Paolo's Bistro - Orchidlands Estates

We were there less than 15 minutes....There were two bugs on the table (only in front of MY plate), they were running out of food, and the waitress accused us of being underage (even though all of us had our ids including our designated driver who wasn 't drinking). After half of our group left (because we refused to eat there) the other half was pressured and guilted into ordering more! We were told we were lucky to be there and we wouldn 't get this food anywhere else except italy, but I wouldn 't even drink the water. ZERO stars.

Paolo's was recommended by a friend as a great Italian restaurant. We ordered ravioli bandiera for appetizer, pappardelle and cacciucco alle livornese for main course. Fir a start, the lights were flicking in the salon and came to a complete shut down at the area we were sitting at. We could hear very loud noises coming from the kitchen, from Paolo looking for his new knife through pans and other silverware. It took one hour for our food to arrive, all together. The cacciucco was tasteless, the appetizer and the pappardelle were overcooked. Overall, a very bad experience. We are not coming back

This is only the second time I can remember being moved enough by a meal to write a yelp review. Paolo's is the best Italian food I've had outside of Italy. If you're ever anywhere on the Big Island it is worth the drive to Pahoa. You should call for reservations but my friend and I were lucky to stumble in to an inadvertantly open door as they were prepping for evening service. The waitress, Jennifer, was in the midst of (very politely) telling us they were booked for the night but Chef Paolo interrupted and insisted she seat us in a small table in the corner. We then got to watch Jennifer and Chef go about the business of opening up the place and their banter alone supplied as much ambience and charm as any fine dining experience I've had. Eventually, Jennifer was done with opening duties and on to hosting. She took exquisite care of us even as the other eight tables quickly filled with guests, most of whom appeared to be repeat customers. My friend had stuffed mussels and I had the fish of the day but that hardly begins to describe the meal. Chef Paolo tweaks the menu every day based on what's available at local farmer's markets and naturally in-season. He also handmakes his own pasta. He is from a small village in Italy and has lived in the islands for decades and the result is fantastically fresh amazingly authentic Italian food with local flavor spikes like squid ink. And don't get me started on the tiramisu--a dish that even good Italian restaurants manage to eff up regularly, imo--the lady fingers's texture was precisely spongey enough and the sweetness to alcohol ratio in the flavoring was flawless. I doubt I will eat this well in an Italian restaurant for several years, unless, of course I can find my way back to Pahoa (or perhaps Naples) in the meantime.

I guess the waitress didn't understand that I didn't want the suit because it didn't have the local shellfish they didn't even give a discount for that

Great authentic Italian restaurant. I recommend you try the seafood pasta it's absolutely the best. The place it's a secret gem in Pāhoa.