Fork & Pasta

Super quick and convenient, and I love coming here after being at the library or in between classes. The pasta is fresh and the sauces are yummy, plus portion sizes are on point. I always order the macaroni in the four-​cheese sauce topped with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and turkey bacon.

This place is delicious, but beware — the delivery is through «eat352.» The delivery service sucks. They disregarded several of our notes, and the food was delivered cold.
Like I said, even though the food was cold — it was still pretty good, wish I could have enjoyed it hot, though. But beware of the delivery service.

Pretty much exactly what you would expect from a fast food pasta joint. They do have a decent selection of toppings, pastas, and sauces but not the best quality. The pasta was overlooked, mozzarella balls pretty chewy, and they only gave you a small amount of toppings per order. Not terrible but not great other. I got the greenhouse pasta and it was a little under seasoned also but the broccoli in it was pretty tasty!

This is a nice little pasta shop on the west side of University Ave across from University of Florida. My girlfriend and I were hungry and decided to try this new spot not too long after it opened up.
This place was empty when we first walked in with two employees. The tables have nice handwritten quotes of random things. The menu is a step by step process so I thought it would have been pretty easy to get my order correct.
My girlfriend had gotten pesto and I had gotten fettuccine. First bite into our bowls, was an odd sensation. My girlfriend had to get her bowl redone because there were things she asked for that weren’t added to her bowl. My bowl was pretty good but it wasn’t memorable.
It’s a unique pasta place since there’s not many places in Gainesville that primarily serves pasta.

Having seen this place pop up over the last semester, I decided to give it a try with a friend in the early afternoon. Walking through the front door, I was greeted with a well done interior, a cross between clean and simple with elements of artsy. It was a pleasant interior and when we went up to order, the staff was very courteous and helpful.
With many places following the Chipotle route of creating your own meal, this place was no different. There are 4 or 5 present pasta dishes while there is a whole wall of ingredients from which you can build your own, starting from types of pasta to sauces, cheeses, meats, and vegetables. However, unlike some other build your own places, at Fork and Pasta, you are charged for the ingredients you select. I decided to go with a prefixed pasta dish which consisted of Raviolis with a «shepherds pie» stuffing mixed with a Rose Sauce with Spinach and Mushrooms. The sauce was not bad, light and creamy with they right amount of sourness from the tomatoes and richness from the cream. The mushrooms were fine but the spinach could have been wilted a bit more. The pasta was cooked well but I thought the filling was ok. I personally am not a big fan of shepherds pie in a pasta form so perhaps if the ravioli had a more traditional taste and filling, it would have been better. Again, personal opinion.
Overall, the location is on point, you get your food fast which makes a quick lunch possible, service is great with friendly people, and pastas are cooked well. The only thing was the price is on the more expensive side because the ingredients start to add up. My dish ended up coming out around $ 11. But for everything that I got, not bad. I’ll probably be back to try something else off of the menu.

Yum & yum. Fork & Pasta.
My boyfriend and I decided to try out this place after a round of, «Well, what are we having tonight?» We both ordered the ravioli with beef filling. As we waited around the smells of fresh pasta and simple yet colorful wall art for our food, we couldn’t help but feel excited.
You see, my boyfriend and I are Gainesville Italian aficionados. We have tried every Italian food place around. Leonardo’s Pizza by the Slice, Leonardo’s 706, Olive Garden, Piesano’s…even meatball subs from Larry’s Sub shop. We kinda know what we’re talking about.
Our dishes finally came! The roma tomato red sauce was deep & carefully steeped with garlic, onions, and fresh basil. The hand-​shredded parmesan covering my bowl was salty and just a little bit tangy. The raviolis were fresh and the meat inside was just the tiniest bit flavored so that I could fully appreciate the red sauce.
For Italian take-​out (otherwise known mostly as Gainesville Italian), this place is 5-​stars.
They even serve coffee, muffins, and croissants. There’s free Wi-​Fi too, but it looked like there was only one outlet (pro tip: when you walk in, grab that seat to your left… there’s an outlet at that table). They also started serving Nespresso, which is a quick and easy brand of espresso.
For a student or person who needs to grab a bite to eat, this place is fantastic. And they get a stamp of overwhelming approval from us Gainesville Italian aficionados.

I decided to try fork & pasta one day just for fun. It was delicious! However it tooke 5 trips to get what I wanted. if you only serve a dish every once in a while, you really shouldnt have it on the menu… Anyways the pasta and ingredients are always fresh; the staff is real nice as well. I loved the quotes that are written on the tables. Great place to go if you want some cheap, fresh Italian food!

I was really excited about trying this place when it first opened up. However, I was rather disappointed. The noodles were kind of hard and didn’t taste especially fresh. The amount of meatballs I received was not that much. The sauce was nothing to write home about. Overall, I don’t think I will be back. I like the concept, but it just didn’t come to fruition for me.

The whole «build your own» trend has been pretty popular lately. I thought that it was a pretty genius idea to make a «build your own» pasta place, so I decided to come here with a dear friend on a Sunday for lunch. It was pretty tough finding parking. Your best bet is on campus near the stadium or by foot.
Upon arrival, I noticed that the décor was pretty cute. I appreciated the quotes on the table, small murals, and chalkboards. They added a few things to make the place slightly different from the original How Do You Roll location. It was nice, but they lacked an attention to detail. There were boxes of supplies left out and the place felt a little cluttered to me.
Well I proceeded to order. The menu is expansive. There were so many choices. It was pretty overwhelming. Each topping cost around $ 0.50-$ 1.00 (for meats) so I knew that I had to budget myself. I couldn’t go HAM like I would normally do at Chipotle or Blaze. This was a major con. If they raised their base price and made each topping free, it would make more sense. I’m sure my handful of zucchini did not cost 50 cents. I’m not being stingy with this. I just think that if they wanted to compete with other «build your own» places, they would need to somehow fix this. I would not mind paying a $ 10 base for unlimited toppings.
After ordering, I sat down with my friend to chat. The food came out pretty quickly and that was nice. The music, however was not. They had EDM quietly playing in the background which confused me. Okay, I get it. We are college kids and you are trying to cater to the crowd. Well there’s a good time and place for everything, so 1pm on a Sunday doesn’t seem like it. I would suggest maybe some Italian bistro music or swinging jazz to complement the food and to accompany the Italian atmosphere they were trying to cultivate.
The pasta was tasty. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but the fettuccine was well made. It seemed more like the «hand made» pasta you would buy in the grocery store, but hey, for $ 7 this was good. The Rosé sauce was perfectly creamy with the right balance of acidity. The toppings were… a little sparse.
I enjoyed my experience at Fork and Pasta, although I probably would not come back again. Their food and atmosphere doesn’t really speak to me. I can probably make the same thing at home. I appreciate the «build your own» concept, but maybe they can improve by having all of the toppings laid out Chipotle style. The chefs can have a hot pan ready at the end and they can cook it all in front of you. I feel like that would enhance the overall experience.
If you want tasty, pasta fast, this is a good option. The portions are huge (and full of pasta). It is not the best tasting, but gets the job done when you are hungry and in the area.

Eh. This place isn’t horrible but it wasn’t wonderful.
Pros: no wait time when I went, fast service, affordable drink prices
Cons: Expensive pasta (around $ 8 per bowl), pasta was just average, sauce lacked comprehensive flavor
At the end of the night I kind of regretted spending ~$ 14 on something I could have made at home. The service was spot on, however, and the food was not bad.

I didn’t really expect much when I came to this place bc I was biased on the bad luck that restaurants seemed to have in that specific area but I was quite impressed with this chic café. It reminded me greatly of eateries that I’ve visited when I was traveling throughout Europe so it is without a doubt that this place has strong Italian influence.
What makes this place even MORE Italian was the massive espresso machine that they have behind their counter. I cannot emphasize how massive it is. I haven’t even seen coffee makers that big in Italy and that’s saying something. So I was grateful that this place was a true European coffee joint.
I actually had a croissant with Nutella when I went there. It was very delicious and was a nice small meal and combined with an espresso shot it hit the spot. Right when I arrived, the manager noticed me eyeing the croissants and he told me he’d make some fresh for me. I thought that was very thoughtful of them so I compliment this place on their service and attention to their customers. Since I got a fresh croissant with warm Nutella I was quite the happy camper.
My friend got a pasta dish and I got to sample some of his and I was quite pleased with it. While its pasta was better than many other Italian pasta places I’ve been to I still felt like the pasta was lacking and not very authentic. I think I was also slightly turned off by the fact that it was presented to me in a plastic container but that was me just being picky. It made me feel like they microwaved it but I’m sure that’s not the case. It just appears so.
The ambiance of the place takes you away from the hectic mess of University Ave and you are transported to a casual and chill location. I forgot that opposite the wall of me is a street full of rushing students and passing cars. It was very relaxing and spacious and had a very clean and classic feel to it.
All in all, I enjoyed this new joint. I’m definitely going to stop by again one day, especially since I’m always in that area. I definitely recommend it to students who are passing by on University and need a quick pick me up or pasta plate.

Very cozy restaurant, with recycled/​recyclable plates that hold delicious pasta with homemade sauce. Wait, this is a restaurant… tastes like home! A salad that is gleeming with color and flavor and texture that makes you fork again and again!
This pasta is from scratch and it is delicious and good for you! I got the pesto fusili, and next time, I will get something else!!!

So the mood finally struck me to get my takeout carb load from Fork & Pasta. The «Build Your Own» concept is pretty trendy these days and pretty fitting for pasta, but does bring an air of «average» when it comes to what you’re actually eating solely because, I believe, of who else is doing it. When all the other competition using this style comes in the form of chain eateries you can’t help but to be put in that same mind frame: I want the most food, for the least money, at an acceptable quality and I want it fast. Let’s remix that a bit to make it what F&P is offering: I want a normal portion of high quality, fresh food at a fair price and I’d like it swiftly. In my experience I found they delivered exactly that.
The Space
Fitted into the large Stadium Club building right off of University Ave and across from UF, F&P had more space to their name than I figured. My first impression of the building was from another, smaller spot around back so it was pleasant to discover somewhere I could comfortably expect to dine-​in. I’ll say it loud and clear now and be done: parking gets no worse than along University Ave across from campus. It’s not the biz’s fault but it’s still a hassle for those who need to stop in vs walk up.
Inside the place was in a bit of disarray from what looked like some maintenance or construction they had going on. Hard for me to tell but I wasn’t concerned with it because I got my food and splitzkied outta there.
And a trivial matter: the odor of the place, to be fair, is noticeable. I found it pleasant but I bet I smelled like garlic/​pesto when I got home.
The Service
Seems like this is a pain-​point for the other reviewers so part of my first-​visit strategy was to get to-​go because: a) I didn’t want to cook and b) I could call a bit before leaving work and insure it was ready when I was ready. I walked in to find my food packaged and waiting for me with utensils and napkins neatly placed inside a sturdy paper tote. I think the owner (or one of ‘em) was at the counter when I stopped in and it did make the cashier nervous… tiniest bit off-​putting to have your boss casually watching your performance when the place is dead (which it was).
The Food
My order was locked in at $ 8.20-ish with:
— Fusilli pasta
— Classic Rosé sauce
— Add baked eggplant
— Add Parmesan
The lifespan of this food was that it’s ingredients were prepped earlier that day (not earlier that month/​year), they were then readied for me around 5:20pm, the order purchase around 5:45pm, and the first bite eaten at 6pm. I know what that spells for any starch-​centric meal: the warmth from cooking will fade and this WILL decrease the appeal. No Italian restaurant ever would suggest you order your meal, have it ready to eat, and then wait another 30 min or more just because. I guess I’m just trying to say temper your expectations about what you ACTUALLY have in that plastic tupperware you ordered half an hour ago, which is some quality eats.
Flavor-​wise I could easily tell it was top-​notch, from the delicate balance of richness/​vibrant of the rosé sauce to the tenderness of the noodles. Poor quality Italian leaves a residue and bad taste in my mouth that is completely non-​existent here. I see the slice of bread as a cute aside but it feels like an afterthought to just have it wedged into the container… not that it won’t get devoured… maybe consider a toaster and quick foil wrap over submitting to sogginess.
Final Thoughts
Presentation is the hiccup with a place like this, and maybe service because they’re newbies. I bet you if I took this pasta, grabbed one of those wide-​rim porcelain bowls, and served the dish in there that begrudging $ 8 purchase would become a STEAL. Instead though you’re most likely to be eating this fresh food out of either plastic or recycled paper, and with plastic utensils. Maybe some reheating guidance from the biz would be helpful for takeout/​delivery too.
Wasn’t in long but noticed a few side-​notes worthy of mention: they service First Magnitude on draft, have an in-​house Sangria, and make coffee/​frappés. If come back I’ll likely eat in for a taste of that vino, but mainly for a chance at pipping hot deliciousness.

I’ve been here twice and loved it both times.
Now, I’ve heard people say that the pasta/​sauce is meh or that the food is too expensive, but as someone who cooks a lot of not-​made-​from-​scratch pasta at home, I am more than willing to pay ~$ 8 for FRESH pasta (yes, I can taste the difference) and fresh sauces.
I’ve only ever tried the classic rose sauce (because it was SO good I couldn’t risk getting something else and being mad at myself), but I have tried the fusilli pasta and the radiatore pasta. The former was my favorite of the two, simply because it seemed like I got a lot more food than I did with the radiatore. (Indeed, I had an entire second meal when I ordered the fusilli, whereas I ate the entire bowl when I ordered the radiatore.) The reason for this is probably because the fusilli pasta is smaller, so more of it can be jammed in the bowl.
All bowls also include a slice of what tastes like delicious, homemade, rosemary bread.
I also love that you can get cooked veggies in your pasta! Now, granted, I think it’s a little lame that you don’t get one to two veggies automatically included in the price of the bowl. But nevertheless, my favorite combo for my classic rose bowl is the roasted zucchini and caramelized onions. Mmmmmm, so good. Plus, there is a cheese grater on every table, and inside the grater is a fresh block of Parmesan cheese. I love that I can grate to my heart’s desire, and I love that they give you a block of cheese, not just cheese crumbles like at pizza restaurants.
It’s not the best Italian in the world, but for the price and the quickness, there isn’t really anything else like it, especially on University Ave. I’ve never waited more than 10 minutes for a bowl, and I’ve only gone during the lunch rush. I’m in and out in under 20 minutes once I eat my food. To me, that’s perfectly acceptable for fresh pasta.
They give a 10% discount sometimes to UF students/​staff; check their Facebook page for specials. As of this review, they were not validating parking for the parking garage, but they may work something out soon.

I was only in Gainesville for about 24 hours and I made it a point to arrive earlier than I needed so I could stop in to Fork & Pasta for lunch. I’m not normally a pasta person, but my friend’s husband opened this up and I was loving all the photos I saw.
When you walk in the door, you’ll find the dining room is immaculate. Then you’ll notice the cute menu at the top, and maybe the bits of art here and there. The vibe is definitely modern and artsy, and I love it. From the quotes on the tables to the drawings on the chalk menu, it’s just so damn cute.
The girls who greeted me and took my order were incredibly sweet and were constantly cleaning things before the lunch rush kicked in. I was there during the late breakfast-​not quite lunch hour so it was pretty quiet with a few people coming in for coffee. The chef-​owner came out and greeted me and made the suggestion to get brie on whatever I ordered. I obliged and it was a great decision. I ordered the radiatore with the rose sauce plus spinach, chicken, and brie. I also got a latte because they have an epic Nespresso machine.
The sauce is ridiculous; creamy, good flavor, and not too heavy. There was a good amount of chicken and brie, and it came with a slice of tomato and basil bread (which paired well with the brie). The tables all have sriracha and individual parmesan grater mills, which was unexpected but a great thought. Sometimes you just need a little extra cheese or some heat. As for the latte, I’m a bit of a Nespresso fan, so of course I liked it. I would definitely stop for coffee here before a Starbucks.
TL;DR — If you’re in Gainesville and can eat pasta, go here. It’s like Chipotle but for noodles. And the people are pretty fantastic.

Description:
Fork and Pasta has taken over the space that How Do You Roll once shamefully resided and has really made it their own. I want to start by saying that I absolutely love the interior design of the restaurant — minimalistic, unique, and creative. This is exactly what I pictured college town restaurants to look like. It’s about time we had something with a little more spark than just Tijuana Flats and Jimmy John’s (both decent places, just not local). Shout out to their design team as well for the cool looking menus and order boards. I for one think they look awesome.
Food & Service:
Their menu is very straightforward and easy to follow. If you have any questions about the sauces or types of noodles, the staff is very willing to help you out. After some consideration, I decided to go with the aioli-​love sauce, raditore pasta (because I’ve never heard of it and it had a cool shape), and add meatballs ($ 1.00 extra). To be quite frank, I knew this place would be decent before coming but the fact that they essentially only serve pasta made my expectations a lot higher. The food came quite quickly and I had my fork in pasta in no time. I was not overly amazed but the first bite was pretty good. The noodles could’ve been a little chewier but it beats dry pasta from the supermarket. The sauce was a blend of herbs and oil if I remember correctly. It was very fresh, light, and seasoned but the name throws me off a bit (aioli is usually a creamier egg based/​mayonnaise texture). It also came with a small slice of bread which I didn’t like. They should either bake it fresh themselves or just leave it out. I’d like to mention that my roommate ordered the cream sauce with fettuccine which he really enjoyed. I took a bite and wasn’t as impressed. Maybe I’m just a hard critic?
Final Thoughts:
If there’s anything to take away from my review, know that I want to see this place succeed. These are kinds of restaurants I would love to see populate the city of Gainesville. The atmosphere inside makes it ideal to hold small tastings, events, etc as well. I also forgot to mention that we were given free frozen coffee drinks to taste test for them. Maybe if you go, you’ll get lucky too? My point in all of this is that I think they have a solid plan but they might need to do a little more to get the ball rolling faster. As someone who cooks, the simple concept of pasta and sauce isn’t that appealing to me. This is the type of place I’d stop by if I was on campus and craving a fresh, high carb, quick lunch/​dinner. Regardless, I encourage everyone to go and check this place out. They seem like passionate, driven people!

What a fun space!
Such friendly staff here and the pasta was delicious. Since I only visit Gainesville once a month I was super stoked to see a new place open up near where I stay AND it was open when school wasn’t!
I really enjoyed my meal. One of the people working here asked if my friend and I would try a coffee creation and give feedback, which we gladly did! Based off previous reviews it looks like they are super willing to adjust.
I can’t wait to come back and add more feedback :)

After my original mostly-​glowing review, I was surprised to walk into Fork & Pasta and have the owner recognize me and state «Mike, I read your review, and we agree on the pesto: it needed more basil, here, let me get you some so you can see what you think». And guess what? They really had improved that pesto – it’s great now! But beyond the fact they improved their pesto and beyond the fact it seems they did it just for (or at least mainly because of) me, what’s most impressive of all is that they’re taking Unilocal reviews and other customer feedback so much to heart – and they’re acting on customer recommendations. Plenty of businesses are delighted to get good reviews, but few will go to these lengths to improve things and cater to their customers.
The serving sizes seem slightly larger, as well, which addresses another concern I had at first. It’s clear this very young restaurant is still in the learning stage but they’re so on-​point that very very few things seem amiss and they’re catching on and tuning their game with astounding speed. I have every confidence that they’re going to run things directly in response to their customers and for a college-​oriented place that is quick, but not fast food; quality, yet not fancy, this seems exactly the right approach. Their goal is to feed people, to have healthy and fresh food and for success they have to please people as there are ample other restaurants in the area.
So they deserve five stars now – not because they listened to me and made the pesto as I like it, but because they listen in general and they’re showing tremendous dedication to their work. Plus, the food is really good. It’s simple and if you don’t want a pasta-​based meal, you’ll probably head elsewhere (though they sell bagels and pastries for the morning, too, plus coffee). But if you want pasta, they have the market cornered as far as I’m concerned.

Fork & Pasta, to me, is a pasta lovers version of Chitpotle. Made with fresh ingredients in house, it’s a 3 step process where you get to choose the noodle type, sauce, and toppings.
The prices seem affordable until you begin to add toppings, which quickly add up. You would expect that you may be able to get one or two free add-​ons, but everything is an additional cost with veggies being .50c and proteins $ 1.
I got the fusilli pasta with the four cheese sauce and added sundried tomatoes, spinach, and chicken. Overall the pasta tasted fresh and not too oily or greasy. However, for almost $ 10 post-​toppings, I felt like the portion size was more like a light lunch with a want for a bit more in all areas. The taste was pleasant but not as flavorful as I’ve come accustomed to when eating pastas.
As for the restaurant, the shop is located where How Do You Roll used to be, parallel to Cheese Daddy. Sort of hidden and easy to miss. Atmosphere is trendy and fresh, with quotes written onto the tables. Very clean, bright, and fresh. Staff is considerate and pleasant.
In the end, it was a good experience but not something that wowed me or left me wanting to come back for more. But definitely a place to try at least once, especially if you’re curious and like to try new things!

Pros: Pasta done well with homemade ingredients and fresh herbs.
Cons: Cost will add up if you want toppings
Bottom Line: If you want real and quick pasta that isn’t soaked in grease or week old dried herbs you’ll want to give Fork and Pasta a try.
Fork and Pasta is located in a nice quaint location just across the University of Florida’s University avenue. It’s a prime location for students and anybody in the midtown area.
Walking in you’ll be greeted with a modernistic interior that is reminiscent of a coffee café. Adjacent to the front register is a colorful display of desserts that are locally outsourced from Gainesville’s Flour Pot Bakery. Everything else made in-​house. A wide range of combinations are available from their interesting raditore and fusilli pasta options to their seven delectable sauces that include a wonderfully garlic aioli-​love and a beautiful cheddar goodness for the everyday cheese lover. However where this local eatery really shines is in its toppings which are little punches of flavor that permeate the dishes. Don’t make the mistake of going without some of the beautiful veggies like the aromatic baked eggplant and the moist and sublime mini meatballs.
Overall a great location for fast, beautiful, and fresh pasta. You won’t want to get pasta anywhere else.