Description Paola's
Paola’s at 1361 Lexington Avenue now operates as Paola’s Cafe, a more casual expression of the long-running Upper East Side Italian restaurant. Its focus is classic family recipes, fresh pasta made daily, and seasonal farm-to-table ingredients, served alongside wine, cocktails, beer, and a full bar.
Paola’s Cafe offers comforting, polished Italian cooking centered on house-made pasta, traditional family recipes, seasonal produce, and carefully prepared meat and seafood dishes. Fresh pasta is made daily, while farm-to-table ingredients help keep flavors bright, balanced, and ingredient-focused. Popular Paola’s classics include Cacio e Pepe, meatballs, Chicken Milanese, Caesar salad, and handmade pasta preparations, with seasonal chef’s specials providing additional variety.
The restaurant sits in the premium Upper East Side dining range, with OpenTable currently categorizing it at $50 and over per person. The combination of house-made pasta, seasonal ingredients, attentive preparation, and generous Italian flavors gives the menu a special-occasion feel while retaining the warmth of a neighborhood restaurant. Gluten-free options are specifically available, while v
Amenities
- Identifies as women-owned
- Outdoor seating
- Kerbside pickup
- Delivery
- On-site services
- Takeaway
- Dine-in
- Fast service
- Great cocktails
- Great coffee
- Great dessert
- Great wine list
- Solo dining
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance
- Wheelchair-accessible seating
- Wheelchair-accessible toilet
- Alcohol
- Beer
- Cocktails
- Coffee
- Organic dishes
- Spirits
- Vegetarian options
- Wine
- Dessert
- Table service
- Toilet
- Romantic
- Upmarket
- Reservations required
- Dinner reservations recommended
- Accepts reservations
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- High chairs
- Paid street parking
FAQs
(1) What are the opening hours of Paola's?
Paola's is open according to the following schedule: days of the week (05:00 PM - 10:00 PM). It's a good idea to double-check the hours before heading over.
(2) Where is Paola's located?
You'll find Paola's at 1361 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128, United States, in a convenient and accessible area.
(3) How can I contact or make a reservation at Paola's?
To plan your visit or ask for more details, give Paola's a call at +1 212-794-1890.
(4) When is the best time to visit Paola's?
If you're aiming for a quieter visit, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday are usually your best option. Wednesday, Saturday tend to feel a bit more lively, but still comfortable overall.
Reviews (402)
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Paola is such an intimate, private little gem on the Upper East Side. The atmosphere feels rich and cozy without trying too hard—exactly what you’d hope for in the neighborhood. The service was incredibly warm, with great conversation and spot-on recommendations. And the duck? I absolutely fell in love with it. A fantastic experience all around.
Paolas stands the test of time, a true classic. A beacon of simple original Italian food based in Roman cuisine they have things you can’t eat anywhere else. Carciofi artichokes fried like in Rome. They don’t worry if it’s fancy only that it’s good. The fresh pasta is amazing
My friend’s got married yesterday and hosted guests at Paola’s in between the ceremony and service. We had the place to ourselves and it was a perfect setup. The drinks are great and the staff is awesome! They even let us have aux. Would recommend for small private parties!
I expected this place to be so much larger than it actually was. It was the good kind of tiny. Seating was well placed, I was able to sit for a quick dinner for 3 with a reservation. Wish I could’ve stayed longer but all that means is I’ll have to go back again soon. Loved it.
We frequently come here as a family with a toddler and on date nights and we always have an amazing experience. The food is great, the place is warm and cozy with lovely music. We had the pleasure of meeting the chef who owns the restaurant and he was very friendly. Highly recommend the fettuccine bolognese, the pesto pasta dish is not on the menu anymore but it’s my favorite (chef still offered it). The tiramisu and biscotti are great to top off a delicious meal. It’s a gem on the upper east side.
Top notch food. I just got back from Rome and was craving some real Roman style Italian food and Paola’s delivered. The duck ragu was perfect. The zucchini blossoms stuffed with cheese were delicious. Loved the ambiance. Cozy dark wood, small tables but never felt cramped. Bonus Michael Pollin was sitting at the table next to me. Fun!
Paola’s is a fabulous upscale restaurant that recently relocated from Madison Avenue to Lexington Avenue. Let me break down our most recent meal. We started off with the warm mozzarella which is hands down the best in the city. The portion is a bit small but the taste makes up for it. We also started with the Arugula Salad which is always very good. For main courses we ordered the salmon, branzino, the veal and the pesto which we got to share. Both fish dishes were a relatively big portion and were very tasty. The veal was small but tasted really great and so did the potatoes that came along with it. Finally, the pesto was a pretty small portion, but very good. For dessert, the cappuccino was just the right size however it could have been a little warmer. We also got the tiramisu which was so so good. Finally the biscottis were just the right thing to top off the fabulous meal. Overall a great experience. 5 stars.