Pasta Nova

Went there for my birthday — my wife, me, and two kids.
Walked in. They had curtains drawn over the entry way so you couldn’t see in. A waitress looked at us like we were hobos and sneeringly asked if we had a reservation. We said we didn’t. She groaned and said hold on. She then went and whispered to the apparent manager. The restaurant was empty except for two tables. She came back to us and finally said «fine, follow me.» She sat us at a table handed us menus and left. The kids menu only lists «pasta bowl» for $ 8 with a choice of sauces. $ 4 extra for protein. The waitresses kept throwing us ugly looks.
The adult menu was $ 18-​$ 25 a plate, more than we had expected. So we left.

The restaurant looks comfy and clean. The food is overpriced for what they serve. I ordered the lasagna and the bottom was rubbery that I had to leave on the plate. It didn’t taste very good. Got the feeling it was not fresh. My date got the Meatball Risotto which had a huge ball of meat in the middle. Very odd looking and the flavor was so so. The bread sticks where cold and the waiters were sitting around talking to each other most of the time. We received one water refill and then ran out. Not going back to this low quality high price food in a shopping strip.

Don’t miss out…
Bring back memory of Italy.

I’ve cooked for years in the restaurant business. I inspect restaurants for a living now. The chef/​owner keeps this kitchen very very clean. The food and the service was excellent. Large list of quality wine.

First time we went in, fantastic. Every time we go in, it’s never as good as the time before. Service has never impressed me. Not sure if I’m going to keep trying :/​breadsticks are either cold or burnt. Last time I tried to do take-​out and it didn’t taste that great by the time we got home.

So-​so experience.
I’ll start with good things first. Restaurant is cozy, very intimate and background music is great. Very quite, ideal for a romantic dinner. Service is good, our waiter was very kind. My wife’s lasagna was very good. After testing it, I realize that the sauce was not the usual «bottle sauce + some grandma recipe ingredients»; it was homemade, not acid. Good!
Now, here’s what disappointed me.
We got charged for bread (or «bread sticks»). And I realized that when I got the check. I find it hard to believe, being an Italian restaurant. You don’t charge for bread! it’s a fundamental part of the whole italian meal experience. If management wants to charge for the bread «sticks», that’s fine. But I strongly suggest the owners to serve complimentary bread, and not to charge (or overcharge) for extra portions.
My order came first. 4 minutes later, my wife’s order was served. Unacceptable. Period.
No parmigiano offered for my wife’s pasta, she had to asked for it.
Coffee time, we ordered a couple of espressos. No spoons, no sugar (really?). When we asked for sugar, we got a bowl with some on it (no sachets…). At this point, I just ordered the check.
And again, the final surprise, at the end, that irritated me: a charge for the bread sticks.
Should I give them second chance? Maybe. Only for the lasagna.

We have come here for 16 yrs. It is by far the BEST authentic Italian food we’ve tasted in WA. Great atmosphere, service and the 2 owners are the BEST! Thank you for being here in Woodinville!

Wow what meatballs!!; these are the places I like to find small, locally owned restaurants with fantastic food and great staff.
We were wine tasting when someone recommended trying this place. He said don’t let the fact it is in a strip mall persuade you from trying it.
Very nice and cozy inside and we were greeted immediately. We ordered meatballs which were among some of the best I have had. Great flavor with a perfect match of red sauce. We also ordered the chicken and gorgonzola pasta which had three half chicken breasts and pasta with a nice sauce; a definite repeat on our next visit.
Overall a very nice experience and also the price for everything was good too especially for Woodinville.

We just moved to Woodinville a month ago and have been trying to scout out some new places to eat nearby. A few neighbors mentioned Pasta Nova, so we decided to check it out.
When you arrive, don’t be intimidated by the surroundings; yes it is technically in a strip mall surrounded by a tanning salon, etc. Walk right on in and you’ll immediately be impressed by the décor and warmth of the place. Sure, they don’t have a host/​hostess station, but who cares? The place is cozy enough where it’s not like you have to go far to have someone see you and greet you.
The menu isn’t a huge rambling list of generic ‘italian’ dishes. It’s focused but has a good variety. They have a ton of wines, but I’m not really a wine person, so I opted for water.
I ordered the linguine carbonara and a spinach strawberry salad. My husband ordered the caesar salad and eggplant parmesan. They brought out breadsticks with oil to dip and they were so good! Hint of garlic, very light and not drenched in butter. The salads arrived and they also were delicious. But then the entrees came and I almost started dancing because it was so good. The portions were perfect for me (I couldn’t finish my dish) but someone used to more food might clean their plate. The quality of the ingredients is super high, everything was fresh and the pasta is cooked perfectly.
Thanks Pasta Nova, we now have a favorite local italian place!

So I heard good reviews of this place and thought I would give it a try. I find that Italian dining is very hit or miss. You either are so Italian that you alienate your clientele or you come off as Chef Boyardee. This is why I usually jump at a chance to find Italian to see if its done right.
The moment I showed up, the layout was completely wrong. You walk in and there is no hostess station or a greeter and your pretty much standing in the doorway and this almost made me turn around and leave.
I also usually find it a bit snobbish when the wine list is longer than the menu (case in point).
It’s an open concept establishment which causes the restaurant to be noisy, which kills the ambiance.
This place comes off like a wannabe second rate Olive Garden which is not what they should be trying to achieve.
Now, about the menu, they start off with several staples, apps include meatballs, calamari and bruschuto. The entrees are where they seem to break down. They seem to use prosciutto a lot, they have a couple of different rigatoni dishes but no Alfredo dishes. They had some questionable cream sauces. But if your going to go mainstream on the menu items, why stop now? They had lasagna but no spaghetti or any meatball/​pasta dishes.
Service wasn’t impressive but then again, I was dining alone and servers shy away from solo customers because they don’t tend to tip as much which is usually the chief complaint by wait staff but is completely a self caused problem. 50% of my tip is based on whether I get my food before someone that came in after me. And since the table of four that came in after me, and had the same waiter as me, had their order taken before me and received their food before me, I was not inclined to be generous.
There is something wrong with eating a Russian inspired pasta dish, in an Italian restaurant that plays a LOT of Celtic music.

Pasta Nova had been recommended to me months ago. I wish I had gone in sooner! I new they had me at the bread, it was light airy and so tasty! So we knew we were in for a treat with dinner and we were right! My niece had a craving for something not on the menu, they were happy to comply. I had the Gorgonzola chicken with vegetables it was fantastic! I must say it slowed conversation it was so good. At the end of our wonderful dinner we were served a price of lemon raspberry cake with strawberries on top that was the perfect end to our meal it was so scrumptious. We will definitely be back.

Little pricey for the portions you get, but the quality is top notch. The service staff is also very professional. Their rigatoni la vodka is amazing

Italian cuisine is my passion. I’ve been dining at Pasta Nova since 2003. Their dishes are delicious and their service is friendly and professional. Reasons they are successful is that the owner is hands-​on and the maître d’ and chef have not changed. I’m lucky to have Pasta Nova as my neighborhood Italian. My wife likes the pumpkin ravioli. My favorites are linguini with meatballs and the carbonara. Neighborhood is extremely safe.

I am not sure what has happened to this place. I used to love coming here and have been here a million times…
The last 3 – 4 times the most recent was 2 weeks ago was just just plain horrible. Same GREAt service from the server that is always there. Nor sure of his name, but he is a wonderful person.
My daughter had the mushroom raviolies
I had the Gorgonzola chicken
My husband had a pasta dish with chicken and a pomodoro sauce (I think)
Anyway– the sauce for mine and my daughter’s was the same sauce and it was not good. It was Luke warm and seriously lake in any kind of flavor. My chicken was over cooked and very bland.
My husbands dish was dry and he did not think it was good at all. Very uninspired person cooking. It’s changed!!! Bring back the old Pasta Nova.
It’s too expensive for the quality of food being served. The best thing that they have going right now is th bread sticks and garlic oil… it’s the same as it’s has always been.

This is a really intimate little place tucked inauspiciously into a strip mall. The prices are reasonable and the food is inventive and carefully presented. The wine list is surprising and varied.
The noise level and lighting are low — a great place for a date night.

I absolutely LOVE this place. I have been going there for years.
On short notice they happily catered my Company’s holiday lunch on Christmas Eve! It was amazing. Everyone in the company was pleased with the food and selection, which is very hard to come by. There was so much for a great price. Everything was warm, cooked to perfection and the taste was more than words can say. Our entire conference room was full of quiet people that were just enjoying a delicious meal! Talk about leftovers!
I recently went there last week for lunch at work. I ordered the Bruschetta and Gnocchi ala Pesto with chicken. The Bruschetta was so good I ended up eating the leftover tomatoes with a fork, in fact my entire team was tasting it. The Gnocchi was beyond words rich in flavor but not heavy feeling.
You have to get the chocolate cake. The only thing I think they could do differently is to have cannolis.
This is my favorite Italian spot, in fact I am going there for lunch today!

This is good, high quality Italian in the Woodinville area. I wouldn’t necessarily drive here from far away but it is a solid neighborhood Italian place.

By no means authentic, traditional Italian food, but still a respectable meal, served with warmth and gracious attention.
I ordered a caprese salad as an appetizer. Wedges of a fresh mozzarella round were rested against a little hill of diced Roma tomatoes; a few chiffonaded basil leaves were strewn over the wheel of cheese and tomatoes. They’ve got a good, sweet, concentrated balsamic they use as part of the drizzle; the only off choice here was the addition of pesto, which overpowers the simple freshness of the cheese, tomatoes, and basil leaves. Pesto’s too heavy and assertive here.
Salmon de Salmon followed the caprese. Seven (too few, if you ask me) excellent smoked-​salmon ravioli, in a somewhat heavy pesto-​green Alfredo sauce with capers and sliced onions, propped up a nicely-​done fillet of grilled salmon. I doubt any Italian has ever served smoked salmon ravioli with a side of… o-​OK, more salmon, but if you’re a salmon lover, those pesky side dishes just get in the way of the divine pink flesh of the gods anyway.
Dessert for the win. The chocolate hazelnut cake is a layer of dense, rich chocolate cake with a few whole hazelnuts, a thin peacekeeping layer of white chocolate mousse, and a ¾-​inch layer of lethal chocolate mousse.

We came here in recommendation from the Columbia winery! Gem in a strip mall! Unique dishes not tradition which is what I enjoyed about it! I hope no one finds this place so when we come back we don’t have to wait to get in!

Atmosphere, freshness, quality, aromas and experience are on-​point and worth four stars.
Listen, this is not a wannabe Italian chain. It’s an Italian dining experience eatery, ladies and gentlemen, and you will pay for this. I cannot testify to its Italian authenticity. It is amazingly deep and matter-​of-​fact in its flavors all at the same time and yearns to scream at you from the store front to step inside.
Everything about Pasta Nova is subtle. You could drive by it a million times and never dream to stop there. I did actually. Once you’re inside, you wonder what is going on. It is peaceful and intimate.
I regularly order an appetizer of goat cheese with marinara. It is heated through and both items are extremely fresh. Share a glass (or bottle) of your favorite wine with your favorite friend, as I have many a time with this app. It is wonderful; they serve it with a house breadstick — — unlike any store bought. Long and slender, not crisp, nor soft. It soaks their fresh marinara perfectly.
My main always consists of their chicken gorgonzola. I recognize it has changed on their menu a couple of times, but I check to make sure that I can still get it the way I originally got it: penne with chicken and gorgonzola. I believe they’ve since added vegetables. Either way, the pasta is always al dente and I personally love the richness and authenticity of this dish. There is enough on this plate to serve my lunch the following day!
Good job, Pasta Nova! No complaints here on anything… keep it real the way you’re doing and we’re going to keep coming back.