Pastarrific

Amazing soup! Breadsticks better than the chain Italian place (you know which one). Amazing atmosphere! Went there once with a friend who got some sort of grilled cheese with pesto that she claimed was the sexiest sandwich she ever ate. (Don’t ask.) The staff was also very polite and friendly.

This local Italian restaurant has a very lengthy menu so you’re sure to find something that matches your taste buds. I went during the week so it wasn’t very loud and the wait to be seated was short.
I decided on the Cedar Plank Salmon and could not have made a better choice. It was cooked wonderfully and tasted amazing.
The service was great and we never had to wait on anything. Whether you like traditional Italian, fish, chicken, or pasta, you’ll find it here. Enjoy!

Friendly staff and a nice casual atmosphere. I came on a Tuesday night so it was very quiet. I see that others have compared it to Olive Garden. I can see the comparison — however the food here has more of a home made taste. Sauce on my lasagna was nice and rich. The pasta was done quite well. The breadsticks were hot and soft — obviously fresh. Very nice, I recommend it.

Fabulous restaurant. Lovely atmosphere. Service and food are excellent. First time here but won’t be the last. Highly recommend!

One of the better Italian restaurants in the area. Good food and wine, great staff. Real good selection. Tried their Cajun Salmon with sautéed mushrooms onion and tomato on top, along with the sweet potato casserole. The salmon was perfect! The breadsticks were a bit too salty, but the salad made up for it. Good selection of wine and craft beer. Recommended by the guest services at Marriott, and I’d certainly recommend as well if you’re looking for a good Italian restaurant in the area.

Just ordered pizza and mozzarella sticks to go but it was excellent! Very flavorful and spicy. I Will definitely be back to sit in and enjoy the extensive menu!

This is my first time here at Pastarific — and despite the corny name, I definitely will be back. The food was excellent — I had a Lafountain pizza and it was crisp and flavorful. The sausage had just the right sweetness and the crust was perfect.
Jared — my server was attentive and made excellent recommendations.
This will be one of my regulars — look for further reviews.

This is my favorite restaurant in Kokomo. They have Chicken Madera as special right now and it’s one if my favorite meals ever. It’s served over mashed potatoes and asparagus with a rich, delicious sauce… Seriously, just go try it. Like, today.

Coworker and I ate here when in town for business about a month ago. Good and service were good, big portions and average prices. Definitely a worthwhile stop.

Food is excellent & service is great also! I’ve never had a problem with anything there!

Best service and food I have had so far while working in Kokomo IN. Kathy at the bar was friendly and helpful, without overdoing it. I was the only one in the bar at the time, and she gave great suggestions about the menu but didn’t rush me. They had good beers on tap, Sun King and 312.
As others have mentioned, the dipping sauce for the breadsticks is really good. If you stay at a hotel in the area, ask if they have a free appetizer card — I got the toasted ravioli appetizer for free and it was excellent.
For my entrée, I had the tilapia which was lightly breaded and perfectly cooked. Had the option to «upgrade» my side for $ 1 to have the fettucine alfredo which was also very good. I left fat and happy — and even got some other suggestions on where else I can «dine local». Go see Kathy and tip her well, she was the best!

Worst chicken Marsala I’ve had. It was burned and dry. Side of meatballs came out cold. Service left us alone like we were forgotten. When we complained to the manager he said ok and walked away for another half hour with my card to figure out what to do. First and last time here.

The food was great. This is like an Olive Garden, but better. And way more variety.
I didn’t even get a picture of the salad. But every entrée comes with unlimited salad and breadsticks just like Olive Garden. One thing Pastariffic has that Olive Garden doesn’t is dipping oil for the breadsticks. The server told me what was in it but I was thinking how unbelievably delicious it was that I have now forgotten what he said. Forgive me.
The menu is very typical of Olive Garden– and sorry that I keep comparing the two– but Olive Garden is what we think of when we think of a pasta place. Not a real Italian restaurant but a pasta place. However, Pastariffic has lots of fish options for someone who doesn’t eat a lot of pasta. AND– they offer a quinoa gluten-​free pasta which the OG does not. Someone who is on a gluten free diet is very limited to find anything acceptable at the OG. OK… no more OG talk.
Our party of four went different ways on the menu. Chad’s Mom ordered the combo platter with lasagna, manicotti and cheese ravioli. She loves it. They come here a lot.
Chad’s Dad ordered the Italian Sausage Lasagna– it looked delicious. I almost miss my meat days.
Chad ordered the Cajun Salmon with rice. He liked it too.
I ordered the Ocean Scallops on Capellini. I would normally always go for the gluten-​free pasta just out of habit but I stuck with the angel hair pasta. The Scallops were huge, cooked perfectly and I adored the asparagus draped on top. Man– that was yummy.
If ever faced with going to Pastariffic or heading to the OG just down the street– I would choose Pastariffic.
There is even a guy playing the piano in the restaurant. Just added to the ambience. We love Pastariffic. If only they could expand outside of Kokomo, they could give the OG a run for its money.

One of my favorite restaurants! This a local Italian restaurant and a great experience! The Penne Chicken is amazing! Also there are 7 different lasagna options! They also now have a brick oven and use it for many different things including pizza, ½ chickens and roasted beets for salad! Also the bar area is nice with live music and TV’s for watching sporting events! Drink special are ever changing and delicious! This is nothing like Olive Garden, they make their breadsticks daily! They also offer MANY options when it comes to Gluten free!

Yummy… better than Olive Garden. The drinks from the bar were great! Highly recommend the Neon Margarita. Eggplant Parm and Bolognese were wonderful.

pastahorrific. Been once and it was so horrible i grimace everytime i drive past this place. Went for a post wedding rehearsal dinner. Waited an entire hour just to get drinks, waited another hour n half AT LEAST to get salads, i asked if i could have a small cup of ranch, was told NO because everything was paid for as a package, told them, fine i will pay for some ranch, that created confusion, after 20 minutes finally convinced someone to bring me some. Other people were also told they could not have oil for their breadsticks, one of the waitresses finally brought a bottle. We were at this place for like 5 hours, I have never had service take that long especially when its a package thing. They should have that system down, its only two entrees. Waitresses acted very overwhelmed, brought drinks in two at a time when there were over 30 of us. Horrible.

Similar to Olive Garden, with these differences.
The salad has a nicer dressing and tastier olives
There are more selections on the menu. 7 kinds of lasagne.
Check out the unusual weeping pine tree in the back corner.

After you’ve groaned your way past the name of the place, you should probably accept that a city of Kokomo’s size is lucky to have a long-​last Italian standby with a broad menu, including (from what I’ve heard from mulitple sources) a very respectable grouper. Atmosphere might seem a little kitschy and Olive Garden-​esque, but it’s really no different from umpteen little mom-​and-​pop Italian restos in the Jersey suburbs… and these, in turn, probably inspired much of the look of Olive Garden. Pastarrific (groan²) doesn’t deliver the artery clogging goodness of OG’s breadsticks; I found them a bit dry, almost stale. But everything else I had more than surpassed America’s #1 Italian chain: a fresh and tasty Italian salad with just the right amount of dressing, and a tender apricot chicken in which the fruit accompaniment never made the meal too saccharine. The accompanying asparagus was perfectly steamed. Service was just fine. Prices are just fine, if not downright great. I’d say that this local more than earns its comfy reputation.

I’ve made several trips to Pastarrific, mostly for lunch. It’s sort of the default Italian place in Kokomo, but not really special.
The Chicken Penne was the first really good pasta i’ve had here — it was fresh, saucy and delicious. Otherwise, I’d actually recommend a sandwich or something that’s harder to screw up. Having tried the lasagna a couple of times, while many people love it I prefer every other homemade lasagna I’ve ever had.
Don’t expect exceptional service or anything at Pastarrific. They play themselves up as a real Italian place, but it’s basically an Olive Garden alternative.

We met friends here for a nice lunchtime get together. Good selection of dishes priced right. I had the fettuccini chicken florentine which was a perfect sized portion and was delicious.
Comparable to Olive Garden, but not a chain! Not a place to rave about but we definitely would return. Great service and ample seating.