Pasta Market Italian Restaurants
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
62 reviews
Palo Alto, CA
"My manager brought us here for a work lunch, and I loved it! Judging by the way he was greeted by the owner, I'm thinking he's a…" read more »
26 Reviews for Pasta Market Italian Restaurants
I love love their bead and this orange dipping sauce. I usually order the penne pasta with meat sauce and extra shrimp. Their meat sauce is DELICIOUS. I love dipping the yummy bread into the meat sauce. I've gotten their frozen raviolis and they aren't good. I would stick to eating there and not buying any of their pre-packaged or frozen items.
Will I ever come here without a coupon? No. I have a coupon from restaurant.com, $25 certificate off a minimum purchase of $35. Being Asian, my boyfriend and I tried to utilize the $35 without going over it. The entire meal ended up being $15. (btw, bought the gift certificate on sale for $4 when it's worth $25). Anyway, here's what we ordered:
That night's pasta dish, riti dish, calzone (it was HUGO, didn't even touch it), breadsticks, garlic bread, salad, fried ravioli, slice of cheesecake, and a drink. Yes, all that came out to $15 for TWO people. The person who brought out our food one by one gave us this look afterwards when she saw all that we had ordered. Man we ate like royalty last night. Overall, the food was mediocre, a par below the typical chain restaurants - Buca, Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, etc, but for the price... woozas! It's worth it!
The Pasta Market (formerly Florentine's, although I think there still is one that is known by this name) has been in my life since I was young. First, it was at the Target plaza in Redwood City (now "Tony and Alba's"). Then it was the Pasta Market in Menlo Park (now, sadly, a Starbucks.) While there are more in the South bay, the Los Altos location is the nearest to my home and work.
I will admit, this is hardly a restaurant like its Redwood City and Menlo Park predecessors. You wait in line, place an order, self-serve your drink and wait for your food to be delivered. The pasta is served suspiciously quick. But what ties it all together is the phenomenal garlic bread and spicy cheese spread. I practically live for it. Tasting it not only brings pleasure to my mouth , but brings back memories.
So while its decor may not be amazing and it may not be a true "restuarant" Pasta Market (and its delicious cheese spread- available to purchase!) serves as a reminder of what once was.
Or, at the very least, it's a quick and cheap place to get some pasta.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
This is a very basic Italian place to eat but it's pretty decent. I work nearby and order from here every once in a while. I enjoy the "Bag Lunch" which is pretty cheap! They give you a choice of pasta and sauce, salad with dressing and a choice of breadsticks or garlic bread. I enjoy the cheese tortellini with the spicy mushroom sauce. In my opinion, its the best pasta sauce there. They also have a really good chicken salad that you can pick up in their fridge case and take it to go.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Let me start by saying I'm Italian, and very picky about italian food. Olive Garden just doesn't cut it. This place is a million steps up from that!
PRICE: Absolutely wonderful - great italian portions for a low price.
QUALITY: Fresh italian food, couldn't ask for more. They make most items from strach and you can even bring it home and make it yourself.
SERVICE: This place isn't an up scale place (the food would fool you that it was though) and you order and then they bring you your food - that's it. So service isn't an issue, they bring you your food, period. You have to get up for drinks - not a big deal this place is worth it.
I go to this place frequently and it never disappoints. I have been told that it's better to get 1 piece of piece than a whole one.
Decor = Below Average
Service = Below Average
Food = Average
Value = Average
I would rate this place a 3 stars, but I had a bad experience recently.
I asked for a box for my unfinished clam pasta with white wine and they gave me a cheap plastic with the flip lid (the sauce will leak because it is not sealed). I saw they have the nicer to-go box (that won't leak) and ask if I can one of those instead. They won't give that to me because it is for 'Take out' order only. I know those boxes cause a little more, but come on! How can you treat your dine-in customer like that! Cheap owner!
For those about to Rock, we salute.. This Spot. OK kinda weak. Can't really do justice to this sweet place anyway. Bathroom is so large you feel you are in a racquetball court (but oddly no echo)
Awesome bread and spicy cheese spread. I've never been thrilled by the pasta at this chain, but whenever I'm in a mood for carbs and cheese, their warm bread and delicious cheese spread always hit the spot. You can buy in a single order and get a decent portion of their bread with a small thing of spicy cheese spread ($1.95). Or you can buy a whole round of their bread and a separate plastic container of spicy cheese spread.
Bottom line: Not so hot about the pasta, but their bread and cheese spread are worth a visit.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
I came here for lunch once and tried the marinara sauce and the pesto sauce. They were both pretty bad, especially the pesto. The flavors were off and the whole dish had that just-been-microwaved quality. No matter how bad of a cook you are, you can make better pasta than this at home.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
If you want the basics and don't want to slog your way through a lot of fluff to get to them then this is your place. The basics of Italian food is what you'll get here and it's clear from the minute you come in the door. The bread and cheese spread were good, the food was decent and so were the portions. Good place to take the kids for dinner as they offer quite a bit of the fare the tots favor. Affordable. And there you have it, my basics on Pasta Market's basics!
Someplaces really should have 0 stars. I would have liked my money back. My food tasted rotten. I couldn't eat it. When I complained about it the employee told me, "We haven't had any complaints all day." There's the problem. They were serving something that had been around ALL DAY, obviously not at a safe temperature.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
I came here with a friend one time. I order angel hair in pesto. Yeah, pretty basic. The sauce is a little bit salty but it was hotly served and it tasted fine in a cold day. The garlic bread was great and it's a good companion with my pasta.
I might come back here again just to try other things because it is close by. :-)
The atmosphere was okie. They are a little dark inside. I am not sure there is any table service but I think we serve ourself at least with the drink. But they do clean up the table for us.
I work for a company that has Friday Free Lunch. We order from somewhere different every week. We wanted Italian on Friday so we ordered from this place through waiters on wheels. The food was GOOD. It was hot and fresh and there was so much food! We were, in all honesty, very impressed. I was a little worried after reading the reviews here on Yelp, but was pleasantly surprised.
So, a little about the food we ordered.
We got three of the family dinner specials. One had chicken parmigiana, another had raviolis/spaghetti, and the last one had eggplant parmigiana. They all came with a medium pizza, bread, and a garden salad. We all filled our plates and some even had seconds and thirds. There was plenty of food to go around and there were lots of leftovers, too. I took some pizza home for my kids to eat for dinner. They loved it.
All in all, for the price and quantity of food...it was FANTASTIC. We will definitely order from this place again in the future!!!
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
You want fast Italian food? You want one that is equivalent to Mr Chow's if you wanted Chinese, or Chef Boyardee if you wanted it out of a can...? Look no further because The Pasta Market is your top choice. I ordered the clam special thinking..."you can't mess up clams in their own broth, right?" WRONG. I think I got sick from this place..and I am still feeling the effects. Really, this is fast food...and anything with meat sauce tastes like Chef Boyardee, but you will only pay $.99 cents at food maxx for a can of the chef's meat ravioli. Skip it, and if you do go...just order the bread with cheesy spread-skip the garlic bread. In comparison to the Sunnyvale location, this place is comparable. The food is not going to be good, and it's not really going to matter which one you go to...
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
I always passed by this place and wanted to try it out since I really enjoy Italian food. I now know that I will never come back to this place. It is not worth the money. I had the Fettucini with clam sauce and my girlfriend had something that I cant find on their online menu. The sauce from my dish had no real taste and honestly I can make a much better white wine clam sauce. I also had an Italian Sausage which was rather large and came with some sorta of tomato sauce. The sausage was ok and the sauce was decent, however the sauce has the taste of a tin can which makes me wonder what they are doing on th back. The chicken from my GF dish tasted overcooked and the sauce was very runny.
As far as Italian restaurants go this is by far the worst I have ever been to. The only good thing about it was we got our food quick (a little too quick) and the garlic bread was very good. I would not recommend this place to anyone looking for a good meal. Pasta Pomodoro was close by and I would rather go there any day. As far as price goes it too expensive for what it is. I would rather go spend the same amount at Buca di Beppo and get twice as much food.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Today's lunch special is truly special. The pasta is accompanied by prawns, artichoke, broccoli, and tomato sauce. The prawns (probably cooked in butter) are jumbo sized. I took a bite and it melted my heart. So so good. Pros for the garlic bread and the breadsticks also. Especially the breadstick, which is supper tasty (brushed with butter).
Take away one star because the table cloth wasn't clean. Food was served fast, but you don't really get much service after that. More like self serve.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
This place isn't bad..... not great..
Basically, you order the pasta you want, with the topping you want... breadsticks or...the other thing I never order... and bing.. there you go.
get out of there at about $7-8 and call it a meal. Nothing fancy... not selling fancy either. probably as close to italian fast food as there is?
Great place to get fresh takeout pasta. Its not very pricey at all. Its also a good place if you want to sit and get a quick bite to eat. I LOOOOVE the breadsticks here and they have really really good calamari.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
Um... why there are 2 italian food places next door to each other, i dont know. I every once in a while will order a chicken ceasar salad from here and its been ok. The chicken doesnt have much flavor and they dont give u enough dressing for the salad. The breadsticks are good for not having much flavor either. They are close to work and fast so thats the only reason why I go here. Be prepared that the people that answer the phone dont speak good english.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
The breadsticks are great with the cheese they include, and the spicy mushroom sauce is the only sauce worth getting. But beware, they have ripped me off twice by overcharging since i generally call my order in and get it to go. "fool me once...." anyway, two stars for conciously ripping me off
foods good, not great. little pricey for what it is. service is... meh. atmosphere is lacking. lots of cops hang out here. I usually end up here as a last resort when I really just can`t decide what I want, and even then, i usually call in my order to go.
I love pasta market! I'm a regular. I'm a pasta fanatic, and this is like my heaven. The breadsticks are AMAZING :) My bf and I get the fusilli with half alfredo and half marinara, or the cheese tortellini. They are quick whether or not you eat in or take out, and the service is great. They do catering for the youth group I volunteer for, and the food is always delivered on time and is great. Pasta market is just down the street from the palo alto bowling alley, so I take my girls I babysit there a lot, and they love it. They beg me for it! Pasta market is also really inexpensive, and you still get a lot of good food. The atmosphere is kindof cliche, but it ads to the charm!
The food here is so tasteless that I'm surprised that they are still in business. Perhaps it's because they offer fresh pasta, but the accompanying sauce is really bad. I make a far superior marinara sauce! The only reason they got a one-star is because there was a function at my son's school and one of the parents ordered pasta from here and they actually delivered -- 2 huge trays of penne pasta with marinara sauce. Flavor was well.... WHAT flavor? Remember Florentines? They were the same! Lousy food and pretty expensive too. Guess what happened to them? Let's hope this place goes in the same direction sometime soon.
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
This is a to go place, you can get meals with an entree of pastas, lasagna to chicken parmiagiana, salad and cheese spread and a pizza dough bread for 2 people around $13-18. For the busy person, who doesn't want to cook and wants conveniency. I like the meat sauce better then the marinara. Not fancy but definately filling and reasonably priced.
I admit, I like the fluffy pizza dough bread with the spicy cheese spread. I can almost make a meal out of that!
this place kinda sucks. It was kinda on the high side for the lack of quality. I had a special premium meal (or whatever fancy name they call it,) which should have been called the over priced shitty meal. For starters, the salad was comprised of browning shredded carrots, a single tomatoe slice, and a bunch of brown lettuce. (I don't think it was supposed to be brown.) Okay, skip the salad, I am not a rabbit anyway. I prepare to eat my plate of tortellini-something-or another (tortellini in alfredo sauce and prosciutto,) ummmm, yeah, that wasn't prosciutto. It tasted and looked like little peices of american cold cut ham (maybe even oscar meyers.) And the alfredo sauce was bland at best. On the upside of the whole experience was the bread, and the special butter spread they make. Other than that I would pro'lly not recommend ever going to this place. (go to pasta?)
Bookmark Send to a Friend Link to This Review
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
A friend took me here who said it was fabulous. I guess I could see loving this place -- it's not too expensive, it's fast, and the meals are sort of hearty. I felt the marinara was pretty boring so I gave it my traditional dose of flavor-saving salt. My experience wasn't as terrible as the other reviewers, but it was nothing to get excited about either.
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
My Neighborhood
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,… -
Los Altos 94024, 94022
What do you get when you live in such an expensive…
Hot and New
- Satura Cakes
116 reviews
Los Altos, CA
- Kaygetsu
121 reviews
Menlo Park, CA
- Tina's Kusina
19 reviews
Mountain View, CA
- Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden
6 reviews
Palo Alto, CA
- Sushi Tomi
231 reviews
Mountain View, CA
