Basta Pasta

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  The outdoor Tiki Bar review only...
  
  On a lovely evening in May, outdoor seating to grab a few cocktails and suck up the beautiful spring air is at a premium.  So get here early, try to find a parking space in the fucked lot in front, and enjoy a cocktail in a plastic glass or a bottle of beer from a lacking selection, because there ain't no drafts available outdoors.
  
  The food is below average bar food such as pizzas, salads, wings etc.  We had a 1 star pesto chicken flatbread which looked good on the menu but did not live up to what one would have hoped.  The wings were 1 to 2 star worthy and the mussels were an above average 3.5 stars.
  
  The place gets very loud and the service exists, but I am a nice guy and won't say how attentive it is.  And getting your check if you are paying with plastic, took 10 minutes for delivery and 10 more minutes to get rung up.  
  
  But overall I will return, it's fun to sit outside with a good friend and catch up no matter what the deficiencies.

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  Posted on 05.18.13 Brian H.

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  I had trouble deciding whether to give Basta 3 or 4 stars. I do like the restaurant though it has some notable weaknesses.
  
  But first and foremost I want to say that service has always been fabulous at Basta. I am really confused by the reviews that say otherwise. I am rather particular about service and I can't say enough good things about their waitresses.
  
  I think one of the issues with Basta is the decor and ambiance. The tablecloths are just icky, it's dark, not elegant and not very Italian. I think the prices are fair but since it's not a romantic place to go with your husband or a stylish place to go with the girls it may seem expensive since it is a family restaurant. Also while they have outdoor seating it is in a parking lot. Not exactly a beautiful al fresco dining experience.
  
  There is some very good food on the menu but also some notable weaknesses. Don't order the caesar salad- they serve it with some sort of bland creamy dressing. Order the Rucola salad - fresh baby arugula with shaved cheese and a bright lemony dressingl. Never order the risotto, it is very strange. Sort of like a savory rice pudding, and made perhaps a week before you order it.  The piccata is pretty good and the fusilli with crab and pancetta is terrific. The chicken florentine is also good. I am not wild about the pizza but my son and his friends like it. There is one with arugula on top that is good.
  
  Exercise caution with the cocktails. I ordered something recently that tasted like poison. It had cherry in it and when I thought about it I realized that it didn't even sound like it would be good but it was truly gross.
  
  I think the hardest thing for Basta is that it's not From The Boot. I think they would be wise to take a look at FTB's decor and menu and get a few tips!

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  Posted on 04.14.13 Kate J.

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  Food is good and helpings are large, but it's quite expensive for what it is - a neighborhood pizza/ pasta joint.  My wife and I each had a simple pasta dish and a soft drink each, no starter, no dessert, but the final check was nearly $50.

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  Posted on 02.10.13 Pete R.

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  We were coming frequently many years ago and always had an excellent meal. Then, something happened and the food became "not so good" and more expensive.  We recently returned and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food.  It is still a bit overpriced though.  
  
  We were there over this past weekend and I was dissappointed in the filet quality. I needed to send it back due to a requested "rare" to a well-done then received a questionable filet-cut piece.  I needed to saw through it due to fibers and veins.  The staff and manager were very accomodating and took the meal off our check. This was to be expected and thank you.  Hopefully, the restaurant will order a more quality cut filet in the future.  All in all, we love the restaurant and would definitely go back.

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  Posted on 01.30.13 Michelle C.

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  Not too sure why this place is getting so many negative reviews.  I've been here two times and both times have been excellent.  The food was great as was the service.   My only complaint is that it gets kind of loud and on weekends when it gets busy, towards the end of your meal it seems like they try to rush you out.  The price is on par with other restaurants in the area.  I'll definitely go back as they have a large menu and there's still a lot more I want to try.

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  Posted on 12.26.12 Kevin H.

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  We recently moved to Skippack and really enjoy the breadth of restuarants.  My wife and I have been to Basta Pasta 6-8 times in the past 6 months.  Its always been in the bar area for drinks and apps.  My wife really likes the small personal cesear chicken pizza.  I've read these reviews about poor service but really didn't experience it until last night.  We decided to take our 4 and 6 year old along with my monther law and sit in the restuarant.  Here are three examples of why we will now Boycott Basta Pasta (BBP).  (1) My wife really likes their small personal ceaser/chicken pizza but it doesn't travel well.  I was planning on seafood.  My wife asked if she could possibly order the small personal and the 17'ish year old replied "No, only if you go sit in the bar".  Unbelievable.  So she got the regular pizza and I split it with her, no seafood:-) Example #2.  My mother in law ordered the Bolognese.  It was loaded with meat sauce but not enough noodles, she was left with a bowl of bolognese sauce.  She asked the waitress, "can I get a few more noodles"...to which she replied "Sure but I will charge you".  Example #3.  There is a door in the front faciing the street that was unlocked.  It was a rainy night, a young mother came to the door carrying her young child.  Entering to have dinner.  Our waitress actually ran to the door and told this young cold wet mom that "you can't enter here, you need to go around and enter in the other door. "  Back out in the rain she went only to enter in the proper door and sit down for an uncomfortable meal with her son.  I guess I'll throw in a 4th example, my son ordered what looked like a bowl of Lipton packet Fettechini off the kids menu.  It was $13!!  Bottom line, poor leadership/ownership/management hire poor uninspired people to run their business.  This place needs to close.

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  Posted on 12.21.12 Joel E.

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  If people think Basta Pasta is expensive, they clearly don't go out to eat terribly often. It's no more expensive than other semi-casual restaurants (think cloth tableclothes, not paper placemats), but the food and outdoor ambiance are far superior. It was also the least expensive option we found on a Sunday afternoon with the most appealing food!
  
  The husband and I went to Skippack in search of Sunday brunch. When we couldn't find anything that looked appealing (thanks anyway, $30 buffet), we went to Basta Pasta. We had a great table outside; despite being next to the parking lot, we kept remarking that we felt like we were back on vacation in New England. Our waitress was perfectly pleasant, and kept our food coming and our drinks full.
  
  We had 2 salads and the eggplant appetizer. The salads were good, and when you only have 3 ingredients, there's not much room for failure. The appetizer was more than enough for 2 people to share, and the tomatos were clearly fresh and held up even on their own (aka removed from the deliciously fried bits of eggplant and cheese).
  
  We spent $40 for our meal which, while not inexpensive, is certainly not out of the normal range for a pretty big meal. We were so full from our lunch that we didn't end up having dinner! Just a snack later in the evening.
  
  We'll definitely go back to Basta Pasta, and you should give it a shot, too.

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  Posted on 07.24.12 jessica v.

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  Very nice spot if you like outside seating.  The food looked appealing, but lacked flavor.  Everything is a la'carte which  made the bill pretty high.  The Caesar salad I ordered was very bland.  The clams in white sauce did not have enough garlic.  The mussels over linguini was OK, and the portion sizes were ample.

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  Posted on 05.22.12 Kathleen N.

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  Atmosphere: Somewhat dark, plastic fruit near the window sills, odd shaped chairs. The decor needs a serious face lift..
  
  Food: We had the gnocchi and pene pasta. The gnocchi was dry ( it looked like it had been heated up in a microwave oven.) The sauce was terrible. The pene pasta was ok.
  
  Service: Horrible. I had to get up out of my chair to get our waitress's attention, twice.It took about 1/2 hour to get our food.
  
  Price: Too high. I've had better Italian food that was cheaper than what this place charges.
  
  Verdict: Stay away.

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  Posted on 04.27.12 John B.

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  Ate hear a few weeks ago on Good Friday.  Got to the restaurant around 6 PM and there was no wait.  Both my wife and I ordered pasta dishes and we shared a salad and dessert.  The food was average in our opinion and certainly not worth the prices they were charging.  Staff was OK, but not overly friendly.  For the price, it just wasn't worth it.

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  Posted on 04.21.12 Greg L.

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  DELICIOUS! Great italian food, great price and lovely to eat outside! Love skippack and the location is just so cute! Some of their items are a bit pricy but they have great specials and great prices! They have a tiki bar in the summer too which is awsome! Service is really good too!

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  Posted on 04.11.12 Tina C.

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  I came here for lunch one day (off hours, no crowds...beats crying about the wait)
  The food was excellent, I got a pasta dish with seafood (managed to separate the meat from the shells without crying about it or breaking a nail)  I ordered a Guinness in the draught can which my server graciously opened and poured it for me (so I wouldn't hurt myself I guess)  Anyway, I had a lovely meal, the service was fast and friendly, I didn't need a binky or a nap or my diaper changed.
  If you've been here and had a bad experience, that's a shame because I have nothing but good things to say about my experience here!

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  Posted on 02.27.12 Robert P.

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  We have had lunch here 3 times and really enjoyed it. The Prosciutto & Arugula pizza is a pizza from the gods.
  The service is very friendly and attentive. The decor is homey and welcoming.
  Don't miss this place if you are in Skippack.

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  Posted on 09.24.11 Paul S.

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  The food was salty and the prices, not cheap.
  
  The location is in this cute area of Schwenksville w/ outside seating so this is prob the place to go on a cool summer night.
  
  Not much else to say.

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  Posted on 08.15.11 Young P.

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  So I can't say anything about the food here but the Cabana bar is great! My friends ordered some calamari and salads but the rest of up worked on a couple of beers. It's super cute and a nice after work crowd. I can imagine it gets a little crazy in the summer and on weekend nights.
  
  Can get a little pricey, so stick with the specials.

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  Posted on 06.07.11 christine c.

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  Stopped for lunch and sat on porch.  Great atmosphere, but food was so-so.  Thought pricey. Would like to try tiki bar when open.

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  Posted on 05.31.11 Rick W.

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  The good: location and their tiki bar in the summer. Their thin crust pizza is good too.
  In reality the place, the atmosphere and the items on the menu are really good. The problem is that the attitude of the hostesses and the waitresses as well as the quality of the food are so bad that you just never want to go back.
  After 2 experiences in the restaurant we'd figured we'll just go for take outs so we wouldn't have to wait so long and get the snappy waitress responses... Take outs were the same. From getting the wrong pizza to being completely "forgotten" and have to wait 20mins after getting there and then being accused that we'd never called! I gave up... They don't offer anything special enough to put up with that...
  Sorry... That's what it is...

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  Posted on 11.27.10 Deli K.

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  I have only eaten here once. I had pasta and it was horrible. How do u mess up pasta. There are so many amazing resturants in Skippack just skip this one.

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  Posted on 06.17.10 Christine M.

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  We ate here last year. Food wasn't memorable and the service was terrible.  The table covers make me feel like I'm at pizza hut

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  Posted on 01.24.10 Dan B.

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  Basta Pasta has some of the best Italian food in the area. The garlic knots are fresh and brought out with seasoned olive oil. The pizza is awesome and I consider it as the very best around the northern Montgomery county area. The atmosphere is cozy and with the grille/kitchen basically open and right next to the dinning area, the restaurant is filled with great smells. An additional perk is they have a nice selection of bottled beers. The wine list seems sufficient also. The other nice perk is their outdoor seating area with plenty of space to sit. Only reason this is not a five star is because the services is average, though nothing rude has happened. DO NOT go in the back to the bar. We were offered seating back by the bar on a very busy night, but it was so horrifically smoky we literally ran from our hostess. Luckily as we were about to leave a table opened up.

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  Posted on 07.23.09 cotie s.

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  Went here for dinner with two girlfriends on Friday night and it was good. Two things really irked me...there was a wait for a table when we got there and there is really no place to wait! You can get drinks and hover around the hostess station but the bar portion of the restaurant is a "private club" that was SO smoke filled, we quickly reconsidered opening membership just to wait. We ordered a bottle of wine and sat outside (this is February mind you) on cold chairs with no heat lamps.
  
  Secondly, I felt like the waitstaff was a bit too unprofessional bordering bitchy. When we asked if we could order and open a bottle of wine while we waited, the hostess said "Well, I have to check cause I'm not sure who would open it for you - me or a waitress." How odd of a response is that??
  
  But the food was good, I had a seafood pasta dish and hte seafood was fresh and the sauce was tasty. The carpaccio dish was my favorite with lots of arugula!!! But it was prosciutto rather than real carpaccio beef. I wasn't a big fan of the lobster ravioli in a crab sauce...a bit too rich that I barely tasted the lobster. Got a great bottle of wine though which I was surprised by and they had a very nice dessert - chocolate cake special and a chocomochatini which was delicious!

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  Posted on 02.23.09 Kat J.

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