Paolo's Italian in Scottish Borders

Last minute decision to go here again. Had chicken penne with a side salad followed by tiramisu. Couldn’t fault any of it - delish 👌 Service was good too so doubtless I’ll be back 🙃

No complaints about the food, it was, by and large, very good. However, the young girl who did most of our service was very pleasant and efficient, the young man who appeared to be the other person on waiting duties was quite sullen, no smile, no welcoming comments and appeared rather put out by the fact that two of our party of eight were 15 minutes late. This was evident in his body language. He wasn't offensive but first impressions do matter. Because of the size of our party, I had to pay a £40 deposit on booking. No problem with that. I had anticipated a bill in the region of £150 and so £164 seemed O.K. I did have to point out, when paying, that they hadn't taken account of the deposit and while this adjustment was being made I heard the young man make some remark about service charge but I assumed he was telling me there was no service charge on the bill and I asked the young lady to add on £10 as I felt this was warranted. I didn't have my glasses on, I'm a fairly trusting person, I'd eaten quite happily at Paolo's twice previously so I took the bill at face value. My fault really, I should have studied it! Because the party was larger than six, they'd added a 10% optional charge ( a process I consider quite reprehensible) so there was a charge of £14.90 of which I was unaware. Giving the young man the benefit of the doubt, I shall assume this was the message he was trying to convey earlier. But he was standing there when I asked for the additional £10 to be applied and made no comment. A total gratuity of £25 for a lunch - he must have realised I'd been somewhat confused. I thanked him in passing on the way out and received a nodded acknowledgement - no "have a good day", "see you again", "glad you enjoyed it" so I'll assume he was glad to see the back of us! There were other issues relating to obvious difference in the size of a red wine versus white wine measure (both charged at £6.00 as 175ml) and the 50p charge for ketchup on a child's meal) but my abiding memory from today is being left with the impression that we weren't particularly welcome. Perhaps the young man I've referred to will get his wish and we won't darken his establishment again.

I have to express my disappointment regarding our recent visit to your Galashiels restaurant. We made a reservation last week, for the Tuesday half-price main course offer. However, upon receiving the bill, we were surprised to find out about a Pancake Day witch mentioned on Facebook, which we don't use. It's frustrating that this information wasn't communicated to us upon arrival. Clearer communication on such matters would be appreciated, as it impacts the overall customer experience negatively. No communication whatsoever ☹️

Tuesday night date night supper . Delicious authentic Italian pizza and tasty lasagne. Proactive Polite cheerful smart staff. Outstandingly clean. Loved it will be back more often. Relaxed atmosphere- it did take nearly an hour from arrival to mains, think it depends what you order & how busy the deliveroo is. Still deserves 5 stars.

Food terrible nothing seasoned soup was worst sheets of pasta whole cherry Tom's potato chunks whoever made this should now be a kp man courses diabolical too many complaints to to type I amanitalianchefmyselfhave never ever been served this food did you knowbruchetta does not have 24 half Tom's a disaster will never recommend this placebos angry

This is a fantastic Italian restaurant where everything was fresh and tasty. Fair prices and really attentive good service. Wouod highly recommend and we will definitely return as a family

We’ve visited before and we’re really looking forward to a return visit but sadly ended up disappointed overall. While the service was good and the dishes tasty, the food was served on cold plates so got cool very quickly and the pizza ended up tough. The restaurant itself wasn’t terribly warm either so added to the cooling effect. Warm plates and sharper knives definitely required.

My wife and I wanted a quick and light lunch so went to Paolo’s Italian. This was our first visit and first impressions were good. It is bright and modern, the number of customers was encouraging indicating that this restaurant is good. We ordered hot drinks, Americano coffee for my wife and tea for me. They came quickly. My wife ordered a scone with cream and jam, as set out in the menu for £3.00. I ordered a panini with chicken. The scone came quickly, I waited at least 20 minutes for the panini. The scone was nice enough and the cream was ok. The panini however was very nice. The coffee was good. Because I had waited so long for my panini, I had drunk my tea so I asked for the tea pot to be filled with hot water, which it was. We were served by two young ladies who were nice and efficient. When the bill arrived I was surprised and a little annoyed to see that I had been charged 80p for the extra hot water and more for butter/cream and jam. I queried the extra charges for the butter/cream and jam and was told by the manager that these were normal extra charges; I challenged this saying that the menu stated quite clearly that a scone with cream and jam is £3.00. He checked the menu and then had the final bill adjusted. I did not challenge the extra charge for the hot water, perhaps I should have when you consider that many cafes and restaurants provide extra hot water when they bring tea to the table. All in all, we did enjoy what we had but any pleasure was short lived when the bill arrived. The manager did deal with our query effectively, but these extra charges should not have been applied in the first place. Whilst the food was good, not sure if we will visit again.

Hadn’t been here in ages but glad I went back with family. Modern feel to the restaurant, and a good choice of pasta, pizzas, meat and seafood dishes. Calzones were stuffed which means they’re not awfully hot in the middle but we didn’t mind. Everything else was top notch, tiramisu excellent. Nice coffee and good choice of wines. Service was efficient. Not the cheapest in town but worth it for the quality.

Food good standard and fresh. Had been worried by previous reviews but happy with experience. The service was prompt and friendly.

Excellent breakfast rolls with generous fillings, and coffee. HOWEVER. we were charged for the ketchup - only needed a small squeeze. A coffee and roll is about £9, so to charge for ketchup is incredibly mean, and off putting.

Was Delivery MEALWORMS through the whole dish Owner cannot take any criticism or even some responsibility for this DISGUSTING mistake. I already consumed some of this food before I noticed a dead adult mealworm, so upon investigating this dish closer there was LOADS OF BABY MEALWORM THROUGHOUT I Shall let the REAL professionals deal with this rather than a owner that does not know how to address his complaints and treat customers well if they have an issue with food, AND I CERTAINLY HAD A ISSUE WITH MINE it's the staff i feel for having to listen to him shouting and swearing because they served me dead bugs SHOCKING

Been here a number of times over the last few years. The food is delicious and always had great service. They do good portion sizes too.

The pizza had hard edges, couldn’t eat , the spaghetti bolognaise was undercooked and had a strange taste. We stayed for over an hour without any staff members coming to check if we needed anything. Perhaps our expectations were too high, but we ended up feeling disappointed.

Large family group in for a special birthday and Paolo’s did not disappoint. Waitress could not have been more helpful and attentive. Mixed selection of starters and mains, all served fresh, hot and on time. Good selection for any dietary requirements. Lovely decor, looking forward...

We had quite a mixed experience. We each had a starter and main, some of the food was fantastic (the mussels) and some (the calamari) was horribly bland. The food came out in good time, staff were friendly, there was a nice vibe - but...

Absolutely abhorrent customer service! We have been before, and the food has always been spot on, their gluten free menu is absolutely fabulous! The ambience and decor is beautiful and until today service is superb. Unfortunately however this time, we were left aghast at the...

Questa recensione include la colazione da lui provata con caffè e sfogliatelle e la pizza provata a domicilio una sera....

Absolutely disgusting service, ordered a delivery. Only part of order arrived. When I called understanding mistakes happen I was told they were busy with other customers and will call me back tommorow with 20% off. No refund for items we did not receive. Said this...

Paolo’s is a lovely environment to meet with friends. The menu is extensive and caters well for vegans / vegetarians and those who must avoid gluten. I ordered melanzane parmigiana and felt personally that it may have benefited from more tomato sauce, however it was...

First time here for dinner . Place was very busy which is a good sign at 1830 hrs . We had booked which is advisable . Service was quick , staff were very pleasant. Food was terrific . Prices are good

Me and my girlfriend drove 40 minuets to this Italian and thought it was going to be the bee’s knee’s.We pre booked our table and table was ready on arrival. We ordered two cocktails which came promptly were amazing cant complain. We ordered a focaccia...

Staying in Galashiels I find it hard to understand why we have never visited. Very nice restaurant, decor is nice. We had the olives and four cheese garlic bread for starters, excellent. I had the seafood linguine and it was fantastic, never expected a dish...

Delighted to have found this place when we arrived very hungry after a busy day working nearby. Very much liked the style and atmosphere as we walked in. Staff friendly and helpful - 3 members of staff greeted us and offered to assist. The food...

Excellent lunch. Had Pollo pizza washed down with Moretti and finished with double espresso. Brilliant staff who are very friendly and knowledgeable, lovely restuarant and delicious food. If you like Italian food this is THE place to go

We have eaten here before and had a fabulous meal. However, we visited on 10/06/23 and the food was just not cooked/prepared to what we have experienced in the past. In fact, the cheese platter didn't even match the menu description and the cheese tasted...

Slow service, lukewarm food that was awful. At least 45 minutes between course. Would’ve been better heading next door to Tesco and getting a pizza to cook at home.

The garlic bread was full of oil and the mozzarella not cooked. The haggis balls were luke warm and lacking haggis. The steak pie was cold with definitely NOT puff pastry as it was flat and soggy. You got a handful or roast potatoes but...

Overpriced. Poor portions. Had to ask for our drink aftwr ordering. Never got the water for out table. Food tasted good but portoons unbelievably sn Mall

We were recommended this restaurant and they managed to squeeze us in without a reservation on a Saturday night. Food was excellent, however service wasn't great. We waited ages to be served, to receive our drinks (we were never asked if we wanted more..) and...

We had booked for a group of 15 we had asked for 2 high chairs which we had to ask for again upon our arrival the tables were not together. We had booked our table for 4.30pm as we had 5 children within our group,...

Average food and expensive for what it was. Drinks overpriced. Restaurant was cold and draughty as delivery drivers were coming in and out of the back door. The overwheing factor on our decision not to return was the rude manager / owner. Wouldn't recommend this...

The last time I visited this place I got fish & chip it was disgusting you should have seen thr grease so I do not repeat do don’t recommend this place avoid at all costs unless you want to die with a heart attack.

Having stumbled across this restaurant at lunch time, we were greeted by friendly and courteous staff. My partner is half Sicilian so is not easily pleased when it comes to Italian restaurants. Needless to say the food was delicious, fresh and delicious again. We enjoyed...

Wouldn't return here, food average at best and overpriced for what you get, drinks also overpriced. Took around 40 minutes from ordering to get meal. Calzone filled with processed, supermarket ham and the roasted peach and mozzarella salad had a slice of peach from a...

Ordered on Justeat, pizza came cold and without the right toppings and the pasta was inedible. We requested a refund from justeat but as this was taking so long, we decided to call the restaurant where they were unbelievably rude. I was questioned over and...

We had an anazing dinner today! I had the muscles for starters and the Nduza pizza for my main. The restraunt is lovely and the staff are great! It was my friends birthday and they brought out small birthday pudding with a wee candle to...

Booked for 7 of us for birthday dinner, had lovely waitress from Inverness and another waiter who was Italian and very funny, excellent service and food, place was really busy and had great atmosphere, would highly recommend.

Great night , superb service and the pasta with orange rind was great. Birthday night for me with all the family. Really enjoyed the venue and service.

My family where visiting for the weekend and we had booked into a local restaurant but they hadn't recorded booking so wouldn't accommodate. I approached this restaurant the owner was welcoming and happy to help us out for hour and half. The food was delicious,...

We stopped off here for takeaway, with the attitude of the gentleman (possibly owner) I should just off walked out and went elsewhere. He overcharged, was not amused when it was pointed out. The coffee was tasteless the tea was a lukewarm cup of hot...

I would like point out that this so callled owner of this establishment should learn some customer service promptly . We ordered the king prawn seafood starter , which I must say was a hefty £26.00 . The quality was shocking to say the least...

So went here last week waited 1 hours 10 minutes on food coming and when it did come the portion size was to say small is an understatement. Went to the toilet before we left and there was piss on the seat so needed to...

Went to Paolos for a Xmas night out. Paolo was working as a waiter that night and was extremely rude. I suggest he goes on a customer service course. Waitresses were lovely and agreed with us that he was rude. The starter was nice but...

Really lovely place with friendly and attentive staff. Food was excellent. Started with Focaccia which was just perfect, mains were eel presented, generous and very tasty. Seafood linguine was one of the best I’ve tasted. Service was faultless. Absolutely no complaints and we’ll definitely be...

This was our first visit to Paolo’s and we really enjoyed it. Lovely staff, excellent food, great atmosphere, efficient service, didn’t feel rushed. Sat near the kitchen - but in this case this was great - we were impressed with the working of the kitchen...

Staff were lovely, friendly and very attentive. Especially a young man with glasses, missed his name though. The haggis arancine was amazing, id come back for these alone. I followed up with the king prawn and pancetta paccheri, this was incredible and the portion size...

Used the restaurant a few times and always find that the pizzas, even if look very well done on edges, in the middle is underdone and watery. The prices are quite high considering that the ingredients(like cheese, ham, tomato sauce ) feel cheap. Feels like...

Beautiful restaurant good bar staff, ran by Italians I was expecting good things however very let down. Price /portion size expensive however if it was good food I could overlook that but it wasn’t. Real shame as I was hopeful this restaurant would be a...

Delicious food, lovely ambience, attentive staff and a great range of gins and other drinks. The family enjoyed a fabulous mid-week meal. Tip - book ahead, it's busy because it's good. Highly recommended.

Just been for dinner at Paolo's. First visit to Galashiels and thought we'd try it. Shared olives & focaccia to start - good portion of both; foccacia was hot, fresh & very tasty. For main I had pappardelle with porcini mushrooms & truffle oil. Loved...

Evening meal with 2 kids. They had kids menu and enjoyed. Friendly staff. I had Risotto with prawns . Spent overnight being very Ill . Off work next 2 days. Had informed restaurant but no reply.

Good lunch. Our second visit in 2 months and a great improvement . The food and service were good. Not a cheap place to eat…about £125 lunch for 4.

This restaurant has so much potential, unfortunately the food and service is not up to scratch. The calzone was what I can only describe as wafer thin ham from the local supermarket. It may well have been an Italian ham and the texture just felt...

Delicious food, beautifully prepared and gorgeous menu and the young waiting staff were very pleasant, friendly and efficient. Sadly the experience was marred by the manager of all people! He spent the time hanging around in tracksuit bottoms with a dour face and never a...

Still in disbelief at the poor level of service and bang average food on offer. They certainly my do things differently here, first time I have had my main meal before my starter, then again the table opposite us were even more surprised to get...

It was packed full of people but they were still serving considerably quickly and the food was authentic many people don’t think it is authentic just oily but still amazing

Poor food and slow service.We had a meal here and ordered king prawns,calzone and garlic bread. The prawns were OK, the garlic bread should have come as a starter but didn't come until half way through the meal and to say it was small is...

Poor dining experience last night. Table booked for 6.30, arrived on time, restaurant moderately full with young families . Ordered food around 6.40, No food had arrived by 7.15, restaurant almost empty, A great many take away orders being prepared for delivery drivers some of...

We had a very disappointing family lunch. Waitress throwing the cutlery at the kids, a hair in the pizza and a member or staff not really washing their hands after visiting the toilet. Also no reply from management after complaint was sent directly. I will...

We went for lunch - great food, atmosphere and service. Had pasta pizza and lovely chips. The calzone looked good but we didn’t have one as not vegi. Would go back for sure when next in gala.

Unfortunately the food is not very good. It’s edible but nothing special. The service was a bit poor (maybe the waitress was new) but I was less than impressed. I expected better. I think they forgot to add the alcohol to my cocktail. My pasta...

Had great late lunch there yesterday. Prior to going, we happened to read a few previous reviews and were astonished to read some poor reviews. Having moved to Gala last March, we were delighted to find Paolo's on our doorstep. We have visited as a...

My friend and I visited Paulos for a meal before going to the cinema and I actually wish we hadn’t bothered and just waited and got some popcorn, there wasn’t anything that we really enjoyed about our meal apart from the risotto balls the calamari...

We had seen the restaurant on Trip Advisor when we booked accommodation. We don’t get to eat Italian often as we don’t have a great one near us. We were welcomed, advised and served with respect and courtesy. The food was excellent and sensibly priced....

Table booked for 7pm but previous people still sat at our table until 7.10. Got seated and waited over 20 mins for a drink order to be taken. So long that we ordered our food at the same time as drinks. The food came before...

Ordered wine which was very nice. Very young table staff that demonstrated an inexperienced capability but pleasant enough. Ordered the seafood linguini for mains and wanted to avoid the calamari so asked if I could have more prawns instead. It came with mussels in shells...

We ordered a takeaway from Paolo's last night and it was quite frankly disgusting. The food was delivered over an hour late and the was cold. The seafood dish had a large shrimp within it that still had the shell, legs and eyes attached, within...

Poor service . One drink served the whole night for some of the party. My wine was 10.00 per glass. City prices. We overcharged.mEssqged twice to ask foe a refund and was ignored. Average food. Do not expect quality service here. On the fact they...

Delicious lunch at Paolos with my partner. We both had pasta this time and some non alcoholic cocktails which were lovely. The bartender is very attentive and makes absolutely super cocktails. Last time we had pizzas which were also great. Consistently great authentic food.

Do not recommend the steak pie it wad full of oil and the meat was either burnt or just fatty bits. .

As an elderly lady with a small appetite, I visited the restaurant today with a cousin. This was my first visit & may well be my last! I asked if they did small plates, or could I have a child’s portion but this was refused....

Said it all above - how diuficult is it to take an order and get it right ??? First visit superb … 2nd visit shocking beyond belief !!! Ordered pizza for 8pm picked up and wrong pizza with customer time 830pm. Phoned up to indicate...

Booked a table for early evening, on arrival staff couldn't be more helpful with drinks order. Took meal order, starter came in resonable time, it was quite quiet but too be asked if everything ok twice in space of 2 mins a bit over the...

Came here with my Grandson on a busy early Friday evening. Squid was delicious as was the duck and pizza that followed. Very friendly service . Quality restaurant. Delicious food...attentive service

Staff not very attentive waited over 30mins for 2 glasses of water. It was very busy and we were early but basically we got served when we were due in. Food was OK. Sorry won't be back.

We ordered takeaway to be delivered, estimated delivery 30-45mins. 1.5 hours waiting I called to see where our food was. I was told they hadnt cooked it yet, they were very busy in the restaurant and short on delivery drivers etc etc it would be...

This was our second visit and we found it much better than our first, not sure if it was a different chef but out of five of us everyone was really happy... last time we had a few hits but also a few disappointments. Really...

Was slightly worried reading the recent reviews but have to say the food, drinks and service was absolutely first class…. Can’t fault it and will be squeezing in another visit while we’re in Gala

Picked up our order to find pizza was stone cold and the gorgonzola was so overpowering it made it inedible. Opened the macaroni to find there was next to no cheese and the pasta was swimming in oil. They refused to offer any sort of...

Ordered food for a delivery after a long day at work at half 10. I then was told it would be here for 11.10 - 11.30. It’s now 00.10 and it’s still not here. Place is still closed and it says delivered on the just...

Tok my mum here for lunch when she came to visit me in the borders. Thought the place looked great and the menu seemed decent with decent offers. The girl who served us was friendly enough but when our starter arrived it was undercooked. I...

We've been at least once a week over the past month and still find the food and staff first class. We were there yesterday and delighted to find it busy with families. Great atmosphere and very welcoming.

Phoned and place an order at lunch time for a delivery for evening with food order plus cocktails!! Was so looking forward to have it all!!! But unfortunately pizza looked very empty without the basil, the cocktails never arrived and the food was cold and...

I was really looking forward to getting our meal as we ordered for delivery hoping that it would be quite quick. It said it would arrive within the hour and 2 hours later still nothing, contacted them and asked them where our delivery was, they...

We booked in advance and waited an hour and a half for our meals. We had plans for after which were upended as a result. We felt we were rushed to eat and the food was not a good standard at all. No issues with...

Been several times in the past week. First time was lunch on our own. Excellent service coupled with excellent food. We talked about it so much that our visiting family from down south wanted to go. Next day lunch for eight outside in the Borders...

We were in Gala and wanted lunch, as we passed Tesco heading for another restaurant and noticed Paolos so decided to try them. We’re really pleased we did, the premises are comfortable and pleasantly decorated. The staff are friendly and the food was well prepared,...

visited with family the other night. Food was very good, very large helpings, service was very pleasant. However the prices were more what you would expect in London West End than a restuarant in the scottish borders. Shows the locals must be willing to pay...

We phoned the day before but were told just walk in or call to book an hour ahead... so we walked in at 5 pm & the restaurant was very well spaced out for tables through the back for evening service! Lovely colourful decorations of brightly coloured baubles hanging from the ceiling ! The booths were all reserved & I would book that next visit ... more personal , cosy camaraderie & self contained! We chose a Rosso vino crisp & dry red, a jug of iced water & lovely glasses for both . Just different & I really liked them. Our 1st dish we shared was the mozzarella & tomatoes , the Caprese .... absolutely the best ever served in a large bowl with the boule of cheese in the middle with a basil leaf , on a bed of chopped baby tomatoes drizzled in olive oil ... soo scrummy! Next course was a Margarita pizza really well done with Parma ham & again soo delicious. I asked for some garlic bread & a mixed salad & all lovely & the best ever mixed salad I have ever been served , crisp lettuce , olives , garlic, sun dried tomatoes , peppers & so much gorgeous olive oil throughout! My main dish was risotto with asparagus & king prawns ( x4 juicy prawns) absolute delicious... we shared a desert of ica de crema vanilla with Nutella . We thought it was Nutella ica de crema but it was actually Nutella & all nicely presented too. So this restaurant I saw on the website & no idea about it at all , it was full up by 7 pm so I recommend booking so as not to be disappointed! One thing I’d like to add is that perhaps instead of a menu you could present a blackboard / and or a printed sheet for each table to prevent handling the menu & one of our menus appeared grubby... the service was slow though the 2 waitresses did their very best it was just a full house that night. A very friendly & welcoming restaurant & we WILL be back again soon as there was soo much of a choice & that Calzone looked amazing !

Went in for coffee but decided to have something to eat. Had a really good roll and pork sausage that was very reasonably priced. Coffe was also delicious. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Delighted we went in this morning

Terrible terrible delivery service, waited 2hrs to receive a dry cold pizza and a warm salad! Tried again a month later and had to cancel the next order because i called to see where it was after 1hr 30mins of waiting to be told it'll be another 20mins!!

Mi hijo y yo motorcycled Glashiels de Lincolnshire a para una estancia de una noche en el hotel (un Knowes Kings antiguo favorito cuando solía pescar en la zona) y después de cinco horas de caballo, los dos estábamos hambrientos. Había leído las críticas de Paolo y señaló la comida era buena, pero el servicio a veces lento. Bien el servicio estaba bien el domingo por la noche, visitamos, aunque para ser justo a las 7 de la tarde, el restaurante no estaba muy lleno.

This place is terrible, the food is absolutely shocking, poor quality food, the owner is also a struggling grunt, assaulted a customer, thinks he's a world above the rest, no manners and looks at the people who put money in his pocket like a piece of dirt, if he had assaulted me a would of caved his head in simple.

a very poor restaurant and high prices,open a pot noodle would be better than the spag,check your bill most important and the items you have had

Great, authentic Italian food. Big choice on the menu. Portions were very good size. Good value for money. Lovely interior, loved the colours! Staff ok but could be a bit more attentive consider the fact that restaurant was very quiet on Sunday evening