Arabella Casa Di Pasta

Amazing! I wish we had this restaurant in Portland! Friendly staff, great beer, casual attitude. The salad were big which I love. The best was that we could choose exactly the pasta dish combination we wanted. The sauces were all amazing. We walked ¾ of a mile two different nights of our vacation to eat there.

Food and service so wonderful… When getting the bread and melted butter you have to get the roasted garlic to add to the mix… Yummy on the bread. Will keep coming back.

This place is all around awesome. The owners Mowgli and Amanda are lovely people who are veterans in the restaurant industry. Food is super affordable, the pasta is fresh, sauces are on point. I also loved the meatballs. I only wish it was full service. If you sit up at the bar though, Scott will take your order and keep you in great company. Overall, a great, quality down to Earth place with something for everybody.

Had a chicken Alfredo plate and was to die for. This place was one of the best places I’ve been in New Orleans. Their milk cream soda was another thing people should try.

This place was an absolute delight.
Pros
–The place is spacious and clean, which is a very welcome change from the establishments of Frenchmen street. It is well worth the short walk away from the main drag.
–We came because we simply could not take any more of the ubiquitous fried food in New Orleans, and we were not disappointed. The strawberry spinach salad was great. I paired the rigatoni with the fungi sauce and asparagus, and was very happy with the result. My sister had spaghetti with tomato basil and mushrooms, and her boyfriend had rigatoni with meatballs and Italian sausage. (I asked why he looked so sad, and he said because he had no more room to keep eating!)
Bonus cool points
–We were surprised and thrilled by the subtle
décor. If you are not a Star Wars or Doctor Who fan, you might not notice or care, but if you are, you’re in for an awesome treat.
Tip
–It’s a build-​your-​own pasta at the counter place. Only choose a thick sauce to go with a thick pasta. If you end up displeased with your meal, I’m willing to bet it’s because you haven’t learned the art of pasta pairings.
Cons
–It’s not in California, so we can’t become
regulars.

This place is fantastic! A bit off the beaten path from the French Quarter. Best meal we had all week. Excellent food for a vegetarian. You are able to create your own dish and you end up with a delicious meal!

The food is really good. I do feel like this portion size of pasta you get is relatively small for the price. I’m usually not full after eating the whole bowl.

Lamb meatballs!!!
All of that pasta and bruschetta and not one moment of disappointment in not being able to taste it (as lovely as it was).
The salad was just as perfect as a salad could be. Service was very happy/​upbeat an downright giggly at times.
What made this 5++ stars was the care the whole staff took of me. I so love food and have a restricted diet that can make the delight of eating not fun. I felt like there was a joint collaboration and a bit of a celebration creating tasty bites just for me. It was very special and very appreciated.
«Let every day be a holiday and every meal a treat.»
Bows to you Arabella.

Arabella is awesome. The salads and pastas are amazing and, most importantly, consistent. Consistency cannot be stressed enough. I’ve tried numerous combinations and always been happy. Keep it up Arabella! I will always be a customer.

I always go in to this place with high expectations and leave disappointed. The first time I went I had the meat sauce and felt it needed way more spices and flavor. This last time, I took my my mom and sister and we each ordered and different salad. I ordered the arugula salad and added chicken for 2 dollars. My mom and sister got their salads first and my sister ate hers before I even got mine. I got my giant plate of arugula, with a few tomatoes and onions and the added chicken and took a bite. I thought the chicken looked off but I had to get my phone out for light. The chicken was dark meat. I hate dark meat chicken and thought it was odd that dark meat was the 2 dollar add on option. My mom loves dark meat so I gave it to her… She wasn’t sure about it, thought something was off. I didn’t complain because we had happy hour prices.
I want to go back and get pasta again but I know to specify white meat.

Monday night, 40 minute wait after ordering for pasta really? All out of chicken, and bruschetta? Would have gone someplace else but the weather is horrible and flooding. The food here is usually good but it seems like management is not prepared for business.

So, so good. I was craving it last night but blew all my money on Christmas gifts so I couldn’t afford it, unfortunately.
I’ve gotten the fettuccine alfredo with chicken here twice and I thought it was SO flavorful and delicious. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the sauce was so rich and creamy and peppery, as alfredo sauce should be. Perfect thickness.
The vibe was great. I’m not big on trendy/​hipster places and this place is definitely that BUT the bartenders and cashier were exceptional and friendly, not «cool» at all, and my overall service was superb. I sat at the bar and was mesmerized by watching old school WWE on their TV and felt so comfortable and happy here. Also, their tiramisu was BOMB. It was so light and fluffy and delicious, I’m not ashamed to say I actually ate an entire one of these desserts completely by myself recently (it’s huge…).
Definitely try this place out if you’re sorely missing Italian food in New Orleans. I’m from Boston and desperately miss my North End plethora of Italian options, but this is an excellent solution to these problems.

I love this place!
just step inside and you wil lsee colorful, young and vibrant artwork. many pop culture refrences here, between the movie posters and puns, and celebrity pictures here and there. Food is good too – basically build your own pasta. Fairly priced, and a decent amount of options. the bruscetta can be shared, for $ 5 you get 5 big pieces and are stuffed with toppings. pitchers of beer are $ 10 which is a steal. Nice selection of beer too.

Arabella gets 5 stars for sure. It’s a simple concept — create your own pasta bowls with a variety of pastas, sauces, and toppings. It is cheap, filling, and totally delicious. The owners and staff are super friendly and it is yet another reason why I find myself routinely bypassing the hassles of the CBD and construction war-​zone uptown to head to St. Claude for dinner. However, one of the real reasons this is a favorite place of mine is totally personal. Wherever I go, my wife consistently orders better then me. I don’t know how she does it — but she generally ends up with the best tasting item on the menu that I spend my meal staring at jealously. For some reason at Arabella the stars align and I always end up with the perfect plate of pasta that I lord over while she tries to convince me to share. It’s good to be the king.

I really like the concept of this place. So many pasta combination can be made! But what did I end up with? The basic spaghetti and meatballs. Why? If you can’t do the basics right, then you might as well be dead to me. Luckily, Arabella passes, and I’ll be back, lol!

Pretty much agree with the other Unilocal!reviews. The atmosphere is very much «hipster», but I liked the setting! As it was my first time, I was unaware that you had to order first at the register. You were then to be seated. As a vegan, it’s pretty much a hit or miss when tagging along with someone to an unknown restaurant. The «spaghetti» is the only pasta that does not contain egg! Perfect! I ordered that with the pomodoro sauce & mushrooms. The mushrooms were über tasty. I can’t complain at all, as there still was an option for me. My dish really hit the spot for some comfort food!

After a few days of eating ALL OF THE FRIED THINGS — my friend and I (visiting NOLA from Portland, OR) both decided we need some good old non-​fried carbs. Pasta and wine? YES.
We did a quick Unilocal search and were drawn here based on A) location (a short walk from where we were staying) and B) the awesome Unilocal reviews.
We ordered a bottle of wine and some pastas and bruschetta and let me tell you — I was a happy girl. The service was awesome and the food was both reasonably priced and delicious. I don’t think you can go wrong ordering anything here. We sort of shut the place down and the owner ended up giving us a great karaōke recommendation next door and even came and hang with us. Super fun night, super delicious food, great wine options.

Other reviewers say just about what I have to say about the food. It was good, rib-​sticking, quality pasta that my partner and I thoroughly enjoyed. We ordered the puttanesca and the mushroom pasta, and we each enjoyed both kind. I ordered iced tea, and enjoyed that too.
What stands out to me is that they pay attention to detail. Their to-​go packaging held in the heat of the pasta through a drive to Chalmette and then for another bit as I waited for my partner to get home from a late night at work. The service was attentive. Their cannoli was a bit different than I expected, citrusy, but I enjoyed it for a change. I would happily eat or order food from here again.

I found it hilarious that the first question asked by Unilocal!When I checked in here was: ‘Is this place hipster?’, yes, yes it is. Three of us walked in and the place was moderately occupied, they were also gearing up to have a little band for some live music.
The hostess greeted us, asked if we had been before and gave us a brief ‘how-​to’ with ordering. She seemed a bit flustered because according to her they were busy. I had to look around like, really? This is busy? There was a whole table free, not a single person at the bar, and probably 10 heads in the restaurant, total.
Anyways, you place your order at the counter and it’s brought to your table. I like sometimes paying for your meal first, especially when in groups. It cuts down on confusion when is time to pay a tab, plus I like being able to just get up and leave when you’re done instead of having to wait to pay.
We had starters of the spicy meatballs (not spicy at all), they were pretty good. We also had the bruschetta which was also good, kinda hard to mess up bruschetta tho. The starters were not too heavy, so I was able to tackle my pasta alright. As Paige said, the bread is nothing to talk about, I second her on the suggestion of skipping on them as much as you can.
My pasta consisted of: rigatoni, spicy tomato sauce, Italian sausage and artichoke. It was pretty good, nice kick to it, the sauce was not too heavy, but I think I should have gone with a different pasta; I was torn between the rigatoni and the black pepper fettuccine. I’ll definitely be going with that next time.
And there WILL be a next time.

This place amazed me! I love the simple «build your own» pasta. Good wine selection here. I got the spicy tomato cream over the black pepper fettuccni. I added chicken and it was really spicy, but very delicious. My wife got the pomodoro sauce over rigatoni and I urged her to add the meatballs. Those meatballs were fantastic! By far the best thing we had ordered. I will definitely come back here and try all of the combinations! (ok not all, but most)

We come here often and have always had delicious meals. The homemade pastas are so delicious. Tonight we took most of our pasta dishes home because we saved room for dessert. The tiramisu is divine!

It’s actually kind of fucked up how good this place is. It’s fucking amazing. I thought I was a pretty good pasta chef until I ate here. I didn’t even know the shit they do with noodles was fucking possible. I have spent hours talking to another man about how fantastic this place is. He claimed it was the freshly made pasta that was their secret, but we all know the secret is in the fucking sauce. Every sauce here is better than the last. I wish there was some way to get every fucking sauce at once. I’m totally into the counter ordering thing they have going on too. I’m not a beer drinkers’ beer drinker, but this place has great beer. I usually get the one with oatmeal.
I’ve noticed a few people commenting that this is somehow in a bad neighborhood. This to me is perplexing. It is but a stones throw from the new epicenter of the gentrification argument as well as a food co-​op where you can buy fucking $ 6 milk. I guess if you absolutely cannot look at a poor person the neighborhood is «unsavory» but otherwise it’s about as dangerous as anywhere else in New Orleans where they open a new restaurant every three weeks.

Been here several times. Great homemade pasta with homemade sauce. I think Arnold said it best… I’ll be back

This place isn’t in the best location, but worth the walk from Frenchman St. They have a hip vibe with original wall art, full bar with TV for sports, and a walk up counter to take your order. The atmosphere was clean, bright, smoke-​free, with good music.
The menu is a combo of Italian pastas, sauces, and add-​ons like meatballs or chicken. I ordered the bruchetta and cheese/​meat platter. All the food was fresh, presented well, and absolutely delicious. The portions were well sized, not enough to take home but you’ll leave full. My friends ordered various pasta dishes and they were equally impressed. Finished with some cannolis for the win.

Visiting from out of town.
Husband was feeling down.
Cannolis he wanted.
So onward I hunted.
I needed some help.
And when I looked to Unilocal…
Arabella Casa di Pasta!
Oh, yes. We’ve gotsta.
Italian sodas were yummy.
Well worth the money.
Antipasto Plate was okay.
But not the best of the day.
Pastas were delicious.
Pecan pesto was the best.
Cannolis were last.
And boy they went fast.
We loved this place.
Puts a smile on your face.

One of the great pasta houses in the country. Choose what style pasta and what sauce you want on it and off you go. The pasta and sauces are all fresh and hand made meatballs that are so yum they are excellent. The best part about it is you can eat a great meal here and don’t have to break the budget. Another great dining option in the bywater.

As a lover of all things italian, I was excited to discover Arabella. It’s basically like a build your own pasta type of spot. With a wide yet not overwhelming menu, Arabella offers plenty of choices depending on your mood. And if you can’t figure out what you want, they have several different pre made options for you to choose from, most of which are not listed on their website.
I ordered to go and was a little hesitant to do so after reading some of the reviews about portion sizes, etc. Nothing is worse than getting home and not being satisfied with your meal. But I was pleasantly surprised and satisfied with what I received. I had a rigatoni with a spicy tomato cream sauce, basil and italian sausage. The sauce was really good, the pasta was just okay. I was not blown away. My friend ordered fettucini with pesto cream pecan, basil and parmesan with chicken. That was DELICIOUS. We also ordered a side of bruschetta and a caesar salad and garlic bread. Save yourself some calories and skip the bread cause it blows.
Overall I liked Arabella and its vibe and would definitely like to taste some of their other menu items. They have a lot of potential and I love how fresh their ingredients are.

After a short stint as a predominantly courtyard popup earlier this year, Mowgli Pieras and his significant other relocated to their own brick and mortar renovation of an older office structure on the newest culinary neighborhood, the St. Claude corridor. Thank goodness for a much larger indoor seating area for his building customer base.
Pasta, Pasta, Pasta is the name of the game here. Homemade, of course, everyday several different shapes and sizes. Plus, you can customize by choosing type of pasta, sauce and entrée ingredient, as, meat balls, chicken, shrimp or vegetables.
To start, you must try the spicy meatballs in a wonderful red sauce. Caution for those who don’t like heat or spices as both make these unforgettable. Next, absolutely the fullest and tastiest bruschettas you’ll find in our city — truly yummy. A simple but elegant Ce=aeser salad touts the freshest lettuce pieces, with pimento slices, wonderful cheese slices, garlicky and anchovy paste.
As I mentioned earlier, the build your own pasta entrée is not only a fun game for all but truly the freshness of the pasta shapes, cheeses and main ingredients are all complimented with fresh herbs is gonna get you swearing loyalty to this place.
Finally, a NY style cheesecake is as original as it should be or a slice of the chocolate lovers ganache pie.
When you get a craving for pasta, head on out as you won’t be disappointed.

Gotta say, this was the best pasta I’ve had since our trip to Italy earlier this year. Do not come here if you want upscale ambiance on a quiet safe New Orleans street. Come if you want great quality food at a reasonable price. Lots of take out orders and a few patrons sitting at tables.
Beer and wine on the menu. Bolognese was flavorful. Pesto was fresh and on point. Pastas cooked perfectly. Meatballs had great texture but over spiced with fresh herbs (personal opinion, of course).
We will be back. Thank you for a high quality meal.