This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

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.

| Corporate parent | None — independent (KC Originals member) || | Notable features | Wood-burning pizza oven; house lasagna; seasonal/locally sourced menu ||

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.

Last verified: 2026-08-12 · Source: Paulo and Bill first-party Toast online ordering · URL(s): https://www.toasttab.com/pauloandbill · Confidence: High (item names and prices from the restaurant’s own Toast storefront; replaces earlier AllMenus aggregator prices). Dish prose retained only where previously sourced or name-level.

Signatures

  • Lasagna — layers of pasta, Scimeca’s Italian sausage, ground beef, herbed ricotta, marinara, and three-cheese blend — $19.005
  • Deburgo Pasta — house deburgo preparation — $24.005
  • Paulo’s Chicken Salad — namesake chicken salad — $20.005

Pasta

  • Spaghetti with Meatballs — $19.005
  • Fettuccini Alfredo — $20.005
  • Sausage Spaghetti / Spaghetti — $19.005
  • Bowties — $24.005
  • Butternut Squash Risotto — $24.005
  • Lobster Pappardelle — $28.005
  • Shrimp Orzo / Blackened Shrimp Orzo — $24.005

Pizza & Flatbreads

  • Margherita — hand-tossed or flatbread — $17.005
  • Mona Lisa — hand-tossed or flatbread — $18.005
  • Sicilian — hand-tossed or flatbread — $22.005
  • Beef — hand-tossed $20.00 · flatbread $16.005
  • Cheese — hand-tossed $16–22 · flatbread $16.005
  • Build-Your-Own (BYO) — available on Toast5

Chicken & Veal

  • Chicken Marsala — $28.005
  • Chicken Parmesan — $28.005
  • Chicken Piccata — $28.005
  • Veal Marsala — listed on Toast5

Seafood & Beef

  • Pan-Seared Salmon — $26.005
  • Salmon Piccata — $26.005
  • Rainbow Trout — $26.005
  • Maryland Crab Cakes (appetizer) — $18.005
  • Filet — $42.005
  • Smash Burger — $15.005

Salads & Starters

  • Calamari — $15.005
  • Crispy Shrimp — $15.005
  • Bruschetta — $12.005
  • Meatball Appetizer — $14.005
  • Antipasto — $19.005
  • Garlic Bread — half $6 / full $85
  • Paulo’s Chicken Salad (entrée size) — $20.00 · Salmon Salad — $22.00 · Blackened Chicken Caesar — $20.00 · Viva Shrimp Salad — $20.005
  • Grilled Chicken Salad — on Toast lunch/dinner lists5

Desserts (Toast)

  • Phyllo Brownie · Tiramisu · Italian Lemon Cake · Triple Chocolate · Paulo’s Cookie · GF Chocolate Torte — prices on Toast (typically $5–$13.50)5

Also offered: lunch plates (~$18 chicken marsala/parm/piccata), family pans ($60–$75), kids, happy hour, Sunday brunch, catering.5

See also

Sources

Footnotes

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

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

  5. Paulo and Bill / Paulo’s Italian Kitchen — first-party Toast online ordering — Confirms: dinner and lunch item names and prices (pasta, pizza/flatbread, chicken/veal, seafood, salads, appetizers, desserts, family pans). Re-scraped via Firecrawl 2026-08-12. Supersedes earlier AllMenus aggregator price list for verification purposes. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24 ↩25 ↩26 ↩27 ↩28 ↩29 ↩30 ↩31 ↩32 ↩33 ↩34 ↩35 ↩36

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On the record — ks.city/registry/paulos-italian-kitchen · record updated 2026-08-12