This is still the best place in Hampden. Now since they moved into a new space the food is just as good as I remember it, if not better. I recommend this place to anyone! Come for the food and the best conversation from the host! read more

Tiny corner spot with takeout or outdoor dining only. We came hungry and left stuffed. We chose the Caesar salad, carbonara, and Bolognese with gnocchi per our server's recs. Everything was excellent, including the complimentary bread with olive oil. Pasta tasted fresh and the carbonara wasn't too salty like another reviewer complained (and I am sensitive to overly salted food). Props to our fantastic server who was running between the kitchen and up and down the hill! read more

I ordered the insalta med and loved it. The greens and tomatoes everything else was very fresh. They put just the right amount of light salad dressing on it. I was starving it was so good I ordered two of them. Then I ordered the vegetarian pasta on the menu it was the first item, Aglioto something but it had a kick to it with spices they put in some green peppers that was delicious it had olive oil as well. I'll include some pictures read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Salad med. Insalata Med Insalata Med Insalata Med - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Mmmmm. Delicious. The fettuccine Bolognese was sublime. You can't beat the texture of homemade pasta. The pesto with spaghetti was tasty, I liked that they used walnuts instead of pine nuts, it gave it a different flavor that was really appealing. For me though most pesto gets monotonous and unfortunately this was no different. The overall favorite was the penne with vodka sauce. I will definitely get that again. I just wish they had chicken or shrimp or something to add to it. The DBF felt protein deprived since he doesn't eat beef or pork. The coconut flan was nice, very delicate and only subtly coconut in flavor. I want to try the chocolate flan next time, I've heard it is amazing. Teeny tiny space, only enough seats for about 16 people and most times when I have walked by the place is overflowing. I was the only one there for the late morning lunch I had during the week. The service was not exactly friendly, so I must have hit them on a bad day since other reviews have remarked about how friendly this place is. I plan to make a return trip soon, that vodka sauce is calling my name. read more

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Amazing food and atmosphere. Be sure to stop in at their market for gourmet take away and wine.

My boyfriend and I love this place. It's considered out date night spot. The ambiance outside is so sweet and I'm thankful they have heat lamps out there now. I enjoy the fact you can make substitutions and chose your own pasta. We've been treated well every time we go and the food doesn't let us down. I ordered the carbonara with fusilli and cannolis. 11/10! I don't have photos only my tik tok read more

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A family favorite for many years. Love the redesigned restaurant! The pastas, salads, and meatballs all delicious

I like grano! While it's true that it's not the best pasta I've had in my life, it's never bad and you can't be the vibe (seeing your dish made in front of you is just awesome). The red sauces and homemade pasta (get the gnocchi) make for a good dish. I wouldn't go with the regular pasta; it's not much better than store bought. I recommend going off hours. It can get really busy. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Calamari Vesuvio - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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We love their food! it's a little Italian spot, their dishes are amazing every one we've had tasted fresh and made with love! staff is nice and efficient. it gets crowded at night on Saturdays but the wait is never too bad. definitely recommend stopping by here, food is always amazing!!! read more

We ordered our food through Grubhub during the quarantine and it was not good at all. I ordered the bolognese which lacked sauce and flavor. My friend ordered the meatballs and pasta and stated it was disgusting. I will not be returning ever again read more

After hearing so many good things about this place, I finally ventured out to Grano! The wait wasn't too bad for two people on a Sunday night (about 20 min). We ordered a calamari pasta as well as the carbonara, and ended with some tiramisu. The carbonara was much lighter than most I've had, which was a pleasant surprise, and the calamari pasta had great flavor but the tomato sauce was slightly too watery for my preference. I do wish the menu was a little more extensive, as they didn't have the option to add meat to pastas besides meatballs (would've liked to see the option to add chicken, shrimp, etc) but I think they're going for simplicity!! The best part of the night for us was the tiramisu. Unsure if it's house made or bought from elsewhere, but it truly was one of the best tiramisus I've ever had!! Would come back just for that. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Carbonara Sauce and Calamari Vesuvio Sauce - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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I got into Baltimore on business a little late, and I was really feeling the need for some good, fresh Italian food. I found Grano on Yelp, set out to find it. I ordered a glass of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, the calamari vesuvio, and a side salad. I have to say that the calamari was some of the best I've ever had. It was stir fried first in its own ink, then stewed in pomodoro sauce. The result, perfetto - al dente, neither mushy nor rubbery. The sauce was heaven. And although I don't usually comment on side salads, the one I had here tasted fresh and crisp with little crumbles of goat cheese, onions, cherry tomatoes, and olive oil. I finished with an espresso that was warm and rich. I left full and satisfied. read more

A tiny little spot but big things happen here. The most amazing fresh pasta, served hot and fast. read more

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Small, quaint restaurant near the college area. At Grano, I love that you can customize your pasta dish by pasta type and sauce flavor. My boyfriend and I sat at the bar so we were able to see the cooking magic happen. As for food....I love bread so I had to order the artisanal bread and olive oil (appetizer). Though it's a typical appetizer---that unfortunately you have to pay for, I didn't mind because I LOVE BREAD. The bread went great with the pasta that came afterwards. I ordered the fettuccine amatriciana. Personally, I just enjoy a nice, basic, and fresh tomato sauce with my pasta. A nice added bonus is the pancetta, caramelized onions, and pecorino romano. Nothing over the top. Grano Pasta Bar gives you a great price for a home-cooked pasta dish. I'm already craving their food and thinking about my next visit! read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Left: artisanal bread; Right: fettuccine amatriciana - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I just wanted to update this review because this has become hands-down my favorite restaurant in Baltimore. The concept is so simple and it's done so well. There's really no better way to get such high quality food for such a low price. I've come here an embarrassing amount of times to get pickup on my way home from work where I just want to eat some amazing pasta without too much effort. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Fusilli carbonera. Very filling. Very tasty. - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

alright listen, this one's a little jaded. I worked for miss girl who owns this place among some others, and lemme say, she's a wack job. under pays very young vulnerable kids and fires people for having covid. enough about her, the bolognese was insanely bland, but I'm no rich man, so I threw it in a pan, added some salt and cheese and garlic and bada bing bada boom. but yeah definitely not going back to grano. 2 stars cause I received it and it was edible and didn't make me ill read more

I had such high hopes for this place and it was deeply disappointing. I ordered the linguini pasta in their pesto sauce. The pasta: Fresh pasta is pretty difficult to get right and Grano struggles. My pasta was incredibly overcooked; it was seconds away from being mush on my plate. The sauce: The pesto consisted of mainly oil with hints of basil and parsely and not nearly enough salt. It made me feel like I was just eating some oily pasta and made my stomach feel awful afterwards. I won't be going back here. read more

The food here is incredible. I make a point to stop in for a bite whenever I'm in town. I usually sit outside but it was raining the last time I was there. The inside seating area is very cute. Their salads are delicious and fresh. Excellent pasta dishes. My favorite is the carbonara. Treat yourself and try their desserts. They have the best cannolis and tiramisu I've ever had. I can't wait until my next trip to Baltimore so I can enjoy another dinner here. read more

Pretty good! Super friendly staff!! I have noticed that sometimes they aren't consistent with the recipes. Although it's always good, the same menu items have been seasoned differently at different times. I'd definitely go again and recommend:) read more

I enjoyed the food! You buy the sauce and then pick everything that comes after! (Pasta shape, meatballs, etc) Fast service, fresh food, and good location make this a great place to grab a bite and get moving again! read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

There's only one place to get the best pasta in Baltimore and it's not in Little Italy! Thank's Grano's! read more

Grano Pasta Bar Date of visit: 7/5/20 Food Ordered: fettuccine alfredo Wait time: pick-up Service: good read more

The space is very cute, but overall this was a mediocre experience. The calamari appetizer was delicious, the wine, though it took 30 minutes to get, was good, but the pasta was under cooked and crunchy. The ingredients in the pasta dish didn't taste fresh or particularly good. Service was friendly but very inattentive. I had high hopes, but they missed the mark. read more

It's hard for me to like a dish more than a pasta dish- and when my boyfriend and I went here before catching a movie last week, it totally hit the spot. It's so small, but oddly not claustrophobic. Cozy is the word I'd use. There wasn't a huge line or wait so we were able to order immediately. I ordered a gnocchi with vodka sauce, and the boy ordered Spaghetti Bolognese. The pasta itself didn't take too long, but the cook could've multi-tasked and added more pots/pans to stove- there was plenty of room. Just my opinion, maybe there's a reason they don't do that. Food came and was perfect. I topped the gnocchi with red pepper and parm and went to town. Absolutely comforting and scrumptious. Come here when you have a hankering for good pasta. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Gnocchi in Vodka Sauce - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I don't even eat pasta but this place will make you! Amazing bread, fresh pasta and mussels plus it's byob!

What an incredible experience!!! We drove from Cleveland, Ohio to Baltimore to dine at Grano Pasta Bar on the advice of a friend. The food was incredible and the owner and staff went above and beyond to create a one of a kind dining experience! We came as a party of four. The pace of the meal was perfect. We had time to enjoy conversation. I had the Mushroom Ravioli an found it very unique - great!! Wish they had a location in Cleveland. I had a tough time deciding on which dish to order - the mussels, shrimp and linguine positano were all very appealing. Order the crusty bread. It is perfect for dipping your pasta sauce. My wife ordered the gnocchi with Gorgonzola cream sauce. She loved it!! I did get a small taste. Awesome!! Thanks read more

Their penne alla vodka and fusili dishes are to DIE for! I order takeout from here frequently and am never disappointed.

This is one of the most underwhelming restaurants in Baltimore. We've been here twice, and none of the dishes we've ordered ever had much flavor. The sauces are always oily, and the pasta is very average. The menu is also pretty limited. This place is fine if you just need food and don't care how it tastes, but if you're really in the mood for some good pasta, there are better options. read more

I've eaten here several times but I usually get the same thing-- gnocchi with Bolognese. It's very good! Sometimes I wish the sauce was a little meatier, but otherwise it's a very pleasurable experience. They also have gluten-free pasta that isn't gross (very rare for gluten free pasta!) and the Mediterranean salad is great, super light with great dressing. There aren't a ton of seats outside and no one seems to sit inside, but I've never had trouble getting a seat. read more

A great place to go for a decent price. Grano really shines out among the restaurants in Hampden because of how small and quaint it is and how affordable the prices are. I got the carbonara, however, next time, I'd probably get something with a lot more sauce because it did tend towards the dry side. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Carbonara Sauce - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

small spot but wow the food! great salads, pastas and cannolis. It's BYOB so I like to bring a bottle of wine to add to the experience!

Gosh, I love this place. The ideal date night spot for a cozy, delicious comfort food meal with a bottle of good wine and nice service. We recently discovered their indoor seating area around the corner and absolutely loved it. My husband had the Chicken Saltimbocca and couldn't stop raving about it, and I had the Penne a la Vodka with chicken, which was so so fantastic. Our bottle of wine was delicious and very reasonably priced, and we finished the meal with a yummy espresso each. I fully expected the bill to be a lot higher than it was, but their prices are extremely fair for their good food and portions. We loved it and will be back very soon! read more

A friend who dines here regularly insisted I try this place, so off we went for New Year's Eve, owing mainly to the fact that Grano does not take reservations and Friend didn't think to make reservations elsewhere on possibly the second busiest restaurant night of the year (the first being Valentine's Day). Upon entering, you can see why no reservations are taken or needed: it's a small space that looks like someone rehabbed a typical long, narrow Baltimore row house to be a restaurant. A counter runs down the middle of the joint, and a few tables surround. They therefore can seat maybe 12-14 total. We sat at the counter, which is kind of fun, since you can see them make your food this way. The way Grano works is kind of modular: you choose the shape of pasta you want from a list of nine options; you choose the sauce from a list of ten options, and they put it together and plate it for you. The pasta choices included packaged gnocchi (the shrink-wrapped package was in plain sight at the stove). There are vegetarian sauces and gluten-free pasta, for those who partake of those items. I chose fusilli with the Puttanesca sauce. The sauce was appropriately spicy, with a good amount of the black olives I love. (Interesting side note: "Puttanesca" means "in the style of the prostitute!" Apparently Italian prostitutes ate rustic, low-cost food at one time. But I digress.) The portion size was more than adequate, neither skimpy nor Cheesecake Factory-big. Grated Parmesan comes on the side if you want it, in a small cup rather than grated fresh at the table. Salads and appetizers are also available, but I didn't have one. Service is friendly and amiable without being pushy. Both of the folks that took care of us were knowledgeable about the food and, despite having to work on New Year's Eve, were upbeat and cheery. Desserts seem to be outsourced here. I ordered the coconut flan, and was presented with two small plugs of flan unmolded from tinfoil cups. However, the flan itself was amazing--creamy, coconutty, with the right proportion of caramel syrup. Flan is easy to mess up, usually by overbaking, which makes the custard grainy or overly eggy and curdled. This flan was on point! The reason I say they must outsource the dessert is that I saw another diner inquire about the tiramisu, and the server explained what it was, whereupon the diner ordered it, and I saw the server unmold a large, like 4" x 6" serving, of tiramisu from another tinfoil container. It looked good, I'm just saying it looked like it came from somewhere else. There is no formal restroom; I had to use the same broom-closet WC the staff does. The good news is, this is food you might cook for yourself. The bad news is...this is food you might cook for yourself. If you're not into cooking, I can see where you would make this place a habit. It's good, dependable food. If you do love to cook, like I do, this cuisine isn't much better than what you could do at home. I do want to visit once more, though, and try a pasta with the Gorgonzola e noci sauce. (Aside to the lovely lady who worked on our food: The cheese in tiramisu is "mascarpone," not "marscapone" as you pronounced it. I threatened to give zero stars to the next place I ate at that misspelled this ingredient on its menu, and on yours, it's spelled correctly, but pronouncing it correctly as well would help your street cred a tad. Just sayin'.) read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Recycled chic: hanging lamps with old olive oil cans for shades at Grano Pasta Bar. - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

SOOOO disappointed! I love watching "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives"....I think because it is entertaining and I get ideas for cooking in my own kitchen. I should leave it at that and not assume Guy Fieri's recommendations warrant taking the time and money to go and check out his picks. This place is one of his picks and we were SADLY disappointed in our lunch yesterday. Live and learn. We roll into Baltimore and find this pasta joint. It is 1 p.m. and we walk through the door and NOT ONE OTHER PATRON is in the place. It is us and that should have alerted us to turn around and walk out. We didn't do it. The uninterested and slightly perturbed Latina waitress told us we could sit wherever we wanted (that seemed obvious). We sat down and she handed us menus and set down two small water glasses and a bottle of water. We ordered our food. I asked for the 1/2 Caesar salad (said "egg-less" on the menu....should have said TASTELESS too, because it was!) I think the lettuce was from a few days ago and had sat out all morning because it was limp almost room temp lettuce and was sad looking....brown edges on some of the WHITE/light green lettuce leaves....sorry quality lettuce. The cheese on top was some dried out shredded Parmesan and pretty lousy. I ordered Gnocchi (3.00 extra) w/ Vodka sauce. The closest thing I can compare the sauce to is SpaghettiO's. A sweet red sauce. No vodka. No spices/flavors. Sweet tomato cream sauce. Not one speck of freshly grated cheese, only the shaker of what tasted like Kraft Parm cheese on our table. The Gnocchi was just some wad of dough. Not fluffy, not distinctive what-so-ever. Completely disappointing. I ate a few bites and handed it to my partner to finish, just like my salad. SUCKY FOOD! My partner liked his plate of Penne pasta w/ Puttanesca sauce. Our waitress was pretty much M.I.A. after she dropped off our pasta plates. We jumped up and asked for the check and left our more than generous 10 percent tip. I'm wondering if this place has changed hands. It sure doesn't come close to what we saw on tv. BYPASS THIS PLACE. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - tasteless doughy Gnocchi in a sweet virgin vodka cream sauce. - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Grano Pasta Bar is a small offshoot of Emporio Grano, and we've stopped here before for excellent pasta. The menu's short, but they know what they do best - a simple set of very good pastas. Takeout is sometimes a better option here - there are very few seats. If you do eat in, the service is excellent and very friendly, and it's BYOB (we love the Wine Source across the street). His plate: aglio-olio e peperoncino with spaghetti, meatballs Her plate: aglio-olio e peperoncino with fresh egg fettuccine D hadn't had aglio-olio before, but Grano was out of red sauce when he was placing his order (very close to closing on a weeknight, we don't fault them, and in fact are happy at the small-batch sauces). It's a good thing they were, because I think he might have a new favorite. Both meals were delicious, as usual. read more

I was in Hampden to get my hair cut, and the missus was tagging along because I promised lunch. While I was in the chair, she was picking out the eats and suggested Grano Pasta Bar as a possibility. We grabbed a sidewalk table, ordered up a Mozzarella Caprese salad, some bread, and a plate of farfalle pasta with their aglio-olio e peperoncino sauce. Drinks and bread came out fast. Our food came very quickly thereafter. The pasta was nicely al-dente, the olive-oil based sauce loaded with plenty of zesty peperoncini, garlic, and quartered sweet cherry tomatoes. There was plenty left for soaking up with bread, mixed with the provided fresh grated parmesan. The salad was loaded with fresh, moist mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, an assortment of cured olives, and tossed with a pesto & olive oil dressing. The bread came with more olive oil and roasted whole garlic cloves for mashing. We enjoyed a breezy, atypically non-humid mid-summer Baltimore afternoon while our server kept a good eye out for us. The food was good, fast, and affordable. BYOB from the Wine Source up the street is another point in Grano's favor. Four thumbs up from us. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Farfalle aglio-olio, al fresco @Grano . - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

THIS PLACE ROCKS. My wife and I just got back from Italy from our honeymoon and we were done with pasta for awhile since that's all we ate there. And we all know that the Italians know their pasta. Simple, al dente, rustic and homey. This place was exactly the same and I was really surprised at how authentic it was. We started off with the artisanal bread basket that comes with this roasted garlic and olive oil. THIS IS THE BEST BREAD BASKET YOU WILL EVER GET. You need to get it. YOU MUST. Also, the meatball appetizer was really amazing too. You can use the bread to soak up the sauce and voila! So delicious. For dinner, I got the carbonara linguine and my wife got the Aglio-olio e Peperoncino linguine (it definitely has a kick - spicy). IT WAS AMAZING. They cook it right in front of you on this little stove top and so that was kinda nice. You can bring your own beer/wine and they give you glasses. Service was nice, the atmosphere nice (a little on the smaller side but that's what makes it great) and overall, GREAT experience. I cannot wait to go back and try something else! read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Grano: quaint and awesome! - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

On Friday and Saturday nights, Grano is always packed with people having intimate conversations, heaping bowls of pasta, and copious amounts of red wine Before last night, I had only had the insalata verde (mixed greens, sliced pears, spicy olives, mini cucumbers, grape tomatoes, pear vinaigrette), which while delicious, doesn't really make a meal. Pasta hurts my stomach, and since this is an authentic Italian pasta bar type place, I had never even bothered to check if they had a gluten-free option. Well, they do (penne!) and it's delicious. I'm shocked (but thrilled) that it's possible to have a gluten-free VEGAN meal at Grano. There are multiple meatless sauces (and all sauces are gluten free) to choose from- I had the pomodoro- and my boyfriend said he could not tell that my pasta was gluten-free (I could, but it was still delicious). I haven't had pasta in forever and I cleaned every last bit off my plate. The service is amazing (they know the locals) and the kitchen prep area (which is right in front of you if you're sitting at the bar) is spotless. This would make a great place for a first date. There are only four tables, and room for about 8 at the bar, but I think they've done a great job maximizing the space so that it's not hard to move around and you don't feel too cramped. It's just right. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Gluten free :) - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Five out of five! The al dental sensation was very good. In fact, the last time I had such a great Italian authentic pasta was when I was in Rome in 2003. I am certain that I'll come again. I had the linguine with clam on the white sauce. I brought my daughter there and she loves the tomato pasta. It's not too far away from Johns Hopkins university. The parking can be challenging but if you walk from the campus, this may not be an issue. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Linguine with clam and white sauce - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Seriously amazing pastas, bruschetta, chocolate mousse. Love this place.. the seafood pasta is without a doubt the best I've ever eaten!