Pano's & Paul's

01/17/09

Excellent in every way

by guardfrog at Citysearch

Tonight was our first experience at Pano's and Paul's. We read other reviews and, frankly, were a bit skeptical. But this place delivered. And it was well worth the money. When we pulled up, the valet was swift and attentive. We were greeted with an enthusiastic welcome and told that the wait, despite our reservation, would be about 20 minutes. We were encouraged to visit the lounge, which was a throwback to the old-st yle cocktail lounges of days past. My martini was excellent and my wife's wine was terrific. We noticed no less than 4 employees ask the couple sitting near us, "What was the name on your reservation?" On the fifth visit, the hostess asked "Are you the (MY LAST NAME) party?" We immediately chimed up and were led to our table in the rear dining room. Though we were initially disappointed with the small table and the close proximity to other tables, the server quickly helped put us back in the mood. He highlighed the specials and gave us solid recommendations based on our stated preferences. As an appetizer, I had the fois gras, which was out of this world. Highly recommended. My wife had the scallops, which were equally delicious, though, with the risotto, a bit heavy as an app. Based on the recommendation from the second server, and the friendly foursome sitting next to us, I ordered the pepper steak. My wife ordered the grouper. I was not to be disappointed. The pepper steak, mentioned as one of the restaurant's signature dishes, was nothing short of perfect. I ordered it medium rare and the steak was as tender as any I've had at well-known steakhouses, along with a perfectly seasoned sauce and excellent potato wedge. Hands down one of the best steaks I've ever eaten. My wife's grouper was equally wonderful, though she regretted not ordering the pepper steak once she had a bite. We finished with coffees, then left thinking how great of an experience we just had. Great, friendly service and unbelievable food. We'll be back.

• Pros: Great food, excellent service
• Cons: Tight quarters at some tables

06/04/08

Best food, ever!

by spiffsteph at Citysearch

My boyfriend and I ate here last a year or so ago, and since then, I feel no other restaurants have lived up to their standards. The atmosphere was nice, an older looking place, but in a nice way. The hostess was very kind, and we were promptly seated. The food was the most amazing food I believe I?ve ever had. The scallop appetizer that I ordered was heavenly and cooked to pure perfection; they literally melted in my mouth. They were accompanied by a small serving of gnocchi, which also happened to be the best gnocchi I?ve had in my life. I ordered the salmon for dinner and my boyfriend ordered a steak, both dishes were excellent. The waiter was great ? he was very patient with us and aided us in choosing the perfect wine. He was attentive, but not overbearing. This place was pricey, but well worth it. I can?t wait to go back!

• Pros: Great food, great atmosphere, great service, great experience overall
• Cons: Pretty Pricey

04/02/08

what is all the hype about???

by mashka00 at Citysearch

Well, my husband I decided to give this place a try about two months ago. I wanted to see what all the hype is about. I must say that we were not overly impressed. Yes, the place is RATHER pretty, but my husband didn't agree. He said it looked "old." Many people have commented about the servers and most of the other staff as being arrogant or rude or self-important. That is TRUE. Very much so. I get an awkward feeling upon walking into these places...as if they are doing us a favor versus us doing them a favor. It's as if no one is very warm or welcoming. They are just tolerating people like us because that is their job. HELLO! My money spends like anyone else's! I noticed some familiar faces as I looked around the place. Some of them most be old regulars and friends of the owners. I will say that the staff thinks that they know whose butts to kiss. To heck with the rest of the peons.

Well, our waiter wasn't overly friendly, but he wasn't exactly rude either. We noticed that another waiter who sometimes helped him was a waiter that we recognized as formerly having worked at MARIETTA DINER. Go figure. We recognized him and chatted breifly. He is, of course, another immigrant like many of the waitstaff these days. How does BHL find these folks? It seems that corporate hires servers with attitudes like their own.

The food was okay. Just okay. Okay, it was PRETTY good, but was it really worth the price? Not hardly. I feel cheated in a way. It's like they don't have to be very nice to us, and they end up taking our money in the end (a lot of it). Perhaps Americans should try to eat more at home and spend less on eating outside. Your wallets will be fatter and your waistline will most likely be slimmer. Also, I've worked in a restaurant before, so I know what goes on behind the scenes.

• Pros: Free parking in the parking lot is the only plus that comes to mind
• Cons: pricey and arrogant staff

09/30/07

Isn't the purpose of fine dining supposed to be great food and service?

by cursive at Citysearch

As far as fine dining experiences go, Pano's and Paul's ranks at the bottom of my list. The space itself is pretty nice. That's about as pleasant as this review is going to get, so if you are a fan you might want to skip to the next review.

The waitstaff are all very important people. Much more important than my wife and I, obviously, because from the moment that we walked in we were spoken down to and treated like morons. We were asked if we would like a bottle of wine, and when I told the waiter that we had not received a wine list he said something to the effect of "oh, is it your first time here?" and rolled his eyes a bit. He was not attentive at all, and I'm sure that he was probably expecting a 25% tip or better... Our assistant waiter was a bit nicer, but we still had to flag him down every time that we needed something.

If the food had been good the night may not have been wasted. The night was wasted.

We decided to order the prixe fixe (sp?) menu because there were several courses that looked great. Every dish came out cold. Every single one. The "highlight" of the meal was supposed to be the assortment of Kobe beef cuts (short rib, petit filet,etc.)... It was disgusting, both mushy and overcooked at the same time. It was like trying to eat canned dog food. Dessert was basically a cookie on a plate. Really, really classy for such a "nice" place.

Your money and time can be better spent elsewhere. I really have no clue how this place became so prestigious!

08/31/07

Still Golden - Lives Up To Reputation

by jennbradley at Citysearch

I went to Pano's & Paul's recently for the first time with some friends (a mix of guys & girls - 20 & 30-somethings) and absolutely loved it. The hostess was so welcoming and from the moment we walked through the door, we knew we'd be in the lap of luxury for the duration of our experience. We were seated in the main dining room, under the gorgeous golden ceiling and on a pretty red velvet banquette. We had the "famous" batter fried lobster tail - I usually am not a huge fan of lobster, but it was melt-in-your-mouth amazing, especially dipped in the spicy honey mustard that they serve it with. For my entree, I had the filet mignon that was crusted with a bunch of different kinds of cracked pepper and surrounded by a creamy sauce. It was nothing short of fantastic. We asked for some wine recommendations, and the wine manager gave us great selections. I was worried that we'd feel out of place or too young, but the staff was great and made us feel right at home. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone!

• Pros: Great food, service & decor - it's a hidden gem of Atlanta!
• Cons: NONE!

07/22/07

HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT

by jpkegan at Citysearch

My husband and I went to Panos and Pauls for our anniversary and were extremely disappointed. The SERVICE WAS HORRIBLE and the FOOD WAS MEDIOCRE. The wait staff was rushing us through the whole meal. They were definitely trying to turn the table for the 8:00 service. Not 30 seconds after we got our menus, someone was coming to take our order. There is no sommelier and the wait staff knows nothing about what looks like a very nice wine list. When I ordered my salad, the waiter asked if I "had not heard the salad mentioned as tonight's special." Before we finished our wine, someone wanted to know if we wanted coffee. Not to mention the many times the waiter appeared, made some offhand remark and left again. The food was not any better. The first thing set on the table was a dish of flatbread that was stale. The butter salad with lemon viniagrette was not balanced. It was overpowered with lemon. My husband had a fish appetizer that had "risotto" as a base. It wasn't risotto - it was white rice in a cream sauce. The fried lobster and pheasant were okay, but nothing great. Actually, the lobster was a little overdone. We were done in an hour and could hardly wait to get out. For the prices charged here, the food and the service should be outstanding. I would recommend that you take your $250 and go to a good restaurant.

• Pros: Free parking in the shopping center parking lot
• Cons: EVERYTHING ELSE

04/18/07

Great food, excellent service, my fav restaurant in town

by foodreview88 at Citysearch

One of the best restuarants in Atlanta. Always great service; great food. Foie Gras is the dish you must try. High reconmmended.

• Pros: Best Chef in town
• Cons: none

01/24/07

Average

by friendlyadvice at Citysearch

The service was outstanding. The appetizers were great. The fish was not too fresh and too oily.

The fried lobster tail was a disappointment. The cooking tchnique was good but the lobster tail did not taste like that of a fresh lobster. Maybe it would be better if fresh lobster was used instead of frozen.

• Pros: parking
• Cons: food

12/08/06

OVERRATED!!!!

by mariaarshad03 at Citysearch

Me and my boyfriend went there a few months back for our anniversary and very very very disappointed. We made reservations but were running late (about 10 mins) so we called in to let them know. The reason we were running late was because we couldnt find the restaurant because it was located in a strip mall type location (thinking a nice restaurant such as this one would stand out). Anyways, we get there and walk up to the receptionists and they totally ignored us. We tell them our names and state that we were running late. They looks at us and goes straight to the manager. The manager also looks at us and ignores us and continues on with what he was doing. The waitress on the side calls our name and tells us to follow her. We were seated all the way in the back of the restaurant next to what I believe is the side they prepare the appitizers. I asked them to relocate us and they relocated us to the table right next the the one we were sitting in...When we made the reservations, we asked them to give us a romantic table and it was nothing close to that. GOD THE SERVICE WAS HORRIBLE. The food was good but if the service was awful and when you dont get even decent service you dont really care much about anything else. That was the last time we are going there would never recommend it to anyone.

• Pros: food
• Cons: SERVICE, SERVICE SERVICE

09/11/06

delicious!

by doctorparetta at Citysearch

My boyfriend and I went to Pano's and Paul's the day we graduated from high school with his family. We've been to other Pano's and Paul's restaurants, like the Buckhead Diner and the Atlanta Fish Market, and they've all been very impressive. We dressed up pretty nicely; I wore a cocktail dress and he wore a suit without a jacket. The servers and hostess were extremely gracious. The food was impeccable. I had lamb and it came with potato au gratin. My boyfriend had the meatloaf (I think). His mother had some fish, and his grandparents had pre-planned four or five course meals. Everything was so delicious!

The atmosphere is very, VERY loud. I think that we were a bit overdressed: the other diners were wearing khakis and polo shirts. I personally think that we were dressed appropriately, but the other people don't realize that Pano's and Paul's is an extremely fine restaurant.

For dessert we had the smoothest coffee and I had sorbet, my boyfriend had a chocolate caramel brownie (to die for!), and everyone else had the baked alaska.

• Pros: Great customer service, great food, just great.
• Cons: LOUDNESS. It's too loud in there! The tables are fairly close to one another since it's not that big of a restaurant.