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The Pasta Bowl

4.2 (1.2k reviews)
ModerateItalian
Open • 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

Order The Pasta Bowl Takeout or Delivery

The Pasta Bowl Photos

Business Info

THE PASTA BOWL ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Loud
Happy hour specials
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - The Pasta Bowl

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Reviews With Photos

Molten Lava Cake
Megan J.

Food was excellent! Service was great. Everything was out quickly. Nice and concise menu. I only wish that they had carbonara on the menu and free bread. Could also be hard to get seating as it is a smaller place and they don't take reservations

Calamari
Joey L.

Loacated just a short walk from the Lincoln Park Zoo, The Pasta Bowl is a specialist in all things pasta. There are appetizers and dessert on the menu as well but it's better to just go and focus on the carbs here. The plates are gigantic, big enough for 2, and the selection of dishes is lengthy. The pasta itself is flavorful, hot, and great texture. No soggy noodles or watery sauce here. Eating in is not bad, there are more seats inside than it seems. But based on the number of delivery drivers that show up, every couple seconds, it's very popular here.

Charli O.

Ordered via delivery - huge portion for the price, very hot and tasty! Love that it came with both bread and utensils. My driver was friendly and efficient and I was very pleased with the entire experience.

Capellini Pomodoro - crazy delish
John M.

Stopped by the Pasta Bowl last night for dinner and oh my, the gem still shines! Crazy good food with the same huge potions. What do they do here that keeps that pasta al dente while still steaming away after 20 minutes?! I guess it's just one of life's little secrets but this place remains a high value, Americanized Italian comfort delight (albeit a tad noisy).

Ana M.

Excellent pasta and service. Very pleasant experience. Highly recommend it. The server was very attentive and brought the food promptly. A must Chicago place.

Catering
Em K.

The Pasta Bowl has been our go-to for work catering two years in a row, and our team really enjoys it! This year we ordered Caesar salad, bruschetta, Conchiglie Gorgonzola, Farfalle Pollo, cookies, cheesecake, and assorted drinks. The Farfalle Pollo is always a crowd favorite, and the Conchiglie Gorgonzola was a great vegetarian option. The delivery person did an excellent job setting everything up for us. The cheesecake was stellar, and the bruschetta was also a new hit for our team. Consistently great food, good portions, and reliable service make The Pasta Bowl perfect for office events.

Lucky Penne
Elaine L.

Based on my recent order, my honest review would be 1 star. However, I have been here multiple times and have enjoyed it, so I've decided to average it at a 3. I ordered the lucky penne pasta with chicken and bread service for delivery. I was craving pasta and remembered the last time I went with my friend she had ordered the lucky penne and it was sooo good and I loved the creamy chipotle sauce. So you can imagine how disappointed I was when I received my order and the pasta was not at all creamy and/or good. The flavors were off and it genuinely looked/ tasted like someone just threw together a bunch of left over ingredients to make a "end of the week meal." You know the ones you make when you're trying to make use of all the left over groceries. I was also really disappointed that the "bread service" just came with 4 tiny slices of bread (which were soggy bc it came in an air sealed tight plastic container). I'm so bummed that I paid extra for delivery as a special "treat" for myself and ended up just eating what I meal prepped for myself.

Kari O.

(Kari's Rating 8.5/10) The pasta bowl is a great dine in and carry-out. My friend and I came in to grab a bite on Thursday evening and I noticed most of their orders were for carryout so they definitely were still busy as it was freezing outside. They sat us at a small table in the very front under the heater, which was really appreciated considering it was negative degrees outside. All of the pasta options were so different and our server knew all of them by heart, including the noodle shapes which I was really impressed about. She was able to recite off the specials without looking at anything either. Server was extremely attentive and the ambience was casual stop in. We ended up ordering the butternut squash pasta with pancetta as well as the vodka rigatoni, and we added some chicken. The vodka rigatoni was not very spicy, but there was just enough sauce to cover all the noodles, but you didn't need anything, but they gave you a piece of bread to stop up the rest if that's for you. The butternut squash absolutely took the cake. It was savory, it was a little bit sweet, it was not greasy from the pancetta, but very well seasoned. I don't live very close to this place, but I actually would come out of my way for it. Thank you for having us!

Lobster Ravioli
Tessa B.

Pasta Bowl was a great find--easy to locate and very budget-friendly. We arrived around 6 p.m. on a Saturday evening and were seated right away. Our server greeted us promptly and made us feel welcome from the start. The food was flavorful and satisfying. We ordered the Farfalle Pollo, which was especially delicious with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes; the Lobster Ravioli, which was just okay; and the Rigatoni Bolognese, which was hearty and well done. Service was efficient and friendly, and the overall experience was smooth--we were in and out within an hour, making it a perfect casual dinner spot.

Tortellini Crema
Renee H.

Every dish felt like a warm hug--fresh pasta, rich flavors, and zero shortcuts. The kind of place where you accidentally clean your plate and start planning your next visit before the check even comes. Cozy, comforting, and seriously worth it.

Vince H.

Takeout order. Just loved it! Great value, flavor, and portion size. I got the bolognese and it was excellent. Comes with a slice of bread but I also ordered the bread service which came with a nice butter liquid. I will definitely be ordering again!

Small kid with huge portion
Windy H.

I truly miss this place by like 15 years. I know! Life happens (like kids!) We originally wanted to go somewhere else by this place but the place was packed and the kids said why don't we try pasta bowl. So I said YES. Last time I went here was 15 years ago with my husband when we were still dating Service - The server was amazing. He made us feel like home. He easily set the table for the 5 of us and everything was fast. Food - OMG!!!!!!!!! The portions were LARGE. My kids literally said they could finish it for one week (which was a lie!). I did however finish it for lunch dinner and lunch again Price - totally worth the buck! I would totally come here again and this time I will not take 15 years to come back.

Farfalle Pollo
Matthew K.

A small and cute restaurant perfect for a night out to grab some quick pasta! There is a decent amount of seating and we were able to get a table for 2 immediately. The rigatoni pesto was a special dish that they were offering and the Farfalle pollo is listed as their signature dish. Both were absolutely delicious! Both were huge portions of pasta to the point that we probably could have ordered one and shared it. The prices are very reasonable for the portion sizes and the quality of food. Definitely a great option for affordable and quick pasta!

Wings with blue cheese ($15.75)

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The Pasta Bowl Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - The Pasta Bowl

Is the pasta homemade?

No. It is not

Can you get gluten free pasta?

No. That is not on the menu currently

Do they have gluten free options?

They do not

Сan I use Say2B app here for coins and rewards?

Not that I'm aware of but I haven't tried. I didn't see anything posted about this program so maybe call and ask.

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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The Pasta Bowl - italian - Updated October 2026

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