IL Paesano Italian Gourmet Food and Wine Market

If you’re the type who enjoys an early dinner in a cozy setting, this little Italian spot in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is perfect. The atmosphere feels like you’re stepping into a true Italian family’s dining room — warm, intimate, and welcoming. One of the highlights is the small wine room you can step into to choose your bottle, which adds a unique touch you won’t find in most Italian restaurants. It’s a small place, but full of charm. Great selection of wines and tasty appetizers make it ideal for wine lovers. As for the food, I’d rate the dishes around 7/10. My wife and I each ordered a main, and while it was enjoyable, the real standout here is the ambiance and overall experience. Worth a visit if you’re looking for a relaxed evening with that classic Italian family vibe.

This was is a wonderful gem in Ft. Lauderdale. The host is very welcoming and the food was absolutely delicious. You can definitely feel the love that goes into every plate on the menu. Thank you

Our first time here and I was so surprised by the cleanliness and atmosphere, it was a real Italian restaurant. Food and wine 🍷 was delightful. And attention to detail throughout our lunch was 10 out of 10. Definitely making it my go to restaurant while at my local office in Real Estate. A little hidden gem.

Amazing meal! Vergilio and Paola always go above and beyond. The food was top-notch as always, and the staff couldn’t have been better. Such a warm, welcoming spot. Already looking forward to the next visit!

Paola and her team are amazing! I came for a work dinner for 25 and it was the best ever. This is not dinner, it’s an entire.team building experience with the best food. From the cozy, comforting atmosphere to the superior wine, we enjoyed everything! Thank you Paola. We will return! Don’t leave without the Kimbo coffee!

This place would get 6 stars if that were possible. Osso bucco ravioli? Yum Bread is pre-oiled and delicious. If they ask “sparkling” or “still” and you don’t answer “tap,” you will be charged. Wine list is a room filled with wine, to where you take a field trip. Buy the bottle at the best price ever. Food was amazing. Good portion sizes. Service was perfect. Place is very clean, including the restrooms. There are many choices in the area for Italian but this is authentic and the best in the area. Went back last night and it still holds up. Excellent service. Amazing food. Clean, friendly, delicious. A perfect combination.

Very nice little Italian restaurant and gourmet store with Italian products. The tables are distributed between the main dining room (and gourmet store) and a cozy room with a very diverse selection of wines, plus a front room with large windows . All the dishes we tried were truly amazing!! You select your own bottle of wine from the bodega for it to be served with your meal. Service was fantastic too... grazie mille per un pasto così meraviglioso, non vedo l'ora di tornare presto!

I ate here for the first time last night. The experience was wonderful! All the food was delicious, the customer service was top notch, and the atmosphere was very relaxing and warm. There's no question that the owners take great pride in their work. Thank you both for providing us with a great experience!

This restaurant was family owned, quaint, and perfect for a nice dinner. We were served by the owners who were such wonderful people. Everything we had to eat was amazing. Even though the kids menu is not listed on the menu they do have kid friendly options (see the penne pictures). They serve fresh bread with olive oil when you are waiting for your food. They have wine & coffee (we didn't have wine but the coffee was delicious). They do have high chairs just ask. They also had many options for dessert just ask or go up and see the selection in the case. My husband and son loved the gelato. The truffle mushroom pasta I got was the biggest hit (we even had to order another portion for my husband because it was sooo good). If you are in the area you have to give this place a try if you want authentic homemade pasta!

This is in a little cute store which has only a few tables with 6 PM and 8 PM sittings. All the dishes are superb. The owners are nice and the cook with the hearts and serve the best Italian food. Every dish is an artwork. Desserts are phenomenal.

Watch out about the wine list. The price on the shelf ($22.+0) is not what is billed after ($32.+)

This restaurant is still great. It's small and cozy and clean and neat. Took hubby for his 65th birthday. We had the octopus and the seafood linguini, again. Hubby loved the short rib. I tried the veal saltimbocca but did not like it (the prosciutto made it too salty for me). The owner insisted on replacing it, and I had the branzino instead. The pistachio cheesecake was divine. Service, as always, is impeccable. And the food is way above ordinary.

LOVE. We had dinner here to celebrate my sister's birthday. I don't even know where to begin. The owners are so gracious and so welcoming. The food is beyond amazing. My sister had the chicken rolitini which she raved about. Her friend hahad the branzino with fresh veggies which she loved and looked pretty and I forgot what my dish is called but it was fabulous. It was a seafood linguine chock full of shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, crabmeat, calamari. We all needed to go boxes. The owner came out with a slice of cheesecake topped with fresh berries and a candle and the cake was so light. We chose a bottle of pinot grigio from their wine room which was a very good choice. Anyway, spectacular experience. I cannot say enough about this restaurant and the owners. Highly recommend

We recently had dinner at Il Paesano. The website recommended to make a reservation, so I called the day before and made reservations by phone When we arrived the nice lady and gentleman at the front of the restaurant greeted us very warmly. We were given a nice table in a semi-private room, just behind the hostess station. The menu was really varied, although not extremely large. When the lady asked if we wanted still or sparkling water, we said, just regular water...she said, the restaurant had no filtration system, so the regular water was just old yellow tap water from Fort Lauderdale. That was odd....so she offered us a bottle of still water for $3. We decided to get some wine instead. This being a market, if I wanted a bottle of wine, I had to go to the back of the market and pick the bottle I wanted...all of them were priced accordingly. I picked a nice bottle of Chianti for about $25 and it was perfect for 3 people. The food we ordered was good. I had the grilled octopus, which was good but not great....not bad....and the cauliflower appetizer...that was filling and plentiful. Our friend got the lobster ravioli and he loved it. My husband got the pesto gnocchi and he liked it as well. Overall a nice place for a nice dinner. For desset, we all shared a nice chocolate mousse that was very decadent....

Love this family run restaurant, great service, feel like you are at your friend's house, enjoying a great night of food and conversations.

This is the best little Italian restaurant we've ever had with a fabulous Italian store in it. The second time we were there, we booked a private cheese. Will dinner for us and eight of our friends and it was a fabulous experience. I hope this place is always there every time we are in town.

Fresh delicious food. Such a great lil' Italian deli. Service and ambience was great too! Had the Eggplant Parm - loved!

Cute place and service was perfect! Had the lobster ravioli and pistachio gelato- both were amazing!

Food was delicious. A lot of imported Italian pasta products. Looked so good I bought some pasta and tomato sauce. Service was great and it's small and intimate so the ambiance was amazing. My son's kind I loved this place!

Had dinner with a couple of friends because it was highly recommended and it did not disappoint. It is a charming atmosphere that is reminiscent of a small family restaurant in Italy. Every single meal in the group was outstanding if not the best dishes we've had. The owners are delightful and give the most personal superb attention to all the guests. This will be my new favorite Italian restaurant when I visit Fort Lauderdale.

The service was good. The food is not as good as it used to be. Everything we ordered was bland. The zucchini blossoms were very boring.

About a month ago, I spent an amazing evening with friends at Il Paesano. What I remember most is the hospitality of the owners and their dedication to excellence. Il Paesano has their own wine collection in a small room in the back. I felt like I was visiting a treasure chest. They asked what I liked and made a suggestion for a bottle of wine that I'm still thinking about. It was that good! This place is rather small but impeccably clean and organized. Don't come here without a reservation. I called to make a reservation a few weeks ahead of time, I was asked if I wanted 6:00 pm or 8:00 pm. They don't take reservations at any other time at night. We went with 8:00 pm so that everyone would be able to arrive on time. You see, with a two hour time slot, they are able to offer the best of food and service. My meal was wonderful. I ordered Seafood Pasta al Cartoccio. The sauce was delicate, the seafood very fresh and the pasta was al dente. The presentation was truly special. Next time I really want to have to the spaghetti bolognese. I tried the bolognese sauce and it was excellent. Paola and her husband were very kind to us. It's always nice to get to know owners a little better. If you go, be patient as they are serious about their business but they might just stop by and tell you the story of how they started Il Paesano.

A family owned Italian trattoria with decor, eats and service to match. It's a casual welcoming homey ambiance with a traditional Italian decor. They have a small food and wine market along the perimeter and back of the restaurant. Their menu is condensed but they have plenty of nightly specials and a nice wine selection. We ordered a glass of house white, the stuffed pepper, pappadelle ragu, crab & shrimp tagliatelle Al vodka, and the frutti de bosco for dessert. It was an enjoyable meal. A quaint cozy spot for homemade Italian pasta.

Il Paesano is worth every single five-star review it has and now here I am adding another. I had had this restaurant bookmarked for ages, yet I never bothered going to it. I am often traveling and/or busy, and admittedly I have 3,000+ bookmarks on Yelp. Time is of the essence to me needless to say. Well, as it turns out, my friend, Mary Ann C., planned a get-together a few weeks back and I was set to go. Then as luck would have it, I got sick and had to cancel. Cue some weeks later and I speak to my friend, Carlos T., as to how much I wanted to go to this restaurant given the rave reviews and the fact that it made it to the Yelp 100. He was game, so I called for a reservation to find out they take reservations one week in advance. I call on a Monday and make a reservation for Saturday at 6 PM. It seems they're quite structured and have two dinner times. The 6 PM and the 8 PM. We chose the 6 PM but not without getting a few calls from owner Paola. As it turns out, another Marilu booked for the same time on the same day. This either had to be a confusion or by some miracle of God I was going to meet another Marilu (a first for me by the way!). I gave Paola my last name to avoid confusion and later I spoke to Vergilio, Paola's husband and owner of Il Paesano, and found out the other Marilu was Portuguese and sitting next to me. We spoke to her and her companion and it was just a funny coincidence. Maybe it's the heavens telling me to finally take that Portuguese class, no? Anyhow, the owners are very sweet, Paola speaking Italian and Vergilio speaking Portuguese. They both seem to put a lot of love into their business and we noticed there were quite a few regulars, just chatting away with them. It's a very small and quaint place, which I feel probably people know about by word of mouth. Yes, it's on social media, but it seems that more than anything people find out about this place and tell other people. That's how the other Marilu wound up booking a reservation anyway. As far as the food goes, it is downright delectable. I had the pear fagotini, which is essentially little bundles of pasta filled with pears. This was accompanied by bites of prosciutto and Gorgonzola. The portion seemed small at first sight, but if you ever eat filled pasta, then you know that's how it's supposed to be. Pasta expands readily, and if it's filled, that's even more expansion. You will feel yourself full before you know it. Carlos T. ordered the osso buco upon Paola's recommendation and the dish was so massive that he took leftovers home. Impressive honestly. He also bought a bottle of wine to go as they have a pretty decent-sized wine area. I just partook in a glass of white wine as I'm not much of a drinker. I do have to say I'm glad we didn't order appetizers because the pasta snuck up on me and I was beginning to feel full when we opted for dessert. Since we have different taste in dessert, we ordered two. I ordered a fruity cake with loads of berries and he had a chocolate mousse cake. Both were delicious, but I'm partial to my choice as I simply wasn't feeling chocolate at that moment. I don't think you can go wrong either way. Also, when you think about their other options, whoa baby - there is much to choose from! The other Marilu ordered nonna's cake, which I forget exactly what it contained, but it looked beautiful. But sincerely speaking, the entire place is a beauty. They have displays of food everywhere, from appetizers to pasta to cheeses. The list just goes on and on. I will have to return before moving, and even after whenever I'm in town to visit family and friends. My hope is to come again in a couple of weeks with my loved ones. No doubt I'll be calling to set up a reservation in a week or so.

Il Paesano I can see why this place made Yelp's top 100!  It's a different type of Italian Restaurant than most.  It's a small footprint inside with tables to dine-in and well as some gourmet items on shelves and refrigerated food items to purchase to take home.  That and a small wine area in the back room which they encourage you to head to choose yourself for your meal. Walking around is tight but a nice vibe.  Combine that with their only two reservation times 6pm and 8pm, make for coordinated balancing act as they quickly get everyone's order in,  then serving drinks and appetizers and eventually diner.  The two owners: husband  Vergilio and wife Paola were so pleasant in their interactions as they moved about!   Just a side note:  Don't take photos as you walk around at the beginning of your reservation as they request to wait until after the main courses are served.  It's because space is tight and they have to maneuver to serve the various dishes.   We were reminded due to our nature to take photos lol :)  but Vergillio did come back later to explain in more detail as to why. Thanks to Marilu F. mentioning this place how she missed out on a previous gathering there due to getting sick, so we were overdue to meet up and I said let's go! Glad we came two weeks ago for the first time.  Also quite humorous there was another Marilu there for dinner!   She and her busband were seated next to us!  What an entertaining conversation we all had!  LOL.  It was meant to be to dine here. Food: There were soo many good options to choose from from both the menu as well as the chefs specials which Paola spoke of at each table!  All so tastey sounding so had asked Paola for her thoughts to which she resoundingly recommended the Osso Buco!  It didn't disappoint! A nicely hearty portion of meat and fresh pasta all with rich flavors, that and a bone with marrow in it which Paola brought a tiny fork to dig it out.  Thanks!  It was all really so enjoyable.  I picked out a bottle of Montepulciano D' Abruzzo (Genisia) to pair with this dish and went nicely well, not too dry, just right.  The bottle was later safely wrapped up to-go at the end of dessert. Marilu F. ordered Pear Fagotini which came with Freshly grated cheese on the side.  Her dish looked very impressive with bits of prosciutto and gorgonzola.  A very nice looking dish!    She paired with a glass of white wine. All the while we are taking this ambience in as we were seated in this side nook of a room  that sits at their front window and just eclectic items all over the walls etc. Onto Dessert! Whoops wait a minute, first have to explain we skipped the tempting appetizers because desserts looked so delectable. Yup yup! I ordered their stunning looking Chocolate  Mousse Hazelnut cake and Marilu had the Fruiti de Bosco - a mixed berries ontop of chantilly.cream on a pastry crust.  The chocolate mousse cake was so devine, light with a slight gentle crunch.  Truly a work of art on the palate to savor each bite.  Note though, their desserts are direct from Italy but hey these rock! Ambience: A quaint place, the owners and staff super engaging friendly, the owners doing their best to engage in conversation and make you happy and laugh. Music wise, tonight.  there was plenty of Andrea Bocelli music over the speakers and very welcoming. Also, there appears to be some regulars here and rightfully so as this place is in a plaza and overlooked by traffic coming and going to the intracoastal and beach areas nearby.  Definitely word of mouth and reviews bring you here.  It's great to see some regulars enjoy themselves here. We are definitely coming back bringing more with us in two weeks (April 1st!).

Il Paesano came in at 95 on the Yelp's top 100 list for 2023! Translated from Italian to English, The Villager has long been on my list to try and I have heard rave reviews about it from foodies from multiple sites including season 16 of the PBS show Check Please! My girlfriends and I planned a Friday meetup to finally try it for ourselves. Things to note before you come, they have two dinner services a night, 630 and 8 PM. Make reservations before you come as they are mandatory. Thanks Mary Ann for taking the lead on that. Also free parking is on the street side of the plaza. There are meters on the shop side. Il Paesano is charming family owned restaurant, deli, and meat market. Owners and couple Vergilio and Paola Peixoto met in South Africa. When it came time to open a restaurant they wanted to serve simple authentic Italian meals like nonna would make. Il Paesano started out as a deli and meat market but customers wanted somewhere to eat so Vergilio and Paola accommodated them by opening a restaurant in the charming vintage style market. Once you are seated you are invited to the wine room by Vergilio where you can pick a bottle of wine or you can order by the glass. The selection of wines were well priced and varied. The menu includes the dinner mainstays and then Paola and stops by the table to go over the specials. I took Holly's advice and ordered the gnocchi with a Bolognese sauce. It was divine. I shared a taste with my friends and they all agreed it was heavenly. While we dined Paola stopped to chat with us and shared her passion and heart for her customers and the food she serves. She could not have been nicer and even took a picture with us. When you dine with Vergilio and Paola it is like being invited into their home. It is such a special experience to eat here. I honestly think they should have landed higher up the list. I am already thinking about when I can come back with my daughter for the pear pasta.

Paninis are off the charts I haven't had one in years and this place brought back European flavors for me. Super good! I really like the vibe - very Europeanlike as well. Service is awesome, super friendly, putting their hart and soul in making sure that your food and experience are the best possible. This just became one of my go to places in Lauderdale.

I highly recommend calling and making reservations as it is a very small restaurant. Upon arrival, the owner sat us at our reserved table. The waiter guided us to a wine room with a great selection of Italian wines. We chose a beautiful full bodied Chianti and we took the bottle to our table where the waiter opened it and poured it for us. They also brought us very crunchy toasted bread. For appetizer, I loved the pear. It had a gorgonzola cheese sauce and it was very flavorful. I asked for a traditional Italian dish recommendation and the owner gave me some options. I ended up choosing Bucatini al'Amatriciana which is a red sauce spaghetti pasta with crispy pork cheek. It was pretty delicious, but it had a lot more oil than I would've liked, maybe because of the pork. My partner had a pasta with some crab sauce and other things I cannot remember and it was really tasty. It had a lot of extra sauce and no garnishing or special look to it. On our way out we got 3 desserts to go, a lemon pie, a berry tart, and I believe the last one was a sfogliatella. We enjoyed all of the desserts especially since they were very traditional. They also have other little Italian things you can buy there! The market is small but has many unique Italian things! Overall nice experience. I just wish the music was a little louder and the tables weren't so close so it wasn't so awkwardly quiet.

Wow Updating my view to 1 star after response from the restaurant owner. She completely missed the point of my complain and an opportunity. What a shame! Some people should just not work directly with customers --------- This is a review based on my experince as a vegetarian. I really like supporting small family businesses but unfortunately I didn't have the best experience this time. It started great with a Caprese salad that was pretty good and beautiful, however for main course I mentioned I was vegetarian and asked if it was possible to replace the porcini sauce of the mushroom ravioli for a marinara or vodka sauce since I though there was pork in the porcini sauce. What I heard next was very surprising and disappointing. The person taking our order who was also the owner said she couldn't replace that because marinara or vodka doesn't match mushroom ravioli. I was not expecting that answer and smiling I said "I do that at home all the time" and then she said. " You can do it at your house then. Here we don't". I was so shocked that I didn't know what to say and ended up going with another option they had which was a tasteless ricota pasta. The only reason I didn't get up and leave when she said that was because we were with another couple and I didn't want to make a scene, but I was absolutely disappointed not only the way she talked but also for the fact that she couldn't accommodate my very simple request just because based on her opinion the sauce I chose doesn't match mushrooms ravioli. If I look online I see multiple recipes of mushroom ravioli with marinara or other type of tomato sauce so in my opinion is a matter of taste and if my customer likes that, why not make them happy by accommodating such a simple request. In the end I didn't like the ricota pasta, which had no taste, and therefore I only had the artichoke that came with it, but at no point she asked me if there was anything wrong with it. In summary that seems like a very unfortunate situation but that totally impacted my experince, therefore I don't plan to go back or even recommend a place where the chef/ owner does not care about the customer.

Cute place but food not so good.. the linguini with clams was like eating a bowl of soup with a minimal amount of linguini with some clams thrown on top.. when you tell the owner there's very little pasta in the bowl he ignores the problem.. what's cheaper than pasta? when the food arrives the server doesn't know who gets what dish.. we were two people, that's not too hard to figure out in a professionally run restaurant.. BLAND

Second time around and it's still as good as the first time I came. I got the Stone Crab Pasta with Pink sauce and it's it the most flavorful dish I've gotten in a long time. The quality of the food and service is unmatched. 10/10

In town and could not wait to come back here for dinner. We ordered the Antipasti Misto as an appetizer. It was a board filled with amazing cheeses, lunch meats and stuffed artichoke hearts. We were brought a basket of bread that was so good I had to stop from eating so I would have room for my entree. For dinner we had had the Pear Fagottini / little pasta puffs filled with pear with a Gorgonzola cream sauce with prosciutto, and the osso buco pappardelle pasta. For dessert we ordered a cappuccino and an espresso and split the chocolate cake. Everything was delicious, we love the atmosphere here and the owners are sweet and very welcoming.

Had the pleasure of going back there again last night with a larger party and had a great experience again! The grilled octopus app was one of the best we've ever had. In addition to what we had previously ordered our group also really enjoyed the penne a la vodka, Fiocchetti Tartufo, & Cartoccio Linguini. The desserts were fantastic as well including the berry tart, taramisu, & lemochello gelato. We also enjoyed a few bottles of brunello wine. Will definitely be back as the owners are super sweet and was such a great dinner!

Amazing food and service! Every time we have gone the food has been delectable! Wines are a fair price.

Celebrated our one year wedding anniversary here With family. Not my first time, we're from DC and always make a point of stoping by this gem of a restaurant. Always fresh food, always good. Menu is sometimes hard to find online, that's b/c they change it based on availability. You will not regret a visit here.

Delicious and fresh, place has a cozy feel to it. When you enter it looks like you're walking into an Italian grocery store with tables. You get to get up and pick your own wine bottle from a huge selection which I thought was really cool, we got oroluce moscato and let me say it was probably the best sweet wine I've EVER HAD, took 3 bottles to go. The lobster ravioli was delicious and fresh The gnocchi was very rich but lacked a little salt Vodka penne was fresh but average We got vanilla gelato it was LIFE CHANGING The tiramisu was amazing Overall adorable place with sweet waitresses/waiters, homey atmosphere, and delicious fresh food Cons- you have to ASK for the bread , service is a little delayed ( but worth it )

Delicious & authentic Italian food with excellent service! A gem of a restaurant. We had the seafood pasta dish and ground meat spaghetti special which both were absolutely delicious! We too had the bruschetta, a nice bottle of wine and a pastry dessert! All amazing! Service was excellent and could not have been better! Super well priced. Will be back again!

Great small mom and pop shop. Great meal, dessert and wine choices. It's an Italian deli/gourmet establishment during the day and you can see a they have to offer because you're literally having dinner in the shop!

Honestly they kill again!! The best Italian food. Stop reading reviews and DRIVE HERE

Great place! Highly recommend! Service is awesome. A charming and different experience than your everyday restaurant.

I'm reporting this restaurant to Dirty Dining as I'm writing this review. This restaurant has the audacity to charge me for food after a COCKROACH crawled out of my napkin and into the table. I willingly said I'd pay for the wine because I'm not here for the free meal, but then I'm charged for the water and the salad, which I'm about to vomit. Then they told me that they charged me for a house salad because I ate it. The whole check should have been comped. I'm disrespected by them by telling me I ate the salad so I have to pay for it after a COCKROACH crawled all over my table. SHAME ON THE OWNERS who did not take responsibility and attacked me personally for a roach problem that THEY have and telling me that they hope I enjoyed my free meal when I returned their pasta bolognese and pasta with clams

I was invited to a parmigiano wheel dinner that included unlimited pasta (no to go boxes), antipasti, and fresh bread. I called in advance about a vegetarian version of the antipasti and was very nicely accommodated! Everything was delicious, and the staff were incredibly kind. It was nice to be able to peruse the wine room and select the bottle your table wanted. I will absolutely be coming back to check out the full menu!

Wet had a wonderful experience here. The service was wonderful and the people were so kind! The food outstanding. Great atmosphere for a date night. We will be back!!!

Good food , traditional Italian with adequate service and fair prices. Parking is easy if you are early. Classic Italian atmosphere and a little noisy

The food was delicious. Caprese Salad had 2 small slices of fresh mozzarella. A pretty presentation but not worth the price. The eggplant and lasagna were delicious. We asked for 2 containers for leftovers. We were given 2 small white styrofoam boxes. She charged us $2 for the boxes. Honestly, that was ridiculous, a total turnoff. There is a lot of great Italian food in this area. I won't be back.

I've been to Il Paesano multiple times and each time has been amazing. This family owned restaurant has a cozy and comfortable atmosphere with great service. I've had all the appetizers and my favorites are the grilled octopus, baked pears wrapped in prosciutto, and the cauliflower grantinati. I love octopus and order it whenever I see it on a menu - this grilled octopus might be the best I've had in Ft. Lauderdale. For entrees, I've also tried almost all of them and everything is fresh and cooked to perfection, so no matter what you choose you'll be delighted. The branzino in a white wine, lemon garlic sauce and served with pasta is my absolute favorite. Since this is also a wine market, their selection is huge. You simply walk back to the wine room and select the bottle you would like to have with dinner. It's the perfect place for small parties or a fun date with your significant other. Make sure you call to make a reservation ahead of time.

We live near here and have eaten at this place a few times. It's really good. The linguine clam was so good we got a full order of clams after the meal was over. We've done the sandwiches, entree's, and pizza to go...and it all was really good. Sit down dinner or lunch, and take out. A few people stopped in for pizza by the slice while we were just dining in for lunch. And a full bar? Place has it all.

Lunch Roaches crawling on my table, and they still wanna charge me for what I had before. I was about to vomit that one salad. I returned my 2 dishes almost immediately and they wanna say I had a free meal. I don't need a free meal. I need my meal roach free!

The food is just amazing, like being in a trattoria in Italy. It's a very charming place. The owners are there making sure you are taking care of. Big selection of wine to chose from. You will not regret visiting this place.

There is a reason this restaurant is on the US top 100 list! It is the most authentic Italian food you can get in South Florida. It's family owned and operated, and the couple that runs it is so kind and sweet, and they treat each customer with special care. Now for the food: wow. Everything is hand-made and mouth watering. My truffle fiochetti was the best pasta I've ever had, and my partner thoroughly enjoyed her Ragu. My wine was excellent, and I only ordered a glass but several couples ordered bottles and got to pick them out and bring them back to the table. This is such a special experience- one that you absolutely should not miss out on. We drove almost an hour to get here in traffic and it was definitely worth it.

Lovely Slice of Italy right here in Fort Lauderdale! We have been wanting to dine in for years and so happy we finally did! You will immediately be warmly greeted by husband and wife and staff. We dined in the wine room - intimate and cozy. Our dinner photos are below and each absolutely delicious! Highly recommend and we look forward to returning.

Excellent. The best Italian food I have tasted in Ft. Lauderdale. I will be back for sure. 5.0 review

Il Paesano exceeded our expectations! This little Italian market serves up fresh authentic Italian food that is out of this world. The staff was very knowledgeable on their wine selection and menu. I ordered the burrata to share and the penne alla vodka. Both were delicious!! Highly recommend this little hidden gem

Il Paesano is the one restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale that brings me back to my travels in Italy. I love their food so much. It is homey, flavorful, and made with love. My favorite thing about their food is their homemade pasta. I love their pear pasta and ossobucco ravioli. Honestly you cannot go wrong with anything you order. I've tried so many Italian restaurants in South Florida and this place is just beyond.

Il Paesano is an extremely unique Italian dining experience and is now one of my favorite restaurants. It is a locally owned and operated Italian market, deli and restaurant. The night we were there the husband and wife owners and two other people were running everything. There is one small dining area with 4-6 tables, a table for four in the wine room, and 4-6 more tables in the market/deli area. We were at a table in the market/deli area and we enjoyed looking at all the Italian groceries and deli items for sale. The menu had plenty of choices and there were several specials. We had burrata salad to share, rabbit stew with polenta (one of the specials), gnocchi bolognese, and ravioli veal osso bucco. Every person thought their choice was exceptional. There is an excellent choice of Italian wines at market prices (instead of restaurant prices). You only pay the market price and there is no corkage charge. We wanted a recommendation on wine and one of the owner's recommended one she and her husband enjoy often after work. It was a great and only $42.50 a bottle. The three of us enjoyed two bottles. We will be back to this restaurant often. If you like Italian food you will love il Paesano!

We love food here! Everything is made fresh! Service is always on point even when packed. They have special menu on select nights for very affordable price.

We came here to celebrate a birthday dinner and boy are we happy we decided to go to this gem. And that's exactly what it is, a gem! When you walk in you're instantly transported to a little market in Italy with the most insane cuisine and friendliest people. The people working I believe were the owners of the restaurant so they were super helpful when came to deciding what to order and what wine to purchase from their nice little wine selection in the back. The food was top notch!! You can taste the love and time they put into preparing their dishes. I believe most of it is all homemade, and it shows! Definitely will not be our last time coming to this place. This was the first of many!! Absolutely Devine. Can't wait to return!