Paesan translated is a friendly greeting for your friend, buddy, homeboy. Keeping that traditon, Paesan near to Exmouth Market, is a fun, easy pasta spot with exposed brick and filamented lightbulbs, run by a friendly crew of Italians who will make you feel right at home. The upstairs is a corner view onto a street with dark woods and leather booths, while inside an open kitchen and a low-key young crew is putting out some simple, tasty food. Mostly appetizers, pastas and some pesce and carne dishes. Not a destination, but a good spot and one of the few restaurants on the street open on a Sunday. The downstairs basement hosts a cocktail bar that was closed on the Sunday we visited. We enjoyed the feel of the place, along with a bit of montepulciano d'abruzzo, some olives, a green salad, pork belly and a toothsome risotto with zucchini and prawns. Not a bad meal, priced pretty well, and a nice setting with friendly staff. We had such a good time that we failed to notice the police inspectress inside talking to the Paesan crew. The white and red police tape line both inside and outside the restaurant were in our peripheral view the whole dinner, but once outside, we noticed that a gigantic police triangle of tape took up the entire street corner, a female inspector was stationed there, and that down on the cobblestone sidewalk, a streetful of dessicated lemon and lime wedges lay from the night before, leading us to ponder, what exactly had happened here? read more

This is my new favourite restaurant! The restaurant used to be the Dollar burger restaurant, and has been revamped as an Italian artisan place with free bread and olive oil, big bottle of tap water and Arcoroc glasses for everything. The specials all sounded fantastic but I plumped for dandelion salad and the pumpkin and goats cheese pizza. Utterly yummy! Not excessive portions just packed with flavour. The waitress was helpful and calm and the red wine warm and fruity. I'll come again for definites. There is a cocktail bar in the basement and a choice of some interesting sharing options on the main menu for groups. Prices are very reasonable and if my meal was anything to go by, the rest will be as good. I am well impressed. read more

See all

Paesan was recommended by a friend, and with a few hours to kill before my train back I decided to wander in with my dad and try it out. The setting is nice... All exposed brick and an open kitchen which I love (it shows there is nothing to hide) and the service is fantastic. I didn't understand half the menu but the waiter was very patient and explained everything to us perfectly. As for the food. Wow! For starters we had Parma ham with toasted bread and olive oil which was delicious, but the star of the show was definitely the main. Belly pork with cabbage, Apple sauce (with loads of real Apple in it) and tonnes of fantastic crackling. It was a taste sensation. Definitely a 5 star meal. Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Already looking forward to the return read more

Paesan - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

Absolutely amazing decor, vibe, service, and food! My partner and I were greeted by a waitress who acted like she hadn't seen us in years. We only had dessert - the best affogato in my life, a mix of perfect bitter coffee and cocoa with delicious sweet vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Good price, good everything! Coming back for dinner! read more

Paesan - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

We visited this place twice during a 4 day stay in London and loved it. We first went on a Thursday, where it wasn't very crowded and got a good chance to chat up the bartender, David, who's awesome and makes great drinks. Coming off of a good experience that night, we decided to come back on Saturday for their burlesque show - which was one of the highlights of the trip! Great performers, entertaining and hilarious. The place was a bit crowded but we still managed to get good service from David and again had a great time. I highly recommend this place to everyone! read more

Went for dinner and drinks with colleagues. Whilst things were good overall, I wasn't too impressed. We ordered a number of cocktails for happy hour, and they were all very good. Value for money, if you can make it between 6-8pm. We ordered the mixed platter for starter, which was good but not too amazing. There were a few things that none of us wanted, so I feel like we wasted our money a bit. The main was what was most disappointing for me. My vongole had very few clams, and the pasta was so thick and sticking together that it felt more like egg noodles than pasta. Also, the portion was surprisingly small -- felt more like a starter. Can't speak for other mains, but don't order the vongole if you go. Service was generally good and prompt. Staff members were relatively friendly, and they are what I would rate the highest about this place. Ambience was decent. Reasonable balance between casual and hip. read more

The ravioli was amazing, the burrata not so much. The reason for such a harsh review was out waitress, she was very awkward and made both me and my girlfriend feel very uncomfortable. read more

I've eaten in Paesan about 3-4 times. Initially I really liked it, but I have found it very hit and miss on subsequent visits, so it is now well down on my list of spots to eat in Exmouth market. The menu format is similar to the popular Polpo chain with an emphasis on sharing a combination of smaller and larger plates. And in fairness, I would choose Paesan over Polpo any day of the week, as I think the quality of food in Polpo has declined significantly in the past year or two as they have expanded. For me, the problem with Paesan is that they don't do any one thing really well. Their bruschetta is ok, some of their pasta dishes are nice and the sharing concept can be fun with a large group. But with much superior alternatives like Santore (Pizza, pasta, bruschetta) and Caravan/Morito (sharing) on the same street, I don't know why Paesan would ever be your first choice in Exmouth Market. read more

I had a lovely meal here a week ago with friends. We had a nice 2 course meal, and we even got some complimentary garlic truffle shoestring fries from the chef. Great service! We are definitely going to come back and try the cocktail bar downstairs! read more

absolutely gorgeous restaurant and food, they were super happy to make my (very fussy) little sisters order simple for her and to make my meal vegan, incredible tasting & really good value for money. definitely recommend read more

Paesan - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

I enjoyed my dinner here and loved the ambiance. We came here on a week night and I was immediately drawn to its modern but rustic decor. Shortly after we had sat down, the waiter came and asked to move us to a different spot since a bigger party was arriving and needing an extra table. However, the wait staff was apologetic and immediately found us another table close by. I appreciated their politeness and efficiency in their handling of this situation. I ordered a cocktail and a pasta dish here - both were quite good (and strong in the case of the cocktail). The service during the meal was also speedy. The only downside is it can be a bit cramped and loud during the meal. But that can be said about a lot of restaurants in London. read more

Had lunch here - We are from NYC and here for a family vacation - we loved the food! Delicious, fresh ingredients along with excellent service (they made us feel important ). My Husband and teenager had meatballs and steak. I wanted the vongole - but they had run out of clams - they very happily offered to do it with mussels for me!! It was all awesome. Would not hesitate to recommend to anyone! Wine was fantastic (I had the Soave - simple, clean,) and they had featured beers from Sardinia. read more

Absolutely love this place. Been visiting Paesan since opening week, the food is delicious, authentic southern Italian. It's got a nice sized menu, not too overwhelming, but still find it hard to choose as it's all so yummy. It's also a great price, a pasta dish for around £8, and you could easily have a 3 course meal and wine for little over £20. It's got a lovely atmosphere, nice décor, good for lunch or dinner. I can't recommend it enough. read more

The best italian restaurant, nice food and really Italian atmosphere, servers are very friendly and professionals, loved this place!!!!

I took a risk and brought my Italian sister-in-law to an Italian restaurant in London. But am so glad I took her to Paesan as this place is amazing (and apparently rather authentic). Forget boring pizza - this place does proper Italian food! The fresh breads are superb and stand out dish was the Pasta Vongole (clams). We've been here for lunch and early dinner ; families are a common site at Paesan - the staff are great with the kids! Plenty of high chairs (we once had 4 toddlers eating at our table). Only negative is no baby changing facilties but hey, this is central London. https://londonfoodiemama.wordpress.com/ read more

Decent Italian food on offer here at decent prices. We ate the bruschetta and burrata starters both of which were fantastic and followed up with the beef shin ragu and tortelloni mains which I highly recommend. The decor and atmosphere were great, helped in no small part by the friendly staff. The restaurant felt a little on the cold side but a few glasses of wine quickly fixed that. Downstairs is a cocktail bar however it was so quiet when we were there we gave it a miss. I imagine that later on it would be a good post meal option. Exmouth market is a really nice street allowing people to escape the traffic however Paesan is located just a fraction short of this and the restaurant can only offer views of the busy road, which is a slight shame. read more

Went on a Saturday night to the downstairs bar area. The drinks were delicious, out bartender was a delight and the music that night was mostly Latin inspired which was amazing. It was pretty late and still fairly crowded. Had a blast, would go again. read more

Paesan - Nice reminder light up sign in the downstairs bar area. - Italian Near Me - London, XGL

We were walking around Exmouth market and looking for a late lunch spot when we can upon Paesan. What a great find! Delicious chicory salad and arancini apps, nice wine selection, and two fantastic pasta mains - orecchiette with nduja and pancetta was phenomenal and short rib fettuccini was great too. We will for sure be back. Prices were so reasonable as well! read more

Nice atmosphere, food was good quality. I had the grilled chicken which was crispy and juicy at the same time. The waitress was friendly but didn't seem to be overt confident in the specials. I liked the fact they immediately got water for our table without asking and also we got a small bread appetiser till we were waiting. The only negative point was in the end when we wanted to pay, it took some time for them to get our bill and also card machine didn't want to work. read more

Update: Paesan's liver with polenta dish is FANTASTIC. Liver can be a scary thing to order but they pull it off. Sadly it's not on the set lunch menu so it's a bit pricey but worth the gamble this time. read more

I found Paesan, in the first week of opening, to have got so many things right. The food was better than expected, tables appear to have been arranged with acoustics in mind at angles to one another so that even though there is a buzz of noise to the large room, you can talk perfectly easily to your table but not hear the conversations of other around you. The music was audible and well chosen on our visit and the negroni's, mixed happily with gin, campari, martini rosso, splash of antica formula & orange, were short and lovely. read more

Quality has declined in recent months. I recently returned from Sicily and Paesan's sicilian themed menu was nowhere near the quality I had there. Specifically the pasta alla norma was made with spaghetti... it should not be. Furthermore the pasta was drowned in too much tomato and not enough eggplant. Sadly the ricotta salata was also sub par. It disappoints me to write this review since one year ago I really enjoyed this place but standards have dropped markedly. read more

Super delicious food in a very warm atmosphere. Their dishes are rustic Italian and really delicious. Don't know why it is not busier when it beats a lot of the eateries on Exmouth Market, other than that it is right around the corner? Only quibble is that their service can be improved a little- their staff are a little too casual and unprofessional (no glass brought with beer, had to remind for cutlery to be given etc). But very yummy. read more

Not sure what the restaurant is like but the downstairs cocktail bar is good fun! We popped in here after a weeknight dinner for one last drink, a little apprehensive at first given the bar was quite empty. But once the five of us got comfy in one of the arch-ceilinged booths we didn't really notice what else was happening. They were playing some good tunes too so it was far from quiet, and the whole place has quite a fun vibe about it - I really liked some of the neon sign decor on the walls. All reinforced by the far-too-cheerful barman who came over to give us menus (and crack a joke about how he was available if the sole male in our group needed some company). I got a g&t which was fine and it would've been a fairly unmemorable experience were it not for the fact that about half an hour later the bar staff rang some bell and brought out trays of free shots for everyone! It wasn't anything too strong (some kind of schnapps I think) but the thought definitely counted and they even had their own special chant. A little cheesy perhaps but it made us smile and hey, that's what counts :) read more

Charging me 2pounds for a slice of bread after I spent 50pounds on takeaway is CRAZY! I don't care how good this food tastes the hostess is crazy read more