Il Pastaio

 

0

29

B C.

San Rafael, CA

Quite possibly the best food in Boulder!

Everything is made with an amazing amount of care. The portions are good, and everyone working there is always in a good mood.

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Elite '08

11

67

yokes f.

Boulder, CO

This place is okay. People were raving about the place so I have to be honest, I was expecting a lot more. I started with their cauliflower with almonds. The Radda Trattorria one is way better and is slightly cheaper. The cauliflower was too over cooked to be marinating in olive oil. For the entree, I ordered their Gnocchi al Pesto which was a little too mushy but pretty tasty. You could taste the potatoes in the gnocchi which is a good thing- it wasn't doughy. Although my gnocchi was delicious, my boyfriend's spaghetti was over cooked so it was hard for me to figure out whether Il Pastaio was actually good or not.

So my consensus is "not bad." I personally don't think it's anything to be raving about. It's just decent Italian food which is a very good thing in Boulder. I do recommend the gnocchi though. Not sure about the other stuff yet.

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1

44

Aaron H.

Boulder, CO

Best Italian food in boulder. Small almost tacky atmosphere. Owners are both actually Italian. All pasta made fresh on site. All sauces homemade. Wine prices are extremely cheap. Fresh hot rolls are baked their as well and given as soon as you sit down.  Veal was spectacular as was the gnocchi with creamy pesto sauce. Homemade Tiramisu was also very good. Do not go elsewhere in town and pay twice as much for lesser quality food.

went back a second time and got Italian lemon chicken with gnocchi and regular pesto. all was amazing but the normal pesto was one of the best i've ever had.

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11

63

Jessica G.

Brooklyn, NY

Christopher K. it's SO true! I now live in NYC and can't wait to get back to Il Pastaio, it's been said before but I'll say it again, their gnocchi is fabulous!!!

The pesto sauce is also really great, so give it a try, you won't be sorry!

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0

10

Pat A.

Denver, CO

I'm not going to lie, I have a crush on the older lady (who's actually from South America NOT Italy).  Actually, it's more like, I want her to cook for me and tell me stories type crushes, but it's there, sort of like a feed me and tuck me in thing.  The lunch special's great, especially when they have the baked chicken on there....whew.  When it's not lunch though, I like to the get the chicken milanese.  When I'm feeling like a fat boy, they have great alfredo.

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5

10

Audra S.

Boulder, CO

Go for dinner and order the gnocchi.  I love both the pesto cream or the  spicy tomato (arrabiata).  My husband and I always order these and share with each other to get both the flavors.

The place is small, and in a strip mall, but you go for the food not the atmosphere.

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4

28

M C.

Boulder, CO

I love listening to the owner describe the daily specials. I don't always understand what he's saying (he has a thick accent, and I'm terrible with accents) but you can tell how much he enjoys the food and talking about it. He has good reason to be, the food is excellent.

The gnocchi in pesto-cream sauce is my favorite. But really, I haven't found a bad one yet.

Drawbacks? It's small and there isn't anywhere to wait for a table. I usually go wander around the liquor store next door.

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Elite '08

256

99

Christopher K.

San Francisco, CA

When I lived in Boulder, I went to Il Pastaio on a regular basis.  I would rave about this place constantly, regularly bringing friends to sample their incredible hand made pastas and other authentic Italian fare.

Let me put it to you this way.  I now live in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, also known as Little Italy.  World class restaurants are withing walking distance.  Yet, I still haven't found a place that has better gnocchi than Il Pastaio.

Do I need to go on?

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8

28

Ernest C.

Boulder, CO

I wanted to like this place, and really, with some seemingly simple fixes they could probably get 4 stars.  But as-is, I'm not sure I understand the raves I have heard about this place.  The food is ok (some good things, some bad), but from the experience we had, it's not a place we're eager to return to.

We were served by the "mom" of this "mom and pop" joint, and indeed it was like being at my parent's house.  She had a sweet demeanor, lots of smiles, and a strong accent; needless to say I was a little excited at the propsect of some authentic Italian home-cookin'.  But I was held back by some things: the aromas in this place aren't very enticing...kind of a generic, dull cooked tomato smell permeates the place.  Often you know what you're in for when you walk into a restaurant...if it doesn't smell very good, the food probably isn't going to excite either.  When we make our own pasta sauces at home, you can smell the herbs and spices in the air as it cooks, so this didn't bode well.  And then there's the food under the glass at the counter (the salads and rolls, etc.)...they too were anything but enticing.

So my companion ordered the bean salad and gnocchi in Bolognese and I the fettuccine in pesto.  Then they came out with small bread rolls.  Time to evaluate the bread and olive oil, which is always fun.  No crusty exterior, slightly-undercooked doughy interior, and none of that tangy zing that traditional bread made with a sponge has (I make bread at home, and enjoy those old French and Italian two-day recipes).  I only ended up eating half of it.  The olive oil was nearly odorless and flavorless, and very thin-bodied and pale...far from the Spanish stuff we use at home, which is bursting with fruity olive goodness.

So the bean salad comes, and it's absolutely glistening with oil.  I later saw them preparing the same salad for someone else, and they must have dumped a half cup of the stuff on this small plate...my jaw dropped watching them do it.  And as feared, it was way too oily to let the ingredients bathing in it sing.  If it was good olive oil, that'd be one thing, but it's just not.  A clumsy dish.

On to the entrees.

I had to stifle a chuckle when I saw the pesto plate...it was like olive oil soup with pasta on top...the noodles were literally submerged partially in solid oil, which was up to the inner rim of the plate.  Now mind you, the pesto *itself* was pretty good...very aromatic and robustly flavored.  And the noodles were nicely cooked, still quite firm, but there was so much pesto sauce on them that it was difficult to discern their own flavor.  And every forkful was absolutely dripping in oil.  Perhaps some people like it this way, but it was the first time I'd ever witnessed such a deluge of the stuff on a plate before.  My stomach felt uneasy by the time I stopped eating, and I'm quite sure that was the most oil I'd ever consumed at one sitting.

As for the gnocchi, another ok-but-not-great meal.  The consistency was too light and airy for our tastes and didn't provide much "chewing satisfaction"...I prefer gnocchi to have that same toothsome quality of al dente pasta.  The Bolognese was ok but unremarkable (not very aromatic, as portended by the ambient aroma of the restaurant) and not what I understand to be authentic...this was a basic tomato sauce, and Bolognese does not traditionally have much tomato in it...just a vegetable sofrito with meat and herbs.  And sadly the dumplings were practically drowning in it; IMHO the sauce should accent the pasta, not clobber it.  But it was certainly not bad and wasn't as overtly oily as everything else.

So, yeah...this cozy little place has potential, and it's got undeniable rough-edged, lo-fi charm.  It's about as far as it can be from the pretense you find in many Italian restaurants.  This is simple and unassuming, clearly on purpose.  And I really want to love the place for the family feel alone, but the food really does need more work.  They've got some good ideas going here that could be taken to truly wonderful ends with only a little more attention to detail.  But my reading is that they are probably targeting the average customer, and so are tweaking things to be what's expected rather than risk turning folks away with unfamiliar interpretations.  And there's nothing wrong with that business model.

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Elite '08

104

186

Harmony O.

Boulder, CO

My favorite here is Gnocci with tomato cream sauce.  Amazing beyond words.  The owners are good people, who prepare their food with love.  They always treat my family as if we were their own family.  Everything is home made, and portions are generous.  

Yes, it is in a shopping center, like many excellent restaurants in Boulder happen to be. Yes, it is small.  But I've never had any Italian food as good as this at a big, fancy Italian restaurant anywhere.

And yes, I absolutely despise sitting in the tall chairs at the cocktail type tables, but one can always sit at the tables outside.  One can certainly opt to get a meal to go, but it is so nice to get a chance to see and speak with the owners, we have not ever gotten our food to go here.

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3

13

Daniel A.

Boulder, CO

OMG, best Italian ever. The food in this place is so good I dream about it. It's a tiny deli-style place with VERY limited seating, but the food oh wow... EASILY the best Italian I've had outside of Italy. And I LOVE Italian food.

The pasta is made fresh. All the time. The front of the kitchen/deli is open so you can watch them make new pasta as you wait for your dish. They have plenty of different types of pasta. It's not a fancy place, but it has great atmosphere, and it's run directly by the owners who clearly know what they're doing in the cooking department. At least once in your life you must try the Aurora in this place, by far my favorite of their sauces.

Their spicy sauces are SPICY, so beware. If you're not a spice monster you'll want to ask them to tone down the hotness.

If you live in the area and you like Italian food, you must visit this restaurant at least once. I can all but guarantee you'll be back.

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40

403

Dustin G.

Denver, CO

This place has been way hyped up to me: people have been telling me for years to check out Il Pastaio.

Well, today I did and here is the d-l.

I walked in and was highly surprised by how small it was, as well as the fact that you ordered at the counter...considering that the meals are $10 a plate. I expected the cozy sit down, intimate conversation restaurant style, while this was more of an Italian deli of sorts.

In any case, I ordered the Gnocchi pesto and cream and sat down. The service consisted of one of the owners, which is always a nice touch and the food was good; their sauces are by far the best part.

Somewhat pricey, I expected something different (i.e. a Roman Villa in Colorado Springs), but nonetheless the small business feel and the nice owners definitely make this probably the best Italian place in Boulder I've been to.

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Elite '08

41

58

Sam H.

Boulder, CO

Great food.  Went here for lunch, although I understand dinner has more options.

They need to purchase a larger space with more tables!

EAT HERE!

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6

274

Vince D.

Boulder, CO

Man, I just came back from lunch at this place. Great food. Great atmosphere. I had the Basilico (a tomato and basil sauce) with linguine. The homemade pasta was thick and flavorful, and the sauce had a nice bit of spice to it.

The restaurant itself is a cozy little deli. In addition to the pasta, you can get many Italian offerings, such as soup and lasagna. They've got a nice little lunch buffet as well.

It may not be one of Boulder's biggest or brightest--Il Pastaio is just simply one of Boulder's best.

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22

189

Amanda W.

Boulder, CO

Authentic Italian food prepared by authentic Italian people! The owner and his wife are super friendly and serve up some pretty mean pasta. Most of the menu is "make your own" style leaving it up to you to pair your choice of pasta or a dozen different raviolis with your choice of sauce. All dishes come with bread but I'd recommend against eating it, it's pretty bad.

I had to take away a star for atmosphere, since it's little more than a deli with cocktail tables. Order take out! =)

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13

31

Jeff Y.

Denver, CO

Giuseppe is the man.  Il Pastaio is the best Italian in Boulder.  The aurora sauce on any of the ravioli, the lasagna, veal parmigiana, and the 4 squash ravioli in butter and sage sauce (not on the menu) are the best.

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5

82

H Y.

Boulder, CO

Best Italian food in Boulder. Homemade pasta and fresh ingredients. Good deal for lunch. Haven't had anything there I didn't like. Their gnocchi is perfect according to a friend who has been sampling it all over creation and is comparing it to her mom's.

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7

31

David Z.

Boulder, CO

Homemade pasta, very friendly service (by the owner and his wife, I think), and a free bottle of wine given away every night!  The ravioli was perfectly "al dente" (i.e. not overcooked) and they serve Lavazza espresso -- perfect!

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2

6

Noah K.

New York, NY

After my 4 years in Boulder I can definitively say that this is my favorite restaurant. The chicken parm is the best i've ever had. i now live in NY and believe it or not I have yet to find a chicken parm this good. fresh ingredients and delicious food.

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10

59

Kevin G.

Boulder, CO

Authentic Italian food served from a steam table. Excellent for lunch.

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