I finally made it here and oh em gee! It is so frikkin good. It's like being transported to Italy. Even though I made a reservation and had hoped for a table, party of one, the place was packed on arrival and I got seated at the two person bar. All good. I loved having a view of the bustle of the restaurant and especially all the parties celebrating birthdays. A few employees would gather at the table while delivering dessert and sing happy birthday. A few patrons like me joined them in the serenade. Such a warm, family vibe. A lovely gentleman sat in the open bar stool next to me. Turns out he's a regular and longtime Boulder resident. He gave me some menu tips. Plus it was fun to learn about him and his business. I had the red wine on tap. Delicious and $9. Two favorite qualities in wine. I got the bolognese with linguini. It was beyond fabulous. Insert chef's kiss! I took a small container home because I knew it would make a perfect lunch the next day, and it was. The rolls are divine. Hard, crunchy exterior with softness on the interior. I had one there and brought a second home to enjoy with lunch the next day. I know how to live. I enjoyed a short chat with Mariano, the owner's son who basically grew up there. It reminded me of all my favorite places in Philadelphia where I'm originally from. I had been missing my casual Italian restaurant places but now I've found my new home. Cin Cin! See you soon again. read more

One of the best Italian restaurants we've been to. The pastas are house-made, the sauces are consistently excellent, and there are solid vegetarian options--which we really appreciate. We discovered this place by chance while wandering around Boulder and were lucky enough to walk in that first time. Since then, it's become our go-to spot for celebrating special occasions. The food has never disappointed, and the hospitality is always warm and welcoming. Recommended dishes: Chicken Parm Mushroom Ravioli Vegetarian Lasagna Gnocchi Spicy Aurora Sauce Pesto Cream Sauce Note: The restaurant is closed on weekends, so plan accordingly and make a reservation in advance. read more

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One of our favorite lunches in town. Also enjoy their special occasions. Is very cozy, lovely owners and staff. The lunch is a fixed price selection of a main, a veg, a salad and a roll. Always awesome. Secret option: three veg, is also highly recommended. read more

Authentic Italian gem hidden away in Boulder. We've dined there dozens of times. The freshly made pasta and sauces are excellent. However this week their special was veal, cheese, ham in a square and fried. Sort of French wannabe looking like a waffle Just no Stick with what you are SOOO good at: Italien heaven. We'll be back! read more

Il Pastaio - Interesting but where's the sauce! - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

The pasta and sauces were excellent and definitely home made. They cut the fresh pasta right in front of you! The Arrabiata sauce is delicious but I like spice. If you're sensitive to spice don't order that one. The other sauce we had was with cream and tomato, called Aurora I believe, and also delicious. You can buy the sauces and the pastas from them and have a home made dinner without the work! That's the good news. Lunch there was a little different. Steam table offerings which weren't all that good except the pastas we had. They serve it on paper plates with plastic cutlery. The wine choices were quite extensive and good with a very generous pour. We had Affogado for dessert, fabulous as always. We both decided we'd definitely go back for take out because the pasta and sauces were so good. Eating in doesn't have much atmosphere. read more

This place has been around for a long time and I have heard so many recommendations, finally got a chance to try it and I understand the hype! A total hidden gem around the corner from 29th street mall, there are a total of ten tables inside and it's a squeeze but well worth it. We were able to call ahead for a table, but they do take reservations as well. All of their pastas and sauces are made in house, and every single one we tried was delicious. Great portion sizes for the prices, and entire plate is dedicated to the entree such as chicken in lemon sauce and chicken parmesan and another entire plate for the sides of pasta. Butter sage was good, the Alfredo sauce was amazing! Authentic, quaint and homestyle, come hungry and leave happy! read more

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The food is delicious!! And the service is great, too. Was in Boulder for work, craving pasta, which is not a staple where I live. Found this place, and went for dinner. We even went back for lunch before we flew home. I love squid ink pasta with seafood. Steak lunch was very nice, too. read more

Great, small, local, authentic. Great food and service; so glad they squeezed me in. Everything on the menu is tempting, but I went with one of the house signature dishes: Papperdelle Paglia e Fieno Portofino, two papperdelle pasta colors (green and yellow) mixed with shrimp and mushrooms in alfredo sauce. Really great. Shrimp were perfectly cooked and tender. I started with a cup of minestrone; veggies were crisp and really fresh. Tiramisu was good. read more

Staple Italian spot!! So homey inside and the servers are the best. Delish homemade pastas and amazing sauces. read more

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Home-y restaurant with food that reflects that. I keep coming back here when I crave pasta. The food: They make everything from scratch. The pasta is a perfect al-dente texture. The sauces all have a distinct flavor and very well done. Some favorites are Aurora, butter & sage, and pesto cream. The ravioli is stuffed with the right proportion - love their mushroom one. You can buy the pasta and sauce in bulk to take home. The dessert: Tiramisu is decent. The limoncello iced dessert in a glass is my favorite. Lunch vs dinner: Lunch is different where you pick a lasagna, plus sides up by the register. Dinner entrees options can be ordered al a carte any time during the day. Service: Average - nice and polite. It's always packed in there for dinner. Lunch is more relaxed. read more

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A cozy little restaurant serving up a wide variety of excellent pasta and sauces. It is clean, friendly and I highly recommend. Great place to take a date! read more

My friend was celebrating a milestone birthday and invited me to gallivant around Boulder for the wknd. I booked this little Italian ristorante as a surprise dinner for the two of us and it was a grand slam home run. I searched numerous reviews from amongst my fellow Yelpers in Boulder and this gem was repeatedly a top-5. And also because my friend loooves Italian. Pro tip: they take reservations and they are strongly encouraged. Also, this little family-run restaurant is only open M-F, closed BOTH Sat/Sun (if that doesn't tell you how good they are)! We arrived five minutes early for our Monday 6:30p reservation and all 10 tables in this small establishment were packed. We waited at one of their two nice outdoor tables for less than 10 minutes before being seated - it merely provided just the right amount of time to get familiar with the menu. Staff was incredibly attentive and good-humored to boot. The general process is you pick from among a dozen sauces, from a half-dozen noodle types, and an optional protein (at additional cost). Recommendations were enthusiastically provided by both the experienced host and our waiter. We ultimately went with those recommendations: Verdicchio Pignocco white wine; Mushroom ravioli paired with Alfredo sauce and the Fusilli pasta with the Pesto Cream sauce and added chicken (+$6). The pesto was incredibly fresh-tasting and was a good pairing with the short/twisted ficilli to grab all of that delicious green sauce. But the real hit was the mushroom ravioli. We are both carnivores but so glad we heeded everyone's advice to get this particular ravioli. INCREDIBLE, especially with the alfredo. For desert, we were again recommended the top three items on the menu as those are all made in-house, including the chocolate mousse and tiramisu. We opted to split the mousse and it was equally divine - not too sweet, not too whipped, and with good amounts of cocoa bitterness. Parking is free/easy in this little strip mall. This is hands down the best pasta I have ever had (despite having previously enjoyed a handful of other homemade pasta joints) and with entrees running around $25-30, it was also reasonably priced. I can't wait to come back... some day. read more

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Amazing food Amazing staff. 15 years of living locally and just now finding you. Thank you.

This small, family style Italian restaurant on Arapahoe was outstanding. We visited in January 2026 The seating area is quite small, so I recommend reservations. Not only was the food top notch, but the service was attentive and efficient. The wine recommendations were thoughtful and helpful. Plus, the manager checked in with us to confirm that things were going well. Very nice people. Definitely worth a visit. read more

Make reservations in advance if you can - it's tiny but delicious and worth it! The Arabbiata sauce is no joke spice but delicious; the marinara is incredible if you can't quite do spice though. We go here 1-2 times every time we're in town. It's super cute inside! read more

Very small place and if you go at a really busy hour, I would make a reservation. Food was really good and the prices were reasonable. The the papardelle with shrimp was fantastic! We would go back when in the Boulder area again. read more

From the outside this place doesn't look like much, but I'm SO glad I went inside! It's set up like a cute little Italian bistro (max occupancy of 30). The real star here is the food. All pasta and sauces are made in house. I ordered the mushroom ravioli with arrabitaia sauce. It was incredibly tasty!! The sauce had a little bit of a kick which was nice. I also ordered the arugula salad which had a slice of a tomato, a pepperoncini and two marinated sliced peppers in a light vinaigrette. The complimentary bread, also made in house, was tasty, too. It was fresh with just the right amount of crispness. There were ample waiters for guests and the owner filtered around asking guests if our food tasted good, etc. Another cool thing is they sell pasta and sauces in bulk!! If I weren't flying out in two days I would have grabbed some of that, too!! Don't let this little gem pass you by when you're in Boulder!! read more

Il Pastaio - Mushroom ravioli with Arrabitaia sauce - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Great family owned business. Our meal was all pasta: Fresh homemade pastas with your choice of sauce. Incredible service, you can tell the staff and family are proud and invested. Clean, Cozy small space with only a few tables and feels so nice and authentic. We felt special to have to opportunity to be present and welcomed. Reservations recommended but not necessary. read more

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Inside a cute store/restaurant, the fresh pasta was great! Tried the Pollo alla Francese (4/5), Rigatoni with Pesto (3/5, could use less basil and more cheese/nuts), Papperdelle paglia e fieno portofino (5/5, super tasty and favorite dish), the Flan (4/5, they moved our table so this one was free!), and the tiramisu (4/5). Overall, a nice intimate place with amazing service and kind people. Would recommend! read more

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I love this place! The pasta is made fresh and they are kind enough to list it on their menu from smallest and most delicate pasta to largest. I usually get the pairing of pasta with sauce. Most recently I got Alfredo with bolognese sauce. It came out piping hot. Perfect. In the future I'll skip desert. The cannoli was fine but nothing special. Really the pasta is the show here. Make a reservation. There is very little seating and it fills up fast! read more

Best Italian restaurant in Boulder, hands down. This is a family-run restaurant has some of the best freshly made pasta and sauce that I have found, and service is top notch! read more

Delicious sauces. I got the eggplant parm this time and very happy with it. Pasta is homemade.

I got the eggplant parm and it was so yummy. The sauce was so flavorful and the handmade pasta is so fresh. I was very impressed and the staff were all super kind. I got it to go but the inside was adorable:) read more

We're visiting from out of state and searched Italian nearby. So glad this came up and at first we thought, there is no way this could be good, it's set in a strip mall and the only tables are high tops. We were wrong, from the moment we stepped inside the service was exceptional. We brought our babies so high top tables and little babies isn't easy but they had booster seats for the tables to accommodate us. We all ordered different dishes and each one of yet couldn't stop commenting on how amazing our food was. Food was so fast, service was impeccable and the food was divine. We already talked about going back again because it was that good. I had to eat with one hand since I was holding our newborn for avoid him getting fussy and the chicken was thin enough to cut only with a fork. The creamy pesto sauce for the pasta is something I'll be dreaming about for days. Thank you for a wonderful experience and memorable comfort meal. Highly recommend!! read more

The vibes of Il Pastaio are unmatched. The food is wonderful and I cannot recommend their butternut squash ravioli enough. We came last for a business dinner and colleagues birthday and they offered a free dessert which she took graciously. We did find a hair on one of the pasta dishes, but they rectified the situation immediately and were more than happy to resolve our concerns. Service was great and food was delicious, we will be back for sure! read more

Il Pastaio is hands down the best Italian restaurant in town. Their Chicken Francese, Chicken Parmigiana, sautéed mushrooms, homemade pasta/ravioli and sauces (especially the aurora) are all top-notch and are giving some of my favorite places in NYC a run for their money. Every dish we've tried here has been outstanding. It's a small, family-owned restaurant where you can tell how much love they put into it and that's exactly what makes a restaurant like this so amazing! Everyone is always extremely friendly and that's just the cherry on top. read more

Il Pastaio - Chicken Francese, Chicken Parmigiana, and sautéed mushrooms - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Overpriced. The service was friendly but the food left a lot to be desired. My sauce tasted like Febreze.

i made an order to pick up, I was greeted by the nicest people, very friendly and attentive! the restaurant is clean and authentically decorated. I ordered the spinach ravioli and 2 meatballs on the side. WOW! absolutely delicious! read more

This place is incredible! Do yourself a favor and make a reservation at least a day ahead because it's a very small restaurant but it's worth it! The pasta is homemade and so yummy. My husband had the chicken Parmesan and it was perfection. I can't recall the name of my dish, but it was pasta with Alfredo shrimp and mushroom and holy moly. It was incredible. The staff was very friendly and the food came out super fast. I would highly highly recommend! read more

This place is so cute! The day we went they had lasagna, salad, delicious rolls and a variety of vegetables. I had meat lasagna, Brussels sprouts, salad and bread; my husband had the vegetable lasagna, broccoli, salad and bread. You get a great value for your money. The staff is so sweet and friendly, and the cafe has a warm and cozy feeling. My husband said it reminded him of a restaurant in a Miyazaki movie. The lady who served my lasagna said, "It's not going to cut into a nice square because it's just out of the oven. That's how you know it's extra delicious!" It was! read more

Il Pastaio - Meat lasagna, salad, Brussels sprouts, bread - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Yea, so I have been back here like 4 other times since that first time. HANDS DOWN the best Italian, maybe under the radar place in Boulder. The Pollo alla Francese is LITERALLY Insane. Chicken lightly cooked with lemon butter sauce. I now only order this with rigatoni with basilico sauce. Crushes it. read more

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Food service outstanding. I picked up a sheet pan lasagna for a gathering at home tonight. I was ready and they provided extra sauce and their delicious homemade rolls!! read more

Always so delicious, their choices of pastas and ravioli to bring home and cook are also incredible.

Such a lovely place to go for lunch. (We haven't yet visited for dinner, but will do so in the near future.) Lunch is counter service, while dinner has table service. Lunch consists of an entree, a side dish, a little salad, and a good roll. Choose from one of five entrees. (For example, the last time we visited, the options were beef lasagna, turkey lasagna, veggie lasagna, ravioli, and beef stroganoff, with two different red sauces to top the lasagnas.) Choose one of five side dishes. (The side dish options were broccoli, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and scalloped potatoes.) The salad consisted of nicely dressed mesclun greens, topped with a bit of good bean salad and a couple of slices of Roma tomato. The roll was a substantial artisan-style roll. The food is all cooked from whole, fresh ingredients. The pasta is made from scratch. This is real food. The real deal. Yum. A word about service. The first time we visited, we walked up to the counter and asked the young woman to explain the lunch procedure to us. What we were anticipating, having experienced this at soooo many places in Boulder, was either a deer-in-the-headlights inability to coherently explain even the simplest thing, or a sullen and/or annoyed mumble. What we experienced instead was a pleasant young women who provided a full and useful explanation. And beyond that, her attitude made us feel welcome, rather than like annoyances. Thank you for that! The food. Excellent. Home cooking executed perfectly. Couldn't have asked for a nicer meal. And, I must mention, nothing was too salty. Much less salty than nearly all other restaurants, which was so very nice. Thank you for that! Maceo's beef lasagna was tender and delicious, the arrabiata sauce spicy yet balanced. The scalloped potatoes were delicious. The beef stroganoff (which I never would have thought to order in an Italian restaurant, but which looked so good that I couldn't resist) was delicious. Filled with beef and mushrooms and onion in a beefy cream sauce. Exactly like I would have made it at home. The salad was a nice accompaniment, the greens fresh and the bean salad tasty. (I'm usually not the biggest fan of bean salad, because it tends to be too vinegary, but this bean salad wasn't vinegary at all.) And the substantial roll really added to the meal. (And was good, for rude people such as myself, for absorbing the stroganoff juices.) The cost? $16.00 (which includes the tax). Worth every last penny. read more

I've eaten here in the past for lunch and recently went for dinner for the first time. We all loved our food! I went with my wife, kids (9/10), and my mom. The food was all delicious and the wine was quite good. The service here is extremely friendly. The restaurant is very small and intimate. read more

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Wonderful find! Small inside but very cozy ambiance and the food is absolutely delicious! Pasta is all fresh and sauces are amazing. Make sure to get some dessert. Unique gelato flavors. Just a great experience all around read more

Ate here twice over the last 7 days. Both meals were amazing. I love everything about this place. The service is amazing. The bread was amazing. Pasta, amazing. Sauce, amazing. Meatballs, amazing. Chicken Parm, amazing. Get my drift :) If you are in town, I suggest you stop by. They also raffle off a bottle of wine at the end of each day. Amazing!!!! read more

Best home style Italian food in Boulder! Menu has everything you need and nothing you don't. The service is wonderful and you feel like family... It is a true escape! read more

Best Italian food in all of Boulder! I miss visiting this restaurant dearly now that we've moved. It's on my short-list of restaurants to return to next time we visit. It feels like your family is cooking for you, very intimate and wholesome. Ravioli is great and so is the bolognese! You can select your own pasta and sauce when you order to create the dish you most desire. Highly recommend! read more

We love the fresh pasta, the sauces, the meatballs, and our favorite is lasagne. It is a tiny restaurant, so reservations are a good idea. It is VERY good!!! read more