Paesano's Ristorante

Paesano Ristorante is a hidden gem in San Jose. Everytime I come here it feels like home. The incredible staff are from Italy and they truly make you feel like family.

I must admit I can be a creature of habit sometimes once I fall in love with a particulr dish. Paesano Ristorante is one of the few places that gets me to try something new every time! Their specials are constantly changing, and their baseline menu is spectacular.

Whenever I dine here with friends or family, we end up spending hours and can truly relax. They’ve got a beautiful courtyard in the back that allows your table to carry conversations with a certain degree of privacy.

Call me basic, but my favorite appetizers here are:

• Bruschetta

• Fried Calamari

Pastas that require me to be rolled out of the restaurant:

• Veal Veronica

  • Veal scaloppine with prosciutto and mushrooms in a marsala sauce. Absolutely fantastic! I always opt for the meat sauce pappardelle (instead of the vegetables and potatoes) so I get a little bit of everything!

• Pappardelle Alexandra

• Truffle Pasta (Seasonal)

I cannot truly put into words you how much I love the entrees here. I am all about autonomy and here at Paesano’s you can have your entree accompanied with potatoes/vegetables OR you can pay $3-5 extra to get a pasta and sauce of your choice instead! Most recently I ordered a pan seared quail from the specials menu with a mushroom sauce, and opted for pappardelle pasta with meat sauce! Seriously, it’s the best of both worlds and I had to wait a solid hour before I could muster up to the strength and will to get up and head home.

And don’t even get me started on dessert. My girlfriends and I ordered 1 dessert for each of us. That’s right — after the bruschetta, the pasta, the cocktails and wine. You know what we did the next day? NOTHING. We were bedridden with happy hearts and bellies.