La Cantina image

La Cantina

Restaurant Bar Italian restaurant

One of the Best Places To Visits in Paw Paw


Address

139 W Michigan Ave, Paw Paw, MI 49079

Website

www.lacantinapawpaw.com

Contact

(269) 657-7033

Price rating

$$ $$

Rating on Google Maps

4.50 (793 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Saturday: 5 to 8 PM
  • Sunday: 5 to 8 PM
  • Monday: Closed
  • Tuesday: 5 to 8 PM
  • Wednesday: 5 to 8 PM
  • Thursday: 5 to 8 PM
  • Friday: 5 to 8 PM

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: good (11) Italian (10) Cantina (8) restaurant (8) Mangia (8) service (6) dinner (6) sauce (6) menu (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 H M. 2 years ago on Google
    Lots to see and do here. Spaghetti special on Tuesdays. Fun spaces for large groups. Catering. Outside Dining. Pizza takeout. Birthday dinners. Wedding parties, Receptions, Anniversary, Romance, etc. Everyone's favorite. Family and Couple friendly. Love is in the air here! This family has lived in and supported Van Buren County for 2 centuries. There local support of youth is overwhelming.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Jacub S. 11 months ago on Google
    First we waited 30 minutes for our app (that never came) then our food came about 45 minutes in and the waitress said the app still isn’t done. WE GOT CHEESE BREAD…. The table next to us sat down 15 minutes after us and they had their apps and drinks before we did. Then my wife orders two cannolis and they were 6/10 at best and they were $10 a piece!!!!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ray M. 9 months ago on Google
    La Cantina is a lovely, family run restaurant. It's truly a gem of a place that locals know well. The food is excellent, atmosphere is pleasing and the service is impeccable. It also boasts an extensive wine list with many varieties of imported Italian wine. Try the Tony Soprano Chianti! Our favorite server is Michaela. She's remarkably efficient, has a terrific manner and a smile that lights up the room! This is not to slight other servers and bussers. The entire floor staff work hard and carry on their duties as smoothly as a finely calibrated time piece. Can't say enough about La Cantina! We love you!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Bard 4 months ago on Google
    Great staff. Julie is always the best. I ordered the salmon and it tasted better than how fabulous it was as it came on the plate. Ava appreciate all you and the staff do.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Julie A. 4 months ago on Google
    Amazing service always. Very comfortable and homey atmosphere. food is always delicious. Pizza is one of the kind and we also love the ribs and pasta. Love the Lacantina red wine vinegar. store is super cute for take out goodies.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Brent M. 7 months ago on Google
    Had a wonderful dinner out on the deck.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Around the W. 1 year ago on Google
    I had my Easter dinner in this restaurant yesterday and it surpassed my expectations. I was travelling from Chicago back to Toronto (Canada) and thought I wouldn’t find some good food for Easter. However, even without any reservations, my family and I were accommodated. The server Gaby was excellent. The food was so fresh and delicious. Definitely, I do recommend this place. Thank La Cantina so much for making my unexpected dinner so special.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Gloria B. 9 months ago on Google
    Lovely old world touch in this Italian themed resturant. Food was very good, service excellent. There is an outdoor area on the water to enjoy in good weather.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 M Helene M. 9 months ago on Google
    How have I never been to La Cantina before now?!? No reservations, no problem, even on a Saturday night, while simultaneously hosting a class reunion party and offering riverfront live music. The hostess must be family/owner. I swear i was back in Brooklyn, what with the outstanding skills of the front of house staff, matched perfectly by the masterful culinary talent in the kitchen. The entire dining experience was enjoyable. Swans glided past our window view on the Paw Paw River as we were ordering appetizers. Learned from our server Megan (i think, i hope) that the graceful waterfowl are rarely seen this far up river from Maple Lake. So of course we took that as a fortuitous sign on mom’s 84th birthday. Wine selection was effortless, despite the extensive collection of bottles from around the globe, thanks to Megan and her obvious expertise. I said glass of white zinfandel? she said of course, and chose one perfectly. Calamari was the best I’ve ever had, hands down. Light and crispy fried, tender rings and delicious marinara. Portobello mushroom stuffed with seafood and breaded was scrumptious. One mushroom was the size of a salad plate. Pasta Emillio was a cornucopia of savory favorites - artichoke hearts, green peas, caramelized onions, Italian sausage atop a generous bowl of pasta with a delicate pesto sauce. Rigitoni E had a distinctive marsala cream sauce with mushrooms and basil. Chicken Alfredo was deeply flavorful and authentic in its loose consistency - refreshingly unlike sticky and thick Americanized sauce in a jar. Dessert was the exclamation point of the meal. New York style cheesecake, tiramisu and spumoni. Exquisite. I would get older sooner just to have my birthday dinner here. Like next weekend. TwNovember is so far away. Nuf said. Mic drop.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Sanya V. 1 year ago on Google
    Wow! Hands down one of the most remarkable Italian restaurants I've ever eaten at, including my grandmother's kitchen! The red sauce is superb, on the sweeter side of the flavor palette. The customer service was top notch. The views are gorgeous. Definitely going back again and again. A+
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Rebecca F. 1 year ago on Google
    La Cantina has the best linguini and clams! We ordered takeout tonight and got three orders, one with marinara, one with creamy white, and the third had olive oil and garlic. We can't decide which was the favorite!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Gregory A. 9 months ago on Google
    What a amazing dinner for my wifes birthday party of 8 , the service was phenomenal the food was delicious, our server Michele was knowledgeable with the menu and wine list. Your staff made my wife's birthday special. Thank you so much. The management really has the restaurant dialed in.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Ortin 9 months ago on Google
    I don't usually write a negative but this was not a good night. 1. I am sorry $60 for a steak in PawPaw that was thin and looked like a GFS product? 2. Service was weak, I get it we are all under staffed, but to hear the waitress reiterate over and over, "what a night it's been" got old. She was nice 3. Atmosphere was the best part of it, overlooking some water

  • 5/5 Jess F. 7 months ago on Google
    This review is personal, and probably a little bit too heavy for someone who just wants to know if this is a good place to eat. Long story short: it’s a wonderful restaurant. I grew up in Kalamazoo but rarely ever ventured out to Paw Paw. My grandmother lived in a nursing home near La Cantina, and my mom and I were craving Italian, so we enjoyed a nice meal on the deck overlooking the water. It was bittersweet. The food was phenomenal, but I just want to thank our waitress for going above and beyond. My grandma was dying, you see, and she was Italian, and I just really wanted to give her a last taste of spaghetti sauce. But I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. So I discretely asked our waitress, and she slipped me a tiny to-go container with sauce. My grandma and her friends always used to drive out to Paw Paw on Tuesdays to get the discounted spaghetti. In Kalamazoo, we always used to enjoy Mangia Mangia, but a busy downtown restaurant on a one way street isn’t exactly easy for a group of old ladies to get to. I literally just learned that the owners of La Cantina also own Mangia Mangia, which explains so much. Mangia Mangia was such a huge part of being born and raised in Kalamazoo, and it was always my favorite place to eat. My cousin had her rehearsal dinner at Mangia Mangia. This is way too much information for the sake of a review, but I just want to make the point that this place is a little bit magical. The food is everything Italian food should be, and it’s a place that brings people together through a good meal. Again, I’m such a long story. My point is, La Cantina is a special place, and I hope you enjoy it.

  • 5/5 Christo S. 4 months ago on Google
    La Catina has THE best, authentic Italian! Service is friendly and prompt every time we dine here.

  • 4/5 Rachel C. 4 months ago on Google
    As really the only upscale restaurant in the area it can get pretty busy and sometimes they have weird hours. There is no kids menu and in recent years the menu has become pretty limited but food is still pretty good and much of the waitstaff has been there for years. My husband's company has been having their Christmas party here for many years and we always enjoy ourselves. Food can sometimes be a little zesty for my taste. One star down for lack of kids menu or portions.

  • 4/5 Andrew M. 5 months ago on Google
    Food was…okay. Marinara was too sweet and lacking flavor. Waitress was very nice and attentive. We’ve been here before and the food was great…seems like they’re just lacking a bit of consistency. Two recommendations I would have: - Reconsider the portions. The salads and soups are quite large for a pre-entree item - The marinara tasted too sweet. Perhaps it’s just my taste profile but I think something closer to Rao’s would please a wider palette. - I’d focus on quality over quantity. Things done well: - Service was top notch! - Cocktails were pretty good and the seasonal drinks were creative without being overdone. - The menu was concise and not overdone like I’ve seen so many other Italian places. Overall a nice little place with good atmosphere and service. Cozy place to dine with family and friends alike. A few tweaks could make it even better.

  • 3/5 Don R. 6 months ago on Google
    Old school Italian restaurant. Plenty of parking and easy to get to. The restaurant is handicap accessible. Staff was friendly and greeted us right away. The decor is nice with interesting water views. They need to do something with their ceiling. The old drop ceiling tiles are dated, look dirty and disgusting. Lighting could be better. The menu was good and varied. There are vegetarian options. I think it is ridiculous that they charge $5 for bread! Way out of line and not worth it! I got the house salad. It was fresh, but I wish I asked for dressing on the side. It was WAY over dressed. I ordered the chicken Parmesan. Large portion and well prepared. Overall this place has the potential to be very good, but there are areas for improvement. First just give people bread! Second, do something with that God awful ceiling.


Call (269) 657-7033 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Parking
    • ✓️ Free parking lot
    • ✓️ Plenty of parking
  • Payments
    • ✓️ Debit cards
    • ✓️ Credit cards
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Beer
    • ✓️ Wine
    • ✓️ Coffee
    • ✓️ Alcohol
    • ✓️ Cocktails
    • ✓️ Hard liquor
    • ✓️ Comfort food
    • ✓️ Healthy options
    • ✓️ Vegetarian options
  • Popular for
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Solo dining
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible seating
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible entrance
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible restroom
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible parking lot
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Dessert
    • ✓️ Seating
    • ✓️ Catering
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✓️ Takeout
    • ✗ Delivery
    • ✓️ Outdoor seating

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