Caffe Paolina

One star for the friendly old lady but the food is very very bad way under a one star it’s –0 star again food is very bad

Don’t let the strip mall location fool you, this is a nice night out at a great price thanks to the BYOB. We thoroughly enjoy ourselves every time we go out. Paolina is a sweetheart and the food never fails to please thanks to their outstanding tomato sauce and home made pasta.

This was not my first time eating at Café Paolina and I was treated horribly when I sent back my meal the chicken was under cooked when I got the meal back it was like rubber the owner came over and started cutting up all my chicken and said that it was me and that nothing was wrong with it I could not eat it she insisted I did not eat my dinner because I was not hungry she was so rude she did not take the meal off the check that I did not touch and I was most certainly hungry I would not recommend this place to anyone She was so out of line for an owner to do what she did.

I am shocked by subpar reviews on this place. I was looking for a BYOB that I have not tried in the area and came upon this place and one other. I was a bit hesistant about the strip mall location of Caffe Paolina but it turned out I could not get in the other option until 9PM on a Friday. We decided to give Paolina a try. I called and was greeted by a friendly Italian woman (can only assume Paolina) who was very inviting. When we arrived it was a bit hard to find the entrance due to lighting but when we entered it was very homey, not fancy, but like I was eating in someones kitchen. Paolina gave us a booth to sit at in the small and full restaurant. It took a bit to get menus but we didn’t care as we enjoyed our wine and took in the surroundings. They start you off with a piece of bruscetta instead of the usual plain bread (although they give you bread and oil as well and it was a great touch. My girlfriend got eggplant parm and I got the chicken parm Both were a great portion and had delicious sauce (gravy as the Italians say) Everything is homemade and the pasta was great. Paolina even cautioned us that the ziti is not homemade so we may want to choose something else. The pasta tasted so fresh. We were both too full for any dessert but they are also homemade.
I would pay North end prices for this place but the bill came to 33 $ plus tip. It is a small location that is run by the husband (chef) and wife (front of house) I love the atmosphere and seeing that I live 4 miles away, I will return regularly!

I see a lot of reviews here from years past so I would like to put one in for 2016. This place is awesome. The food was super fresh and perfectly simple. For dinner I got the gnocchi with plum tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil and my friend got the lasagne. The lasagne was pretty good but the gnocchi was outstanding. So simple and so fresh tasting.
Service is super fast and attentive. The atmosphere is like an Italian diner which I actually appreciated. Very no-​frills. You get the feeling that the emphasis is on the food, not the atmosphere, so honestly you don’t even notice. Prices are extremely reasonable: 12 – 15 for pasta dishes, 15 – 17 for entrees with meat. Really good tiramisu, too.
Reading the other reviews, I might be hesitant to stray from the gnocchi since it was so good, but for the price it’s all worth it. Don’t let the strip mall diner location and ambience deter you! Good food and awesome service.

If you enjoy a bitchy grandma… This is your place. The owner was funny, witty, crass and nasty all at the same time.
The food was good, had the chicken parm, wanted a dinner got a sandwich… But overall good.

Great little breakfast place in Swampscott. Set off the the corner of a small strip mall and maybe only 20 seats total. They made one of the best omelets I have had. The home fries are shop made and every thing was fresh. Service was great and the portions were good. I’d rather visit here than Red’s in Salem.

2−½ years after my original review, I have to say I have warmed to Caffe Paolina. For one thing, you can put tips on credit cards now. But you can still bring your own wine, which reduces the price of dining here significantly (although the entrees are a bit steep, imho). But I probably have eaten here ten times since my first review, and although I have had some mediocre meals, a grilled pork dish comes to mind, others have been just fine. The wife and I brought friends from out of town on a recent Sunday night and all four of our meals received praise. I had the frutti di mare over linguini. The clams, shrimp, mussels, and squid were cooked perfectly and tasted fresh. The linguini pasta itself was some of the best I have had, and the tomato sauce was tasty but not overpowering. The wife had eggplant which she ate half of, and saved the rest for lunch. Friends’ chicken dishes were also rated highly. So, all in all, I would say I am now a «fan» of Caffe Paolina.

First time here, it was ok. Won’t be rushing back, as there’s plenty of other Italian places around. Got an eggplant roll up, not sure of formal name. It was ok. Got the gnocchi’s in Bolognese sauce, it was good. My bf got a veal dish in red sauce w/​fusilli., both pasta’s were homemade. He’s pretty fussy, when it comes to Italian food. It was good. I thought it was better than he did. Its the veal dish w/​green olives, which he didn’t think went well w/​the rest of the dish. They give u a piece of bruschetta each to start off + some bread. Bruschetta was good. Maybe other dishes are better? Not that what we had was bad, so to speak, just nothing exceptional or really THAT good. Very small place and it was quiet atmosphere. One waitress and I think the owner. They both were cordial, nice and friendly. Seemed more like locals may go there. Its an easy place to miss. Its in the corner of a small strip mall on main road that goes from Swampscott to Marblehead. We went on a Sat night and didn’t have to wait, altho it started to fill up, after we were seated. Its a byob type of place, which I think is a good option. I got charged for 2 ice tea’s, as opposed to most places that just charge you for one soda/​ice tea and not for refills. but they did. Don’t think that was necessary. We’ll be back, but not any time soon.

A former resident of the area and more frequent patron, I recently returned to café Paolina for a casual weeknight dinner with family. In the years since I had last dined, Paolia seems to have only gotten better. We ordered a colorful antipasto with an array of grilled vegetables and oil cured olives over a bed a lettuce. I enjoyed a classic chicken piccata that was very well seasoned and featured plenty of capers. BYOB is a nice perk that can keep the cost of dinner down.

Four of us came to eat at 3pm on a Sat. It was great, had the place to ourselves. Still the chef was ready to serve us wonderful meals. We started w mussels in red sauce — good start! We each ordered from the specials and we all enjoyed them, but mine, the Limoncello chicken w homemade fresh pasta and portobellos was absolutely delicious! Desert was a beautiful sample of 3: mini cannoli, tartufo and tieramisu! Wonderful! Love the BYOB casual atmosphere with Italian radio — nice Italian experience! Enjoyed the Calebrese chef and owner too!

We have never had a less than excellent meal at Café Paolina. The service is very friendly, and the seating is very homey. And, for truly authentic Italian cuisine, the price is more than reasonable. And that is without considering the BYO wine policy! They have no wine list, but neither do the have a corkage fee!

Heard this was a gem from a friend. Unfortunately the food was not good at all. Eggplant was thin and heavily breaded; sauce was bitter with a metal taste, but the veal was very tender but on a whole everything lacked flavor. Great deal BYOB, but very disappointing.

Went with a group, some of whom had eaten here before, so I was looking forward to a good meal. We had a reservation on the early side.
We waited 90 minutes for our entrees. For those who’d ordered apps or salad that was OK, though our empty plates sat in front of us while our water glasses also sat empty.
The arancini was said to be good and it was a large portion — larger than a tennis ball but smaller than a softball.
The real insult to the interminable wait was that two other tables came in (both of two) and received their food before we did. We didn’t get any apology or even an acknowledgement of the slow and poor service.
The spaghetti and meatballs was awful. The sauce was indeed like that of Chef Boyardee as noted by another poster; I’ve yet to determine what meat was used in the meatballs.
The only positive note of the night was that the pasta was indeed cooked al dente rather than to an overdone mush.

Husband, mother-​in-​law and I went here because we have a
dining card that is expiring. After reading the Unilocal reviews, my hopes weren’t high.
We started with an arancini ball ($ 5 for one but it was large). It was very bland. I never put salt and pepper on things but you had to here. One surprise is that they bring out bruschetta for you, complimentary. It wasn’t bad — I was hopeful for the dinner. Husband had chicken parm and I had tortellini. Again, very bland. Lots of salt and pepper. Mother-​in-​law had Pasta Fagole. she didn’t even eat it, it was so bland.
Was the food edible yes, but there are other italian restaurants in the area that are much better. The service was fine, the atmosphere was like a little restaurant in the north end. You can bring your own wine. They do take credit cards, but you can only tip in cash.

I hate to write bad reviews, but I must warn you, I would not go back here.
I wanted to like it, because the server was very friendly as was one of the owners who was talking to some regulars near our table. I thought, «good sign», first, if there are regulars, then, since they raved about their food.
Our Caesar salad left much to be desired. All the lettuce was practically white, it tasted like bottled Italian dressing, and there were about 3 croutons on it. Ok, it’s a salad, I thought, we’re gonna get to the good stuff with the homemade pasta… I can deal with a mediocre salad.
Then came our dishes. My hubby got lasagna, and I got chicken parm. Nothing fancy, nothing out of the ordinary for standard Italian American fare. I have to say, I am an eater. I like to eat. I mostly finish a plate of food that’s put in front of me. And I’ve eaten some food that wasn’t the best in the world, but was edible. I’m sorry, but, this wasn’t edible.
The fresh pasta was so overcooked and starchy, it literally gelled into one mass on my plate. The pasta sauce reminded me of chef boyardee. I barely ate any of the pasta and choked down ²⁄₃ of the chicken parm, simply because we are on a strict budget and I wanted to at least get a meal for our money! My husband was just as disappointed with his lasagne.
I hate to say it, but I wouldn’t give this place a second chance.

We are fortunate enough to be able to walk to this little gem of a restaurant, which we do a few times a month, and have never been disappointed.
Located in a plaza, you might not even notice this restaurant, except for the Italian flag out front and the clearly welcoming «open» sign. There is plenty of off-​street parking. Two entry doors into the restaurant keep the drafts at bay during the cold winter months. The dining area has been recently repainted, giving the room a softer look. It’s a small place and during peak hours/​times fills up completely with people spilling into the entryway to wait for a table. There is no liquor license at this restaurant (it is byob) so no bar area to contend with. The kitchen is clearly seen through a large glass window from the dining area. It is neat, clean and organized.
The menu has wonderful, traditional Italian fare along with specials every night. Our favorite salad is the Calabrese, which has marinated mushrooms, sauteed eggplant, shredded romaine, fresh mozzarella, onions and tomatoes. The eggplant rollup is a wonderful appetizer, as is the pasta y fagiole soup and the aroncini. Neither my husband nor I have ever had a bad meal here.
When it’s crowded it can be a bit hectic while waiting to be seated, particularly if it is on a Friday or Saturday evening during peak hours. I’d definitely recommend a reservation for those times or if you have a group, however, during the week and before 6pm we’ve never had difficulty getting a table. Since it’s a byob the bill is always reasonable. The menu is moderately priced ($ 12-​$ 20 for entrees) with the evening’s specials at the higher end of the spectrum. The portions are generous. Being able to bring our own wine saves us a lot on the bill and we’re sure to always have what we like, though there is the small drawback of not experiencing something new and different. They make a wonderful after-​meal cappuccino; rich, not bitter and very authentic.
The staff is pleasant and attentive, with the owner making the rounds to have a chat and make sure everything is ok. During busier times the service is not as prompt, but it allows us to linger over the meal and not feel rushed. We’ve never felt neglected.
Overall: Excellent food, generous portions, very good service all at a reasonable price– terrific value. Definitely worth a visit (or two!)

Nice little place. Thank GOD it’s not «fine dining.» If you are the type that makes a fuss about ‘ambiance” and obsequious servers– then go to the North End and pay your $ 100 – 150 for a dinner for two.
The food is basic– stick to the home made pasta. You can bring your own wine, which saves plenty of $$.

2 Stars at best for this true Italian. Owner was walking around and very pleasant, I really wanted to like her food. I love hole in the walls, but this was not really a hole in the wall, no décor, no ambiance, weird foreign music.
We got caprese salad, pasta fagioli, lasagna, and tortelini. Tortelini had the most potential in a cream sauce with prosicutto, though it was like shoe leather, caprese was odd, tough mozzarella with sun dried tomatoes, pasta fagioli was incredibly oily and tasteless and lasagna was swimming in a pool of bland tomato sauce. Bread was stale, no butter, no oil. Yikes, tough night for me.

I wish I had the honor of staying to actually eat a meal.
I’ve tried to go here to eat three times… each time I was presented with a disorganized mess at the matre’d…
This evening was the LAST straw. After calling ahead for a reservation, my hungry family (2 small kids, my wife and I) arrived right on time.
We walked in, to have someone ask us to «hold on»… we waited… and noticed 2 open 4-​top tables… another group came in behind us… and the same woman who asked us to «hold on» had the group of four behind ours sit right down in a booth. That left one table left.
We waited… We waited…
a waitress came out at this point, and started serving meals. When she was done, she asked how many we were. We told her we called ahead, but we’re 4 people…
and she turned around and walked away!
and we waited… and we waited… and then I asked if we should just sit at the open table, to which she says… «I need you to wait 5 minutes, I need to get your table together». I guess my family and I aren’t good enough to be served in this disrepesct-​full dive of a restaurant.
The standards I measure restaurant by are; ambiance/​presentation, service, food. I give .5 stars for the first two… and I can’t give a star for food, ’cause I’m not good enough to eat there.