Pasta Pomodoro

Ordered their summer special: orzo with shrimp, kids cheesy pasta, and the seafood pasta. Good was ok… The orzo pasta is a very large pasta serving… The dish was just the pasta with 1/​/​2 spear of asparagus, and 4 shrimps. I wouldn’t order this again because it’s so much pasta but not enough veggies or shrimp. The seafood pasta was a healthy serving of pasta as well as seafood. For $ 2 bucks more, this pasta was by far the better deal.
If management is reading this, please cut the orzo in half, add more filler veggies, and add two more shrimps, then you can charge $ 15 for that dish.

Went there last week with hubs and mom. Mom loves shrimp. They had a special menu item, orzo with ‘jumbo’ shrimp, that day for dinner. So we ordered it. Shrimp was closer to the size of bay shrimp. I asked the mgr (?) about it. He explained they’re not really jumbo shrimp, they’re the 31 – 50 count per pound, or something like that. I told him they should not print that it is jumbo shrimp if it is not. I think he didn’t really know what to say and rather, found my comment off-​putting.
I can’t stand false advertising or misrepresentation. If you print it on your menu, then serve it. Otherwise, just say «orzo with shrimp». Don’t lie. Would have still ordered it! Would have preferred the entrée without a side of disappointment.
Otherwise, spinach salad, good. Pasta with heavy cream sauce and chicken, good. Free bread, just OK. They gave us an end piece so it was kind of hard and crusty. Still fine for a quick bite of pasta.

Quick and easy Italian food. Nice place, well decorated. Fresh bread served with pesto was brought to the table which was fantastic. We got some Italian beers which were light and refreshing. I’d recommend getting food of the lunch menu which actually applied to weekends for once. I got the minestrone soup, which was well made and quite good. For the main course I had the chicken pesto pizza and it was pretty good, very fresh and good. It’s a good amount of food, covered dinner for me too!

Tried here again after a month or two. Food was good. But service was poor and unfriendly. Which reinforces my previous review whereby it really depends on the crew as they seem woefully inconsistent. Today only 3 tables (including me) were occupied. And there were 6 employees, 2 in the kitchen. With a 1:1 ratio of non-​cooks (4) and customers (also 4), you’d think service would be great. But no. They just huddled and talked to each other and mostly ignored the customers. My waiter was very unfriendly, robotic and generally seemed like he wanted to be anywhere other than where he was. Given the ups and downs here and given that there seem to be less and less customers every time I come here, I think this will be my last visit. I like Pasta Pomodoro for a quick bite occasionally but I’ll explore some of the other locations instead.

We were there about a month ago.
Food — decent, not great,
Service — waiter was very good.
Service — management — horrible. They essentially baited and switched us re «Kids Eat Free» Sunday night and charged us the full price of an adult meal for my two kids. I complained politely but firmly to the manager on duty — I think they gave us a small discount but still charged us the adult price. Literally we could bring legal action as «bait and switch» is illegal.
But we’ll give the lawyers a rest and simply won’t come back.
Foolish too — because we were actually there besides family dinner to evaluate the place for an upcoming catered party we were throwing. And I told the management that when I first came in. Needless to say, they lost our catering business too. If you’re curious, we gave the catering to Frankie Johnny and Luigi, Mtn View. Much better place all around anyway and family run, unlike this chain.

A family favorite! We love the pesto dipping sauce and bread as well as the salads and delicious pasta entrees. We go here as often as we can because we always enjoy the food and the friendly and courteous staff.

Quick and dirty Italian for your cravings. No, not *dirty* dirty, silly.
You have to realize you’re not heading into a high-​end Italian kitchen. Having said that, Pasta Pomodoro is a step up from the Olive Garden. They haven’t quite escaped the «chain» feel with special offers advertised right at the table.
Food: The complimentary bread is always piping hot with lots of body and texture, accompanied by a great dipping oil. We love starting with the mussels – the broth is perfectly seasoned and the mussels are not overcooked. I’ve never had a bad pasta dish here, albeit the portions are small. Manfriend has been a bit more adventurous, trying their salads and chicken dishes. We both agreed the chicken can be a little dry and the rice underseasoned but hey, they’re not called Riso E Pollo Pomodoro.
Staff: The staff are a delight. We’ve had Connor wait on us several occasions. He’s attentive and courteous, even updating us on wait time when rush hour hits.

Pasta pomodoro is the best.
I usually go to Olive Garden but this time I wanted to give it a try to this place, OMG never had something like this before, I’m obsessed with the Alfredo’s Chicken and Shrimp pasta, so juicy the way I like it. Very juicy
Please try the Alfredo’s is the best
Also the cook Ezequiel helped me up to decide. He’s very friendly and he make the best pasta in the bay… YAY

I always order penne portobell
The food taste is consistent no matter which location I visit. The bread stick is my kids favorite withe the pesto dipping sauce
If you come on a Tuesday kids eat free day, please double check if the bill is correct. They tend to forget taking off the kids meal price even the whole restaurant is packed with kids.

I’m never a fan of restaurant chains and I try to avoid them like the plague. Pasta Pomodoro is one such restaurant!
However when my friend and I wanted to eat dinner we were in a mood for Italian and this was the only restaurant nearby, so we decided to dine here.
On a usual evening, I can see this parking lot to be packed because of other restaurants, coffee shops and grocery store in this complex. However since we were here on a late Thursday night, we found parking space easily.
We got seated as soon as entered and I really liked the ambiance. To start with, we were served complimentary bread and pesto sauce. The bread was warm and spongy — oh so good!
For entrée my choice was the penne pasta with portobello mushrooms, grilled chicken and Italian sausage. The dish as expected was creamy and cheesy and it wasn’t overpowering. I really liked it actually. Maybe because I had very low expectations of Pasta Pomodoro ;)
In any case, I’d certainly return to this restaurant, at least for this specific dish. Service is friendly and fast. Can’t complain.

Is it true that all pasta pomodoros are going to going out of business soon? Please fill people in because we love your guys places best pasta around ??

Service is poor. Do not go here if you are in a rush and need to eat, these guys like to take their time

Pasta Pomodoro is hit and miss. Sometimes the food comes out really nicely, and service also varies widely depending on who is serving you. I like to order the «create your own pasta» with fusilli, Arrabiata sauce, and meatballs. The meatballs vary. Sometimes they are delicious and other times they are meh. The sauce also varies in spicyness. When they have it, the sole special is quite good. The chicken piccata special is also quite good. The tomato basil soup is average but has a nice tomato flavor and tastes good with bread. The panna cotta was mediocre. It had a slightly tart taste along with the vanilla.

I am giving 5 stars because of the warm and friendly manager, Marco Rodea. My dad and I have been coming here for years. It is like a father-​daughter tradition on Sunday evenings. Marco has always greeted us as soon as we enter with a charming and friendly smile. He is always eager to give us the best customer service there is.
The food is pretty good, but my dad and I always enjoy seeing Marco when we get a chance to dine here. We are Italian, and we know fine Italian cuisine – so this place defiantly comes close to the authentic flavors of our hometown, Roma.

Service was excellent today, our server was super fast and always refilled our drinks and bread :) we got the lunch special which came with a salad/​soup and entrée for $ 12 each, not bad! The food was okay! Portion sizes were decent!

The best deal is the Monday and Thursday Abbondanza special. Where you have the all you can eat pasta… well it’s not all you can eat. They have specific rules about that. Once you finish it all, you can have your next refill of pasta. Also if you want the meat you have to ask it for your first dish, not your second or your fourth. My brother and I are eaters and we can eat a lot of pasta.
We ate like kings on that day. I couldn’t stop eating their fettuccine alfredo… though that tomato vodka sauce is super tasty. Can I just get the recipe for that so I can stop coming here?
It’s a great deal as long as if you can eat a lot. I don’t recommend it for people who can’t eat one dish of pasta.

There’s something to be said for continuous service places. When you have along night and need food cause you’re up late say 2.30pm, there’s somewhere to go. Got the bolognese lunch special with bread and dipping sauce, and soup. Soup was decent, as was the bread, though I didnt care for the dipping sauce as it was tart. Pasta was solid for what you paid for. Service is actually pretty good but then it wasnt that crowded. Good for a quick carbo load fix. 3.5 stars

Its been a while since I’ve been to Pasta Pomodoro so I decided to give it a go last night. I didn’t realize they were having a deal from Mon-​Thurs where you can build your very own pasta for $ 10 with meat for an additional $ 5; not bad whatsoever!
First things first, the place is clean, organized, and the atmosphere here is intimate. I sat at the bar so I can watch the cooks get it in. People were enjoying all around me eating and laughing, cooks were having a blast grilling and tossing pasta, and the scent of the food in the air all set the mood.
I was served by this kind woman named Kristianna. She is a hardworking employee that makes sure everything is taken care of. She was tremendous last night. Her quick approach and open personality made things comfortable between her and I. She always checked on my food and how I was doing. My water was refilled on time, my orders were taken down quick, and she still had time to explain to me about the dishes and her experience at work. Kristianna is the definition of a great waitress. She caters to her customers and makes them feel like at home. She makes sure tables are cleaned and people are sat on time. About 90% of my enjoyment here was mainly because of Kristianna!
I also had to approach Marco Rodea; he was the shift lead for last night. He also takes care of his customers the way the servers were. He wasn’t snobby or pushy at all. He treats each and every employee with respect and plays a good leader into making sure objectives were completed. I love the fact that Marco was out in the lobby serving and making sure people had a good time. The way he instructed his employees to refill stocks and other stuff, made things easier and accessible for the next orders. I had to pull him to the side and comment on his job and how great this Sunnyvale location is doing.
Overall, my pastas came on time, they were cooked fresh and the portions were more than just right. The ingredients can all be tasted and the textures of the vodka sauce and spaghetti were met. My grilled chicken pieces were tender and moist inside with a nice easy chew. The Italian sausage is grilled and served whole rather than cut up; I think this is much better!
I have got to come back for this deal again! Also, I’d like to say that the workers are top of the line here. I couldn’t say it enough. They put in hard work and treat each other like family. Everything is coordinated and served on time. This creates a 5-​star vibe to me.
A special thank you to Kristianna and Marco for a wonderful time!!!

We’ve been going to Pasta Pomodoro for many years — the Noe Valley and Laurel Heights locations were regular destinations for us when we lived in SF. This review concerns carryout from the Sunnyvale Cherry Orchard location.
First, the parking. Whatever sadist approved such a small parking lot to be shared by PF Chang’s, Trader Joes, Gamestop and Starbucks needs to be flogged. This is ridiculous situation.
Fortunately, there are 20-​minute parking spaces near the PP entry for carryouts and such. That’s the ONLY good news.
We ordered a Caprese salad. The tomatoes were a little beyond fresh and bordering on mushy, and the kitchen really skimped on the basil and the balsamic vinegar. FAIL #1.
We ordered a kid’s meal pizza — when we got it home, the pizza dough was barely cooked, almost RAW. They even skimped on the pepperoni — 5 pieces. FAIL #2
My wife had the Salmon Cannellini — the salmon was overcooked to the point of almost inedible, and the kale that was supposed to be with it wasn’t kale — it was a couple of pieces of spinach. FAIL #3
I had the Conchigile Gamberi — macaroni shells with shrimp and asparagus in a cream sauce. Cream sauce was good, but the shells were overcooked — PASTA IS SUPPOSED TO BE «AL DENTE», NOT «AL MUSHY» — and there were only 6 teeny tiny slivers of asparagus. FAIL #4
The total cost of this awful meal was $ 56.00!!! FAIL #5
Bottom line: Pasta Pomodoro used to be a good meal and a good value — this is sadly, no longer the case. The chain now appears to be cost-​cutting, and food quality apparently no longer matters.
All I can say is, never again. Never ever.

When you offer all you can eat for $ 10, it seems like the whole town shows up.
It gets way crowded on Abbondanza nights, currently Monday and Thursday, where for $ 10 you get unlimited pasta (choices are rigatoni, conchiglie, spaghetti, gemelli, fettuccine and penne) and sauce (alfredo, pesto, pomodoro, bolognese, creamy tomato vodka and arrabbiata). Additional protein (meatballs, Italian sausage and grilled chicken) costs another $ 4.
For each plate/​refill you order, you can pick a different pasta and sauce. My favorite sauces were the pomodoro with its blend of tomato and basil, and the arrabbiata which was a little thicker than the pomodoro and had a nice spicy kick. We all opted for extra protein and noted that when we asked for chicken, we were given a moderate amount. The meatballs, however, were hard, as if they hadn’t been fully defrosted before being cooked.
And if this meal isn’t carbalicious enough, the free bread is wonderfully warm and soft, and the pesto dip it comes with is consistently amazing.
Wanting to be somewhat healthy, we also added a plate of sauteed kale ($ 7), which was pretty decent and had a nice garlic taste. A little pricey, but I wouldn’t mind getting this again.
Service was friendly, but a bit slow due to the large number of diners. Our refills took a while to come out, which works in the restaurant’s favor because it allows time for your body to realize it feels full!