Amazing food great atmosphere... we sat at the bar everything was excellent! The antipasto salad was huge enough for 4 but exceptionally delicious! A must try! Danielle was amazing so attentive! We'll be back read more

Very good food and it is decently priced, there pizzas are the best, the staff is very very old school very friendly and the ambience is quite nice as well read more

Service was great. Food was good. Expensive but a nice place for an evening meal. Parking lot was nearly full, plenty of room inside though.

dined here on 04/04/2026 party of 8 appetizers were fair, salads - pasta dinners - pizza not good at all ... kitchen phoned it in waitress should alert kitchen when food presentation is poor, she was disconnected and stressed read more

The freshness and quality of food is excellent! The wait staff is very friendly and efficient and have a good knowledge of their dishes. Our waitress made great recommendations, we started with the 4 meatballs which where excellent. My friend had the pasta Emilio which he said was amazing. I had the classic Alfredo with chicken which was also very good and filling with the portions generous. It has a nice relaxing atmosphere with a view of the river. Have been here a couple times with both experiences being great. I'll definitely stop in again for dinner whenever I'm in the area. read more

So good, expansive but worth it. Portion sizes were huge, could have fed 3 people with one order. Quiet place with a nice view of the water read more

This place has a wonderful patio on the river. Worth a visit just to hang out in that setting. The inside of the restaurant, and the whole place has old school Italian restaurant vibes, which is a plus. The staff was friendly, and the host seemed downright excited to see us, even as we came in 30 minutes to close. Everything came out reasonably fast as well. The food was solid. The calamari was perfectly cooked. We got it "Tony style" which was fast, but shouldn't cost extra. The pizza was good, if not $5 too expensive for what it is. The sauce was also a little on the sweet side for my taste. The signature chicken was very well done, though the side spaghetti was made all the sweeter by mixing with thr other sauce. As a Chicagoan, I can tell you the beefs are not made in house and I would not get them again, or recommend you do so either. In all, the food was fresh and well made, the staff was lovely, and the restaurant itself is nice to spend time in. I will be back! read more

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It's been a while since my wife and I have been here. We went early on a Saturday evening. Around 5-5:30p. The wait was around an hour for the outside patio, so we ate inside. Our server was nice but seemed busy or over whelmed. We had trouble deciding cause everything sounded good! We saw several dishes come out that looked fantastic! Our server suggested we try the ribs cause they were not your typical bbq ribs. We went with it. The meat was good!! Fall off the bone tender. However the sauce was very much like a spiced up tomato paste. Not what I was expecting. We were a little disappointed. The walleye on a plank looked really good as a couple of tables around us had that. I wish we went with that or the risotto. read more

First time at this family Italian restaurant and we were happily surprised. To be honest I don't think there were any true Italian family restaurants in this part of west Michigan. It was great. I had a delicious Chicken Parmigiana with a side of pasta and a very good chocolate ganache desert with what seemed like icecream. The chicken was served very hot with the perfect amount of roasted mozzarella cheese on top of very good tomato sauce that was slightly sweet. It came with a side of spaghetti with the same sauce. ALL of it was very good! read more

La Cantina - Chicken Parmigiana - Pizza Near Me - Paw Paw, Michigan

Appetizer: Caprese Salad - Quantity: Generous, with six slices each of mozzarella and tomato - Quality: Fresh ingredients, classic combination of flavors Main Course: Chicken Parmesan - Portion Size: Satisfying with a good amount of chicken and spaghetti - Sauce: Sweeter profile, but delicious and well-prepared Dessert: Cannoli - Taste: Excellent, seemed homemade with authentic flavor - Note: Chocolate sauce was not necessary; the cannoli stood out on its own Service: - the restaurant was busy and the wait staff was attentive and kept up with the demand. Ambiance: - traditional lively Italian restaurant read more

La Cantina - Ravioli with sausage - Pizza Near Me - Paw Paw, Michigan

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Had a wonderful evening sitting on a beautiful patio at La Cantina. We had the sweetest and most helpful waitress, forgot her name but she gave recommendations and helped out a lot! We started with drinks, impressive wine menu and had bruschetta and bread for our appetizers. Partner had chicken marsala and I had the rigatoni. His was wonderful and I don't even like mushrooms. I had my rigatoni with no onions or mushrooms, it was good but the sauce was much sweeter than I liked but my partner loved it! Had the tiramisu for dessert, I've never had it with chocolate and icecream with it (not traditional) but still very delicious. Sitting there we were talking about how we are excited to come back again and bring our families. 10/10! read more

La Cantina - Rigatoni - Pizza Near Me - Paw Paw, Michigan

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Super Italian food and drinks. Had the lasagna which was ample for 2 meals and rich in sauce and cheese. We also had the walleye and the bruschetta both of which were delicious. Despite it being a busy Saturday night in summer they managed to get 4 of us seated immediately (The Rock was our first stop but they had a 90 minute wait time). Service was great. Parking is a challenge on busy nights. This is a classic Italian restaurant read more

La Cantina Italian restaurant is situated on the west side of Paw Paw, Mi on the banks of the Paw Paw River. We have many happy memories here starting four decades ago! Last night we decided to drive there and try the foods again! We quickly ordered Bruchetta, La Cantina Chicken and Spaghetti and Meatballs and settled back to enjoy the holiday decor. Christmas is coming! The Bruchetta was delicious, fresh and chilled! La Cantina Chicken is a house special and delivered great flavors! We have always loved LC's meatballs and those are still a treat! Added to our enjoyment was the friendly service folks! We are glad to fine some greats still are great! read more

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Is it good? Who knows! They are only open for 3 hours a day. Ordering pizza? It'll take every bit of 3 hours. Yep! That was the time frame given 2.75 hours. From here, I could drive to Chicago faster than that to get great pizza. Maybe they should keep more hours to meet the needs of the community. read more

This home town Italian food is delicious, the owners are so awesome, and it feels like home. Love love love. Try the calamari and the Pasta Emilio! The outdoor patio is the best! read more

La Cantina - Pizza Near Me - Paw Paw, Michigan

Another quality evening and excellent dinner at LaCantina! Although they begin serving at 5pm and the patio and restaurant were full by 5:30, the waitstaff was attentive but allowed us to enjoy our guests and not feel rushed. The calamari and cheese bread was perfect for our group (including children). The mule and glasses of wine were plentiful pours at a very reasonable price. The dinners are ample portions: the shrimp pasta Alfredo was smoothly sauced - not gummy as is often the case. The traditional pasta with meatballs and marinara were rich and flavorful with just enough sauce to not overwhelm. The cheese pizza was hand-thrown with a thin crust and enough cheese that the 8 year olds were smiling! My piece of pistachio crusted pickerel was moist, flaky and perfect with a medley of sautéed vegetables. Did I mention the truffled steak fries? Those alone were worth the visit! Topping off dinner with coffee, fresh cheesecake and molten lava cake made for an excellent dinner. Although we sat indoors, the patio on the banks of the PawPaw River looked picturesque and the live entertainment was a nice touch on a summer evening! We will be back! read more

Food was good drinks sucked no alcohol and waitress had a attitude and didn't even want to fill our ice water when all the drinks where was mix , maybe if she did want to wait on people outside she should've got a different job. read more

My wife and I hosted a wedding rehearsal dinner at La Cantina for a group of 40. Ava was great to work with and very responsive to our inquiry and questions. The food was excellent and there was an abundance of it. We received many compliments from our guests about how delicious the food was. We recommend La Cantina for both a large group dining experience as well as just a couple's date night. read more

My husband found this gem of a restaurant & we have been there twice since. La Cantina does not disappoint. The food is outstanding and generous portions. My husband had the Chicken Parmigiana & I had the Eggplant & both were yummy. The ambiance is old world Italian with beautiful views of Maple Lake & a garden. Definitely going to bring a big group next time. Special shout out to our bartender/server Lisa. She was awesome! Very professional, attentive, personable & sweet. You will not be sorry giving La Cantina a try. I cannot wait to go back for the pizza. My mouth is watering thinking about it! Cheers, La Cantina. read more

A mixed bag indeed. For starters, where do the staff wash their hands when they have no running water in the bathroom? (See photo) I ordered the small sausage and cheese pizza, the sauce was HORRIBLY salty, i tried just eating off some of the toppings but gave up and just picked off some of the sausage to take home to my dog. He seemed to like it. Our waiter Pete, (after seeing what I rejected) asked if I wanted him to see if the manager would take it off the bill. (I wasn't trying to get a free anything) and it resulted in a half price pizza which was decent enough I guess. My wife had the eggplant parmesan and loved it, i tried the sauce on hers and it was pretty tasty. Just a problem with the pizza sauce gladly. The place was nice enough to look at with a great view of the river, I personally wouldn't return unless my wife wanted the eggplant again. Definitely wasn't a fan of the 35 minute ticket time either. If I had the time to return, it sure wouldn't be for a pizza. read more

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Used to live here in paw paw and ate at la cantinas regularly and loved it. 26 years later....... It's still just as great!!!! Awesome food, staff, and ambience was outstanding. We will be back!!!!! read more

Went back to LA Cantina for dinner last night. I was craving the chicken parm and man it didn't disappoint!!! Sat at the bar and the bartender was attentive, classy and handled the entire bar and restaurant herself. And she makes a mean French 75!! Seriously, if you haven't tried it, go now!! You will not be disappointed read more

La Cantina - Chicken Parm dinner - Pizza Near Me - Paw Paw, Michigan

Atrocious. The food was good, compliments to the kitchen staff. We arrived a little after 6 on Saturday night for dinner and were happy to wait at the bar for an outside table after getting the sense from the hosts (I believe they are the owners as well) that figuring out how to seat us was an inconvenience to them. The bartender was terrific, pleasant, attentive, and skilled. After a bit, one of the hosts let us know that several tables on the patio had opened and we could pick any we like. She did not follow us out with menus or offer to help us with our drinks from the bar, it would have been unnecessary but there is this idea of customer service somewhat central to the restaurant industry. We picked a table in the shade and sat down. The previous guests check was still on the table -- no problem -- someone should be over any minute to get it, bring fresh silverware, menus, offer water...right? Nope. Lucky for them we were happy to have the time to talk and were without kids. At least 20 minutes later NO ONE had been by the table. My date went back into the bar to get us a fresh round of drinks. The bartender was appropriately apologetic, covered the round, and carried my drink out to the table for us. A few minutes later, a brand new server who I had not seen in any section on the patio appeared at our table. She was sweet and clearly busy with tables inside but took our order for an appetizer. I asked for some fresh silverware as she left but it didn't come until our actual dinner arrived. So nice to enjoy your appetizer while your food gets chilled. Once the band ended, the patio emptied out, it was still relatively light out. We sat finishing our drinks and meal, when my date noticed that they had turned off the lights inside the restaurant. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes past nine. Several staff and the previously mentioned hosts were gathered at the bar when we walked through, someone managed to wish us a good night. This is not the first time I've had bad service at this restaurant but it will be the last. I appreciate their long history of being a cornerstone of the community but they clearly need to get some fresh management on the floor. Someone who actually wants to be there and look out for the guest experience. read more

Food was delicious. Service great. Wait time was way too long. Over an hour to get our food after arriving at 5:30.

We had a bit of a wait but it was well worth it! (They do take reservations so if you plan to eat at La Cantina call ahead and make a reservation.) We were fortunate that it was a nice evening and were able to take a seat out front on one of their benches. The decor is a bit dated but the service and food are TOP NOTCH! 1) Our server, Becky, was the best part of our experience, she went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect starting with my dirty martini with blue cheese olives! She made sure it had the right amount of dirty for me! #Beckyrockstarserver 2) The food was delicious!!!! We did order Bruschetta Pommodoro for an appetizer...my daughter loved it. I personally love their Caprese Salad for an appetizer but we were celebrating my daughter's college graduation so she picked last night. Everyone at our table loved their meal! The portions are huge so you can split meals and they will split them for you with the sides for a small up charge. My daughter's boyfriend ordered one of the specials it was crab, lobster, shrimp and scallops over pasta with Gorgonzola cream sauce, I tried a bite and it was delicious. My husband ordered the ribs which fell off the bones and were so fabulous. My daughter and I shared the chicken parmesan it was delicious. We ordered 2 deserts to go and by far the peanut butter pie was best and winner in our house! 3) I have been trying to remember to add a section to my review when indoor eating to review my observations to Covid protocols as I know sometimes people care and sometimes people don't. This is not meant to be an opinion either way this to be impartial only observations. All staff was wearing masks properly, almost all customers were wearing masks properly, I noticed a few leaving that started to leave and slowly put them on, one HS prom group left with below their noses but otherwise that was it. Every other table was blocked off to not be used for limited seating. They seemed to be following all the protocols well. We absolutely love La Cantina and their weekly specials! Tuesday is spaghetti night $3.50 and Wednesday is Chicken Parmesan $6.95 are our favorites! I added a photo of their specials. We will be back soon! read more

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This is a restaurant with a great atmosphere. We had a very nice dinner. Service was good. Steak was prepared well. Salmon was good too, not dry. The bread and oil that came out before dinner was warm and very good. We will definitely be back. read more

La Cantina - Steak - Pizza Near Me - Paw Paw, Michigan

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Normally I really enjoy this place! The food has always been delicious, authentic flavors, and great service. Tonight however, we had a few errors. One entree came out with cold chicken (chicken Marsala). The pasta on the dish was also cold. The lasagna was steaming hot so I'm guessing the delivery wasn't timed right and the other entrees were waiting. My veal parmigiana was good, but also on the warm to lukewarm temp. They completely forgot my son's chicken tenders. She came out with our food and said the chefs just dropped them, did we still want them. Well we did so he just ate after we were eating. The waitress was really nice and they did take off the cold chicken Marsala, after we didn't want it anymore. I'll go back but today just wasn't one of their highest points. read more

Have gone here for pizza for the past 40 years. Amazingly friendly warm service and an outstanding Pizza.

This is a Paw Paw gem. I'm so happy we have this restaurant a short walk away. When we have guests in town this is our go to place. Family Italiano from Chi town love it. Everyone is always so friendly. Food never disappoints. read more

We love going to La Cantina. The ambiance is perfect with not a bad seat in the place! The Calamari is one of the very few places we ever order because it is amazing. Must get Tony's style that has fried lemon, jalapenos and garlic included. We love the ravioli, La Cantina Chicken and the Rigatoni E!! And if you have any room, definitely get the dessert! Julie's homemade peanut butter pie is our favorite!! read more

Seated quickly on a busy Friday evening by welcoming staff. The the décor was very nice adding just the right class. Waitress was very pleasant and always seeing to our needs. Excellent food. There is a reason that they have been around for so long. Certainly would return. read more

We have been going to La Cantina for about 25 years. It's always good. We go as often as we can.

What impressed me most about this restaurant was the vibe... It was like an episode of Cheers everybody knew everybody. I eat out lot I have never been a place but this was so much the situation. I really liked it. Everybody came up and talked to everyone. Others would come by and great people or kid with people even eat off their plate . People at the bar were ordering desserts for people to other tables and the servers and bartenders even ate off the plate of some of the patrons without asking and nobody commented on it. They're that comfortable with each other. It was super cool to see a place where everybody is that close. I am Just visiting in town for a couple of nights to see a friend. Wanted to grab a quick bite and the reviews seem to be over all good here. Italian I I like Italian place was super cute it's right across from the lake it has a lake view. They seated me immediately on the weekend. it was just me. The the hostess greeted me and when she learned it was a table for one she gave me three options Outside Inside seating or at the bar. I was very impressed with that because they were pretty busy and running out of tables. I'm married but sometimes we are working separate shifts so we eat separately. if you're just a table of one establishments kind of pressuring you to take the bar or don't even give you the option. I get that it's a business and if you can fill a table it makes perfect business sense to not put a single person at a table for four. I did eat at the bar because I I get that but I was impressed that they at least gave me the option for outside table and side tables The place really smells of garlic since I was meeting a friend I really didn't want to smell like garlic. I also wasn't super hungry so I just ordered an appetizer as my entree I got the calamari. I figured that wouldn't be garlicky I was wrong. The marinara sauce is very garlicky. It was good everything everybody else was eating looked good the deserts looked spectacular. I don't know if I'll get a chance to eat there again before I leave. But what I had was good and experience was good. Like I said the small-town closeness vibe was really neat this is somebody that's always lived in small towns but never anything like that. Come and check it out for yourself. When I met my friend and she asked where I stopped to eat I told her she said oh real Italian LOL yeah no we've been to Italy few times that's not what real Italian food taste like. Real Italian is very Bland compared to this. Yeah I know a lot of people can price send me some hate over that but this is my opinion. read more

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We have been enjoying La Cantina for years and have ordered countless pizzas. Recently La Cantina changed their cheese to a horribly cheaper product. If you have been a fan for some time you know exactly what I'm addressing. To those who purchase the cheese, I beg you to go back to the better cheese. Your pizza is horrible! I bought two large pizzas last night and through more away then we ate. $40 bucks worth of pizza in the trash. I should have bought a frozen pizza. Change the cheese!! read more

La Cantina - Disgusting cheese - Pizza Near Me - Paw Paw, Michigan

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Excellent in all aspects! I took a friend to dinner and he was amazed at the quality and service ! The owner Ava came to our table and her brother also! The waitress was rather new and totally well trained! Oh love the bread!! A must visit for a special occasion , too because of the ambiance! read more

I grew up in Paw Paw and La Cantina has always been there! The staff and owners are the nicest people you will meet and the food is top notch! The ambiance makes you feel like your in a Italian villa! read more

La Cantina is a jewel in the Paw Paw cuisine. Everything they serve is delicious. I've been coming here since 2004 and it's always amazing. I think I've had everything on the menu and they never disappoint. My wife always say I'm lucky with what I choose in any restaurant but she is always pleased here as well . This is an enigma. My favorites are planked walleye and the ribeye but have had everything else and loved it. Try their pizzas as well! They are the best anywhere around! read more

Food is ok. Not my favorite. Not sure why it so popular. I've always been with lots of people for events. So i don't know what the food is like with just myself and my wife. But do not really cares for what I had before. Willing to give another go. read more

The staff was knowledgeable and efficient. The special I ordered was excellent, pan fried walleye served on red pepper roasted polenta with asparagus. Another member of our party enjoyed the linguine and clams with a garlic aioli. The cioppino was served with snow crab legs that were difficult to open and eat, perhaps use lump crab or remove the crab altogether. We all enjoyed the portabella mushroom stuffed with crab and covered in melted cheese. read more

Should be a zero but have to leave at least 1 star. Been coming here 13 years now. Walked in for V-Day reservation which was made when they normally don't take reservations. Showed up 20 minutes before reservation time and told don't show you on the list. 5 different workers say hi / happy V-day / but sorry no reservation listed. Make up your mind - take reservations all the time or never - followed your rules and system and still get turned away - even offered to just sit at bar if they would accommodate that. Nope - no reservation so no service. After 13 years of loyalty - goodbye! Will NEVER go back again. One lost customer won't make a difference to their business and I know that. But loyalty clearly means nothing to them so I will give my money to someone that cares about their loyal customers. read more