I thought about giving Paisan's just one star but decided the amazing view was worth another. I'll start by saying that there probably isn't another restaurant in Madison with such a prime, waterfront location.
And that's a huge shame because the food here is no good. It's supposedly Italian, but less authentic (and less tasty) than Olive Garden. The dishes are so plain - why should I go out to eat to order spaghetti in tomato sauce? Sure, at a really good Italian place simple works well, but here the food really does not taste professional at all. Pizza is the easiest thing in the world to make taste amazing yet at Paison's it is so mediocre. It probably says something about the kitchen's culinary expertise that the menu boasts a ham sandwich with banana peppers as the restaurant's most famous item.
I would only say go here if you must, must eat on the water downtown. Even then, I would probably rather get food at the terrace or something.