Wow, very disappointed with this place after two great prior visits. Â Server spoke little English and when asked if I could have chicken instead of veal piccata was told no. Â When I asked twice to speak with someone else I was ignored. Â After saying I would just eat bread he went to ask about my simple request. Â They said the chef would make an exception. So, food comes out and it is chicken piccata with greens vs risotto. Arrrrggghhhh. Â When asked why, they said they didn't do the dish on menu, but a "special dish for me," like this was someone's home vs a restaurant where we were paying customers. Â
So then, the staff of several decide to talk about my order FIVE FEET FROM ME. Â As I am not one to bite my tongue, I as graciously as I could informed all what I had initially asked for. Â The manager then said, "oh,you should have asked me!!!!" Â Seriously? Â She should have gotten involved when she heard the commotion when ordering.....
We have yet another restaurant in Summit marked off our list. Glad to see a new place is going up around the corner.
The restaurant was always recommended as a good place to go for italian food. Being that NJ is the capital for Italian food, they have to be on point.... Well I was generally disappointed with this place b/c the dishes sounded great on the menu and looked good coming out, they didn't have the flavor to back it up. All show and no go...
The menu is HUGE, there are so many dishes it almost makes it hard to choose b/c everything sounds so good.
C
Service:
Was very good and attentive but the waiter didn't know the menu to well and wasn't sure if the kitchen could accommodate a simple special request. As a waiter his intentions were good but lacked experience which is fine but a heads up.
Food:
Cappellini Broccoli Rabe Di Gamberetto  14.95 17.95
Broccoli rabe and shrimp sauteed in olive oil, garlic, butter and white wine
This dish pasta and broccoli rabe were cooked well, garlic were raw and flavorless, but the shrimp really were gross. Tiny little cheap shrimp that had a off texture. I would never get this again. The garlic should have been cooked more to infuse the garlic flavor into the oil, the quality of the shrimp must be improved, they should also use a better wine to give it a better flavor.
Cappellini Angelo  13.95 16.95
Pink cream sauce with peas, sausage, shitaki mushroomsand parmigiana cheese
This dish was ok but the sauce had a off taste to it. As if they used dried mushrooms that have that "off" taste. Also the sausage wasn't very good in my opinion.
As for the other dishes we had at the table, everything was presented very nice on the plate, the issues were with flavor which is obviously critical b/c its food you eat the next concern is the quality of the shrimp/meat etc. Its as if they have 90% of the idea correct but need to just have that little extra finesse to pull off a good meal by sourcing some better ingredients and having the chefs taste the food so they realize its bland or off.
Overall with all of the good places in NJ to get good italian food, I would say this is not a go to place for me at all. I would avoid if possible but I would go back to talk to the manager and ask them what dishes are they known for or what is the best dish on the menu and try it. So if you are reading this, I would say try them out but I would definitly ask for some guidance as to what they do good and give it a shot.
The portobello panini (I tell them to add chicken to mine) is one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten in my life. I get it at least once a week. I have tried other entrees from here but for at least a year this is all I've been getting.
Do yourself a favor and get the portobello panini (with chicken).
And that's all I got to say about that.
The more I go this place, mostly for lunch, the more I like it. They have a number of different pasta and sandwhich and salad choices available, some of which are very creative. Normally I don't order salads, but I loved their cranberry salad that I ordered. I've also enjoyed some good ravioli and fetuccinne alfredo there too. Best of all is that the portion size is reasonable, not huge, and the price is reasonable. When 5 of us ate, no drinks, it cames to $50 including tip and tax.
Review Source:La Pastaria has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. It is a great place regardless of how many people are in your party. Also a great place for families.
My Favorite Things about La Pastaria
*The food of course!
Always consistently good. I love the bread they put on the table..dipping it in oil and basalmic takes it to another level(be sure to ask for the balsamic, it isn't on the table!)
The menu doesn't change too much which is why I didn't five it 5 stars and I rarely order any of the specials.
My favorites include the boccaccini app (fried mozzarella in one of the best marinara sauces I have ever had), mussels, shrimp parm, rigatoni broccoli rabe and sausage and my husband always orders the Cappellini Angelo (vodka sauce)
*Portions- they allow you to order small or large...the large is big enough for me to have leftovers for 2 days!
*Price- the most reasonable pricing for Italian food in the area
*The waitstaff- always friendly and fast
*It's BYOB (always a plus in my book)
*Private parking lot in the bag (I hate fighting for parking on the street in Summit)
*Private parties- I have been to several private parties in the back room here and they always do a great job accommodating large groups.
*Outdoor seating during the warmer months
*Spotless...I have never ever seen this place dirty..they keep it beautiful at all times
*They offer take out!
I've been here a few times and the food is always very good. Â Service is OK but some waiters are better than others (its that way in most restaurants so I wouldnt take other readers' experiences too seriously). Â Its kid friendly and there are plenty of choices for kids' meals. Â My daughter ordered the kids' mac and cheese; it was so delicious and the portion was more than enough for an adult.
Review Source:What have you done? Pastaria was a great local Italian--a good mix of continental with red-sauce pasta--in a space that was a little too cozy and chaotic. But a few months ago they decided to redesign the place, add banquettes and schmaltzy murals that someone must've decided recalled the Tuscan landscape. Sure, the menu's still the same, but the genius who came up with the brainstorm to hang a flat-screen monitor in the middle of the dining room to broadcast the Food Network should be taken out back and tossed in the dumpster. Now. And yet the food is almost always good. The sauces are done old school and right, the pastas are cooked to an exact and precise consistency, and the meats come out moist and flavorful. Good stuff. Desserts are a waste of time, and the salad specials just try too hard (and let you down in the end). The service is usually good, and the hostess is pure Jersey theater, but Summit is filled with good Italian restaurants. This used to be among the best, but that ,d,d.dlbigass television in the middle of its dining room helps make Pastaria less attractive than the others.
Review Source:My company had an awards dinner earlier this week here. The common consensus was that the food was great and everything would be family style, so come hungry. I heeded this advice. Walking into the place you definitely get the feel of a cozy, great environment Italian restaurant. Music in the background to give you that "it's Italian" feel. The place inside is quite spacious seating nearly 60 of us comfortably. The wait staff was over attentive. They brought out the following items as appetizers: Calamari (crispy, fresh and light...very good), Eggplant Rolotini (small which is good, flavorful, slightly breaded, good cheese amount and tasty sauce...very good), salad (excellent dressing, fresh lettuce...excellent), stuffed mushrooms (tremendous stuffing, fresh mushrooms...excellent). Pasta's: ziti with marinara sauce (lumps of tomato's is not my style of sauce...it was ok), tortellini carbonara (chunks of prosciutto, sauce was heavy but not too much, tortellini cooked to perfection...excellent). Main dishes: sausage w/peppers/crispy potato's (don't like sausage therefore didn't try it), whipped potato's (...eh), spinach (seasoned and good), roasted chicken in a light sauce with mushrooms (chicken was a bit dry....decent). By this point I was stuffed which I am sure you can imagine. Finished the meal off with Italian Cheesecake (great) and coffee. Overall the food was above average. Â Will be returning to try additional items. Parking is street parking and it's a BYO which keeps costs down big time. Looking over the menu (just out of curiosity) the apps/pasta's/entree's are very reasonably priced.
Review Source:I've been here quite a few times but last week was my first time in a while. The food isn't bad for the price. Service could have been much better, but our waiter did say that he was new and he seemed to be trying hard. He kept forgetting to bring things out though, including the grilled chicken for my wife's penne vodka. By the time it came out she was long done with the penne part and the busboy kept trying to take the sauce away. They also left the menus on the table for the entire meal.
The other thing that annoyed me was that since I didn't specify a size, they automatically brought me the smallest size. Now when I show up somewhere for a late dinner (around 8:30) and I get a tiny portion of Pasta in white clam sauce, I'm going to need more food. Maybe that's their plan. Luckily my son didn't finish his food or his ice cream so I was able to eat that, or else I was planning on stopping off for a slice of pizza on the way home.
Overall the food is pretty good for what you're paying. You just have to be leery of the service sometimes.
I really enjoyed this restaurant. Â It's very pretty and has a nice ambiance. Â Our waiter was very pleasant and helpful. Â The bread was great and the olive oil for dipping was very tasty. Â My friends and I ordered Fritti Boccacinni to start - this was so good. Â They were little fried mozzarella balls, with a flavorful marinara sauce for dipping. Â I had a plain personal pizza for dinner, which was great and I had some leftover to bring home for lunch the next day. Â This is definitely a solid Italian place.
Review Source:I went here for lunch today. Â The prices are AMAZING! Â $7 on average for the pasta entrees! Â That's splendid for anywhere--Especially the posh Summit! Â
The place is very quaint and had pleasant sidewalk seating. Â
The service could be better--the guy seemed terribly shy and didn't check on our meals. Â They were very good, though. Â Pasta was cooked al dente. Â Nice firm pasta. Â The gemelli pesto was delicious. Â The portions were just right to get you full! Â
The focaccia bread would have been Much better warm, but it was still delicious with the oil. Â I will definitely go back.
I've been to La Pastaria dozens of times over the years - it's not the most inventive or spectacular food, but it is very solid and delivers something for everyone. Â The foccacia is tasty when it's fresh (on a few occasions, a little stale, but I'll forgive that as I shouldn't be gorging on bread anyway). Â I love that you can order a half portion of pasta - it is more than enough for me, and even if I'm hungry a small salad and a half pasta is a great meal.
I've tried a wide range of dishes on the menu, and the only things I have not enjoyed are the pizzas. Â Something about the crust - a little doughy for me - not my preferred style of pizza. Â
I like the staff - I haven't experienced the rushed feeling of a previous reviewer.
It is often full and is a lively setting - not a quiet date place, but a great place to go with friends and family.
BYOB
I love Italian and I'm not hard to please, but this place was kind of meh for us last weekend. Â
My salad was good, and I liked the loud, friendly atmosphere. And the menu is very extensive. Prices are fair, but my pasta dish (orichette in ricotta and tomato sauce) was so-so; the sauce was really bland (the pasta was homemade, though - yum). The stuffed artichoke was also great - traditional filling of breadcrumbs with butter, parmesan, and lemon.
But. I wondered aloud when we first arrived how eateries in Summit like La Pastaria can stay in business with the BYO policy and all. I worked in the business for awhile, and I know that the markup on alcohol is how most places make a profit. I should have kept my trap shut, because I quickly learned the answer: they rush the hell out of you.
Our server was pushy AND couldn't have cared a lot less about our table. It's hard to strike a balance between these two attitudes, but he managed to. After seating us, he disappeared for 20 minutes. When he came back, he answered our questions with as few words as possible and then lurked until we provided a hurried order.
We brought two different bottles of red wine, and every server that walked by topped off glasses indiscriminately, and way too aggressively. Like mine became a blend of cabernet and chianti after about two sips. To the point where we had to put our hands over our wine glasses whenever anyone neared the table. We were out of wine within 15 minutes. Also, my salad arrived about two minutes before my entree.
Point taken: hurry up; we have to turn your table to stay afloat.
The location of this place is great, and the menu has something for everyone. It's standard Italian when you want it  - there were lots of families with multiple kids in there, too, so it's good for groups, and the menu is extremely kid-friendly.
We thought this place would be acceptable for a funeral repast since it is walking distance to the funeral home. However, the owner was not accommodating and not cooperative. The menu was not customizable and there was no private space. The hostess who showed us the room was flirting and somewhat inappropriate in dress and behavior, considering the somber nature of our appointment. The food here is not bad, but the service leaves a lot to be desired.
Review Source:I've been going this restaurant almost every Friday night for about 10 years! Â I bring my friends here, we bring family, it's just the best. Â They have excellent traditional Italian food, and have started serving "tapas-style" Italian samplings as well. Â I used to get the rigatoni vodka every single time, until about two years ago when I started ordering the shrimp arribiata. Â It's so good, I haven't ordered anything else since making that switch a couple of years ago. Â The majority of the entrees also come with either a side salad or a side of pasta. Â It's a BYOB, which is nice, as it keeps the cost down, and the wait staff is very friendly.
Review Source:Great Italian restaraunt where I noticed a lot loyal returning diners. I ordered the fetuccini served in a light tomato cream sauce with sausage and peas. The pasta was cooked perfectly. The dish was not drowning in sauce, it was just the right amount. The flavor of the sausage was delicious and balanced with the freshness of the peas.
My sister ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, which she devoured. She did not have one complaint at all.
I watched other dishes go by me and they all looked so good, I can't wait to go back and try some more.
Outdoor seating available in front.
PRO: BYO. Pasta dishes can be ordered in 3 different size servings. Even the small serving was more than enough.
Cons: not sure
Highly recommend and definitely going back.
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