Pastaria

Good food marred by poor service. Ordering a cold sandwich out of a counter window with no line should not be a five-​minute endeavor, especially not after you make eye contact with an employee who goes back to doing something other than giving me food I’m trying to pay for.

I am constantly trying Italian food that seems so good in my mind, but almost none of it meets my high expectations. This place however comes pretty close!
My friends are always rolling their eyes when I order a lasagna anywhere because they already know I’ll hate it, but I actually really liked the three cheese I had here! I typically enjoy ricotta that has more egg and herbs in it than this ricotta did, but I still really liked it! It had a SUPER super creamy texture which isn’t necessarily my ideal, but so much better than most places get it. Their tomato sauce is just the slightest little bit spicy, but so good. I also had the tiramisu which was surprisingly good – it’s another one of those things for me that I constantly order and am constantly disappointed by, so I was happy to find a more than passable tiramisu here.
The line was super long, the market crazy busy, and the people behind the counter definitely seemed a little frazzled and unorganized, but they were super nice. There was a lot of little stuff that frankly didn’t bother me specifically, but little hiccups. For example, I ordered the 3-​cheese lasagna, was told they were out, and ordered a sugo luso one instead. By the time the food was coming out ready, it turned out that accidentally made someone a 3-​cheese, and the people after me were hoping for sugo luso, so they asked if I was interested in the 3-​cheese, which of course I was, so it was fine, but even in just the time I was standing there there were quite a few of these little issues. They were happy to fix them, but it just seemed like they hit a snag at some point in the day and could never quite recover.
But really, for just a kiosk in a market place, this was fantastic Italian food. If you’re picky and snobby about Italian, give it a shot – you might be pleasantly surprised!

Their pasta is never bloated or undercooked, their red sauces are fresh and delicious, and I absolutely love their pesto, which is loaded with pine nuts, garlic, and real basil. One of my most-​favored eats in the North Market.
However, today was the third time they forgot to add the protein I’d ordered and paid for.
Manned with a staff of two, there must be a disconnect between the scattered person taking orders and the one in back, cooking. Either the cook is not receiving sufficient or sufficiently clear info on how to make the order, or is not paying attention. The one running the register completes the meals with bread, etc. but never checks nor confirms that they match the order she herself took before handing them over to whichever random person is standing closest to the pick-​up counter, often leading to mix ups customers must sort out as if they were trading lunches like playing cards.
It’s very off-​putting to open your much-​anticipated food and discover it without the meatballs you wanted and were charged for. And then without chicken the next time you decide to give them another chance.
For it then to happen a third time inclines me to swear them off, despite the pesto.
Always open and check your food before walking away. Always. Or buy the sauces alone and make pasta at home.

Just OK service, she seemed tired and out of it. She was not rude or anything.
Food was just OK for me. Seafood with white sauce, nothing was great about it. Teeny shrimp and teeny scallop. Pasta was NO al dente.
Great bread! Great location.

Holy Ravioli! they were slow so they cooked our ravioli for us. i had the lobster with arrabbiata and both were amazing. i love spicy food and this sauce definitely had a kick. we loved this place and they were super nice to fix our ravioli for us.

At the North Market I was drawn to their sandwich display. It was beautiful and they all looked so good. I was planning on going to Katzingers but decided I didn’t want to take out a loan for a sandwich. Now I wish I would have.
I got the Grilled Italian Club for 7.99. It looked bigger in the case. I also expected it to be grilled, warm and crispy on the outside. They didn’t lie, it had been grilled. But I winced when I saw them put it in the microwave. Cue sogginess.
To be fair it probably would have been pretty good had it been re grilled as a heating process. But, the fact remains that they microwaved it. It tasted like a leftover sandwich from the night before that you microwaved for lunch at work.
Buyer’s remorse.

I ordered the monte cristo sandwich which looked very good at the time. The lady helping me got the sandwich and then put it in the microwave and when I got my sandwich it was so soggy it fell apart and the sandwich was burning hot on the top and ice cold on the bottom and overpriced for the quality overall. I hope to see this place take some pride in there food like all the other vendors at the north market or maybe prepare there sandwiches in a different manner maybe fresh.

Had the pesto pasta. As a pesto lover, I couldn’t resist. I’m picky about pesto as the store bought kinds are too watery and don’t taste authentic. I have to say, this pesto knocked it out of the park on the taste!

This place would get a 5 star review if it weren’t for the lady that works there screwing up my order… every. Single. Time! The salmon pasta is amazing a full of flavor. It was the first thing I got there. I was excited to eat it. I stated to grab forks and the lady said I already put them in the bag. I get out to my car ready to dig in and no forks.
Second time, my husband and I both ordered the salmon pasta and I got spaghetti and meatballs for my toddler. I get to the car and see she gave me 3 salmon pastas and no spaghetti and meatballs. Plus she is just very rude.
The food is excellent. I would take it over Olive Garden any day. The pasta even tastes flavorful versus just plain pasta with a good sauce on top.

Best place to eat in North Market. The staff is always helpful and friendly. The tomato sauce is killer, so good and full of flavor.

I’ve been going here on and off for years.
It’s not a bad stop off in the North Market if you like Italian food.
Granted, it’s not the best in the city, by far. But it’s good for what it is, which is basically fast food Italian style.
I’ve had a few different dishes, as has my wife, and they’re all fairly good. Nothing is full of ‘wow’, but they’ve not been terrible ever.
The soft bread with the killer garlic butter is amazing, and it’s almost sad that I look forward to that more often then the pasta sometimes.
I’ve had a few visits where the penne was overcooked, and gotten to that soggy cardboard state. Thankfully those have been rare.
It’s also one of the few places I can get a good penne putanesca that really has some heat, but depth as well. not just heat for heat’s sake.
I think the biggest reason though why I gave it three stars and not four is because the prices recently went up a couple of dollars, but I’d have to say the most recent time I was there (just last weekend) the food was really just kind of average.
I always hope with a price increase that the food will be better, of not at least the same, but I was a little underwhealmed to be truthful. I’m sure I’ll give them another chance, but little things like that can draw one away, especially in the Market, where there are so many other choices in close reach.

i go here every other week for the three cheese lasagna… so yummy. but the service is getting really questionable. got a bad vibe a few weeks ago when an older man treated me like i’m a child despite making nice friendly conversation with everyone else. just now a younger woman put my order together with the 12 year old girl behind me because it looked like we were together apparently… «really? you guys aren’t together? no way that’s so weird!» good food but please stop making assumptions.

Pastaria Secondi (the section with the fresh ravioli!) has been my go-​to for dinner-​parties-​in-​a-​pinch for years and years. Even when I’m not buying pasta, I *love* to swoon at the case.
Most of the time that I’ve stopped here, I’ve had amazingly friendly service with a fantastic product. The service aspect is especially fantastic because I usually want a little guidance — how much should I buy for my group? What sauces to you recommend to compliment? Usually they’ve gone above and beyond with helpful answers.
Everything from plain cheese tortellini to gorgeous, colorful, ribboned lobster ravioli. I don’t often plan on having pasta, and not typically for a dinner party… but when I’m not making it fresh myself, I’m seizing the opportunity to buy from Pastaria.
However — if I were writing this review based solely on my last experience, it’d be more of a two-​star experience. I’m going with the 3 stars today, knowing that my previous experiences have been 4 or 5 star experience. I definitely wanted to highlight the typical positives upfront. Not sure if it’s gone downhill or what, but I’ll come back and hopefully bump up my review. Here’s why I’m concerned, based on my last visit:
— Weird service. Not the typical helpfulness. I walked up to the counter and at least three employees looked at me without a greeting or offer to help. Was just about to walk away, when I finally got some assistance, which was flat and minimal at best.
— I asked how much of a certain ravioli would be good for 2 people as a side. She suggested 4 — 5 pieces each (this particular type was huge). That seemed a bit large, but I went ahead with it. When I opened my package at home, there were 13 pieces in there, which is not what she recommended nor what I thought I was getting. Considering the bill was over $ 13, I should have been aware. $ 13 for a side dish for two. I know ravioli is a labor of love to make, and I’m willing to pay for that. But, I was a little bummed to be over-​portioned and therefore over-​charged.
— Also when I got the ravioli home, quite a few of them were broken. I know they’re delicate, but still.
— I got the applewood bacon and spinach ravioli. I could not taste (or see) the bacon at all. It seemed mostly like ricotta and spinach. They sure were pretty, though (the unbroken ones, at least) with gorgeous and vibrant stripes of green and red in the dough wrapper.
Anyway, hope they were just having an off day, because I think this is one of the highlights of the North Market!

I picked Pastaria for lunch today, out of the many options North Market offers, and I’m very glad I did! I brought my 2 year old son with me and he is very picky. When I ordered my bowtie pasta with shitaki and sundried tomato cream sauce, I asked for a few noodles on the side with no sauce for my son. When we got our food, I saw that they included a small container full of pasta for my son and an extra chunk of bread for him as well! As many of you with kids know, it isn’t every business that is willing to cater to children. So, that was awesome and so was my food! Bravo Pastaria! You made my lunch :).

There are two Pastaria’s inside The North Market. The first is a favorite lunch spot with counters to enjoy your food right there. The meat lasagna (a cheese lasagna with a meat sauce) and the bowtie pasta with arrabiatta sauce are my two favorites.
Pastaria Seconda is where I go for pasta sauce and ravioli. The sauces taste good and the ravioli is pretty.

Since the last time I was here someone mentioned that they had good beet salad. And they do! I had a small dish of it on Saturday. So now I know!

This wasn’t my first visit here, and I am happy with it. I don’t come to Columbus often, but each time I do I make sure that I make my way to North Market and make a b-​line to their spot. It’s fun to look over their selection that are made and sitting there for you to pick from. But it also makes it hard for you to pick just one to have to lunch/​dinner.
The portion you get of pasta is huge. And they give you a side of bread to sop up the sauce, or you can use that amazing butter for the bread. My first time I was there I had to have their lasagna. It was perfect. So perfect that I wanted another piece almost right after that. My most recent visit I opted for the pesto penne, although my breath was garlic heavy later, I could have cared less (sorry for anyone in downtown Columbus I may have passed that day).
Some people may complain about the wait time, but not me. I enjoyed watching them cook my pasta right in front of me. Plus the aroma is an added bonus.
I highly recommend not using your bread just for sopping up the sauce. Take that butter that is loaded with garlic and I believe chives. That blend of flavors is making my mouth salivate right now.

Pastaria Seconda is Pastaria’s other side at North Market — instead of a pasta bar, this place has pre-​made food in refrigerated display cases, as well as a little market of dry goods on shelves. I spotted Eggplant Napoleon in the case, and this looked like something worth trying.
The helpful cashier heated up a serving of Eggplant Napoleon (which is a sliced eggplant, stacked in layers with ricotta cheese and several other veggies, like a lasagna or napoleon dessert, but using eggplant as the main layer divider), and popped into a container with some bread and seasoned butter. The bread was ok, but the eggplant was great! I’d totally recommend it – not as heavy as an eggplant parmesan, but still with a nice creamy ricotta filling for a few layers — like a light veggie lasagna with no pasta!
Plus, while many North Market stalls can have long lines at busy lunch hours (including Pastaria’s main stall), Pastaria Seconda was just walk up and order — like a hidden gem of North Market!

Pastaria is my go-​to lunch to-​go when I’m at the North Market. The North Market is a bad place for people who find too many choices paralyzing and don’t have all day to decide what to eat.
There are several sauces and several shapes of pasta that you can mix and match. My favorite sauce is the Italian sausage creole. You also get some bread and a glob of delicious compound butter that’s full of roasted garlic and green onions. For a couple bucks more you can add meatballs, sausage, chicken or salmon.
Besides hot delicious take out, you can get the sauces and the butter packaged up to serve at home, fresh mozzarella, and tiramisu.
Across the aisle you can find more grocery type items, olive oil, vinegar, fresh and dry pasta, bread, and a rotating menu of prepared foods. The prepared food is delicious, but it seems a little expensive compared to the pasta dishes which I think offer good value.
The North Market can be overwhelming, Pastaria protects me from sensory overload and gets me back to work with a happy belly.

My favorite place to eat at the North Market! The owner is there a lot, which is great to see. I usually get the prosciutto and mushrooms with cream sauce pasta… so tasty! You also get a nice dollop of garlic butter and hunk of bread with your meal.
The colorful homemade raviolis across the aisle are also very good… get a couple to take home!

I work in the North Market, so I have the fantastic good fortune of getting to eat at North Market vendors at least 3 to 4 times a week. Pastaria is one of my favorites, and while that is undoubtedly shaped a little bit by my general preference for pasta, most of it is their quality food.
THE PROS:
inexpensive. the prices are good, and the amount of food you get is unbelievable. I almost never have leftovers from single serving meals – I’m a growing young lady! – but I have never NOT had leftovers from Pastaria, and they reheat beautifully. essentially, you’re getting two very satisfying meals for about $ 7 – 8.
the food is good. i tend to be unoriginal and go for the linguine with the spicy vegetarian sauce, and it’s just all-​around tasty.
the bread and garlic butter deserve a special shoutout. they give you a HUNK of bread, and that is the only bit of my Pastaria that always fails to become leftovers, because I devour it as soon as I open the box.
the service is polite, professional, and helpful.
THE CONS:
it’s less that there are issues with Pastaria and more that there are just so many other restaurants in Columbus that are amazing that I am reluctant to give five stars. Pastaria is very good, but it isn’t knock-​your-​socks-​off amazing.
it’s very good food, and it succeeds in being an inexpensive and delicious option in the North Market. if you enjoy pasta at all and find yourself in the area, stop by Pastaria for a quality dinner (and lunch the next day!)

I was wandering around North Market and decided to give this place a try based solely on the look of the sandwiches in the display case. I can’t speak to the pastas, etc but the sandwich was very disappointing.
I ordered the Monte Cristo because I love Monte Cristos. It looked so good in the case! I give it points for that alone. Upon ordering, I was asked if I wanted the sandwich heated up. The prospect of a cold Monte Cristo sandwich did not appeal so I said yes. As she made her way to the microwave, I immediately regretted this decision. What I wanted was a nice, hot, and crispy sandwich from a panini maker or press of some kind. What I got was a soggy, half hot, half cold mess. I also had an issue with the fact that there were no preserves served with the Monte Cristo. Preserves are a staple of any good Monte and the cashier said that they had been asked the same thing more than once. If the demand is there, why not provide? I would have even paid extra for them!
On a more positive note, the service was friendly and everything was nice and clean and well presented. The ingredients tasted quality, albeit tainted by the microwaving. I would like to return here and try something else.