Daniela Pasta & Pastries

Cooking classes here are amazing, call and ask about them.
Dinner here is great too!

I had the potato ravioli. Food was gross – super creamy and bland. But it was BYOB and the weather was nice so I had a good time overall.

Hole in the wall! BYOB!
The restaurant is tiny – there are maybe three tables inside that could seat 10 – 15 people maximum. But there are tables outside. The pasta is all handmade. The fettuccine ai funghi is my all time favorite!
Great place for a casual date!

I freely admit that I’m a snob about Italian restaurants, primarily because I see no reason to pay ridiculous sums of money for food that I could prepare better myself using my great-grandmother’s recipes. Daniela, however, is on a different level. Tucked away in this cozy space in Hampden is some of the best Italian food I’ve ever eaten at a restaurant, and certainly in Baltimore (take that, Little Italy!). Sorry, grandma, I think Daniela might have you beat.
When my fiancée and I stopped in for lunch recently, I opted for the Lasagne Verdi with prosciutto and she went with the Saccotini di Polpa. I cannot adequately describe how delicious both were. There’s an art to cooking a lasagne so perfectly that every bite is coated in molten béchamel and Parmagiano but the other flavors still shine through, and in that regard Daniela is a culinary Michelangelo. The saccotini, filled to bursting with crab, shrimp, and tomato and sitting in a deceptively light cream sauce, were just as good. My only regret is that we were too full to try any of the Italian desserts, but there’s always next time.
Also, did I mention that essentially the entire menu is under $ 10? If that doesn’t convince you sufficiently, I’m not sure there’s much more I can do. Go! Now!

I love this place! The restaurant is tiny (read: cozy), service is warm and friendly, and the food is good to amazing. Even though it’s only «good» sometimes, I can’t bring myself to dock it a star. It’s fun being able to try out what seem to be authentic, handmade, Sardinian recipes. Lasagna Bolognese is spectacular. And, though I hesitate to tell everyone else about them in case there aren’t 10 of them waiting for me sometime, the sfogliatelle (pastries with ricotta & orange) are the stuff of daydreams. Prices are fantastic, too.

Really tasty pasta, friendly staff. Only problem is the place is tiny. tables are very close together. Reminds me of Manhattan. The chicken parm was not very special. I believe the chicken is cooked beforehand and then reheated. But despite the claustrophobia, I’ll be back for the pasta alone.

I love supporting local businesses, and was really hopeful for this place, but was a bit disappointed. I was going to give 3 stars, but after reading some other reviews and seeing the owner berating people for their reviews, I dropped it down to two. I have read a lot of reviews on Unilocal,and when given poor reviews, most business owners possess the maturity and professionalism to offer apologies for a poor experience.
I took my sister out for her birthday, and this is the establishment she chose for us to have lunch. As soon as we walked in, I should’ve known to turn around and leave, but it wasn’t up to me. There was a patron sitting at the middle table, and next to her on the bench was a dog. I’m pretty sure city health codes don’t allow animals to be in dining establishments, and I’m allergic to dogs, so I was very put off that this was allowed to happen.
My sister ordered the saccottini di spinaci and melanzane impanate. Both things that would probably be amazing if they were made fresh. However, they were pre-​made and heated up in a microwave. I ordered the caprese panini, which wasn’t pre-​made (that I know of), but was brought in from outside without any type of cover… and it was raining that day. I get that they have very limited space, and they do what they can, but if you’re going outside with people’s food, put a lid on it!
I heard that they are moving to a larger space, and I hope they use the criticism from these reviews to make improvements, but I will not attempt to find out.

This place is a little gem. Don’t be fooled by its unassuming appearance, the food is wonderful! All hand and home made, legit Sardinian cuisine. I hear they’re moving to a larger place down the street, won’t matter if Daniela is still making all the goodness!

My family went to Daniela’s for my Mom’s birthday. It was just 4 of us and I also brought my son (4 ½ years old). We got there on time at 6 pm. We brought our own bottle of wine which they opened for us. We all ordered the garden salads and Lasagna (Bolognese & Mushroom). We got my son the Pizzette di Pasta Sfoglia Puff pastry with sauce and cheese. We also added a meatball. The salads were fresh and the vinaigrette was light with good olive oil. The lasagnas were a generous portion with just the right amount of cheese and sauce. My favorite was the meatballs. My son kept saying how delicious they were. He is 4 and likes NOTHING. So that’s saying a lot. Only one thing was there was no music playing in the background so it was very quiet and the tables were a little wobbly. With a 4 year old who kept moving I was afraid wine was going to end up on the floor. But now I’m just being picky. After dinner we had to do dessert. So we got a Limon cello Sorbet/​Cream (I don’t know the name, but it was fantastic!), Tres Leche Cake, and Raspberry panna cotta. The desserts were just as good if not better than dinner. Obviously Daniela cares about the food she puts out and it shows. I would highly recommend Daniela’s.

I wish I could have tasted some dinner. We walked to hampden on a beautiful night and all the tables were full, except one– che fortuna! I was so hungry! But pay close attention to this part: Just because you have seated yourself at a restaurant with a look of hungry delight, do not assume that the server knows why you’ve arrived. If you don’t go inside and let them know that you would like to eat food then they think you are just hanging out. I know this because it happened twice. You might think you are being polite by not flagging him down but he is actually never going to talk to you, never going to look at you even. I watched with envy and anticipation as others twirled their fettuccine and talked with mouths full of meatballs. They delighted over their fabulous desserts and espressos with pinkies raised. As a small tear fell down my cheek, I checked my clothing for dirt or some other fashion offense. Is hampden so cool now that I can’t eat spaghetti here? The answer is apparently yes. A half hour later when pressed (server found doing some housework inside) we learned– «only carryout». The story ends where he chases us away with his broom and we scurry down the street, never to return. (ok, that’s slightly exaggerated but pretty close)
Tip: Never seat yourself. They close whenever they feel like it. Try Grano.

Wow! I did not expect to love this place so much. The bruschetta was the best one I have had so far. And that is because of the bread (I am a sucker for fresh bread). We were 10 of us so the seating was an issue, since they cannot accommodate more than 20 people, I think. But the lasagnas, pastas and desserts, everything tasted authentic, was filled with flavor, and made with dedication. I would definitely visit again. Also, the price was not bad at all.

This place has genuine Italian cuisine. We loved the bruschetta and all the spinach flavored lasagna and pasta. They don’t have enough seating but the staff is friendly and will make their best to accommodate you. Their desserts are also pretty good. They pre add a tip of 15 or 20% but for the quality of food they serve, it doesn’t seem exorbitant. Each lasagna was under 9 $.

I really wanted this place to be the hidden gem of my dreams, a quick spot to grab yummy homemade pasta carryout on my way home from work. But I wasn’t blown away by anything that I tried.
The Linguine Verdi al Ragu was a good portion for the price, but it lacked flavor. If you closed your eyes you would not be sure of exactly what you were eating. The Fettuccine al Funghi was pretty good and also well portioned; I would probably get that again if I go back (along with the asparagus lasagna to try which does sound intriguing). The DBF thought that this pasta was too creamy. Is there really such a thing? In both cases with the pastas, the noodles were way overcooked, missing the light toothsome texture that homemade noodles usually have. I had heard that this place cooks everything in advance and then re-​heats it. Maybe that is the problem? I would be inclined to believe this is true since the girl behind the counter asked me if I wanted my food heated or not when I asked for carryout. The tiramisu, which looked so promising in the dessert case and stuffed into a carryout container, was full of some kind of liquid in the bottom. Not very appealing although it tasted ok.
There was also some weirdness with the visit as a whole. I ordered, and the girl behind the counter called it in (upstairs?) to have it made; after that we just stood in silence. The downstairs is the tiniest postage stamp of a room that I have ever seen and there was really no where to go or anything to look at. Someone then brought my order in from outside after about a 10 minute wait, and he then proceeded to argue with the girl and another patron at a table (possibly another worker, they seemed to know each other) right in front of me about something. Super awkward. I just whispered ‘have a nice day’ and tried to slip out the door as inconspicuously as possible.

After an impromptu discussion with one of the local business owners we decided to switch dinner destinations and try Daniela’s; a place we’d walked by dozens of times but never tried. The décor is cliché, complete with ample green, red, and white accents. Seating is limited to a few small tables inside and a few on the street.
On a hazy summer evening we opted to dine al fresco and admittedly the plastic seats outside were comfortable. I ordered the Fettuccine ai Funghi and it arrived within 15 minutes. The presentation could have used a garnish — a stray basil leaf, a bit of parsley, sage, anything to distract from the shades of gray. The pasta was excellent; home made, hand-​cut and served al dente. The sauce was flavorful and rich though more of a solid than a liquid. Maybe that was the chef’s intent or perhaps it had reduced a bit too long — in any case it had that delicious umami flavor mushrooms bring to a dish.
Talking with her son, the maître d’, I was left with an impression of a small family business whose recipes go back generations; food cooked with love by a woman whose goal is to make each dish a memory and leave her diners with a contented smile. I’m told she has an extensive culinary repertoire and will oblige custom requests if given advanced notice — an offer I hope to take advantage of in the future. Gnocchi!
Great Pasta = Buona Vita

The «special dinner» here is as good as it gets. Daniela literally starts making your dinner FROM SCRATCH the moment you arrive. This includes making the pasta from fresh dough, filleting the fish that was alive less than a day ago, and preparing some of the most delicious Italian appetizers and entrees you’ll ever have.
There is so much food, somewhere around ten different dishes, that even after stuffing ourselves we still had enough to take home for another entire meal.
And the price is so reasonable as to be almost unbelievable.
You can also go and order off the menu, of course, but if you want a really incredible experience, call the restaurant and ask for Daniela’s email address. Then email her and ask her to arrange a «special dinner» for your party. Make sure to make a reservation as our party of 6 took up the entire inside of the restaurant except for one other table of 2.
Oh, and don’t forget to bring your wine, it’s BYOB with no corkage fee. Another huge plus.
Thanks, Daniela, for a truly amazing meal.

Yeah, I came back.
I’ve been back a lot of times actually.
Everything in the case is good. The pizza breads and foccacias and arrancinis and sausages and meatballs. Mm mm good.
But really, the pastas. I have officially tried pretty much everything on their pasta menu, and I will tell you right now, it is pretty impossible to go wrong.
Go to Daniela!!! In a small group. With an appetite for good italian.

Daniela’s puts out some solid Italian home cooking that makes your insides feel warm and comfy. Very low prices, cozy interior, and endless amounts of carbs just make for a great meal.
There are a couple dishes that are smaller than you would expect, but only because it’s a normal-​sized portion and not a chain restaurant-​sized portion. Either way, I would suggest maybe getting two dishes, just in case. Or grab a meat arancini! They’re fried balls filled with rice, sauce, and veggies.
For dessert, I’ve grabbed the tiramisu and new strawberry cream cake-​like dessert. Both are a bit too sweet for my taste, but you can tell they’re popular by how small their supplies are by the end of the day.
Service is usually good and the employees have always been friendly. I’ve gotten take-​out here, too, and it’s always nice to just stop and chat with whoever’s working while they get the food ready.

Nothing sweeter than sweet Italian sausage with grilled vegetables and dusting of Parmesan. Superb!
How to eat: cut pieces of both sausage and pepper, spear both along with eggplant, swirl in tomato sauce. Eat.

Finally tried this little spot on the ave with dishes made fresh daily.
There are three tiny tables inside and a few outside though it was so hot that day that we sat inside and enjoyed the portable ac unit cooling us off.
Two other chatty patrons suggested a few things including the spinach ricotta ravioli which was delicious!
I got the lasagna bolognese which was sauced and seasoned just so and of course satisfied my undying love for quality Italian cheese and carbs.
We got a meatball and tiramisu to go. It’s definitely a family business and you can taste the passion and genuine love for food with all the items on their menu. Carry out is also available. Will be back.

Feels like home! Such a great find. Between our strong Italian heritage and growing up in the North East (NJ and NY), I have not been able to find good Italian food since moving to the area… UNTIL today!
The family that owns this is a nice Italian family from Sardinia. To answer another Unilocaler’s comments, the food is all made fresh upstairs by mom.
The lasagna was made perfectly with a beautiful béchamel sauce that made it smooth and creamy. The fettuccine and mushroom was also creamy and delicious.
Honestly, I felt like I was sitting and eating food that our families make. We even spent a lot of time talking and sitting with some of the family and friends. Wonderful people!!!