the website. Â You'll be handed a one page list about 1/4 the size of what you'd looked at on the site. Â The service was miserable. Â We had an 8 pm reservation and were seated at 8:45. Â We were brought to the lower level tables, which seemed populated with young families and students- i.e., people who would be more willing to put up with bad service. Â We waited nearly twenty minutes before we had a server visit our table. Â When he finally arrived, we ordered the calamari, two salads, and an order of ravioli to split. Â The calamari was crisp and light, but it was served with cocktail sauce, which we found bizarre for an Italian restaurant. Â When we asked the waiter if we might get some marinara, he looked at us like we were crazy and said, it comes with cocktail. Â He finally agreed to bring us a cup with marinara, but his whole demeanor was just rude. Â Our entree didn't reach our table until 9:45. Â While the food was quite tasty, I was horrified at the service (particularly as someone who waitressed throughout college and worked my fair share of football weekends). Â Would not go back.
Review Source:I tried Parisi's a second time this past Saturday, so I am updating my review. Â I sat out on the patio, which has a nice atmosphere. Â The only strange thing about it is that there are "ads" for beers they don't sell on the walls. Â It is very pleasant and has an outdoor bar. Â
We got the margherita (sp?) pizza for an appetizer. Â If you want to try the most authentic thing to real Italian pizza, I recommend it. Â The sauce is more tomato-y than we traditionally have here, and there is less cheese than we're accustomed to, but it has a very fresh flavor. Â
I ordered a Blue Moon from the bottle ($4.75) and the gnocci from the Mama's Favorites menu. Â I've never had gnocci before, but I would say that if you enjoy a doughy type texture that takes on the flavor of whetever sauce is on it (I had the meat sauce), then you'll like it. Â I happen to love starches and thought it was good and fairly reasonably priced. Â
My boyfriend had the veal parmasean which comes with a side of spagetti. Â It was okay in flavor, though it didn't have much of the parmasean part. Â I realize that veal is a fairly expensive cut of meat, but I have to say that I thought it was overpriced again.
All in all, I would go and share an appetizer or order off the Mama's Favorites menu, but I thing the specialty items are a bit pricey for what you get. Â If you go in the summer, do sit outside and enjoy the ambience. Â The live piano music from inside drifts through the door and creates a very nice atmosphere!
Parisis is a great neighborhood restaurant- it has a very italian feel, and is arguably the best "serious italian" in south bend -- forget the Vine and other hooplah downtown.
The place is charming and well-decorated in an italian casetta theme. I went here for dinner with my family the night of graduation and the service was more than helpful.
The reason i don't give it more stars is because their menu is EXTREMELY limited and their flavor and pasta preparation was just OK. The restaurant is also pretty pricey. They could use a refresher course in what "al-dente" means. Â But you walk away satisfied, thats for sure.
Great Italian food. Â Sometimes they have a piano player to set the mood.
This is a really cute place in which I have a lot of fond memories. Â If you're looking for Italian food while hanging out in the Bend (it is right near campus) then make sure you get a reservation because on certain nights (football weekends) this place is packed.
I get to travel the country with a group of people over the summer as we go from location to location teaching...as a result, we get to try many restaurants in many places.
Parisi's Ristorante is always our Sunday night restaurant when we are in South Bend. Â The reason, among others, is that many of our other favorite establishments are closed on Sundays. Â Otherwise, we might go to Parisi's on another night of the week, but we would definitely not miss it.
We LOVE the Insalata Tomato - pour the stuff over bread and Mmmmm. Â All the pastas seem very good - my favorite is the Gnocchi with meat sauce. Â My husband swears the meat sauce at Parisi's is the closest he's ever come to finding a duplicate for his Dad's traditional Italian, slow cooked meat sauce (a family favorite).
All in all, a nice place to go in South Bend for an Italian meal.
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