Not sure when this happened or maybe it's just me but I honestly feel like the food here has totally gotten better. I'm from NJ and moved here 14 years ago and was never super impressed with the Italian food in the valley. So I ordered from Pasta E Basta a week ago and it was great! So I ordered two more times, still great! Snagged some of my son's cheese bread while he was watching tv, it was great! read more

Pasta E Basta - Votka pasta with lobster ravioli - Italian Near Me - Amherst, Massachusetts

We had dinner here with a group-- so lots of choices and everyone had a meal they enjoyed. We had bruschetta as an appetizer and most of the group had cocktails which they all enjoyed. I had the chicken Marsala which was excellent-- you will want to take it home as the portion was very generous. Others in our party had chicken piccata, eggplant parmigiana and the shrimp and broccoli pasta-- all were excellent. We had tiramsu and lemon cake for dessert-- wow! Service was excellent and friendly. The only thing to beware of is that the steps are steep and may be a problem for anyone with a disability. read more

I've ordered out from this place a few times. I have to give them credit for their alfredo. The sirloin strip alfredo was quite good, in my opinion. You would not expect steak to work with the peppers and mushrooms in the light alfredo sauce, but it does. However, I tried the Chicken Beneciano and it was positively DISGUSTING. They try to compensate for the fact that the dish is just a bland piece of chicken with some oily pasta by putting a billion capers in there as well. The result is an acidic mess of slop that made my stomach turn. I suppose it was not a good sign when I saw that my takeout bag had grease leaking through it. Either they had not bothered to package it properly, or there was so much grease in the dish that it quantum tunneled through the plastic container. I've tried a few other things here. The salads are pretty decent but nothing special. I once made the mistake of ordering the Bruschetta. It was $8 for TWO pieces of the bread they give out for free topped with some cheese and diced tomatoes. That has got to be a planned rip-off to make a little extra on the margins. Do not get the Bruschetta. It has unfortunately deterred me from trying any other appetizers. All of the staff I have interacted with have been quite pleasant, none of my criticisms are on them. In my opinion it has to be the management or the chefs cutting corners. Overall, there are simply too many negative surprises from this place to warrant me spending money there again. Two stars. read more

Nice place. Ceasar Salad and bread was good. Drinks we're great. Food...so so. My spouse got the Carbonara. It isn't Carbonara. It's more like Alfredo with bacon bits. I got the linguini with mussels and white wine sauce. The chef must have just poured the mussels and white wine over the pasta. It was closer to soup than a dish. They needed to remove the mussels from the white wine cooking broth, reduce, add butter and maybe a bit of pasta water to give the sauce some consistency. It should be velvety not watery. read more

no spoons. good pasta. hard to eat without spoon. super accommodating for allergies! great ambiance, not accessible for people with disabilities. read more

Absolutely the best. Food is amazing, staff is courageous and friendly, atmosphere is romantic, special order handled perfectly, dishes emerge from the kitchen with perfect timing. You can create your own vegan pasta dish from a variety of options. read more

We ordered to go and sadly, the meals missed the mark. Perhaps this would be better dining in. The Arancini ball was incredibly salty and all of our pasta was over cooked and mushy. Again-perhaps better dining in. read more

Great food cooked to order. Pleasant helpful staff. Great bread and dipping oil! Portions are huge! Highly recommend eat in dining ! read more

I used to pretty much live here when I was a student at UMASS Amherst. I came back recently and I'm happy to report the quality has not changed a bit! The menu here is very easy to order off of, and everything is VERY reasonably priced. They always give you delicious home made bread to start with a delicious olive oil sauce. I ordered the "create your own" penne with olive oil and garlic sauce and it was just as delicious as I remember. You can't go wrong with anything on this menu. Their Alfredo, pesto cream, tomato cream, and sorrentina sauces are my favorites. Their entrees, subs, salads and appetizers are just as good. They have a down stairs and upstairs and parking is easy - on the street or across from the restaurant in the parking lot. Definitely stop here if you're in the area! So delicious! read more

Great food and service. We were a party of 10 not one meal was mixed up. Reasonably priced. Great experience

I do not at all understand the rave reviews. We got takeout: gnocchi in matriciana sauce, a mushroom pizza and some fried ravioli. The gnocchi was a gloopy mess, basically like eating paste; hardly any sauce either. I feel a little ill after choking down part of it. And there were a TON of onions, not listed on the menu! The pizza came without red sauce-- it was a build your own. And undercooked. No excuse for it. And the fried ravioli was fine, but $9 for 6 is wildly overpriced. Everything was bland and tasteless too. All in all, we won't be back. read more

This place smells so good when you walk in from all the delicious food. Three floors of seating, delightful staff and a great drink selection. First floor is handicapped accessible. Definitely try the bruschetta read more

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Absolutely love Pasta E Basta great food and staff is always friendly. Can get busy so usually will make a reservation.

SUPER NICE STAFF, Upscale atmosphere for the valley, and delicious food. The bread and oil is amazing and the pasta was very good. I had hoped the eggplant parm would've been better but it was okay. All and all great experience, and I will definitely be coming back! ...v-good prices too! read more

We stopped by on Saturday night while looking for somewhere to have dinner. It had strong Yelp reviews so we decided to try it out. I am so glad we did. Everything they brought to the table was phenomenal! The house made focaccia that they serve as the table bread was incredibly light and tasty. I ordered the bruschetta and inhaled them. Try their lasagna, it's life changing we will definitely go back to try more on the menu. read more

Aracini was delicious. Italian soda that they make in house is a real treat. I tried the raspberry lemonade, I highly recommend it. I got the chicken verdicchio for my main course. It's something that you don't find on most Italian/pasta places menu. The flavors in the dish really complimented each other and would get again. read more

Pasta E Basta - Chicken Verdicchio - Italian Near Me - Amherst, Massachusetts

Had takeout from Pasta e Basta and it was delicious, and reheated well as leftovers for lunch the next day as well.

I would put one star but our waitress was lovely, and I've never had a problem with the wait staff here. I loved pasta e basta and I've been here many times but tonight was surprising to be honest. Ordered carbonara with steak and the steak came out rock solid. Not just well done but over cooked like someone left it on the pan and forgot about it. I have TMJ and it almost locked my jaw up, that's how tough it was. I understand it was busy but I ate two pieces and had to spit them both out onto a napkin. Separated it from my pasta and let my waitress know. She kindly offered to put something else in or replace it but knowing how long it took to get our entree out I politely declined. But then came the check and I was still being charged 8.50$ for the two pieces of steak I chewed and spit out. I asked the waitress but it seemed like it was out of her hands. It seems like manager claimed that I had eaten over half of the steak when I sent back around 8-9 chunks of steak left untouched on my plate. I left extremely disappointed. I would understand if there was a couple of pieces of steak left on my plate but a quarter of my plate was untouched chunks of steak. read more

Excellent curbside, contact-free service. Good traditional Italian food and pizza at reasonable prices.

We had a reservation for dinner this past Sunday for 3 adults and a toddler. Though they seemed to be short staffed, everyone was friendly, efficient, and wonderful. Service was perfection, the food was delicious, and we will definitely be back! read more

Wow! We ordered takeout, chicken parm with pink vodka sauce and gnocchi with marinara and basil. it was fantastic, quick, reasonably priced, and DELICIOUS! We asked for bread as well and the focaccia they included was warm and so so good! Dinner was 10/10, we will definitely be back!! read more

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Lobster ravioli was outstanding! Sat upstairs on 3rd floor. Everyone at our table of 11 was impressed with their dishes. Service was prompt and courteous. read more

Pasta E Basta - Lobster ravioli with shrimp. - Italian Near Me - Amherst, Massachusetts

I found this place while visiting Amherst College, it got great reviews, so when I was looking for dinner I chose this place. Unfortunately I found the pasta to be over oily and just not a good flavor at all. My dad order the sirloin strips and he ended up with more of an Alfredo dish sprinkled with steak, very disappointing. read more

Pasta E Basta - Italian Near Me - Amherst, Massachusetts

When I first walked into the place, I wanted to walk out...why?!!? Oh, because it looked like it was a cafeteria and I hated high school! However, I noticed a stairwell to another level and walked up and found a new restaurant, but got nervous because the kitchen was at the top of the step and I thought that I was not supposed to go be there! However, a very sweet server greeted me and made me feel super welcomed! I said table for one and they said please have a seat we will take care of you shortly! No joke, at least 4 different people came up to me and asked me if I needed help! I was taken to another level, the third floor! And it was kinda empty (it was Wednesday night) and I was able to pick my seat! I dig the three levels! However, I hate that it's not a accessible! However, they do have a first floor. Grrr. I didn't get the standard bread that comes with the meal, I had to ask for it. However, my sever was very sweet and responsive! So, honestly, who cares! I made my own meal, I did Alfredo sauce, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, angel hair pasta! Good! I'm picky and spent a long time deciding on where to eat here... I have one place I eat pasta at in Rhode Island and I would break laws to eat there! I never venture out for pasta. I will be returning only to my favorite place! The bread, was descent, not great, at all. Too much garlic in the dipping oil, felt day old, the bread. Would be nice, warm! I feel the first impression would turn folks off, when you walk in. However, great service, my dish was good. I am come back again with my wife and share two made up pasta dishes! That's cool! The lighting was good for the set up and the temperature was comfortable! I'm alone on the third floor writing this! Good luck with picking your place to eat! read more

Pasta E Basta - I didn't have a cocktail. - Italian Near Me - Amherst, Massachusetts

Edible, but barely. The steak and mushrooms in my order tasted the same, like a burnt grill in desperate need of cleaning, there was no flavor nuance at all. The steak was also very chewy and overcooked. The chicken in my friend's order was burnt. The olives on my other friend's pizza order were put on whole and looked like they were literally just tossed on there at the last second with no regard for distribution. The appetizers, fried shrimp and fried ravioli, were way overcooked and awkwardly chewy. For what they charge here, what an absolute waste. Never again. read more

This is the spot to bring your fancy date. It's reasonably priced, the food is great, and it has that classy vibe for the gentlemen and ladies. Definitely consider this spot when planning a nice dinner with your special someone. read more

We were lucky enough to get a reservation last minute yesterday during parents weekend at UMass! The food was amazing! Italian fries were so good as well as both our meals. The Staff were all very friendly! Highly recommend!! We will be back! read more

They have the options for you to order up front and then you seat yourself or you can go upstairs to be served. I usually just seat myself for faster service. I recommend the cheese tortellini with chicken and shrimp, the crazy Alfredo and the lobster ravioli. There is prolly many other good items on their menu but I tend to stick with these. I love their breadsticks and oil and I tried the calamari for the first time and I've had better but I did enjoy it very much! If your crazy pasta this is the place to go to get ur cheesy cravings in! read more

Great little place and great takeout We had the chicken parm sandwich and it was delicious. Bread was fresh and sauce was very good. Highly recommend. Can't wait to try the pastas read more

Ordered delivery when my sister was in town. It was pretty solid and flavorful, but nothing extra special. Reasonable prices and there is definitely a lot of ability to customize. Because of that, I'd definitely keep it in the mix again. read more

This is literally the best restaurant in the world. Anyone who says otherwise I will punch in the mouth to defend its honor. I have eaten here a handful of times, ordering their pizza, spaghetti bolognese, and tortellini with chicken. Though all of their food is quite good, the free, handmade rosemary bread that they give out before the entree is the best. To be fair though, it definitely makes a difference to have it just out of the oven hot rather than room temperature. So make sure they give it to you that way! The food here is delicious, fairly priced, and made with love. Also Gabrielle, who I have had as a server twice, is the best server in the world, and super friendly. I would give Pasta e Basta seven out of five stars. Everyone who says otherwise is made of dumb and sand. read more

Another terrific meal! Mussels & putenesca over spaghetti was delicious! The bartender also delivered with an excellent martini! We enjoyed a visit with our son over spring break and will be back soon! Thanks to all who make Pasta a destination read more

This is one of my favorite Italian places! If you go when during the week or early on the weekends there's no wait and it's perfect. The bread and oil they give you is SO good, and the arancini is honestly so delicious!! The muscles are another great appetizer. The chicken piccata is the best I've ever had, or I customize a pasta dish w vodka tomato sauce is highly recommended!! read more

Pasta E Basta - Arancini - Italian Near Me - Amherst, Massachusetts

Steve and I met a friend here a few weeks ago. We were very pleasantly surprised. I had always thought of this place as a quick food place mainly for the students, but I was way off. It's a very nice sit down restaurant. There are actually 3 levels, and there are tables situated at the large windows so you can look out at the town of Amherst while enjoying your dinner and drinks. Steve and I ordered a large pizza, which was delicious (and huge). The vegetable topping tasted like it had just come out of the garden, and the overall flavor was great with nice puffy crust. The leftovers were perfect for breakfast the next day. Our friend ordered a pasta dish with shrimp, and he said it was very good. The service was also very good, our server was attentive and friendly. They do have a bar, but we didn't order anything this time around (it's a horrible drive from Amherst back to Northampton), but we plan to get back there this summer and try it again. read more

When visiting my son at Amherst we decided to try Pasta E Basta. What a great decision. They were able to quickly accommodate a party of seven. We had three appetizers and seven entrees. All were very good. The food was very good and priced reasonably. Highly recommend. read more

My boyfriend and I have visited this restaurant before and had some very good food. Tonight we decided to try it again. After our experience, we won't be returning. While the food was good, what happened halfway through the meal was an irreconcilable event. My boyfriend said he chewed something hard and spit it out. Turns out it was GLASS! Never have I ever seen glass in the food at a restaurant. The manager said they had broken a wine glass earlier that day. Why didn't the chef dump out all the food??? That's what should have been done. I was very worried about my food and stopped eating as well. My boyfriends food was comped but I believe our whole meal should have been given the circumstances. May have been an isolated event, however there are plenty other good restaurants in Amherst that we will be going to. read more

Make me sick. Never liked this place and gave it a second chance and I got so Alfredo ravioli with grilled salmon and vegetables. The Alfredo sauce tasted rancid and weirdly watery. I honestly felt very sick after the meal unfortunately and will not be returning. If your craving Italian food this place is not worth it. read more

Me and my parents, after dropping my stuff off at my new home, decided this would be a great place for a goodbye dinner (partially because of yelp reviews) We were seated on the top floor and, despite what I have read on here a few times, the service was very good. The food, however left alot to be desired. Maybe it's because I'm italian and have been eating pasta my entire life, but I was unmoved by the pasta, and the pesto sauce I got with it was merely ok. My parents, also lovers of italian food were equally unimpressed. Don't get me wrong, In no way was my experience bad. By I have, in fact, experienced better, and the prices, while reasonable, are too high for me to go and hope I'll like it better. Maybe next time my parents pay... read more

Staff was really nice, offered to get me other dishes, and was really attentive. Service was really fast. Unfortunately, the food tasted like it was made about 2 weeks ago and microwaved. Italian food is supposed to be fresh, or at least reasonably fresh. When tomato sauce and eggplant and other food is completely flavorless, nothing can save it. read more

My wife is a pasta nut and my daughter is one as well, Pasta E Basta seemed like a clear winner. I like the two level format so you can choose between table service and ordering at the counter. It's the same menu either way, but you can save on tipping if you want to keep your costs down. We opted for the counter. My daughter had fettuccine alfredo, my wife the Caesar salad with shrimp and I went with the eggplant parmesan sandwich. The alfredo was quite good, nice and creamy, not too garlicky. My wife's salad was so so. She liked the addition of the grilled veggies, but the dressing wasn't fabulous and the croutons weren't crunchy. My sandwich was flavorless. A note to chefs everywhere: salt is NOT optional. Once something is cooked, a sprinkling of salt from a shaker isn't going to make up for a lack of salt in every component of the dish. I guess if you stuck to pasta, if the alfredo was any indicator, this would be good choice at a good price. Otherwise, not so much. read more