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"I've been living in Chicago for 6 years and Sapori is the one restaurant I keep returning to. It is the most authentic Italian food I've…" read more »
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I don't like the Northside and I avoid it for the most part--The Pasta Bowl is one of the only reasons I would go north of Roosevelt (Okay I'm exaggerating but it's kinda true).
There is nothing bad about Pasta Bowl. They have a good variety of delicious food and the service is very prompt and friendly. Try the fried ravioli ( I think that's what it's called) as an appetizer and I love all their salads, add chicken if you want. The salads are fresh and bountiful and not made with iceberg lettuce. The Pasta is really yummy and it totally hits the spot. They give you a very generous portion of everything. I could go on and on.
If you're hungry and you want a big, delicious salad or indulge in a big bowl of pasta I would highly recommend The Pasta Bowl. Did I mention it is totally affordable? You can have an amazing meal for two for under $25 dollars.
Mmmmm...Pasta Bowl
My favorite cheap Italian in the city. The only thing I miss about living in Lincoln Park is being within walking distance of The Pasta Bowl. Seriously, that's the only thing. Walking to dinner at The Pasta Bowl and a movie at Century on Clark. It was the perfect way to spend a night out.
The fried ravioli is my favorite appetizer (not available for delivery). I usually order the pesto pasta with chicken, but the "gnocci aurora" and alfredo have gotten some great reviews by friends. The wine list leaves a lot to be desired (read: it sucks, the wine tastes cheap, and I can't wait till someone does something about it).
There are so many reasons this is the ideal place to take a first date. One: The food is cheap, but it tastes like a more expensive Italian restaurant made it. Two: Sitting at the bar area watching the cooks work is fun for conversation. Three: There is a cupcake dessert place two doors down where you can sit on swings and feed each other mini cupcakes (gagging on the cutesy factor). Last and certainly most important: The Pasta Bowl and The Other Side Bar are the same building. Go through a doorway, and you're suddenly in a bar. Oops. You can have dinner, and depending on whether or not you like them, you can liquor your date up at the bar till 2am. All without leaving the restaurant.
Parking is a nightmare, and if I had to travel down from Lincoln Square now, I would probably take the brown line to Belmont and take the Clark bus all the way there.
Food's Good and cheap. That's rare for Italian in Chicago.
I never feel like it's dirty in there and will be going back again.
You know one of those places that you pass pretty often and never have the right timing to get a meal there. Then Finally one day you say nothing that I normally get, I need to try that one place! And its GREAT
This is that place
This place is what you kids like to say "Kinda a big deal"
really good food, the Farfella Pollo is amazing. Very reasonable pricing for an Italian restaurant. Very attentive waitstaff.
I have been going here now for a while and I always seem to get the same waiter, who always earns my highest tip allowance.
Go here you will not regret it
It was the weekend of my 21st birthday, and my girlfriend and I were entertaining a few of my friends from Iowa. The five of us were originally going to head to the Chicago Pizza Bowl & Grinder Co., but when faced with an hour-plus wait, we decided to hoof it down Clark st. until we found something. We bickered about each and every place we passed, and I made the decision that we should eat at the next place we find, no exceptions. Luckily, the next place happened to be The Pasta Bowl.
Most of the dishes on the menu seemed pretty simple, and I settled on penne with a bologinase sauce, and bruchetta to start. I was more than satisfied with my food, and my companions seemed to agree. They have a decent beer selection, and all things considered, it wasn't the worst place we could have stumbled in to. I'd go back if I found myself in the neighborhood again.
I used to work here.
Here's the deal:
1. The food is great.
That said...
2. The owners and managers both practice and condone blatant misogyny. One gal was offered money from an owner to show her breasts. One was liquored up and taken advantage of. None were ever promoted, almost all were eventually fired for no reason. A few of us had to contact the IL dept of labor to get our fair wages.
3. Pizza. From the floor to the box. Seen it.
4. A real, live, adult rat ran THROUGH the dining room one night. How is that NOT on here already!?!?!? Insane.
In conclusion, great pasta. But pasta is pasta, folks... and the neighborhood has many places with fabulous food. The employees are nice, but they're not seeing the money... your bucks go to these bastards. That's the truth.
admittedly, the staff is very friendly, the ambiance is kind of nice and the food is relatively cheap.
usually i can bring myself to account for that in a rating but sadly, the food is terrible. like, truly disgusting. i had the gnocchi. it tasted like a jenny craig dinner, or something that was cut open from a plastic bag and reheated. i literally felt ill for the rest of the evening. i mean, seriously guys? the name of this place is 'the pasta bowl'. chef boyardi can do better.
and does.
My favorite place to eat in Lincoln Park. I would eat here 4 times a week in college and now visit a couple times a year since graduating.
I'm Italian born and raised and pasta was a staple in our weekly menu. This is the best pasta beside homemade that I've found for $7 or less.
My favorite dish is the Gnocchi in Rosemary Gorgonzola cheese. YUMMY!! I also enjoy the cheese bread and bruschetta.
The food is good, for the price = cheap.
The service is blah... bunch of meatheads slinging the grub. Seriously... who's doing the hiring in this place? I've never seen so many guys serving in one location... even in the heart of Boystown. I think it's a bit sexist in there... either that or the owner is gay... which is totally fine but hire some women to level the playing field.
But I digress... as I will be eating here again. ;-)
This is a couple steps up from making pasta at home, and it's worth the price. They have about 20 pasta dishes (think some form of noodle and some sauce) and I've yet to have anything I didn't like (also some paninis I've never tried). The place has Chicago character and is cozy, even suitable for a casual date. Average meal and a drink will run you $15/person. Stop in for lunch and there are plenty of tables open, but at dinner time the best spots to sit are usually full. But it's a quick turnaround. Last time I had lunch here I was done in 18 minutes, perfect for the big city lifestyle. The service is very friendly and will forgive you for showing up in sweatpants.
I give them extra points for the meal portions, which are enough to fill a 190 lb. guy, but won't make you feel like you need to bring half of it home to feed the dog (a la Carmine's).
A couple bad selections is what's driving this ranking. The clams cappellini and tortellini with gorgonzola sauce are definitely avoidable menu items. Service was sub par and didn't get much attention even with the place half full. Garlic bread with cheese was good. Portions are good and prices decent. My friend swears the conchiglie gorgonzola and the farfella pollo are amazing dishes. I will give this place another chance but not too impressed this time.
The Pasta Bowl is an unexpected gem in Lincoln Park.
Unpretentious, welcoming, cheap and comforting food with great portions. All of the pastas I have tried have been really surprisingly good with fresh ingredients and a ton of flavor. They tend towards the heavier side (you can't go wrong with any cream sauce) but they do have tasty, healthy options.
This place doesn't have a ton of space inside, as it shares the store front with an attached bar but that just gives it a cozy feel. Its a grab a drink, a bowl of pasta and your friends kind of place.
The service is not always spot on but the food is. My only other compliant is that they are not open late enough!
This place really has a 4 star average? First of all this place is kinda dirty and run-down. And not in the "charming" hipster definition of the word. I'm used to eating in dives, but something struck me about this place and it stuck with me. Scratches and dents adorned the Pasta Bowl sign near the back of the restaurant. I know you are trying to keep prices down but, it didn't look that hard to fix. The bathroom had random posters for other (huh?) bars plastered over it. Bathroom advertising has struck me as tacky ( I do appreciate the reading material though) especially when they say things like FREE BEER and GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS. There was some weird brown liquid on the wall of the bathroom and its overall appearance seemed dirty. The water in the sink was ice cold (is that a health violation?) and didn't want to stay on.
Now onto the food. My boyfriend ordered the Rigatoni Bolognese and nothing was wrong with it. I tried it and it tasted good and I am not even a fan of Bolognese sauce. My meal did not fare the same. I ordered the B.V Pescare and was not overjoyed. The sauce was EXTREMELY watery. So watery in fact, that I have had better pasta sauce that my mom (who is by no means a chef) obtained directly from a jar of Ragu. The bay scallops were also watery and had a bit of grit in them. I am no expert in scallops but, they lacked any flavor whatsoever. Their menu stated the fact that the dish came with plum tomatoes but I could barely spot any.
My main beef with this place is the service. I do have to admit that our food came out quickly but, I am starting to wonder if our food wasn't given enough attention to begin with. After tasting my meal and having the obvious complaint about the watery sauce I waited for our server to ask us how our meal was going. This never happened. After trying to spot the waitress I noticed her eyes were glued at the basketball game on the tv. A-ha! So, that's where she was. She passed our table once to go by the staff area and did not say one thing to us.I had to stop her and ask where she was and she replied that "I was going to stop by but you were so far into your meal..." In fact, I was pretty much done with my meal at this point. Why eat a undesirable meal that you want returned? BECAUSE I'M STARVING AND FEELING SICK. I don't see what is the big deal with eating food that you want returned anyways when management is just going to throw food away. After I told the waitress how miserable the food was she came back and said that the best she could do for me was a free dessert. I asked to speak to the manager and he told me "Normally we don't comp pasta that has been eaten but, you said she never came back so I'll do that for you..." At least the manager had some sense.
All in all this place needs to clean up, repair things, hire new staff and turn down the loud non-Italian music so I can actually talk to the person sitting across from me.
I ordered from the Pasta Bowl $9 catering menu for a Christmas luncheon, so I can't speak for the dining in experience. For the most part, Pasta Bowl was great - it was very reasonably priced and all-inclusive, Jay was very flexible with the menu, the meal came with salad, bread and drinks, and the food arrived on time.
But based on the reviews, I was expecting larger portions. I doubt that the dining in portions translated to the catering portions per person. In fact, I was sweating for a while, wondering if we had enough food. We came a little short.
We ordered the farfalle pollo, and rigatoni bolognese, and despite the reviews, I actually liked the rigatoni better - it was a mouthful of creamy, meaty goodness. The caesar salad was very good too, with fresh parmesan.
But I'm sure dining in would be a different experience.
Silly me. Why did I ever give it only four stars??
Unexpected. Casual, fast, inexpensive Italian? Why didn't someone think of this sooner? The menu and… Read more »
This is one of my favorite neighborhood spots. It is a small building comprised mostly of an open kitchen where the food is prepared. What this places lacks in ambiance, it makes up for in great food at a good price and that is served quickly. If you values the actually taste of the food rather than the presentation and "show" attached with the dining experience, and The Pasta Bowl is for you.
Recommendation: The Rigatoni Bolognese.
This place where be forever remembered in my heart - You know when you're in that awkward stage with someone you're dating and sometimes you'll go a week within seeing each other? The guy (now boyfriend) that I had been dating for literally 3 weeks and myself went here for dinner during our awkward phase. It is a quaint little place.. (we chose this place instead of the Tin Lizzie for obvious reasons..smells like a vomit pit), very simple and it's attached to a great bar (from reviews that's I've read). The pasta selection was great. We had drinks, salads, and pasta and our bill came out to about $30... not bad. The service was outstanding.
Wow, what a great little place that I never paid attention to in my life....cute little place with great staff. I got the something with gorgonzola cheese...it was GREAT! Decent sized portions and super cheap for the quality. Plus they have wine! BONUS! And its cheap. I liked this little spot. I will be back to try out some stuff. Plus, I liked that they had a variety of salads to choose from. Most places have like two salads. Great little hidden spot
Why 5 stars? It's so good in all aspects that I got fat eating here. It's as simple as that. Maybe I should dock Pasta Bowl a star for that...
I just recently moved and this is one place I miss the most. It was our Sunday night staple - I would always order the cappelini pomodoro (sp?) with extra mozzarella along with the mixed green salad. I've tried to order similar entrees at other restaurants, but they all disappoint and don't hold a candle to Pasta Bowl!
They have great thin crust pizza and my husband loves their chicken farfalle. I've tried a few other things - but I always go back to my usual.
The staff is very friendly and their delivery is always served hot - even if it takes 45 mins from when you order. I would definitely bring any friends here that want a cheap lunch or dinner!!
The last time I was here was years ago!!! But I cant lie, I cant for real.....Ok I kid hehehehehe Yes I can!
But in all reality I have been getting cravings to go back to this little pasta place and have some of their creamy pasta.
Good stuff
and its not expensive either...well it wasnt back then anyway.
I will be back definitely!
great location too right on the corner of Fullerton and Clark.
Hipster infestation level: ZERO!!!!
My husband, father-in-law and I ate here last night, on a Tuesday. We had driven to the area for Emilio's, which was sadly closed, so we were left to hunt for a suitable replacement in the pouring rain. Enter Pasta Bowl.
This restaurant is tiny -- it probably seats less than 30 people, and to be honest, the table layout is awkward. There are a few two tops, some high four tops, and some squished booths. The restaurant shares the building and an ajoining door with The Other Side Bar, so the small space can be a bit noisy.
I thought the food was delicious. We had the Cranberry Gorgonzola salad, a goat cheese/marinara appetizer, seafood spaghetti, fettucini alfredo, and sausage ravioli. It was half price bottles of wine night :) My father in law doesn't each much Italian, but he still found the food to be approachable, which was nice. The bill was incredibly reasonable for American-Italian in the city.
As great as the food was, our server was better - really funny, there when we needed him and gone when we didn't. However, the rest of the staff leaves something to be desired. A rude and uninterested hostess and manager (who I only interacted with when asking where to sit) made me deduct one star.
I am basing this review entirely off of dining experiences that occured in 2004 to 2005. So things may have changed. But as far as I'm concerned, The Pasta Bowl is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. I think this is partially because this was my first grown up staying in Chicago dining experience that struck me as awesome. A few years ago, a friend of mine lived relatively close to the restaurant, and we stopped in for a meal. I'm an Italian food enthusiast and I was wholly satisfied by my meal. I came back for the caesar salad the next day. Whatever it was I ate, it was the dish with gorgonzola, I loved it. I had it a few times since then and it always took me back.
I highly recommend The Pasta Bowl, and I plan on returning.
Service: Quick and Friendly
Price: Cheap (2 people $35 w/ tip including appetizer, two dishes, and a dessert)
Atmosphere: Surprisingly nice. This is a great place to just go grab a quick bite to eat by yourself, a group of friends, or even for a casual date.
Food/Quality: Very good and filling/plentiful.
Ok... so everyone I know goes apeshit over the Pasta Bowl. So when Sarah B suggested we meet here while waiting for The Other Side (the adjoining bar) to open, I was game.
After living around the corner for 7+ years, this was the first time I had set foot in here... and sadly, probably the last.
While I waited for Sarah I ordered a beer from a disinterested server. I was going to cut him some slack as it was the tail end of the lunch rush, but... there was hardly anyone in there. In addition to a beer, I also ordered a cheese garlic bread appetizer to tide my growling stomach over.
The cheese garlic bread with marinara was perhaps the least flavorful thing ever. The sauce was very runny and the entire thing was the very definition of "meh."
But what put the final nail in the coffin wasn't the service or the meh food... it was me witnessing not one, but two sanitation issues.
If you're going to have an open kitchen, maybe teach your staff basic sanitation. While I appreciate you handling my food with gloves, the gloves are a moot point if I see you stick your finger in sauce, lick it off, then touch food. Gross!
Then while we were next door at the adjoining bar, The Other Side, one of the Pasta Bowl busboys was standing in the doorway that connects the two picking at a scab on his arm. Out in the open. In front of customers.
Did your stomach just turn? Mine did. Again.
It is with good reason Pasta Bowl rates their Farfalle Pollo as the customer favorite. It is as good as it is simple and straightforward.
This bowtie pasta comes with grilled chicken, sun dried and fresh tomatoes, mushrooms and basil in a tomato cream sauce. It's a dish that's probably been done at a million other Italian restaurants, but Pasta Bowl totally gets it right; near perfection.
Outside of that, a great spinach salad and Grilled Chicken sandwich too ...the chicken has an amazing wood grilled flavor to it.
I go to this place at LEAST once a week.. it is great. The spaghetti and meatballs are yummy, servers are always pleasant/friendly/attentive-but-not-overly so. Atmosphere is casual and I feel very comfortable here. Also the food is very reasonably priced..
Great food, good prices, good service, nice atmosphere...I'd definitely recommend the Past Bowl!
Came here for a late lunch with the BF and little sis and the place was pretty empty on a Sunday afternoon (the bar on the other side was packed with people watching a cubs game and a sox game). However, this meant that our entrees came out really quick!
We ordered the lunch special which was a pasta (chicken farfelle with plum tomatoes, peas with marinara sauce) plus either their soup of the day (spinach artichoke) or salad. We had the soup and it was pretty good but we used it more like a dip with the bread we got with the soup and our pasta entrees. The lunch special pasta was ok - actually there was nothing special about it.
We also ordered the angel hair pasta with clams, which I thought was pretty good. The flavor was very light which I was craving for today but typically I like things with a stronger flavor so I might not like it the next time i come. We also tried the mac and cheese which was also pretty good - it came with broccoli mixed in and toasted bread crumbs on top.
Overall I think the pasta is pretty good here but nothing too special. The portions are good and the prices are reasonable. They also have salads and sandwiches here so don't think its just pasta. The menu isn't too extensive though and I wish there was a create your own pasta option....
I'll be going back to pasta bowl randomly since theres not too many decently priced pasta places around the city but its not a place I would have a mad craving for.
I've been wanting to go here after reading about it on Yelp about a month ago, so I was thrilled when I was with a big group in Lincoln Park yesterday and someone suggested it.
There's not much seating, especially for groups, but they were very accommodating. The waiter led us back through the restaurant and into the space next door, a bar called The Other Side. I guess it's owned by the same people--they had a separate menu, but let us order off The Pasta Bowl's menu.
I had the Pesto Linguine and thought it was very good. It was a little heavy, but the restaurant just seems like a "heavy pasta" kind of place. A few people in the group got the Farfalle Pollo and gave it rave reviews.
Service was very fast and my meal was only $7.50. I'll definitely go back, especially with budget-minded friends.
Amazing food, Awesome service, Great prices!!!
I'll be going more frequently!!
I recommend splitting a dish if you can agree on the same thing with someone. The Caesar salad was great as well, and so was the baby green salad with goat cheese.
Yummy!!!!
This place is exactly what you would expect; cheap, fast, delicious Italian food. FYI - they have a daily lunch special ($7.00) for a large portion of pasta or sandwich and includes a drink (dine in or carry out.)
Fast Italian served with a smile. Check it out sometime.
This tiny little haven is one of my favorite places to eat in the city. They have amazing gnocchi! If you are looking for some really great pasta and a glass of wine without spending a lot, this is a great place to go.
Snob free zone, not a place for refined tastes and don't expect your server to fold your napkin for you whilst you retire to the latrine.
Anyways...
I really do enjoy this spot, good service and great food not too mention unbeatable prices. I've had the Farfalle Pollo, the Gnocchi Aurora, and what was basically the best Mac and Cheese I've ever had. Each dish has a good balance of veggies and meat (if it came with it) and just enough sauce.
And if you like mushroom, I hear the Portabella sandwich is exceptional.
Do yourself a favor and go there.
I've passed this place maybe 50 times, the sign and outside always make it look like a dump. But a friend suggested it and wow am I glad I went. Its nothing special in terms of decor or ambiance, its pretty simple but maybe thats why youre not expecting much.
I got the gnocchi aurora which was just a celebration of flavors. Its absolutely divine with a load of cheesiness. We got the baked ravioli to start off which was also delicious. Altogether the meal was like 20 dollars for a huge amount of food.
I will definitely be coming back to this great restaurant, i can't afford not to.
The food is AWESOME! I have had almost everything on the menu since I moved in this area and everything has blown me away. I would recommend Linguine Pesto / Conchigli Gorgonzola / Lobster Ravioli. The service is always excellent, this place is great!
I'm not sure if it was the pre-sweets-a-plenty that overshadowed my meal, or if perhaps the pasta here just leaves a bit to be desired but I can't really say I was bowled over by my dishes at The Pasta Bowl.
You see, I came here following the Yelp Elite Noble Tree event where the powers that be were literally force feeding us (yeah, twist my arm why don't ya) the best treats that some of Chicago's finest bakers have to offer. It's nice being pandered to in the way I'm accustomed after all, but those bountiful bites of cheesecake, turnovers and pies really spoiled me in a way that even pasta with melty cheese and hearty marinara couldn't hold a candle to.
Sampling both the rigatoni bolognese and farfalle pollo left me nothing but underwhelmed. I adore me some pasta, but I rarely indulge in it, so when I make room in my skinny jeans for an avalanche of cream, 'shrooms, meat and carbs, I need it to be worthy. Lumpy skinny jeans are not hawt!! Both pasta dishes were generous and definitely scratched the itch that my sweet tooth couldn't reach, but wouldn't have me rushing back for seconds soon. I make a mean penne puttanesca that would put these turkeys to shame *and* can be eaten in the privacy of my own home in stretchy pants. Bonus.
Quick Tip: If you are going to dine here, you may want to sit next door... they serve the full Pasta Bowl menu at the adjacent Other Side Bar which expands your menu options by double when you combine it with their bar fare offerings. You know you've always wanted to try dunking cheese curds in your gnocchi sauce anyway, so go for it.
Needed a QUICK lunch before an event down the street. Something that carried well, was fast, and I could eat standing up with no utensils.
The Caprese panini saved the day! Had I not eaten it, I surely would've gone into a diabetic coma from consuming copious desserts and sweet alkie drinks at the party.
And then....
It was so good (and close) that in fact, we all went back for dinner (you can order from Pasta Bowl while seated at Other Side Bar). This time 'round I had the Cesear salad with chicken, but snagged more than a few bites of Amanda C's gorgeous Mac 'n Cheese with broccoli. Probably my most fav combo ever, I was sort of glad I didn't catch that on the menu, as I would've been in total carb pain for the rest of the night. Not to worry, the 5 MIller Lites took care of that, anyway....
Great service, hot 'n fast food, filling, and tasty. A great option. Lunch or dinner, or...both in the same day! :)
Ugh, my early reviews, so short and uninspired. A recent visit to the PB begs for an update!
I have been coming here for several years now, back when I could walk here (it was a long walk, but I did it many times over...I figured I could burn some of the carbs consumed on the walk home.)
The pasta never disappoints. Always hot, prepared fresh, with a fantastic special. I love it. I go in waves as to what I enjoy...first it was the cappellini pomodoro (with lovely chunks of mozzarella), then I added shrimp to that (yum!), then I started going with some pesto sauce...and now I'm onto the macaroni and cheese. Simple, delicious, and carb-heaven.
Cheap, quick, and oh-so-yummy, this place never disappoints. Now, if the 22 bus could start cooperating with me...
This is one of my favorite places to eat! The pasta (and sauces) are made fresh, fast, and very… Read more »
I like this place. It's very charming and cozy. You can sit at the bar and watch the cooks make the pasta, or you can sit at the other high top tables. The food is very reasonably priced, so if you're looking for a casual but not slumming it meal in Lincoln Park, The Pasta Bowl is a good pick. I love their capellini pomodoro-- angel hair pasta, marinara, lots of fresh basil, and chunks of melty mozzerella. Mmmm. So simple, so good. Sometimes I add in meatballs, which are well-seasoned and filling. I also recommend their soups, particularly the potato. I've tried several of their pastas with cream sauces and I just can't do it. I am a comfort and rich food fiend, but it's just too much. So I'll stick with my cappelini pomodoro and potato soup. :)
My roommate first introduced me to this place when we moved to LP. We were a little broke, but this place did not break the bank, even with a bottle of wine- that may have been cheap but definitely did not taste that way.
I had the tortellini with alfredo sauce and it was great. Im really picky about my alfredo sauce, but they seemed to have it down! If you're looking for a place that's not too epensive but doesn't show- you must try them!
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