Galleria De Paco

Returning after several years we were disappointed- food was ok but not what it used to be& prices up considerably. Husband had instant mashed potatoes w/ his steak & my scallops were seasoned w/ Mrs. Dash. Great atmosphere & service but by no means gourmet- the chef has left the house! We live a few hours away & wont make a trip back- overpriced for what you get.
Yes the artwork is cool but Paco is gone & Jackie (Dad)is cutting costs by not hiring a chef!
Worth going once to see Paco's Sistine Chapel graffiti artwork.

One of the most unique restaurant you'll find in the country. Superior service, food quality, and Decour. What makes this place really special is the owners Jackie and Anna they bring old world hospitality and charm that makes everyone feel like they're part of the family and known you for years. One of my top five dining experiences I've had in years.
I look forward to bringing my family back with me next time I Visit the Sistine chapel of America.

First and would probably be my last visit as I am only visiting Waterloo. Decided to go check this place out as one of the few "should be visited places in Waterloo."

Ambience: Quite romantic. It is a good date place. Italian music in the background. Sistine Chapel spray painting all over. Intimate setting. Adequate lighting. Unique place and I agree - a must see.

Customer service: Kate helped my table and she is wonderful - polite, sweet, attentive, and fast. I did not feel like I was kept waiting even though she was also the waitress for a huge party across me around 15-20 people. Paco himself is the maitre d. He is also wonderful. He went out of his way to go to every table and chat with the guests.

Ordered their 4 course meal. Below is the eval of each dish. Overall, I think their 4 course meal should be shared between 2 people. They had huge portions. I did not finish each of the courses. Although I forced myself to finish the dessert because I did not want to take it home.

Salmon lobster raviolini - quite heavy and creamy. It was flavorful but not my favorite. I think this by itself is a meal and not appetizer. I ate about half of this.

Tomato asiago soup - the dish itself came with 2 slices of asiago bread (i think) with some sweet butter. That butter was amazing. I really enjoyed the bread although I would have preferred it toasted and warm. It was soft. The tomato soup was creamy and quite good. I prefer it way better than my raviolini. I could only eat half of it though.

Grilled rib eye - extra $5 when you get this with the 4 course meal. I got it medium. It was more overcooked than I was expecting. Texture wise, it felt well-done. It was not pink at all. It was accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes. Again, huge portions so I only ate half. The rib eye seems to be cooked in water or not quite defrosted prior to cooking because the meat was "watery". Not like moist but watery. I think I would have enjoyed this dish more if the mashed potatoes was more garlicky, meat cooked medium and not well, and not watery. Not bad but kind of disappointing from what I was expecting. The meat was less tender and less grilled tasting than what I am used to.

Dulce de leche cake - moist and quite good. The middle/bottom part of the cake seems to have been sitting in evaporated milk as it made the cake moister/sweeter in the inside/middle part. I was told the cake is not always available so I wanted to try it. This was probably my favorite part of the dish. I kind of wish I had more gut room for it.

Overall, recommended visit for its uniqueness and ambience. Food-wise I was not impressed.

I visited on a Saturday early evening. I was met at the door by the maître d' (who I found out later is the father of Paco). Pleasant gentlemen and genuinely helpful who got me seated quickly. My waitress was Kayley and she was just as pleasant. Decor was fun and interesting and although it's graffiti art it didn't feel like it.

I ordered the 4-Course meal, below is what I had and thoughts:

1st Course) Salmon-Lobster Ravioli: flavor was good, which was creamy and not overly fishy. Presentation could use some improvement as it lacked and a few simple things could make this very photo worthy.

2nd Course ) Creamy Brie: I opted not for a salad, so was able to select another starter, which I asked the waitress for her recommendation. I liked it but wish they would have added more raspberry and garlic spread on each piece. Only had a little dollop on each piece and without it, the brie was just kind of brie'ish (if you know what I mean). Your starter also comes with complementary bread with sweet honey butter (which is awesome and could have eaten another full serving myself). That said, ordering the creamy brie might not of been such a good idea after eating the 4 slices of butter bread already with the first course.

3rd Course: I ordered the seared tuna off the recommendation of the server and was happy with it. Had a good smokey flavor and crusty outside. The pineapple and mango rice was nice but the tuna stole the show. Be careful the with green streak on the plate, it's pure wasabi and I wasn't told that when given the plate. The first bite was fire but after that, I knew not to smother the tuna in it.

4th Course: desert was the chocolate lava cake. It was good and always fun to order, though I wish I had been told it was an extra $4.50 for ordering it, as when I got my check I had that on there and I can only assume that it was there because of the shot to make the fire...again, never told that at all or no mention of it on the menu, as I just ordered it off the servers recommendation.

Over-all, it's a nice place and for the $29.95 for 4-course is good value. It's no Michelin Star rated venue but price wise, I think you would be hard pressed to find anything much better, especially for this area. I had the 4 course meal with 2 glasses of wine and my total came to $51.63.

Wow! Here we are visiting Waterloo for business and looking for some high-quality dining. Galleria De Paco nailed it and far exceeded our expectations.

The food was so yummy. We both got four-course meals with shrimp, ravioli, salad, soups, scallops, salmon, creme brule, and cake. Everything was as good or much better than expected.

The ambiance was so fun. The paintings were great to look at and the statues were the best parts.

The service was strong. They started off understaffed but caught up quickly and we felt well taken care of.

I highly recommend this restaurant.

What a gem! I found this place on a list of restaurants in Iowa that you have to eat at, and I was not disappointed.

First, the atmosphere is absolutely amazing. There are neat, high-backed chairs at the tables--you feel like a king. And the ceiling--you have to see it to believe it. It is amazing! And it's even cooler to know that it was all done by spray paint.

Second, the food was pretty good, and you cannot beat $30 for a four-course meal!

Third, the staff was phenomenal! Wonderful service! It's the kind of place where they push in your chair for you and hang your coat. (I think jeans are fine, but keep it classy with a nice shirt and no holes or rips.)

I'd recommend this place for a special night out. We went for our five-year anniversary, and the matre'de shared a bit of advice he's learned from his forty-year marriage. "If you do something wrong, say you're sorry, and remember to never do it again."

Overall, a wonderful restaurant that I'd recommend to one and all!

This restaurant is a unique dining experience. The atmosphere and service was phenomenal! The artwork and hostess will steal your heart! The drinks are also very fun and playful! The smoky drinks are a must! Lastly, and most importantly, there is a ZERO CORKING FEE!! Ladies and gentleman bring your own wine for free because you will need it for what I will be telling you next.

With regret, the biggest let down of this restaurant was technique in food preparation.

Breakdown of meal:
The lobster ravioli was very tasty. There was a strong saffron taste which was a nice surprise, but as I ate my dish it was not heated consistently throughout. The middle was obviously cold while one side was hot and the other side was warm. Still a great tasting dish but I was disappointed with the inconsistency of the dish.

I tried the lobster bisque soup which was okay. My husband thought there was a strong boozy taste which turned him off. The soup was served with bread and a sweet butter which was a strange combination. It did not go well.

For dinner, I had the salmon while my husband had the steak (requested to cook medium rare). This was the most disappointing part of the meal. Both of our dishes were overcooked. My salmon was inedible while my husbands steak was cooked medium well. I requested a side of scallops without realizing it would come in a tropical sweet sauce. The sweetness was overwhelming and took away from the scallops. My husband added a side of asparagus which tasted like it was tossed on the grill without being seasoned.

Lastly for dessert, I got the creme brûlée which was gooey and undercooked. Not a fan of an undercooked custard.

Good try but the service is not enough for me to come back.

I'm writing this review and I haven't even gotten my food yet.... probably one of the most genuine group of people working in a restaurant I have ever met! The father of the owner came out personally to great me and gave me a history of the art as well as taken a picture for me. Love the man. 2 waitress came over the same time to show me the menu and took my order. I cannot be anymore pleased.. it's a beautiful atmosphere in here and I would recommend anyone in Waterloo to try this place!

Will update once I get my food.. but so far this Bogle Merlot is nice!

- 4 course meal was fantastic !! I went with the aged steaks and it was cooked perfectly along with the green beans. They're easily overcook and become soggy so I really appreciate this one being just the way I like them. The lobster-salmon ravioloni was delicious as well!

Can't help but really appreciate the art, atmosphere, and the wonderful service.

5/5!! Would come again if I am ever in this city again!

So great and painting are wonderful. Lamb chops were delicious. Tuna steak was just as great.

Lobster and shrimp ravioli was great as well

Fantastic! I had the four course selection:
Grilled Pork Chop, shrimp starter, salad and apple strudel. Additionally a Pain Killer beverage. That alone took me back to the BVI!

Highly Recommend.