Papa Joe's

Was visiting family in the area and we had an excellent dinner here. The Calamarata with Walnut Pesto and Burrata is a March special and was fantastic, as was the Papa Joe’s Potatoes as a shared appetizer. I was slightly envious of a delicious looking salmon fillet on someone else’s plate, and the small bite I was offered to taste did not disappoint. And everyone at the table ordered the French White salad dressing, which is a classic favorite. Our server Marianne was absolutely a gem, what a great evening, can’t wait to come back to Papa Joe’s next time I am in town!

I visited Papa Joe’s on a Friday night and had an amazing experience. Our server Celeste was friendly, attentive, and made the experience even more great. The portions are massive but truly delicious. Will definitely come here more often for Italian food. Great place for a date night!

Well it started with day before Valentine's dinner reservation which they had good time slot open that seemed Good from opentable app that was 45mn away so it was fine . The atmosphere was great for Valentine's with the red lights and staff wearing red and the music was a fine but with how busy it was, was little loud but you could still hear. Had the meatballs for appetizers fantastic wish they came with more. Salad was amazing usually don't tend to critique most salads cus of the portions you usually get of it but this one had a creamy ceasar dressing so made in house makes a big difference. Had the sirloin steak which i finished but wasn't a fan off with the risotto with the risotto being good. My wifes roast prime rib was fantastic I devoured what she didn't finish just cause had a good size for being petite. At some point we want to go back and try the pastas since it's a Italian restaurant and we a had good time. One big thing that help was staff as it was a busy night our waitress kept coming back and checking on us since food was taking longer then usual so we didn't run out of water or drinks.

Great food, great ambiance and extremely friendly staff. We tried this for the first time and it did not disappoint. The menu is large and has a lot to offer for all kinds of diets. A must visit for locals and anyone traveling to Ohio to visit.

This was our first time having dinner at Papa Joe's last night. It was very good. Our waitress was one of the best. My wife had Chicken Francaise and I had the crispy Salmon. Both meals were delicious. We will definitely be back.

Wonderful, friendly and clean atmosphere. We dined today and enjoyed the thanksgiving menu. We ordered the sirloin with whipped potatoes, turkey dinner, stuffed cod and chicken parm. Service was quick and timely. Garden salads delicious. Steak was cooked perfectly and flavorful. Turkey dinner just enough and the cranberry sauce was divine. The cod was cooked to perfection and stuffed crab was good. Crab stuffing had bigger chunks of crab which was h expected as we thought it would be more fine than chunks nonetheless the stuffing was delicious. We enjoyed the simplified holiday menu. They also have options for the “little turkeys” who are dining today. Over all 10/10 and would return for another holiday meal. Our server was efficient, polite and friendly. They also gave a market with desserts, salads, subs, soup, side dishes and salad dressings.

This is a beautiful place to celebrate our 11 yr anniversary we ordered appetizers and the best wine and old fashions and wait staff was the best and hidden treasure for sure loved it

Hospitality, Service and Atmosphere a 10. A lot of people like their tomato gravy/sauce on the sweet side, but I'm not one of them. However, it was fresh and bright. I had pasta marinara and husband had Lasagna. He said it's the best he's ever had. I thought the Tiramasu was the best I've ever had.

Very good service. The atmosphere is older but comfortable, with dim lighting that gives it a relaxed feel. The food overall was good. We ordered the dishes shown in the images, along with the fried provolone and the crab‑stuffed mushrooms--both were enjoyable. The chicken marsala had good flavor, though the sauce was a bit too runny. The spinach cannelloni was flavorful as well. The fried perch was presented nicely and was said to be pretty good. I would recommend giving this place a try. It seems to offer quality food and attentive service. It's not necessarily a place you'd write home about, but it is solid, good food.

We celebrated Valentine's Day at Papa Joe's and had yet again another fantastic dinner. My wife and I ordered the Zucchini Frittata for an appetizer. She ordered the Chicken Marsala and I ordered the Veal Parmesan. Both entrees were awesome. The restaurant was absolutely packed and the service and food were still on point. The restaurant is always clean and inviting. If you haven't been to Papa Joe's Iacomini, add them to your to go to list. You won't regret it. BOOM!!!!

Had a throughly delightful meal here very recently. Visited on a Wednesday night without a reservation. Seated immediately. It was active but not overly crowded. Food was exceptional. I had veal parm, wife had veal scallapini (more like a Marsala). Decent size portions (enough for lunch the next day), came with roll and a really good salad. House dressing was a white French that was so good. Had a pre-dinner Manhattan and a nice glass of Chianti with dinner. Both were excellent. Wife had a martini, which she said was ok. Had cannoli for desert that was better than anything in Little Italy. Service was very good, nice young man took care of us. Physical place was old school, but nice and clean and orderly. Bathroom was very clean. Prices were more than reasonable. Overall, really enjoyed Iacomini's. Look forward to coming back.

Did our annual tradition on getting Papa Joe's carry out for NYE family dinner: meat lasagna, chicken cutlets, stuffed banana peppers, meatballs, bean salad and large garden salad with white French dressing. Was absolutely Fantastic! And also as tradition, Jeff helped me pick out 3 phenomenal bottles of wine! We are absolutely Blessed to live close to a Legendary restaurant like Papa Joes Iacomini's!!

My dad lives close by and has always wanted to try Papa Joes so we surprised him with an early birthday dinner. He was shocked! Our waitress was Angel and she was literally an angel! Proactive, effective, kind and bubbly. We lacked nothing and didn't have to ask for a thing! We started with the seasonal friend green tomatoes app topped with bacon. I could have literally ordered ten more. They were absolutely fantastic!!! I chose the spinach cannelloni for my dinner and absolutely loved it! It was rich but not over the top! My husband had the lasagna and he loved it as well! My dad chose the veal parm and he was very pleased with his selection. His wife had the chicken francoise. The chicken was moist and the breading wasn't over powering. The lemon zest and sauce was divine!! Loved it!! We did the carrot cake for the birthday boy and he was in heaven! It was the perfect place for his surprise dinner!! Thank you Angel, you were superb!!

Tonight my agency hosted a group of 18. I asked for a private dining space for our dinner. Instead, we were placed in the Tuscany Room. There was an adjacent roo which could only be accessed by walking through our "private room". When the Executive Director shared his displeasure and stated that we should not be charged $75 for a room fee, the waitress went to her manager to complain. She said the ED was rude and the manager said she didn't appreciate the way he spoke to the waitress! The manager was not present, but I was and I can tell you the ED was not disrespect full. On top of that the meal was mediocre. We spent over 2 thousand dollars. I would not recommend this place!

Food and service were amazing!! We will definitely be going there again soon! This was for my birthday party celebration.

This was some of the most bland and disappointing Italian food my wife and I have ever had. Olive Garden gives this place a run for its money so needless to say we won't be back. Luckily for them there's somehow an obvious cult following to keep them afloat. But in summary: Food, terrible. Service, excellent. Wait time, fantastic. The food we got from Dairy Queen on the way home, 10/10.

It had been years since our last visit to Papa Joes and we were kit disappointed at all! We came here before a show at Weathervane Theater. Told our server that while we did not need to rush, please don't forget us! And she did not. Fast friendly server who also provided food recommendations and suggestions. Food very flavorful, hot and delicious!! One of the best White French salad dressings in Akron. They sat us in a rather cozy but busy area... and we did not have any difficulty hearing each other! I can't wait to go back to Papa Joes again!! Highly recommend PJ's when in Akron especially in the valley here!!!

Highly disappointed in our New Year's Eve experience. We had a server that passed us off to another server. When asked what we wanted for dinner, I asked what the sides were since the NYE menu didnt list them. The new server looked shocked or offended I asked. My fiancé veal parm was not even cooked all the way thru. I got the chicken francaise and ate one of them and have been sick all night with food poisoning. Didn't have any lemon to it! I have always acknowledged this place as high end. We were ready to spend money and be there for a few hours and we left within 40 minutes. Papa joes is going down the shit hole. Yes we could've complained in store however, why wasn't our food cooked right the first time if it's priced at what it's priced at. Get it together.

Ok first of all how have I not ever been to this place?! Such a cute spot in Akron with seriously good Italian food and vibes! Busy on a Wednesday evening which leads me to believe it's always bumpin and lively! The wedge salad was fabulous and I highly recommend getting white French dressing on anything and everything you can - it's so good I could drink it...I need some to go... it was my first time so I had to try the red sauce because of course I did and it was good! Sweet and different - absolutely enjoyed it. Adding this to my list of restaurants to come to with my husband for a date night or to go with a group of friends for a girls dinner.

Had a horrible meal at Papa Joe's. Got the stuffed Banana Peppers as an appetizer. It was completely undercooked. It was smothered in cheese but it needed to be left in the oven much longer or spend some time under the salamander. It was undercooked, no browning and just a soggy, goopy mess. The peppers were undercooked as well. It was so off putting I decided not to even risk buying an entrée. The wife got the chicken parm which was actually over cooked and dry but the same undercooked goopy cheese was smothering the entire plate. They really messed up the whole evening. Won't be going back!

The food there is usually really good and the potions are great. Tonight I ordered the 1lb mussels special. They were delicious, but not nearly 1lb! More like a quarter pound...just a very small portion...and I left hungry...so don't advertise 1lb, if that's what it's not going to be!!

Very good services, quick and friendly. Food was pretty good. Was there as part of a large group function, so will need to go back and try it as an individual/couple for a different experience. Will update thereafter

We had a wonferful experience with a group celebration. Servers were extremely attentive and knowledgeable. The meals were prepared perfectly. I highly recommend. I returned the following day to pickup something that I had forgotten the evening before, the made a wonderful effort to find my items. While waIting for one crew member to gather my items, The entire crew at the Italian Market had stopped by to ensure that I have been helped. Noone walked past me without making sure I had been helped. Very impressed with how a complete staff was attentive. I asked one of the crew about a brand of wine and she knew exactly what I wanted and retrieved it for me to purchase. Well done total experience

Very good at prime Web was fantastic. The stuffed peppers were very good for an appetizer.

Celebrating wife's birthday. Had reservations but arrived early to have a drink at the bar. Bartender knocked wife's drink right into my lap. Shocked when they gave me a bill for the drinks. Said they took off my wife's for her birthday. How about the drink poured in my lap? Although the food was great, it was a bit unpleasant to eat with wet cloths. I certainly didn't feel like a valued patron.

We were invited here for a 50th wedding anniversary. A group of 20+ were served efficiently and with excellent food. The staff? They were incredible. The food? It was also incredibly good.

Great food. Reasonable prices. The service is excellent. They always have specials that are very tasty.

The atmosphere is relaxing. The food was great. Service was awesome. The only issue was the restaurant is too dark to read the menu. The waitress brought a portable lamp to the table which was very helpful. I'm looking forward to another nice diner here. I would definitely recommend trying Papa Joe's.

Thank you so much Kim for reaching out and offering your sincere apologies for our family's' unfortunate experience. We appreciate everything you offered to make this situation right for our family. An excellent example of a business owner who truly cares about her customers ! We would like you to make any donation to a charity of your choice .

Went here on the weekend, we were expecting a higher end Italian spot considering the moody ambiance inside and the wealth of class in cars outside. What a let down it was. The 3 star yelp review matches well. The menu was small and laking, so small I thought it was the drink menu. Ordered an old fashioned, it was so watered down with ice it tasted like it was shaken. Meatball appetizers were small, with little ricotta. The wedding soup was nothing more than pure pasta and little broth. Don't even get the "risotto" as it is far from it. They should have it named rice pilaf on the menu, which was unfortunately dry anyway. My steak was at least cooked well. The other guests I was with mentioned the pasta sauce was acidic and bland and the noodles were cool. On the plus side our waitress was polite and prompt. If you're looking for Italian I'd look elsewhere.

My husband and I have been to this restaurant in the past for family events, and it was always amazing. Last night, my husband questioned where I would like to go, my choice for a date night. I wanted to go out and have amazing, authentic Italian food. I also wanted ambience, a feeling of just he and I, enjoying the evening together, with no kids in the background screaming, or parents who should have paid for a baby sitter instead of ruining our (and everyone one else's) evening. Wow, from walking in the door, our hostess was amazing. We were seated right away, in a section we desired, and our server Whitney, in the bar area, was spectacular! Five stars!!! She explained every dish on the menu we questioned, gave suggestions, recommendations, including things on the drink menu! Never once, did Whitney push us to order right away, or make us feel like we were being rushed through our date night. In fact, they let us enjoy our evening, and close the place! My husband placed an order for the petite prime rib, it was huge....like she explained! And cooked perfectly. I ordered the veal scallopini on top of the pasta, (which was her recommendation), it was amazing!!!And when I say amazing, that was the best veal scallopini I have tasted in years. So, with this being said, we will definitely return soon, for date night, and family events! Thank you all for an amazing date night! And I highly recommend your restaurant, and service!

Dinner was wonderful. The holiday cocktails were my favorite part with fun wintery garnishes! Our server Kayley did an outstanding job on such a busy night! We will be back soon.

Both my wife and I ordered the grande cut of prime rib, which we have done multiple times before. We were served the petite cut. We were told by our server that it was a grande cut. It was not even 12 oz. Manager came and asked. We told her of the discrepancy. She told us she would check, but never came back to the table. Usually we have a great experience here, and bring groups of people with us. I guess things have changed here. Too bad.

We held my brother's birthday banquet at Papa Joe's, and we couldn't have had a better experience. We received many compliments for the setting, the food, and especially the service. The buffet featured their famous lasagna, prime roast sirloin and honey dijon chicken, and all were delicious. We knew this would be the best place for our event, and they did not disappoint. It' our "go-to" place for celebrations, or just a very good meal experience.

Atmosphere: First off, let me say that I drove over an hour to show my date where, in my opinion, was the best little Italian restaurant and desserts. I used to live right by Papa Joes but had since moved and there was no doubt in my mind that it was going to be worth the trip. This was the first time I did not feel comfortable or welcome. It had a large part to do with the waitress. First, we are sat at a 2 person booth next to a table of 12 or more with very loud children and there's that 12 top and then right next to me in hands reach is what I guess is a hostess little counter thing. While there were booths in the other room empty and WE HAD A RESERVATION. The waitress was just absolutely unpleasant and looked inconvenienced by any question or comment. My date even asked if she was a homophobe that's how rudely and passive aggressive she was treating us. I told her I was embarrassed and that she probably was just overwhelmed by the large group. I always tip 20% no matter what because I know servers don't make enough and it could have just been a bad day but it absolutely killed me to to tip her $20 on a $100 check. Food: let me say that I get the SAME thing every single time I go, I get the same thing. The chicken francaise. I was reading the menu and was surprised to see that they now serve it over noodles. I asked the waitress to clarify how it's made now and told her that just a year, maybe a year and a half ago I had just had it and it was made differently. Instead of just asking me how I would like it made, she for whatever reason argued with me saying that they have been making it that way for 5 years or more. Like I felt like I had to show her my last yelp review. I shouldn't have to prove anything, she should just accommodate the way I would like it made and move on. Doesn't matter anyways because they brought it out the way they make it now over noodles despite my request. My date enjoyed her spinach cannelloni, that was literally the only saving grace of this visit. Well also the 3 desserts I got to go. I was so upset the whole ride home because I was hyping this place up so high and it was just... bad. My date felt like she was treated badly, but maybe she was just have a bad day. I just didn't want her to feel that way with how high I set her expectations. What a shame.

Got takeout. Got some Zucchini fritta (fried zucchini) which was good but could be seasoned more (recommend having a dipping sauce like marinara handy). Also got Chicken Marsala and fettuccine alfredo. Restaurant looked nice when I came for pickup.

Papa joes was great! We did a reso online so we could be quickly seated. Our waiter was awesome! He had been working there for over 30 years. Everything came out in a timely manner even though he seemed very busy. The salad is addicting! We ended up ordering a larger box to go. I ordered the veal pasta which was delicious! Overall, I will be coming back! And will continue to try new dishes.

I struggled with the star rating on this. Our salads were both five star, the friendliness factor was gloriously high. Why only four stars? Because we did not try anything for which this place is celebrated. I have celiac disease and I wish I had been hungrier because they told me the kitchen was up for anything I can imagine. The wine list looks great. Oh hell. I'm upgrading. Papa Joe's, you earned the extra star when you led us by the hand through the cut through when we came in accidentally through the back door. Consider us new regulars.

Visited Papa Joes again yesterday. As usual the food was great. I had the little neck clams with a side of pasta marinara. The ladies dined on Chicken Francaise and were not disappointed, chicken medallions sautéed in butter and lemon sauce and served over spaghettini, in a word delicious. Took home about a cup of the seasoned clam broth and had mixed it with some linguine pasta. It made a great lunch. Service was commendable. One of our favorite dining spots.

Dined at this restaurant on Thursday evening. We were a party of five. One has salmon, one had ravioli, two the chicken francaise and I had the spaghetti with meat sauce. Everyone had a dinner salad with white French dressing which is very good.The meals were all tasty albeit the chicken and pasta dishes were not hot. The service was good and the dinners arrived at the table quickly after being ordered. Makes it hard to explain why the dishes were cold. This one of our favorite places to dine so we'll give them a second chance.

I would describe the menu as Italian Billy. Everything smothered in cheese and tomato sauce. Nothing creative. Nothing healthy. Older crowd. Stodgy decor.

I was at Papa Joe's, in the bar on Friday evening, with some girlfriends. Had a lovely time. Sandy and Lori were working and giving excellent service as usual. I paid my bill in cash and left. Lori found a $50 bill that I had dropped and she and Sandy took the time to find me on Messenger to tell me. Then Sandy brought it to my work to give it to me... NOW THAT'S SERVICE! Food is great too!

I've been traveling quite a lot over the last few years, and even when I was in town, I had not circled back to Papa Joes. I never forgot how good the food was, or the ambiance...Service is amazing, I always stop in the bar for a cocktail and to say hello to some old friends. It's really cool to know that in this crazy world, you can still count on something, Papa Joes

Quaint Italian, friendly staff, accommodating hostess. We had the Caesar Salad, house salad, fried zucchini's and shrimp toast (special to start). Everything was pretty good. Loved the French dressing which is made in house. The bread came out hot and was super good We had the chicken Marsala, Mediterranean pasta special, spinach cannellonis, macadamia crusted trout and the fried perch dinner. Again, everything was pretty good. Not blow your socks off but nothing to complain about. I had a great glass of Quilt Cabernet by Caymus. Nice selection of wines and specialty drinks. Nice selection of desserts as well. We ordered the lemon cream cake, raspberry cheesecake, tiramisu and carrot cake! Amanda was our server and she was such an angel. She took great care of us!

We were there last night and had a party of 8 to celebrate several November birthdays. We were looking forward to a great dinner. When the salad came, I was disappointed. Their house dressing is the bomb...it still is. However, the salad was really small, not like I remember from our last visit. Everybody got 1 roll and 1 pad of butter on a plate. With a large table why wouldn't you bring out a basket of rolls and butter?The worst part of the dinner was what they called the "risotto". It was not. It was rice pilaf with mushrooms thrown in. And both folks who got it said it was dry and hard. Niether ate it. The seared Salmon my daughter got was way over-seared and dry and the two other adults got cold entrees, but did not want to tell the waitress for fear of someone messing with their food. I sure would have. So out of 8 entrees I was the only one that liked their dinner, the veal scallopini, and it wasn't even my birthday!!!! Nobody complained but we should have. All in all it wasn't the best dining experience, and we won't be going back anytime soon.

Best wine selection in the Akron area. They charge retail prices from the wine shop in the restaurant. If you want to pick it yourself, just walk over and bring it back to the table! Great service. We didn't have to think about what was next.

I have been wanting to try Papa Joes for years. Just never found myself out in the valley with time to eat. I stopped in recently and here are my thoughts: Dominic, who said he was new, was a really good server. Attentive. Almost checked in "too often" but always better than where's my drink. White French dressing. A-. Great taste. Little too runny for my preference. Standard dinner salad. Southern Italian trio. C. Kind of big miss for me. Meatballs were ok. Sausage ok. And the rigatoni was overlooked - it's Italian - it should be al dente!!! ;) and the sauce - I didn't look to see what party of Italy they were from but the sauce was too sweet for me personally. Again, personal taste. It was just kind of a 3ish experience. May return and try something else.

WOULD NOT RECOMMEND We came here for mother's day, all wanting pasta and fettuccine Alfredo. There specialty mothers days menu had barely no food on it. We specifically came for the pasta and only have one thing of pasta on the menu. My daughter wanted to order chicken tenders from the kids menu (she's a really picky eater) and she just turned 13 a week ago. When she ordered our waiter asked if she was 12 and they wouldn't let her get anything she liked. They made us pay $30 for our child's food that she barely ate. We will definitely will not be coming back here It's a very well decorated and fancy restaurant but for the prices, NOT WORTH THE MONEY I will say the staff was really nice and friendly (except for our waiter)

Oh man.. where do I begin!? Service was so friendly and nice. It was a long dinner but they were busy and we had a large party. It wasn't painfully slow either. The white French dressing is so unreal. Waitress told us about it and we all loved it. The calamari was definitely good as an app. I Had the Italian trio w 2 meatballs, Italian sausage and penne pasta and it was delicious! My daughter had the Caesar w chicken and loved it. Someone at my table had the chicken parm and the portion was huge and very tasty. Another Person had their meatball special app for dinner and it came w 3 meatballs and some bread and she said it was some of the best meatballs she's ever had. Their cannolis were so good. Got two to go and ate them when we got back to the hotel.

We had a group of 20 people. The restaurant was very cordial and accommodating. We had a limited menu due to the size of the group. The food was very good and it was served quickly, and smoothly by great servers. The servers were extremely attentive to our needs and extremely cordial. The restaurant did a great job.

First time at Papa Joe's. All around great experience. Had calamari and fried zucchini for apps, veal parmesan for dinner and the chocolate ganache cake for dessert. Everything was outstanding. The wait staff is superb. Definitely recommend and will be back.

The food is decent but the concern is that the prices are way too high. I have been to many Italian restaurants that have white table cloth food without the white table cloth prices and they get more people at their restaurant consistently than Papa Joe's. The ambiance is amazing but the food is really not that spectacular. I've ate at this restaurant many times in the past and frankly I don't believe it's worth the price you're paying when you compare it to other Italian restaurants.

We had a large gathering (40 people) at Papa Joe's this week. We had a special menu including salmon, chicken francaise, and Prime Rib. All were outstanding...and I'm a foodie! The Prime rib was one of the best I've had in a very long time. Just as important, Donna and Natalie did an amazing job of serving. Friendly, professional and always ready. An excellent experience!

We arrived and it took 10 minutes before our waitress came to ask us what we wanted to drink. Once she did, she was very quick moving forward. I ordered top sirloin (medium well) with mashed potatoes. The top sirloin was mediocre. I've had better steak elsewhere. The mashed potatoes were whipped with no chunks but still very good. The lobster bisque had no chunks of lobster. It was just a liquid soup. The chicken Marsala was pretty bland. They put a lot of sauce but it was missing some flavor. The ambiance was moody-- lots of people, the lighting was dim so it still felt intimate.

Was suggested as a place by people on Ohio Trips on Facebook. This place was outstanding! The food was great, the place was hopping and the service was excellent!

To be honest, I think my 2 star rating is simply because I hadn't gotten food poisoning, otherwise it would have been a 1 star. I thought we were going to an upscale Italian. It was neither. In fact an Italian would have slapped me had I taken them here. I had a suspicion when we were taken to our table, and it was actual a Denny's booth, that made an irritating racket like and old sea shanty. We forged ahead, ordered the calamari ( it was wet, and sitting in a puddle of more wet. ), and the smoked provolone wedges that were actually mozzarella. The dinner items came with a salad, and the dressing on the side came in plastic to-go cups. Weird. I ordered the Veal scallopini - super salty and drowning in a strange sauce, and a pork chop, again super salty and not very delicious. We asked for the porkchop to be served with Papa Joes Potatoes and our server said that they would be charged full price - not an up charge- with the meal, but strangely, she did not offer the actual side to the chop as well. I mean if we were going to have to pay full price for the potatoes, we should have been given that option. The open table reviews had been given a lot of 5 stars. Yelp is basically a 3.5- which may be closer to the truth. We have always noticed a full parking lot, and I guess expected more. But once we were seated, it was pretty clear it was a basic Denny's, just charging more. The food was pretty bad. The service was unenchanting- I'd expect it at a diner, but not somewhere that seemingly is attempting to be a little more upscale. There isn't a whiff of classic Italian anywhere in this building. I actually could not wait to get out of there, but our server was far too busy chatting up her diners. I would have expected more with all the 5 star reviews. Giant portions of mediocre food does not equate into a fine place to eat. Do better.

The chicken parm was amazing! I loved the salad dressing as well. Delicious meal! I would highly recommend.