My family and I were excited to try this restaurant out since we have just moved to the area but we won't after my brother and his family had an unpleasant experience. My brother, his wife and their three young children were scolded by the manager because my brother let his wife try one of his 'all you can eat hot wings'. They had ordered roughly $100 worth of food and the manager felt the need to scold my brother for asking his wife if she wanted to try one of his hot wings! When my brother told us about the incident we were laughing at first because we thought the manager was joking around with them but unfortunately he wasn't joking. So ridiculous! I can understand the manager being upset if that's the only thing my brother's family ordered, but that was not the case. What's this world coming to when you can't even let your family try some of your food at a restaurant after you've spent nearly $100 there. Wow... just terrible! My brother and his wife were humiliated by this incident and this is unacceptable. I never write reviews but I felt that this type of treatment in this restaurant deserves to be made public. As for me and my family we will neither be visiting this restaurant nor recommending it to anyone. read more

Pacino's fell short on all requirements of a good restaurant. So it is Valentines Day night. I called in ahead of time and asked about the wait time, a discombobulated hostess shouted about in my ear trying to find out who could clean tables and how long and finally tells me they have one table open. We were there in a matter of only 5 minutes and saw plenty of open tables but shrugged it off. We waited while the table cleared and were sat down. After waiting nearly 25 minutes I finally caught the attention of a hostess and asked when we could expect to see our server and if we could see a menu. It is only now that I am told no menus are available that I can only opt in for their $40 per person 4 course pre fixe meal and neither one of us are 4 course hungry. I just asked that she have the server come over to the table to talk with us. *now quick side note I am an extremely observant person so when we were waiting for a table to clear earlier at the hostess desk I noticed the woman who should have been our waitress crying and being consoled by a girl near the front desk. Now I also have an empathetic heart and had felt sympathy for the woman when I saw this but if she had something going on that was interrupting her ability to work she should have gone and spoken with her manager for a solution* Our waiter finally did come over and asked if we had questions about the pre fixe, I mentioned that we had never been told it was the only option and asked if we could order al a carte from the options available for the night. I was very kind yet firm in my request and before I even finished I got an onslaught of excuses, "the computers can't input that" "we don't have the capability" he even went as far as to begin to explain their food coding system and then finally did the right thing and said "let me check to see if that is possible" his frustration showed through his voice and eyes but he came back and let me know they could and then inflated the al a carte prices pretty exorbitantly $25 for 5 shrimp raviolis $23 for their chicken with squash and scalloped potatoes on the side. His service got better as the night progressed and as he understood that my appreciation for him accommodating the request was not fake. My date said his food was good and mine was seeming the same until I bit into the middle of the ravioli and found that the center on each of them was still ice cold. I should have said something but I didn't, I was just tired from the day and the escapades already so I ate them avoiding the center on each. The food was good, minus the frozen centers, but I have to be honest in saying that Alessia's Ristorante Italiano down the way is of much better quality, taste and most importantly service. I also wanted to discuss the attitude of the owner, or at least I assume he was an owner or manager. He wore brightly colored red/orange pants with a striped orange shirt and graciously greeted every guest around us except our table. This was absolutely appalling! He even stopped by a table of what appeared to be regulars several times, laughing and personally removing their finished plates. I have a background with customer service and so I decided to give him a chance as not to misinterpret the body language of our table and looked him dead eye until he saw me and still I got nothing, not a polite head nod or a simple thank you. You really can not treat your guests like that, they have chosen to devote their time, money and valentines day to your restaurant and that is how you treat them? I think he is forgetting that his guests are who create their success, without us there won't be a need for what you have to offer. Any way, the only two good things I did experience were this, our waiters attitude finally turning around midway through our meal and I wish we would have been seated outside because I watched another waitress in a red dress hustling back and forth from the kitchen to the outside without skipping a beat giving her guests a great experience on their valentines day. I could tell because each person I could see through the open doors had a bliss filled smile on their face, the way everyone should have been made to feel that night. read more

Pacino's Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

great place to go and have cocktails and wine, but as a restaurant in this building that has failed in the past the owners are not very outgoing to new guests, have gone to this establishment 8-9 times in the past 2 months and not once have either of the owners acknowledged us by saying hi or how are how are you when walking by. they seem to greet patrons they know . but as someone that is in the hospitality industry, I would want to make every guest that steps into my establishment feel special by greeting them with a hello or shaking hands making sure I appreciate their business getting to know them. The bartender/manager in charge when Alicia and Frank are off is more accommodating and welcoming than they are. One of the reasons I would return. not the owners read more

Like this place! Pizza is great and staff is friendly and accommodating. Hope they stay busy enough, don't want them to leave.

Saturday June 8, Celebrated our son Steve's birthday with a family dinner at Pacino's in Mesa.The food was awesome the service from our waiter Mike was great with loads of fun added. Frank and Alicia are the perfect host and hostess, greeting us at our table. I highly recommend Pacino's, as a 1st generation Italian raised on great Italian food. Buon appetito e Mile Grazie read more

We read all the reviews, were in the area so we thought we'd try it. We started with the breaded panko mozzarella. It was very thick so that the cheese did not completely melt. Pretty bland with little flavor. The marinara was good though. I ordered the sliders since I read so many good reviews on them and my husband ordered the lasagna. Our salad was all lettuce and four little diced tomatoes in the corners. The dressing was flavorful but I would have liked some Parmesan or something. Our meals came and the lasagna was lukewarm. We sent it back to the kitchen and it came back a few minutes later... Same piece of lasagna. They must have microwaved it which is completely tacky. Sauce was bland and it was mostly cheese. My sliders were also disappointing. All I could taste was the burned charcoal flavor of the inside of the bread. The server was wonderful however. She was super attentive, apologetic about the lukewarm meal, and quick to refill our drinks. Of course, there were only 2 other parties in the restaurant. Overall, food was bland and lukewarm, and my husband's rating is Blech. read more

My husband and I made our way over here after our original choice of Red, White & Brew was insanely busy. I looked up the reviews quickly before we got there and figured we would give it a try. Let's just say the reviewers must be overly generous or just like okay food. We were sat right away as there were only a few other tables sat, the bar area was full though. We got out bread which was just ok, came with a little side of olives. My husband always sticks with pretty basic stuff so he ordered the lasagna and I tried the spicy marinara pasta with shrimp. The salad that came with our meals was basically just some greens with onions and a few tomato slices but the white vinaigrette dressing made up for the lack of veggies in it. My husband said his lasagna was good but just very very rich and very very cheesy. My pasta was pretty good but the sauce was really watery and not as flavorful as I had expected. The shrimp were grilled and did have quite a good flavor to them. The decor there is lacking and they need something to make it seem more warm and inviting, feels a bit sterile. Our waitress was wonderful and stayed on top of us and was very friendly. Overall, the food was average and our wine was just ok. Basically for two meals and two glasses of wine, I wouldn't spend $55 plus tip there again. I wanted to like it more but it was just missing something for me. read more

We went last Saturday night and it was awesome. Place was packed, live music, food was great. Bartender was sssslllllooooww, but we let it slide, we realize they are working out the kinks, we get it. Decided to give it another whirl tonight, as it was getting late and we wanted to stay local. My husband and I arrive at 9pm for reverse happy hour. They have a simple but great and reasonably priced happy hour menu. Caesar salad $5 truffle fries $3, artichoke dip with crostini bread $4, marguerita pizza $6, salmon salad on a bed of greens ( really good) and a burger, ( didn't love) . Anyway, this place has awesome owners and the wherewithal to succeed, however, Leon, the " bartender" is gonna take em down if they keep him behind the bar. He seems super sweet and genuine, but the worst bartender on the planet, it's almost comical. Also, after 9pm, dim the lights a little and invest in a sound system. I felt like I was sitting in my house at my kitchen counter. Its all about Ambience ambience ambience! Also, the eggplant parm $14 was delicious and my husband ordered the meatball sliders both times we've been. That means he likes them a lot. I am excited to have a local place that caters to the hip 40's crowd who don't always wanna go to Scottsdale when we want a nice upscale dinner and drinks. read more

My husband and I thought we would try Pacino recommend by friends, so dissatisfied. The service was beyond terrible and the food had no taste. Would not go back. read more

Awesome location and I like the bar but that's about it. The service borders on atrocity. We went for the special "wine tasting dinner experience" but when we walked in, there were two long tables pushed together to accommodate about 24 people and there were 4 people sitting there in their sixties. So we decided to forego that "experience" and just head to the bar until the rest of our party was ready to sit down for dinner. The bartender was nice but a bit socially awkward it seemed. We got our drinks, socialized for 20 minutes then elected to grab our table. Moving 5 feet from the bar to our table was the least painful experience of the evening. We ordered our individual meals and all wanted the Caesar salads to start. They brought house salads (not a big deal to me, but my my GF's mom really wanted Caesar so she understandably asked to have them sent back). So the server brings the "Caesar" salads and they consisted of a pile of lettuce, a little dressing, and I think some pulled the 'loosen the pepper-shaker cap' trick on the chef....4 times. So, once again we sent them back and just conceded that we'd get a half decent salad so we gave up on them. The waitress apologized again and offered the excuse that "um, so our salad guy went, like, somewhere and another guy that doesn't do salads did them. So, sorry about that guys." Restaurant's have salad-guys? ***....I'm getting hand-cramps from writing this on my phone so I'm just going to skip to the end. My girlfriend ordered the ravioli and it literally was a plate with 5 ravioli on it. It was $16. Lastly, our cheesecake was seriously some sort of Costco packed puck of cheesecake slapped on a plate with a caramel sauce squirted across it. $7 including the little wax-paper coaster that it sits on while in the freezer. So yeah, 2 stars for at least having cold beer and a decent bar. Sorry, but it's not enough to get me back there though. read more

Great little restaurant. The owner is highly visible which is obviously good business. Food is priced moderately and the service is great. The nightly specials are always good...definitely recommend it read more

Service was great and it had a really cool theme - all the waiters dressed in Al Pacino costumes from the movies. My wife liked her scallops, but I didn't care too much for my chicken saltimbocca. I think the whole pieces of sage over the chicken was a bit overpowering. The broccoli rabe, while cooked well, needed a bit better of a wash before doing so. The burrata was nothing to write home about. 3.50 for a draft Peroni is not only a great price, but it's tough to find on tap! We'll be back for drinks and to try the pizza. read more

Great atmosphere especially for happy hour. Have to get there early for a seat because the place fills up fast. Delicious food and a lot of it so bring an empty stomach. Service is great with fun stuff that look like they are having a blast. Great food from amazing chefs and awesome live entertainment on the weekends. The owners really make you feel at home. If you haven't been here, you are missing out. read more

Had lunch today (6/25/13) with a large group. As I need gluten-free cuisine, as per my usual, I called ahead to inquire about the menu and the options I would have. I was told they had gluten free pizza and pasta as well as salad, grilled chicken or salmon. Encouraged, my husband and myself signed up and joined the group that was going. The venue is comfortable, clean. The menu is sparse. We ordered and waited quite a bit for our food. I ordered from the sandwich section a grilled chicken breast with roasted red peppers and mozzarella cheese, with side of potatoes, which I had been told by the chef, were gluten free. When my order arrived, I had a side salad instead of the ordered potatoes (I could live with that). The chicken was pretty dry, not much flavor. For this I was charged $10, which I felt was not a good value. Since the Breadsmith bun was excluded, I had expected an accommodation to the bill. The real problem with the restaurant was, first - my meal and second - my husband's. He ordered chicken alfredo, which seemed to have been forgotten. My husband had to track down the owner to get his meal reordered. Again, dry chicken. Then our entire table of 14 waited in excess of 45 minutes after clearing of the table, for our bills. We were basically the only people in the establishment except for a few other couples. The waiter had to be tracked down numerous times, asking for the bills. The one good, positive thing I can say about Pacino's is, my water glass was always full. Will I return for a second try, "no." read more

The boyfriend and I are sitting on the patio now. It's a nice patio however would rather listen to the band at dvine next door than the girl singing with her ipod now. We came because we thought they were still running happy hour till close on Saturdays but found out that ended last week. We get promotions end but what disappointed us most was pacinos has an awesome happy hour food menu that is only available during happy hour. We ordered the salami Sam pizza which is excellent. Pacinos, please make a bar menu that's available all the time and just charge more when not hh. We will gladly pay a dollar more for truffle fries any time of day! Oh and update your website to remove the hh all night promo. read more

Great place for happy hour with good drink specials and a nice assortment of options on the happy hour menu. Staff are friendly and attentive. Try their pizza - its very good. read more

Welcome to the east valley!! So glad to have a real Italian restaurant nearby - it's about time. Visited Pacino's for lunch today with my son. My son ordered the pasta in vodka sauce with prosciutto and peas and I ordered the lunch special Stromboli. Both dishes were recommended by our server (and owner we later found out) and she was so right. The pasta dish had plenty of delicious creamy sauce with plenty of crispy chunks of prosciutto. The stromboli can only be described as layers of flaky pizza dough stuffed with pepperoni and homemade sausage filling topped off with cheese garlicky goodness. The stromboli was served with a nice bowl of red sauce for your dipping pleasure. Both dishes were large portions, not the standard lunch size, and could have easily been shared by two along with a side salad. Didn't have room for dessert but can't wait to come back for dinner and try more. The owners Frank and Alicia were so friendly and the service was excellent. Thanks again for a delicious lunch and introducing Mesa to real Italian food. read more

As soon as we walked in we felt like family. Frank, the owner adopted us and Brian our server/sommelier could not have been more attentive and humorous. We loved the attention we got and how the evening was made extra special with the personal attention we received. We'll be back!!! read more

Tried it. Not interested in trying it again. Better spots nearby, red white & brew is hard to beat.

Atmosphere+great wine+delicious food. Recommend reservations, going to be hard to get a table once word gets around.

The mistake I wont make again, should have learned from our last visit. Friends told us the food and service was improved, so went to celebrate Valentines Day..Big mistake. Our waiter was a disaster he told us there were items in the dishes we ordered that did not appear when our meals arrived. I'm not a veal eater, but was assured by the waiter it was wonderful, it was shoe leather.We could not order any after dinner coffee, they had none, who ever heard of an Italian restaurant without coffee.We split the bill with our friends because we drink wine with dinner they don't.When the bill came it was creative my bill had items my friends ate and they had items we ate, they also got my wine bill. It all worked out in the end. it was kinda funny. read more

So shocked this place has an average 4 star rating. Real simple the food was bad and the waitress made us feel like we we're annoying her. Maybe the cook was off and she doesn't work there anymore..... read more

Things just have gotten worse over the years. The owner takes care of his buddies and if you're not in his inner-circle, good luck. Some friends were there last Sat Nite so I reluctantly agreed to meet them there. Despite my better judgement, I ordered a Calamari appetizer. It will go down in history as the worst food I have ever eaten in a restaurant. Cold, devoid of any moisture, and tasteless. Basically a plate of dried out warmed barely -from-frozen batter. I advised the waiter, who got defensive and did not take it off the bill. Mixed drinks are in the tiniest rocks glasses I have ever seen. No wonder the place is barely afloat. read more

Our first visit here tonight and we loved it. Food was great and our server Vinnie was outstanding. Mike and Connor were terrific too. Loved the live singer who wandered from table to table sounding like Dean Martin was back! All in all a thumbs up experience highly recommend it! read more

I like this place a lot. 1st time out to come visit a friend at work when she was having a bad day. Karaoke is my favorite and tonight was a lot of fun. Yes the karaoke DJ's had his daughter who was an amazing singer sing but only in rotation (I checked) I myself being a previous karaoke DJ am fair and there was nothing wrong with the rotation. The ladies below me didn't realize I could hear their convo cuz I was right next to them. They were talking about me being part of the family or staff. I was not and got to sing a lot because I put my name in. They left my friend a $1.00 on a $50 tab. Now that's a joke. They had shots and were just mad that they were not as good as some other people. If you want to rock out and drink like the cougars you are go to bar and you won't have to worry about children hogging the mic. Hope your night is better where you probably assume at another place that because there is a lot of singers they are all related. It's called being a regular and knowing how to put your name in so your called in rotation. I'm sure you know this but since this was your first time and judged it because you thought it was going to be a bunch of tone def singers like yourselves.... well you came to the wrong place honey. read more

Went on Tues. night, since it was only their 4th day I was prepared for some opening jitters, but everything went smoothly. Owner Frank and his cousin Michael were the perfect hosts.My wife had the beet salad and I had pasta pomodoro with meatballs.and the food was great. Fun place, we will go back often. read more

I so wanted to like this place. We won't be back. The stuffed dates were pretty good, and the house wines for $5 a glass were good as well, though apparently they don't know a merlot from a cabernet. My husband's chicken marsala tasted good and the chicken was high quality, but frankly you can get good chicken marsala a lot of places. But.....I had the special which was shrimp parmesan with pasta and broccolini. The shrimp were deep fried and the coating was bland. They tasted like something pre-made out of the freezer. They were sparsely sprinkled with what looked like Kraft powdered parmesan from the green shake can. Then we come to the red sauce on the pasta. It seriously tasted like nearly unseasoned canned tomato sauce. I couldn't bring myself to finish it. Then we tried to pay and their credit card machine wasn't working, of which we had not been warned. My husband had to leave, go get cash, and come back. The waitress was very attentive and we gave her a good tip because nothing was her fault, but we won't be returning. read more

With the low reviews, we have avoided Pacino's. After a great night next door at D'Vine last week, we saw there were quite a few people in Pacino's and decided to give it a try. Walked in to less than half full dining room and waited to be seated. By the time someone came to seat us, there was another couple behind us. Live music was nice, but the noise level was very high and we decided to sit as far away as we could so we would be able to talk. Took forever to get menus and water. I noticed on the wall that Wednesday was half price wine night, only we didn't get a wine menu. We asked our server and she said she couldn't find any wine lists, but would tell me what the had at half price. The half price is more like what normal price should be. We settled on an Argentine Cab, although I really would have rather look over the list myself. Bread was a focaccia bread that was not impressive at all. Walls have a lot of marks/dings that need to be repainted. The best item of the night was the bruschetta. Sampled three different types and they were all very good. Salad was standard and nothing special. The sausage and peppers with risotto is misnamed. It should be risotto with a little sausage, peppers, and mushrooms. It really was a plate of risotto more than anything else. The other flavors barely came through. Desert was cannoli. Three small cannoli's that were very good. Entire service was very slow and seemed disorganized. Much better choices in the area. read more

After living in the area for many years, we finally tried this place. What a great find. First time was Valentine's Day and we only had the option to order the 4 course meal for two. It was great! So we looked at the rest of the menu and realized the Sunday happy hour was a great deal. $6 pizza was awesome and it is not skimpy. A full 10 inch. Fried calamari yum! My husband ordered mussels for $6 too. Wow, great taste and cheap for what you get. Quiet Sunday at 4 with peaceful music and the doors open. It's our new hangout I think. Trust me. We are foodies and this is every bit as good as RWB across the street and Got Sushi. So if you want equivalent food as those, try this place for a change. Glad we gave it a shot. read more

Let me start by saying the restaurant itself is a very nice restaurant, the food is better than Olive Garden but isn't amazing. The services has been hit and miss, the first time I went into this restaurant let me say it's extremely upsetting and rude when you have been waiting for 15+ minutes to get a table and once your sat down your told there will be a charge for $10 of the entertainment that the restaurant is providing. Let me say YOU DO NOT tell customers this once they sat down you tell them when you first walk in the door, I didn't come for the entertainment I came for the food! So beware of a possible entertainment charge you didn't ask for. I've only been here three times but I was disappointed this past time with the food portion size. Your paying at least $17 for food so the portion size better be big! It's sad when you pay that much for food and my pasta bowl is barley filled that's very disappointing. It wasn't just my food it was also who I was with their food was very small proportioned too. read more

The food was nothing short of phenomenal. The staff is nice, along with a great atmosphere and possibly the best happy hour menu around (3pm-close). read more

Excellent food. Service was top notch. Perfect day for an afternoon lunch on the patio.

I would leave absolutely zero stars if I could! I am a bartender, and have been in the food and beverage industry for a very long time. I have NEVER experienced worse service than here at Pacino's. Their "hours of operation" sign says they close at midnight so we went in at 11pm. A man who seemed like a manager or the owner greeted us and told us to sit at the bar. There was only one other couple in the restaurant. After 20 minutes of not being served, or even talked to, the man who originally greeted us, (who was drinking wine at the bar this whole time), went to the back to get someone to serve us. Another man came out of the kitchen to tell us they were closed. He said he forgot to turn off the open sign. Clearly there is a lack of communication and customer service at this restaurant. I can't say anything about the food, as I didn't try it, but the service is horrid! Do NOT recommend! read more

Great atmosphere and live band tonight. Food was yummy and friendly service. Love having them in our NE Mesa corner!

I've visited Pacino's 3x since they opened. The place looks good but they have problems. 1st time in - ordered Eggplant Parmigiana - because it was recommended. They didn't have any! Only make that up special is what I was told. Really??? Eggplant Parm is the easiest thing to make & have in house. 2nd time in - ordered the "little ears" macaroni with Rabes & sausage. Tasted great - but barely two pieces of rabes in there. Really?? Why list it in the dish if it's almost non-existent.? Also had to ask for bread to go with the meal! What??? 3rd time in (got to say it will be my last time) - went for the advertised Halloween party there. "Live music" "Prizes for best costumed couple & single". Again had to ask for some bread - after sitting there for more than 30 minutes. Had to wait 10 - 15 minutes for anyone to ask if we wanted drinks. The only reason we got drinks was because we asked a waiter when he came to pick up another patrons check. Then he said he'd send someone over for the drink order. We were 2 feet from the empty bar - Really?? Will say that the bruschetta was good. The band was great - although they stopped at 9:30 - a little too early for a "party"' The owner absented himself - sat outside smoking by the fire. There was NEVER a costume contest - much less prizes given. When we asked the waiters about it, they gave lame laughs & shrugged it off. I call that false advertising. They should remember that Red, White & Brew is always packed & very close. Nando's too is always packed. Heck - I'll go to O'neill's - get better service, friendly wait staff & patrons. Plus you get all the sports that you can handle. The food is good too. I can't figure out how this guy thinks he'll stay in business. It certainly won't be because he's so cordial. read more

Wife and I had an impromptu date for dinner and ordered a nice wine and the Tortellini with veal, pork, beef and covered with prosciutto in a white sauce ala Alfredo with side of their special meatballs. Brian, our waiter was superb and patio dining was comfortable but the food is delicious! Been here for lunch, dinners and found service, quality and taste consistently fabulous!! read more

Nice atmosphere, live music was good because it was not so loud you could not still have actual conversation with others. Sat on the patio was very pleasant because it was all shaded, however the patio could definitely use a power wash. Food selection was good and it tasted fantastic however some of it was not kept hot enough. All that being said I would definitely return. Can't beat the price. read more

Don't recommend this restaurant! Napkins smelled! Water glasses were dirty. Mine had something sticky on it. The wall alongside me had stuff splashed and dried on the wall that wasn't cleaned up. The supposed Pacino's Amber ale was served in a ghetto Bud Light glass. My wife had a beer salad I could have thrown together better. Service was good, but all in all, don't waste your money here. D-vine or red-white-brew is much better. read more

Fantastic Authentic Italian restaurant serving great quality food with real fresh ingredients. We've been all over Italy and Europe and this is just about as close as you can get to authentic Italian food. Service was spot on. Has become one of our favourite places to eat and we eat out often. read more

As Las Sendas locals, I was looking forward to an enjoying dinner here and possibly becoming frequent patrons. I rate my dinner 2 stars (or less) and my husband said his dinner was "just ok". I ordered bruschetta. Three very small pieces arrived. I never mind paying for good food but this was not only disappointing it needed to be cut with a knife. It was rock hard. I scraped off the top of the bruschetta and ate that. My husband thought he would try to eat the bread. He used a knife and still could not gnaw through it. My veal dinner arrived next and it was just "so so" as well. Won't be returning. read more