Paulo's Italian Kitchen

Paulo’s Italian Kitchen — formerly Paulo & Bill — is an independently owned American-Italian restaurant in Shawnee, Kansas, open at 16501 Midland Dr since 1996 and a longtime member of the locally owned KC Originals group.

Description

Paulo’s Italian Kitchen is a full-service American-Italian restaurant located off I-435 and Midland Drive in Shawnee, Kansas. The business describes its food style as American/Italian — by the restaurant’s own account the “Paulo” represents the Italian side and the “Bill” the American side, the source of its longtime name, Paulo & Bill.¹²

The kitchen is built around a wood-burning oven visible from the front entrance, which turns out the restaurant’s creative wood-fired pizzas. Beyond pizza, the menu spans fresh seafood, pasta, and hand-cut steaks, prepared with seasonal, locally grown ingredients; the house lasagna is among its best-known dishes.³ The restaurant offers lunch, dinner, happy hour, a full wine/beer/spirits program, family pans, wine dinners, catering, and a loyalty rewards program, and it takes reservations as well as take-out and delivery.⁴

A loyal following has made the restaurant a popular Western Johnson County dining destination since it opened in 1996.¹³

Ownership and history

The restaurant opened in 1996 and has operated continuously at 16501 Midland Dr in Shawnee since then.¹³ It is independently owned and operated and is a member of KC Originals, the Kansas City association of locally owned independent restaurants.²³

The current owners are Jim and Cathy Marks, who are described as actively involved in daily operations.² The Marks operate the restaurant under both its original Paulo & Bill name and the newer Paulo’s Italian Kitchen branding; both names appear across the restaurant’s current listings and marketing, and the official website still resolves to pauloandbill.com.¹⁴

Secondary search summaries indicate the restaurant was originally founded by Paul Khoury and Bill Crooks (the two namesakes), with Jim Marks later acquiring the business. This founding-and-acquisition detail could not be confirmed against a primary or named-byline source.

The “Paulo’s Italian Kitchen” name appears to be a more recent rebrand or secondary trade name layered over the established Paulo & Bill identity; the exact date and rationale of the name change are not documented in available sources.

Links

• Website: https://pauloandbill.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulositaliankitchen/
• Phone: (913) 962-9900

See also

• shawnee-ks
• Registry

Sources

Footnotes

1. Paulo and Bill — official website (address, phone, hours, menus, 1996 founding context) — https://pauloandbill.com/ — accessed 2026-05-31 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. HerLife Magazine (Kansas City) — “Paulo and Bill – Cravings” (current owners Jim & Cathy Marks; American/Italian concept and name origin; independently owned; KC Originals member; hands-on operation) — https://www.herlifemagazine.com/kansascity/cravings/paula-and-bill-cravings/ — accessed 2026-05-31 ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. Yelp — Paulo and Bill, Shawnee (16501 Midland Dr; “since 1996”; wood-burning oven; lasagna; seasonal/locally grown ingredients; off I-435 and Midland Dr; active April 2026 reviews) — https://www.yelp.com/biz/paulo-and-bill-shawnee — accessed 2026-05-31 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. Visit Shawnee / Shawnee KS Chamber listing — Paulo’s Italian Kitchen (“~30 years”; phone; hours; services) — https://visitshawneeks.com/listings/paulos-italian-kitchen/ — accessed 2026-05-31 ↩ ↩²