Il Pastaio was wonderful! Our party of 7 sat at a small high table in the middle of the very small, intimate space. We had burrata, daily special gazpacho (served along cucumber, yellow pepper, and onion garnishes), and a variety of pasta and gnocchi. Everyone loved their dishes! The taste, temperature, and texture of everything was perfect. Service was very personal and attentive. We will definitely return. read more

One of the best Italian meals I've ever had. Tasted incredibly authentic. We left so fat and happy. The service is great. You start with fresh baked bread rolls. The house red wine is fantastic. We ordered so many pasta dishes. Favorites were: pesto, pappardelle with pepperoncinis chicken and sausage (wow flavor explosion), mushroom ravioli in brown butter. All 5 star. The chicken parm is huge and cooked perfectly. I braved the entire thing on my own but would recommend sharing or planning to take half of it home. We were a party of 7 and it seemed like we barely fit. If you're a larger group plan to come early. It's a small place and by no means fancy but def part of the charm and makes for a great experience. read more

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Absolutely amazing! Had the eggplant Parmesan and it melted in my mouth! Also took some takeout fettuccine and sauce and it was delicious! What a great family run establishment! read more

It's a great little family. Italian place. It's a small restaurant with a dozen tables sneak reservations. The lasagna is incredible.

This place is awesome! Found it on yelp and it was the most searched place in Denver! Authentic Italian! Lasagne and meatballs and spaghetti were delish! All the dishes looked amazing. Fresh pasta! Amazing find! read more

They served various types of lasagna the day I was there. I tried two and they were outstanding. The lunch deal (main , veggie, salad and bread) is very reasonably priced. read more

We absolutely love this family owned restaurant. Great food and great customer service. I only wish they had more sitting. They should definitely expand, because they're very popular and it's hard to get a table. Book in advance. read more

Felt great to get off of Pearl Street during our stay. Such a homey environment like I was eating at my family's house. Be sure to make reservations. read more

Il Pastaio - Cioppino - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

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Such a lovely little Italian stop! The couple are so friendly and very helpful. They serve lunch cafeteria style but the potions were huge and the selection varied enough for our party of 3. The gazpacho was flavorful and so refreshing for that hot day! I had the handmade salmon ravioli, and the sauce on top was perfect for eating with our fresh handmade bread. (My husband wouldn't stop eating mine!) And their zucchini... I usually dislike zucchini and squash... was savory and absolutely not mushy. I almost ate it all and my baby ate the rest! Basically everyone ate their food and mine. Their tables are all high tops and they have one high chair which is too short for the table. But they have a strap on booster seat that they set up for us which was perfect for my 16 month son. read more

The servers at every restaurant we'd experienced during our visits to 3 Colorado cities were exceptionally friendly, fun, and full of personality... until this place. Lackluster service aside, it was fun watching the pasta made fresh in the kitchen. I ordered the Gnocchi with pesto; tender and tasty but not leaving me longing to order it again. The Cheese Ravioli with Butter & Sage was rich and tasty, as was the Arrabiatta sauce (nice-and-spicy). read more

Il Pastaio - Gnocchi with Pesto Sauce - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Best restaurant in Boulder! This small, family owned restaurant is by far my favorite place to eat in all of Colorado. I come here every year for my birthday and the staff always remembers me. The gluten free pasta is incredible, as well as the regular pasta! I honestly haven't been disappointed with anything I have eaten here. The mushroom apps are also incredible. The fact that it is a small business makes me love supporting it even more! I will never stop coming here or recommending it to people. read more

Amazing food, amazing service. Beet pasta with sage and butter sauce was exquisite. My partner had the capellini with arrabbiata which had real spice unlike the jarred sauce. Finished with affogato! Make reservations for dinner because it is a small restaurant and very obviously a busy place. read more

Dinner here is very busy, but in my opinion was worth the wait. The staff was very friendly and helpful with suggestions. The bread was nice and crispy, and they have oil and vinegar at the table for dipping. We waited longer than I would have hoped to order, but once the food arrived we were blown away. The pasta is definitely made fresh, same with the sauces. I had the chicken parm with creamy pesto gnocchi, and my husband had the seafood cioppino, which is their special on Friday. We stayed to have dessert, some are made in house, while others are imported. We decided to have the homemade tiramisu and panna cotta, which were very good and not overly sweet. The panna cotta also had strawberry and mango puree on the plate for dipping, which was even better. One last thing, the also sell all their pastas and sauces on the side, great idea if you want to do take out instead! read more

Il Pastaio - Chicken parm with creamy pesto gnocchi. - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

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THE BEST ITALIAN FOOD and THE NICEST FAMILY!! IL Pastaio is our go-to restaurant. Their pasta (especially black) and the variety of sauces are excellent. Give them a try :-) read more

I think their slogan should be "I'm kind of as big deal". Tucked into a strip mall nobody knows about, hiding under the radar in a simple space without fancy schmancy design, a newcomer would never know that they have the best, most incredible, fresh homemade pasta. I tried the tender pappardelle with red sauce and Italian sausage. My friend got four-cheese ravioli with some sort of delicious cream sauce I kept dipping my bread in. And even though I was already rolley polley I ordered chocolate mousse and was super duper happy. Simple space. They focus on the food. They're kind of a big deal. read more

I love this charming family owned Italian restaurant for several reasons: service is amazing and food including the bread are wonderful too. Lunch menu is excellent with a selection of pre-made entries, veggies, salad and bread. read more

Went during lunch but ordered from dinner menu. Large portion size and eggplant parm was PERFECT!!!! Will definitely return to this place.

My son and I were in town visiting and wanted some Italian food. We found this place on yelp and couldn't have been happier that we found it. The food was great as well as the service. The ambiance of the restraunt was comfortable and pleasant. I would suggest the chicken parm. read more

Wow. Amazing Italian! The staff was great and every dish was perfect. I wanted to go back the next night! Highly recommended! read more

It was so fantastic I went three nights in a row! First two night I got the chicken park. The edges are crispy, the cheese and sauce are just right. The side of al denote pasta in sage and butter sauce is pretty delectable! Third night I got squash ravioli in the butter sage sauce. All washed down by ice cold Peroni. The owners and the owners son, Mariano really make the place wonderful. It's a hole in the wall next to the King Soopers, but this is my favorite kind of place, where the emphasis is on the food and hospitality. If you look at my other reviews you'll see I don't give out five stars easily! read more

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Unequivocally, the best Italian food made by a Costa Rican I can enjoy while sipping traditional green tea shipped straight from Japan. The salad served which each entree may be my favorite "side salad" in existence. First timers: Must start with the traditional lasagna with spicy marinara. Or try the ravioli sauce on the lasagna. Only knock: Their rotating special dishes can be hit or miss and price is a bit high. Usually well worth it for quality of dishes prepared by independent family, but when rotating dish misses, that can hurt. read more

Il Pastaio - Nothin like Italian food prepared by Costa Ricans enjoyed with Japanese green tea! - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

I don't know how I've lived here for nearly 4 years and never discovered this hidden gem until recently. Reasonably priced, non pretentious Italian food made right. Absolute best Italian food I've had in Colorado hands down. They sell bulk sauce, homemade ravioli and pasta & is also a sit down restaurant. the employees are all so kind and welcoming! I bought a pound of spaghetti today and it was so cool watching them take the uncut pasta sheet and cut it right there in front of me. I love the authenticity! My entire family are Italian immigrants & their pomodoro sauce makes me feel like I'm back in Boston at my nonnas house read more

Accidentally reversed into the handicap parking space in front of the restaurant with my California license plate. After my meal, I dropped off my leftovers in my trunk and walked to the Safeway next door to buy some Chobani yogurt. Did not realise I had parked in the handicap space. Servers looked at me funny but did not tell me what I had done. I'm so sorry. We had such a great experience, per usual. read more

I got a weird feeling coming in because it seemed more like a cafe than a restaurant. There weren't any low tables and the dining area is too cramped. I'm used to walking to a podium to be seated but here we walked in and a man behind the dessert counter held up 2 fingers to see if it was just us two, then he pointed at a table across from him for us to sit at... no one walked us over or anything. I of course looked this restaurant up on Yelp while waiting for water and it had great reviews for the most part. I thought that maybe I had been too quick to judge. I ordered the chicken with mozzarella and tomato with pasta (I forgot the actual name of the dish) and it was $19.50, which led me to believe it would be amazing. When our food came out I was not impressed by my plating or portion. Like I said, it was quite expensive. I began cutting into the chick and to my horror, IT WAS RAW. I have had undercooked meat in a restaurant before but never raw. It was completely pink as if it were just taken out of the packaging. I told my waiter and he took it back and got me a new one. The waiter was extremely kind about all of it and offered us a free dessert, and brought me a new one boxed up (I haven't checked if it is cooked) which was nice, but he didn't take the food off the bill. So we still paid almost $20 for a raw and unimpressive entree. We tried a new place to change things up and I will likely not return. The weird vibe and undercooked food turned me off and ruined my appitite. read more

I actually eat at this place once a week now. I have found this to be the best Italian food in the area. The prices are reasonable and the food is consistently good. Not once have I had a less than excellent meal. My only complaint is the limited seating. The food at this place is so good, I hope the owners expand into a larger location someday. Also two other Italian restaurants in the area are Carelli's and Laudisio's. Pastaio is much better. IMO Carelli's and Laudisio's are over priced with inconsistent quality. One suggestion: Eat there, don't do take out. The pasta gets soggy and the food is somewhat sloppy. read more

One of my favorites in town- cozy inside - the yummiest food , highly highly recommend for dine in or take out

This review is for their lunch service. I hear that dinner is a better experience so when and if I try it I will update the review. That being said, I would not do lunch here again. The choices are limited, it is steam case service of 4 lasagna options, a beef and peppers dish, a fish filet, and assorted veggies. You get a main, a side, a salad and bread, cafeteria style. The bread was really good. Fresh homemade baked, still warm. Just a traditional Italian bread roll but my favorite thing of the meal. I had the beef lasagna and it was OK. The sauce, pasta and cheese were tasty but though I could see the beef it was too smothered to have any taste. The side of broccoli was fresh and not overcooked, but just basic broccoli, and the only green option besides salad, which I chose not to have. There were 3 potato sides but it didn't seem like they went with anything but the fish filet or beef/pepper dish. There was a case with a limited selection of bottles of sodas and flavored fruit drinks or bottled water. The drinks were not included in the "meal" price. Overall, too much money for what was offered, especially, cafeteria style and self clean up. If I worked across the street in the office complex where most of the customers seem to come from, I suppose it is a quick and fresh option for a filling midday meal. Just not my style. read more

This place has been way hyped up to me: people have been telling me for years to check out Il Pastaio. Well, today I did and here is the d-l. I walked in and was highly surprised by how small it was, as well as the fact that you ordered at the counter...considering that the meals are $10 a plate. I expected the cozy sit down, intimate conversation restaurant style, while this was more of an Italian deli of sorts. In any case, I ordered the Gnocchi pesto and cream and sat down. The service consisted of one of the owners, which is always a nice touch and the food was good; their sauces are by far the best part. Somewhat pricey, I expected something different (i.e. a Roman Villa in Colorado Springs), but nonetheless the small business feel and the nice owners definitely make this probably the best Italian place in Boulder I've been to. read more

Il Pastaio - http://www.bouldertankentai.com/archives/ilpastaio-thumb.jpg - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Wonderful food and great family. The sauce on the mushrooms was mopped up! Their pasta just disappeared! read more

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Over priced awesome food but it is Boulder. The overall ambiance is lacking. It is homemade and really really good just to much for wasn't there. $63 for two entraes no salad and no alcohol. I'd go back read more

Fellow Yelpers! I haven't been to Il Pastaio since last summer and had the privilege of dining there again last night. Firstly I am glad I had made reservation because there was a wait. The place is certainly no longer that hidden gem it was a few years back so my suggestion is to make a reservation. We started with a bit of gazpacho which was refreshing and clean followed by chicken parm with a side of the pesto cream pasta and linguine mare nero. The pastas are in house made and delicious. The star was the pesto pasta which was perfectly done and oh so luscious. The family owned atmosphere is lovely as is the family that runs the place. I have had Italian in LA, NYC, Chicago and this food is as good as any I have eaten. Simply outstanding Italian food at a reasonable price point! Enjoy! read more

A great, small mom and pop Italian family-owned business with great lunch selections and homemade pasta to go. A rare gem food operation in Boulder County. Buon appetito! read more

I've actually been trying for months to go here since I first saw it's rating on Yelp, but I could never make my way into town when the restaurant was actually open; they're not open on weekends. However, this July 4 holiday actually gave me an excuse to drive to Boulder and try their food. The restaurant is actually very close to the 29th Street Mall, so it's not very difficult to find at all. The restaurant itself is quite small and seems more equipped to do more take-out-orders, but there are about 8 tables inside that can accommodate small groups. That being said, it may be best to come in during off-peak hours or call in to ensure there is a table for you and your party, if you want to dine inside. The menu itself is a little small, but rest assured that most of them will taste very delicious! From what I could tell, their bread was definitely homemade and crispy on the outside and slightly soft on the inside just the way I like it! The only downside was that it was a little small, but I believe it is better that way so you can focus more of your appetite on the entree. For dinner, I decided to try the Linguine Mare Nero ($17), which had homemade linguine noodles, shrimp, and mussels smothered in this tomato garlic sauce. When I first got my entree I was shocked by how many mussels and shrimp that they had put inside the dish. The mussels and shells lined the edge of the plate to create a very appetizing presentation, and there was also a lot of shrimp with the dish, which I've found is rather uncommon here in Colorado. The pasta itself was very delicious and very satisfying without being too filling. My dining experience even convinced me to buy a Pollo Rumano to take home for my aunt to try. Quite unfortunately, I don't think she was as impressed as I was and commented that they use a lot of garlic in their dishes, but it didn't really bother me much. So, if you're not much of a garlic fan, then the food may not exactly appeal to your palate. Overall, I was very satisfied with my experience at Il Pastaio! Although the restaurant is a little small and cramped, they certainly make up for it in the quality of their food. I would definitely recommend this place to a friend in the future and will most likely make a return visit, when I can actually get a holiday off on a weekday. Bon Appetit! read more

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After a couple of days driving around the Denver area looking at colleges we arrived in Boulder ready for a good meal. In a college town full of brew pubs, taco joints and pizza, there were surprisingly few options for straight forward Italian food. After a bit of homework, Il Pasta stood out and we gave it a try. It is a small, no-frills spot that does a lot of take-out and pasta/sauce sales, but for diners it has a simple charm delivered in large part from the family who run the place. The food was simple but excellent across the board. We started with an antipasto of grilled vegetables, cheese, olives and salami and gazpacho. The freshness of the flavors was notable. We then moved onto a gnocchi with meat sauce, fettuccine Alfredo and chicken parmigiana. The gnocchi were delicate and light, rare at even some of the expensive places in my hometown of Chicago and the sauce rich and flavorful. The Alfredo sauce was executed with uncommon restraint, avoiding the common pitfalls of glue like texture and dull flavor. The chicken was well assembled, crisp coated thin cutlet under a light splash of tomato sauce and topped a nice amount of cheese and herbs. They have nice list of inexpensive wines by the bottle, but I opted for a 1/2 carafe of one of the Italian wines they offer on tap. We finished with a tiramisu that again was another well executed version of a classic dish. If you are in town and looking for a moderately priced and satisfying meal, Il Pastaio is an excellent option. read more

This place would have been so great had it not been for the very slow service and unpleasant seating. Granted, I came here with a friend on a Friday evening without a reservation, so we were lucky to be seated whatsoever, but we unfortunately got the only tiny table outdoors, in the sweltering summer heat. We felt pretty much forgotten about, and waited over half and hour to be served. After we had paid, the waiter also forgot to give my friend the leftover food she had sent to be boxed. The food also was not as good as I had hoped. I got the mushroom ravioli with pesto sauce, and my friend got spaghetti and meatballs. I also had a tiramisu for dessert. The ravioli was pretty tasty, but writing this a few weeks later, I barely remember it. The tiramisu was very yummy, so no complaints there except that I was too full at that point to enjoy it to the max. The food here is fresh for the most part, but I'm left not quite impressed. read more

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Authentic Italian Experience The Good: -Family-owned & operated -Hand-made pasta & sauce -Inexpensive, quick buffet lunches with pasta entree, salad & bread -Cute, tiny, European-style hole-in-the-wall authentic gem The Bad: -Incredibly slow service -The minestrone, which used to be chunky, red & delicious -- now is just chunks of mirepoix (carrot, celery, onion) in tasteless gray broth. The Service: I loved my arrabbiatta (spicy red sauce) and wanted more for my cappellini (thin angel-hair noodles). However, no one bothered to stop by until after my boyfriend finished eating. Even then they ignored my full plate and asked if my boyfriend enjoyed his pasta. I'm sure he would have enjoyed it more if he'd not eaten it while watching me wait for service. I had several bites of mine but really wanted more sauce, so I patiently waited...and waited...and waited. I find it impossible to understand why our server, in a totally open, single room of 9ish tables, failed to see that one of us was not eating -- the entire time. Is it not standard practice to check on tables food within minutes of the dish being presented, to see if they enjoy their dishes or need anything else? Very disappointing. It only takes a second to check in, and it would have made a world of difference. The Food: I love their spicy red arrabbiatta sauce and homemade noodles. The tiramisu used to be good. Their minestrone soup used to be chunky & good but now is tasteless & bland. Overall, tasty & fresh pasta with lots of options, especially for ravioli! My boyfriend's veggie lasagna was tasty as well. My meatballs were pretty mediocre, really just bland with a too-smooth texture. Overall: I love supporting local business as well as their pasta, so I'll go back and ask for extra sauce in advance. read more

Pollo parmigiana tasted delicious and the side of pesto pasta was so flavorful. The pasta and sauce are all handmade here and you can definitely taste it. The pasta had a great texture and it was cooked perfectly. The portion sizes are huge and the prices are reasonable for the amount of food you get. Very friendly staff and great service! read more

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My favorite spot. Great service and food. Friendly atmosphere and the best chicken parm.

My boyfriend and I have starting coming to Il Pastaio about once a week for lunch. $13 lunch plates are served cafeteria style with 3 lasagnas, and 2 other entrees to pick from. I am not a huge lasagna person but I LOVE the beef lasagna!! You can pick from a few veggies, and it comes with a side salad, and fresh bread roll. Portion size is great, and the food is to die for. I highly recommend coming in for a quick affordable and delicious lunch!! read more

The pasta is okay, though my meatballs were flavorless. A much bigger problem is that, no one in the kitchen wears masks, and front-of-house staff only put on masks when talking to customers. read more