Pasta Beach

So I used to go here once every few months and the food was amazing, closest thing at the time in Boston to get authentic Italian food, as the chef/​owner was from Bologna and made everything the way he would back home. I hadn’t been back in about a year or so until I had gone to the Newport location a few months back and had a horrible experience, so when a friend and his wife asked about getting dinner here with my wife and I I was a bit hesitant but decided to give the Boston location a shot since maybe the Newport location was just different overall from Boston.
Well I was mistaken, when we arrived they had already ordered an appetizer that when I looked at it screamed run away! Instead I felt bad to suggest we leave and we stayed, a decision we all regretted by the end of the meal. Funny enough I can basically copy and paste (and will) my recent review of the Newport location as it was Identical, except the chicken was cooked fine and the arugula was not yellowed, but all the food lacked taste or was way over salted, the pasta itself was plastic textured garbage and the server knew nothing. As well the chef couldn’t give a rats ass about the customer because instead of coming out to speak to the customer in a restaurant with a whole 4 tables of people in it, he simply told the server to say «No, They won’t do that», when I asked if there was any way to order the veal cutlet which I loved to get there for so long. so to save myself from writing the same review twice here is an excerpt from my Newport review.
«The Server didn’t seem to know anything about the food she was serving, and had to double check with the chef when i asked about the menu or food. We usually would order the Veal Milanese which was a large Veal cutlet fried perfectly with arugula and cherry tomatoes and a wedge of lemon, this dish transported me back to my youth eating at my uncles restaurant in Gaeta, Italy every time I had it as it was made just perfectly as he used to make it, such a simple dish but the key was the ingredients and preparation. As well we would typically each order a pasta dish, usually their carbonara or bolognese but my favorite was the tagliatelle di funghi which was a delicious garlicky mushroom cream sauce over freshly made pasta that was cooked perfectly al dente.
The food comes out and the portions were much smaller and lacking any quality: The bolognese was very salty and had barely any flavor as well the pasta tasted as if it had been par cooked and then sitting in olive oil as it had a plastic like texture, Same thing with the Funghi Tagliatelle I ordered, gone was the fresh cooked pasta and garlicky mushroom cream sauce and instead bland tasteless cream sauce that had a few mushrooms but no flavor. Last up was out Chicken Milanese, nothing special here and flavorless.
All in all a miserable meal and something the owners/​chef should be ashamed to have served! «
Sadly I think the owners changed or just don’t have the same gusto for their restaurant.
Also the Host at the door was a royal jackass, standing by the exit sitting half on a table watching whatever game was on TV and made some wise ass comment on our way out, I was so aggravated with the meal that I didn’t even bother to confront him or ask for the manager and just left.

I’ve eaten dinner here three times. Each time, the food has been tasty and good value. It has a nice quiet atmosphere and plenty of seating. I’ve stuck with the soup and pasta, but a colleague had the pizza and we attest that it was all good. Wines are decent and also inexpensive. All in all, a real gem if you’re in search of actual Italian food.

Waited 5 minutes to get asked if we wanted a seat at 830 when the restaurant is empty and fully staffed. Sat at the bar to be blessed with lack of any music and the tune of the wait staff cleaning and putting away glasses and flatwear.
Not to mention the manager staring me and my partner down as we waited. Finally got our order of French fries (which were sold as shoestring fries only to come out as waffle cut chip due to laziness from kitchen staff. Fries were not soaked before first fry and were extremely hard. Asked the wait staff of these were how they were suppose to be prepared to be told yep the French fries are not what the menu says and are whatever the kitchen staff throws out. The buffala was a miss-​sell which is just a cheaper store bought mozzarella. All in all was kinda a crap experience when should had been a walk in the park for them. Oh and offering me a glass with a beer the glass should be chilled not warmed from the washer, equating the beer I had to warm piss. Just lovely. Way over priced for everything. Could had gone to stop and shop where they bought the food from and had a better night at home. Overpriced and not worth the hype. Don’t waste ur money. It is presented as upscale dining and it that’s not the case at all. And a note to the management or owner who is going to contact me, I am a you get one shot at impressing me type of person and I will never go here again and will not allow anyone I know to do the same. Please don’t try to contact me begging for forgiveness. Bar tender was okay, but should be at a local college bar more than a nice establishment. If there were a 0 star I would had given to them.

A group of 5 of us came in for dinner on Saturday, Nov. 14. It was the only Italian restaurant that could accommodate us on a Saturday night. We made a reservation for (I think) 7:30 and when we arrived, there were only a few diners in the restaurant. It seemed oddly empty for a Saturday night.
Fast forward — we ordered and a few in our party asked for chicken to be added to their dishes and the waiter refused, saying «we don’t do that here». Huh? You can add chicken to a salad. You have chicken on your menu. But you won’t accommodate a customer’s (not so odd) request? The waiter was short about it and that turned many of us off immediately. I’m assuming this is a direct order from the kitchen, which makes me not want to return.
Anyway — I ordered the Pasta Bolognese, which was good. I’m used to dining at quality italian restaurants, and this portion was abnormally small for the price charged. Usually, if the portions are small, the price is adjusted accordingly. The waiter also never asked us if we wanted an additional drink once we finished our first, and it was difficult to get him to notice us. Twice, we had to ask other servers to accommodate our needs — and we were far from a needy group.
I’m not sure how the pizza is, but a friend in our group ordered a calzone. It was large however looked soggy and unappealing. He said it was «okay».
All in all, the food was average for an upscale italian restaurant. I probably won’t return when I’m in town next.

Atmosphere is awesome. Food is such so so. Was hoping for some killer pasta, but turns out it’s bought pre-​made; it made on site. So that’s the first knock. I always try out the spaghetti at an «Italian» restaurant first to check out quality and it was a C+. Insalata mista was a bowl full of spinach leaves and a couple of cut up tomato slices. Not elegant or small (or pre-​tossed) like I expected. I’m bummed because it looks so inviting from the outside and I really like the atmosphere. Maybe I’ll order the pizza next time…

Wonderful morning brunch on Sunday prepared eggs and toast in a way that was different and delicious. I’ll come back again.

OMG. I was so in the mood for Spaghetti carbonara and the mixed meats and cheeses.
As I sat and waited for my food I noticed a cook eating while he was prepping something. Mind you I didn’t know what he was prepping, just found it strange that he was eating while doing it. Then I saw him take another bite of food and he put his three fingers in his mouth touching tongue and lips. Then he placed the food he was working on the counter, here it is. It was my food the meat and cheese platter. Better yet he then arranged the cheese one last time before it was brought to me. With the same hand he had in his mouth. Then the gentlemen that was working the register picked my plate up and attempted to bring it over to me and I said to him if you think I’m going to eat that after he used his fingers that were in his mouth while he sampled food while he made it your crazy. Then we left. The moral to the story is the food may or may not be good here but it will be served with salvia. The gentleman that was bringing my food to me. Granted he did not see it happen but I did see it with my own eyes.

My girlfriend and I have gone to Pasta Beach many times.
We LOVE it here. The food is delicious, the staff are very friendly and the restaurant has a great vibe.
I would definitely recommend Pasta Beach!

Oh for goodness’ sake. What a find! What a find! Here we were, staying at the Boston Harbor Hotel moseying down the street looking for some good seafood outside the hotel when we passed by this charming little Italian restaurant. We couldn’t resist. And such a fine choice it was, from the wonderful fresh bread served with olive oil to the tasty Caprese salad to the perfect tagliatelle dinner special with pasta al dente, white wine, tomato sauce, shrimp and delicate seasoning. My wife had the lobster and crab ravioli with ingredients so fresh we (yes, I had a few) could taste the seafood within, a rarity for a dish of this sort but prepared here with noticeably exquisite care. I recommend this fine restaurant to all.

We tried several dishes… to be honest it was kinda gross. The gnocchi was overcooked. The toppings on the pizza were not fresh. The desserts were super lame. The service was okay I guess… Don’t even bother…

Is the slogan here «the customer is always wrong?»
We walked in for a family meal and right away it started off bad. We got waters after 5 minutes then we didn’t see a waiter for quite some time. We ordered an app and asked for more bread.
We were only given bread and water for about 15 minutes. I thought I was in jail. We had to ask the waiter if we could order another drink. Which to me is something that should be asked.
Fast forward to ordering our food. I saw a pasta dish I usually get at other restaurants, so I thought let me try it here. I wanted the penne arrabbiata. This dish did not come with chicken but most places have no issue adding chicken to a dish, as it is very easy. Well that is where I was wrong. I asked 3 times and the waiter said no every time with no explanation. After ordering the waiter came over and said that unable to add chicken to the dish because that’s not how they do it in Italy. Seemed a bit crazy to me as I could understand if they don’t want to list their menu with chicken and pasta mixed. But when I customer asks for it they should be able to do it with out a fight
I had to add the chicken myself.
My mother ordered Salmon and sent it back due to the outside being charred. When the waiter brought it back to the chef. The chef began to yell «that’s cooked perfectly» which I found rather rude.
2 issues we had and I’m not sure there was even a manager there. We never got any sort of apology.
I would stay away from this place. Bring your own pasta to an actual beach is my suggestion.

Pasta Beach in Boston was absolutely superb. I heard about their location in Newport and finally got to try them while visiting the city. Our server was excellent he’s straight from Italy. He recommended some great entrees and accommodated my dairy allergy. My partner and I shared some salumi with a nice salad. I enjoyed the Tagliatelle with Funghi it was awesome, not as good as Bacaro, my partner had the pesto gnoccis and loved them! Portions are great!

We tried this place again yesterday and it was beyond perfect. It was a 90 degree Saturday afternoon and everyone was requesting to sit outside. We decided to sit inside at the empty bar and it was a great choice. We were immediately greeted by Brian and ordered our drinks. We ordered the salad, and a pizza. We asked if we could get a smaller order of pasta and he gave us a kids size which was huge. The food was amazing and this became #1 pizza in my book. We then ordered espresso martins before leaving and they were delicious. The staff was always moving fast and taking care of the customers and the busy phone. We are glad we came back and gave it another chance.

I’ve been to Pasta Beach many times and finally have gotten around to reviewing it!
I usually come here with a few girlfriends after work and we share everything. They have a great variety of wines by the glass and a full bar, so there is something for everyone.
The staff here is so friendly and attentive, our servers are always very pleasant and fun to talk to. The entire kitchen staff is from Italy so their cooking is very authentic and fresh. We were laughing when our waitress this time told us that she can’t understand what the cooks are saying (as they are speaking purely Italian) and she points to a lot of things.
The food here is amazing, everything I’ve eaten here is great and never goes to waste. Our table always starts with the Gnocchi al Pesto to share. The gnocchi comes in a huge portion that can easily serve four people. The pesto sauce is excellent, make sure you ask for the Parmesan cheese! For our main meals we always order the pizza, the pizza here is great. The crust is very thin and chewy and can easily be shared between one or two people. My favorite pizzas have to be: Margherita, Funghi and the Quattro Formaggi.
I really enjoy pasta beach because their prices are very reasonable and there food is very good. Parking is tough (see tips below) but there are options. The space and layout is very inviting, but some seating can be very close together. They also offer outside seating when the weather is nice, which is great for people watching!
Tips:
–Parking is super super expensive in the garage below, even with validation it is about $ 28+ for only an hour or two of parking. If you can walk, park in the Parcel 7 parking lot which is about a .5 mile walk. Honestly it isn’t a bad walk and once you get it validated it will only cost you $ 1 – 3 which is a steal!
–If you arrive early on a weekday (around 4/​430pm) you can get parking right outside Pasta Beach at the meters.

I live next door, and have come here three times in three years. The food is a consistent B/​B-​, and the service is an even more consistent F. Just awful.
In my most recent visit, we sat outside, ordered, and didn’t see our waitress for FORTY MINUTES. My girlfriends soup didn’t come with a spoon, so she ate it with a fork. One of the waiters was outside on his cell phone for 20 mins while the couple next to us tried to get his attention. We never got the appetizers we ordered, and I was forced to give the first tip of my life less than 15%.
This is not just a anger-​induced review — again, it’s OK (overpriced) food, and easily the worst service in Boston.

+downstairs from my office
+pizza fresca
+all the pizzas are pretty good actually
+sangria
+makes the interns happy
–wine adds up
–bartender 40% too chatty
–sandwiches & salads oily, somehow
–have to split the bill with coworkers since promotion

My restaurant group went to Pasta Beach on at March Friday night.
RATINGS
Food 3.5
Service 4
Décor 3.5
Overall 3.5
CAPSULE REVIEW
Diner’s enjoyed their food, but found the appetizers a little bit pricey compared to the cost of the mains. The gnocchi was received as really good as long as you ate it within 5 minutes. The wine list was a big hit, though the cocktails seemed hit or miss. The service was very good considering the size of our group. Water never went for wanting, we were seated promptly, the host/​waiters were very attentive. Décor received mixed scores, some feeling it was intimate and cozy, while others complained it was cramped and dark. The one thing that was agreed upon, the chairs were too small for our party.
DINER COMMENTS
I had the quattro formaggi pizza and a glass of malbec. I thought the size of the pizza was good for one person, though if I had gone with an appetizer I would not have been able to finish. The malbec was very malbec-​ey, you know just the right amount (I know nothing about wine). The service struggled at times, even taking into account we were a large group. It shouldnt take a couple of minutes to get fresh pepper. I like the décor, at pasta beach, i’m calling it upscale beach (breezy seaide elegance?)
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I really like Pasta Beach. The atmosphere is elegant but not stuff or too try-​hard. I loved my negroni and the bread with bespoke dipping oil (parmesan/​oil/​balsamic/​crushed red pepper). I wish more Italian restaurants would encourage me to play with my food like this. The restaurant was a little too dimly lit but I suppose you can’t have a romantic atmosphere with the lights blaring. I went straight for the classic — tagliatelle with bolognese sauce — which delivered as promised. I didn’t try an appetizer or dessert but would definitely try to save room for these on a future visit.
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An excellent choice after this February. The wine list was good with some terrific options though not great values. I had a Gavi that was superb despite being served colder than the month we just had. The pasta fagioli was a cup of white bean paste and flaccid noodles. Had I known the enormity of the gnocchi quattro formaggi, I’d have skipped the soup in favor of a second glass of wine. The pasta was like playing a game of beat the clock, the longer you eventually turning into a half a plate of concrete. The first five minutes was delicious but I couldn’t make it through the second half of the dish. I thought the service was excellent especially host. The décor is attractive, a little bit dark, and the seating needs to be more comfortable… what’s up with those pillows?
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Eggplant/​mozzarella stack app was tiny, tasty but over salted and overpriced. Main of pappardelle with boat ragout was good sized, delicious and well priced — so the pricing is schizophrenic. It was too dark, crowded and the chairs were u comfortable — it seemed like a temporary space being used while the renovated the real restaurant. Service was not memorable so it must have been good
I liked my pasta course but overall I was a bit underwhelmed
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My French 75 cocktail was ok, but a tad too sweet and I couldn’t finish it. I didn’t find the drink menu to have anything to write home about and I pretty much picked the 1 drink that moderately interested me. My caprese salad was good — fresh, flavorful and plentiful. My pasta was ok, but again — nothing to write home about and I wasn’t impressed. The layout of the venue was obnoxious — cramped and confined. It was ridiculous how they crammed our party at 2 small tables. The service was professional and proficient, but the server always seemed rushed. The so-​called «validated» parking they offered was a complete crock because I was still charged full price upon exiting the garage.
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Echoing another diner — the eggplant app was delicious but the cost was on par with a main and it was tiny. Worth ordering again but my sense is that the portion size doesn’t reflect the price. The quatro formaggio gnocchi was delicious and the price was right but it did start to stick to my mouth towards the end. I’d probably go with a more diverse choice the next time around but that gnocchi was light and fluffy. As far as service, I thought our server was very attentive — making sure we were situated while we waiting for the rest of the group to arrive and circling back regularly to refresh drinks and/​or bread. Meals and apps were well-​timed, which is always something I’m appreciative of in a large group.
Décor was tasteful, but seats were uncomfortable and cramped. I got the sense that PB wants to feel like a more intimate setting than it is. I’d probably come back but not in a large group.

Life’s a lukewarm beach at this wharfside spot.
The 9 of us shared a bunch of stuff. 3 salads, 2 pastas, 3 pizzas. The portions are large and I definitely recommend splitting. We were hungry during this lunch outing, so the table bread with dipping oil was a nice immediate remedy, and our salads came out rapidly, although they did not offer much excitement or variety The napoleatana with (very little) eggplant, tomato, and mozzarella was too similar to the caprese, and overall there were too many undressed greens under the toppings compared to the good stuff.
Next up came the pastas and pizzas. In terms of the pasta dishes, we ordered the frutti de mari and the volare which both had shellfish, which can be a bit messy to eat when trying to remove many tiny clams from their shells (thanks goodness for the wetnaps thrown on the table). Both the red and white whine sauces were good, but the pasta itself was a bit underdone and tough. I found myself still needing to add red pepper flakes and Parmesan to highlight the flavors.
The brick oven in the back promises crispy pies, but the prosciutto, margherita, and fungi pizzas we received were just alright. The thick tomato sauce made the thin crust soggy, so the topics just slid off, making utensils very necessary. The crust also didn’t have much of a flavor, so I found that the toppings tasted pretty much the same without it underneath.
The best part of the meal was dessert. In true Italian fashion, we ordered comforting capuccinos, deliciously creamy tiramisus, and a lemony crème brûlée. The service was spotty here, as some lattes were forgotten and delayed.
Overall, a decent, Italian midday meal for a group in a nice location. Just beachy.

I get the concept — pasta beach, Miami beach — Palm trees, wicker and classy music, but everything but the décor left something to be desired
The service: our server never greeted us, after a few minutes I flagged her down, and she said, «oh, did you want to put in a drink order?» Almost like she was surprised. Every time we needed something we needed to stare her down and she also never checked in to see how the food was.
The food: with pasta in the name, I expected the pasta to be fresh, it was not. Spaghetti with fruitti de mar had dry, fishy mussels, minuscule clams, and about 3 shrimp. The carbonara was reported to be bland. The only thing that looked great was the pizza. The meringue dessert is a strip of whipped cream, some sliced strawberries and 4 small meringues, and was very uninspired.
Overall a disappointing dinner with lackluster food and service.

Food was amazing, prices were great and our server, Michelle, was the best you could ever hope for.
We dropped in for lunch after deciding not to pay $ 18 + tax for a lobster roll just down the street. Best decision we ever made!
We had pizza and a gondola sandwich washed down with some wine and a few desserts. Couldn’t fault the place in anyway at all. Definitely worth dropping in and ask for Michelle!