Pasta Q

I’m so happy to see this place is dead. It deserved to die!!!
I am writing based on an experience several months ago. The GF and I were looking for a nice place to eat and we stumbled across this place.
I ordered the bruschetta — absolutely a mistake. It was not even bruschetta… soggy bread that was untoasted, chopped tomatoes and that’s it. For 7 bucks?!? Are you kidding me!!!
The salmon pasta I ordered had a few measly bits of cheap fish, floppy non-​aldente noodles and a bland sauce for an absurd price. It’s so memorably bad and such a ripoff I couldn’t forget to Unilocal about it.
I forgot what my GF ordered but she usually saves her food, but it was so bad we just had the waiter clear it away :(
An abysmal ripoff of a dining experience. ROT IN HELL PASTA Q!!!
I was planning on writing more encouraging people to avoid this place but it looks like this place’s bad karma already did it for me. Thank you everyone who did not give this place any business and forced it to close. Also thank you to all Unilocalers who gave this place bad reviews — you did the world a great favor :)

The lunch special is a good deal. For $ 12, you get your choice of lunch-​size salad, such as the Caesar ³⁄₅:
Plus, a choice of lunch-​sized pasta. The spaghetti carbonara is ³⁄₅:
It’s a thicker sauce: it congeals a little. The pancetta bits are OK: they are more like ham chunks than real pancetta. Overall, not as good as the carbonara at either Donato Enoteca (in Redwood City) or Napoletana Pizzeria. But, it’s a good deal.

I really enjoy eating at Pasta Q, although I always thought it was a question mark at the end of the sign so my boyfriend and I have an ongoing joke about whether we should get Pasta? I like the atmosphere. It isn’t overly crowded and I usually have my choice of seating. Outside can get rather cool late at night.
Every time I’ve eaten here, the arrival of food is well timed and the wait staff has always been really nice and attentive (although to be fair I never arrive with a dog I expect them to wait on so I haven’t tested their limitations).
The Prataioli Al Balsamico appetizer is delicious. I could get full on a plate of these. I enjoy the olive oil dip they serve with the complimentary bread too. I need to go back and try more of the entrees but every time I’m there I have to have the Ravioli Della Casa. The ravioli is so good and cooked a perfect al dente.

I’ve been eating at this place since they were half the size they are now and were still in Palo Alto. I only noticed recently that they no longer are in PA but this location still exists in Mtn. View. And thank god. My Dad introduced us to this restaurant and had a favorite custom dish he would always order. He’s no longer with us and neither is that dish on the menu. When I asked the server about it, he knew what I was talking about and agreed to make it for me. How nice! Took me back to when we used to first eat there and many meals spent with with our Dad there. The food is still solid. Their bolognese is such a classic and what you expect when you think Italian.
The server who was so kind to oblige told me they will be changing their name soon and changing up the menu. Eek! I was alarmed but he assured me a lot of the favorites will remain on the menu.
I predict many more frequent visits to Pasta Q – before and after the name change.

Okay I’m still pissed. So here is my rant.
I came here today with my boss and my puppy since there’s outdoor seating.
Now. I understand that places don’t need to serve dogs and whatnot, but I have been to dozens of places that accept dogs outside and they automatically bring a little bowl of water for them. Our waiter chose to completely ignore little Yoshi (I’ll post a pic of him to my profile as soon as I finish writing this rant, I mean review). Anyway, we order and he disappears forever and doesn’t come back. Meanwhile, my poor baby is thirsty. So, I take my bread plate, which I haven’t used, pour some water on it, and give it to my thirsty puppy. Then, while he’s drinking water, I see our waiter looking at me giving me the stink eye, and I brush it off, thinking maybe that’s just how he looks.
He then comes over, and without saying a word bends down and picks up the plate while Yoshi is still drinking, and walks away. My boss thanks him actually, thinking he’s going to go refill the water or something, and I see him holding the plate up in disgust to another co-​worker. He then comes back to our table and says very rudely «People eat off of these plates.» My first thought: «Do you not wash your dishes!!!» My second thought, «Maybe if you were a little bit more considerate and brought him a bowl of water to begin with, I wouldn’t have to use your sh*tty plate».
Anyway, food is extremely average, servers are jerks, just a lame Italian food chain. To the server who works at Pasta Q with the ugly overgrown mustache, you are very lucky my dog is friendly, otherwise he would have snapped your hand off when you reached for his water. NEVER do that to any dog. And P. S: your customer service skills stink.
*Note: I believe the server contacted me on Unilocal saying that I should be honest and that «my cute poppy» received water. So, after he rudely took the plate of water away, he came back with a bowl of water in a plastic container, as we were paying the bill and leaving the restaurant. Did not hear any apologies in your message to me, buddy! Might want to try that once in a while!

In the midst of busy Castro street this restaurant stands out for its central location and ample seating. Unfortunately that is about the only positive it had going for it last night. I had poor food and lack luster if not completely in attentive service during my last visit.
We (party of 21) ate here after a confirmation. The place was fairly empty when we arrived at 7pm on a Saturday night (should have been a clue). The tables were set nicely; no chipped plates or glasses. The service was underwhelming; no specials, no” you should try this” type of conversation. Just what do you want.
I ordered the lasagna. The wait was incredible. 20 to 30 min passed between orders and the food arriving. Some people in the party received cold food others were hot. My lasagna was unlike I had ever seen. There was a square piece of pasta swimming in a liquid about ½ to ¾″ deep. Not sure what the liquid was; most likely cheese. As I looked through the lasagna which was devoid of anything except meat scraps and noodles it appeared that they had kept it in the oven so long that they had melted every piece of cheese that it had had inside of it. The tomato sauce on top must have evaporated as I didn’t see anything that even looked like a tomato. What Italian restaurant can’t serve up a decent lasagna? What I received resembled a burrito more than lasagna.
Others in the party complained of cold food, soggy pizza and bland dishes.
Combine that with the hard bread; day old at least and the meal was barely edible. The Chianti we had was fine. No much to mess up on that; open bottle and pour.
Typically the dishes here are ok but have been declining in quality over the last 9 – 12 months. This visit was unfortunately an all time low.
We will not be returning.

Let me start off saying, I LOVE THIS PLACE.
I have been going to the pasta locations since I was 3.
Every time the waiters are really friendly. The atmosphere is pleasant.
I mainly eat the penne arrabiata, spaghetti tarantina, and the spaghetti alla vodka.
My personal faves. If you go to past get pasta, I mean theres a reason why its called pasta. Sometimes the pasta comes a little al dente, but I prefer it al dente. The salads are good. The deserts are too die for. The portions are good size, you leave feeling full.

BEST tomato cream sauce, ever.
I’m not a huge pasta fan and I’m super picky about noodles being properly done «al dente» and everything here was perfect.
I ordered the ravioli with the tomato cream sauce and it was perfection! It had ricotta cheese and spinach in it and went so well with the sauce. I even had to dip the bread into it when I had eaten all the pasta.
My only complaint was that I wanted more of it, the price was very reasonable and it was worth every penny I just simply wanted it to be bottomless.
I have heard that other stuff here is just okay, but what I got was amazing!

Not sure why Unilocal has Pasta? listed as Pasta Q, but anyways, its a semi-​casual Italian restaurant in Downtown Mountain View.
Prices are average as is the food. My $ 10 entrée salad could have been bigger, but it was pretty good and the complimentary bread brought to the table helped make up for it.
Half carafes of wine are only $ 16 which in nice and will save you a dollar or two in lieu of ordering individual glasses.
Overall it’s an OK place to eat and as far as Italian goes, its probably comparable to Don Giovannis up the street.
Outdoor seating is nice in the summer time.

Solid 3.5, I’ll round up from the goodness of my heart.
Food– Decent for price, not the best Italian but definitely not the worse.
Drinks– Great wine choices.
Service– Great!!! Friendly, courteous, and helpful.
Prices– If you’re on a budget, come here.

Pasta? Pasta. Pasta!
Comfort food to the max.
Ordered:
Ravioli Casa $ 14.95
The inside of the ravioli wasn’t super impressive, a bit like dry-​ish cheese.
The servers were great and brought out enough bread for our hungry tummies.
Water is serviced classy in a glass bottle for self serve.
Good spot to eat in downtown Mountain View.
Recommend.

We celebrated a birthday dinner here on a Sunday night. As there was six of us, we were able to enjoy a variety of food on the menu. Ordered the different salads, clams & muscles for appetizers band they were all good. The entrees seafood pasta, ravioli, steak, … we’re all good but nothing memorable. The least favorite was the lobster ravioli as the sauce was a bit thick with little flavor.
The service was excellent, no our server was just wonderful and very attentive and friendly despite the packed restaurant on a holiday weekend,
I would consider it as a safe place to go to in future, if I could rate it 3.5 star, I would do that.

Not much to say about Pasta Q other than the following:
*A very safe place to eat on Castro.
*No surprises here.
*If you are a runner like me, you’ll like this place because you can get things with whole wheat pasta.
*They are not very generous with their vegetables in their pasta, so if you are looking for greens, do yourself a favor and order something as a side dish.

I always get confused every time I come here since I’m never sure if it’s Pasta Q or Pasta? Anyways, good stuff! The waiters are extremely friendly and the bread they give you is delicious with the oil and vinegar. I’m also a big fan of places where they give you a pitcher of water since then you don’t have to bother and look for waiters to get your glasses refilled, so that was definitely appreciated.
I’ve been here before and gotten the Pesto Pasta which was good, but I can never eat too much Pesto since it just gets too heavy. I came here today with a friend and got the Fusilli a Salsiccia (which I embarrassingly mispronounced when I ordered as I often do when I go to Italian restaurants). At first I was really worried about the spicy sauce since I’m a wimp and can’t handle things that are too spicy, but it was really good! Pasta was cooked just right, and the sauce was a bit spicy but nothing overwhelming as long as you can handle light spicy food. The sausage was delicious and complimented the fusilli extremely well.
Friend got the Penne Primavera which looked like a standard tomato sauce pasta with greens.
Anyways, this is more of a 3.5 – decent food and nice service.

If you are looking for good Italian-​American food, then PastaQ is a good place to go. If you are looking for authentic Italian food, then I suggest finding another restaurant, particularly somewhere in Palo Alto. However, for Italian-​American food, PastaQ does the job. I usually alternate between the penne norcina, the penne giannino, the gnocchi, or the ravioli, all of which are my favorites at this place.
I am taking off one star because, like many of the other reviews state, the prices are a little steep for the food that you get. I personally feel that there needs to be a WOW factor (which is lacking) with the food if I am paying ~$ 15.
Furthermore, the prices are different between lunch and dinner for the same menu items, which I don’t understand because you get the same amount of food for both services. If this review were based on the prices for lunch, I would give this place five stars, because then the prices are worth the amount and quality of the food you get. However, for dinner, this place receives four stars as described in the prior paragraph.

A solid 3 for service and food with decent portions. You won’t be disappointed with the food but you also won’t remember it.
The fried Olive appetizer dish came with some tomato dipping sauce. That was not good. The inside was bitter and the fried ball on the outside was confusing.
My Fusilli Con Salsiccia was twirled pasta noodles in marinara sauce. It tasted average. My parents ordered the Fettuccine Mari E Monti which owned the entire meal. The Brandy cream sauce was delicious with the noodles.

I came here for an early dinner last night with my family, using a Groupon.
Early dinner around 5pm, so no problem getting a table during Memorial Day weekend.
We had 4 different pasta dishes. All were good, although a little pricey ($ 14 – 17) for each one. The selection was pretty good from the menu though. One thing that was missing from the menu was Calamari as an appetizer, which my kids really like at Italian restaurants. Too bad it wasn’t here.
The bread was warm, although not that special, but the balsamic vinegar and olive oil provided by the waiter was nice, compared to butter usually elsewhere. A decanter full of water was convenient at our table for refilling ourselves. Service was good and responsive overall.
Overall a nice dinner, a little pricey compared to other Italian restaurants, but helped by the Groupon, but not spectacular. Convenient location in downtown Mountain View, right in front of the public parking garage.

Took my family here using my Groupon the other night and boy was the Groupon worth it. They charge $ 19 for 2 Sole filets, a small handful of roasted potatoes, and broccoli. Don’t get me wrong, the dish was great. The fish was flaky and the white wine sauce meshed well with it. I always need citrus with my fish so I squeezed the lemon wedge on it. The roasted potatoes had a nice crunchy skin.
–Rigatoni in Tomato Cream Sauce: This dish came with chicken, broccoli, and i subbed the bell peppers with mushrooms. Very tasty dish, flavorful sauce but I can make it at home. They are very good at making their pasta the perfect Al dente!
–Panna Cotta: BEST dish there! Creamy and not at all heavy! It’s paired with a fresh strawberry sauce and a chocolate drizzle. They make the whole dessert there!
The venue isn’t very pleasant. Their noise level is abnormally loud. I can barely have a conversation or even hear myself think!

I prefer this place over Pasta Pomodoro by far!
The only problem is… I have only ordered Penne Pesto… My favorite dish of all time… I love the pine nuts and richness of the pesto that this dish is made with. It is not too oily but just right. Add that with a glass of riesling and voila. the combo that I have been getting every time…
I should really mix my choices up though.
Now I am craving for some…

This location is more spacious than the one in Palo Alto. Both have super cute waiters and managers. Stopped in here for dinner on a Saturday night before heading to Shoreline for a concert.
I really wanted to sit outside, but it was a little crowded. Inside, not so much. I ordered the gnocchi in cream sauce and it was deeeeelish! So fresh and yummy. The waiter was really attentive and nice. I’d definitely go back to enjoy some more fabulous food and hopefully nab a seat outside.

Crap?