The Pasta Bowl

We always enjoy the Pasta Bowl. There are many kid friendly options and a cute little dining room. Typically great service and our favorites are the gnocchi and farfalle pollo. A quick stop in for a good price and tasty food! Can never go wrong here!

So this Sunday I decided to make the trek from Morton Grove into the city. I was so excited to have a hot bowl of Farfalle Pollo. The lady at the register, knitting, yes knitting simply gave me my menu and sent me on my way. As I sat at the bar (closest seat to the register) it took the waiter about 15 to take my order. As I sat there watching my food being made, going from hot to warm and in need of a water refill, the girl at the register never offered to refill the cups. just kept on knitting and texting on her phone. I then glanced to see my food just sitting there, since the waiter whom I felt sorry for was quite overwhelmed with customers. Over and over again we waited for water to be refilled and frustrated that even an order of more bread for our past took well over 15 min to receive. Maybe had the girl at the register helped out by at least filling the glasses of customers with water may have helped the waiter more than she knew it. I am now regretting ever getting in my car and driving all that way to be completely ignored. Please train your staff better on simple customer service and being a team player…

I ate here with my family last week for dinner. We started with the Bruschetta and Ravioli Tostadi. The bruschetta was delicious. The ravioli could have had a few more on the plate, but they were tasty as well. Our pastas were delicious: pollo farfalle, fettucini alfredo and a creamy mac and cheese. The portions were generous and the prices were very reasonable. The only thing they lacked was a better bread. The sides of bread that came with the pasta were just a slice of Italian loaf. They weren’t toasted and lacked some butter or garlic. Other than that, it was a great experience. The servers were friendly and attentive. I’d go back.

We go here pretty regularly. It’s a great place to go grab lunch when we are out with the kids. Great beer selection. Pastas are pretty solid and great value.
This place does actually feel like a neighborhood hang out, which I think is what they are going for.

We stopped in here for dinner after an evening at the Lincoln Park Zoo. It popped up as a suggestion on Unilocal and, never one to doubt the Unilocalers, our group of five trundled in the door.
The restaurant is small and quite loud, as it’s attached to a bar. We were fortunate to be seated right away, as they were also quite busy. We were given a booth in the back, which was cozy and comfortable.
We were greeted right away by an exuberant, energetic server who was excited to learn it was a first visit for all of us. He reviewed the menu with us, pointing out some house favorite dishes. He brought us a complimentary order of garlic bread to start. It was easily some of the best garlic bread I’ve had — it was covered in smoked mozzarella rather than standard mozzarella, giving it some more robust flavor.
I ordered the evening’s special — penne pasta tossed in a creamy marinara sauce with steamed spinach and grilled chicken breast, then topped with the smoked mozzarella. It was outstanding. The flavor profiles worked really well together, the pasta was cooked perfectly, there was just the right amount of sauce.
We all agreed that we would be back, though we might skip the hour foray into 22 degree weather before we do.

I’ve been visiting The Pasta Bowl on Clark St for over 15 years and it remains one of my favorite places to eat. It’s also become a favorite of my immediate family and any friends that I take there.
The service is always good, the food is consistent and the prices really haven’t changed much over the years which is a good thing. I just the wish the place was a little bigger.

Overall: Great price, great taste, great service. You can’t beat the value you get at pasta bowl.
The good: Great tasting pasta. It’s nothing fancy or extraordinary, but you can’t beat it for the prices (~$ 10). Huge portions that aren’t incredibly overwhelming. The service was friendly and helpful. Atmosphere was good.
The bad: Nothing really, the drink specials weren’t mind blowing.
Atmosphere: ⁹⁄₁₀
Service: ⁹⁄₁₀
Food: ¹⁰⁄₁₀

I was introduced to the Pasta Bowl by my dear friend and fellow Unilocaler Caroline T and we were both SO glad to stop by for dinner! Following her wonderful suggestion we both got the Gnocchi Aurora with 50% marinara and 50% alfredo. BEST suggestion EVER! I loved it so much. The creamy alfredo definitely adds to the gnocchi and makes the dish even more flavorful. Two things that could bump this to a 5: a few pieces of my gnocchi were slightly on the harder side sometimes and the chicken was on the drier side.
Also, to add some more veggies to our meal, we got the sauteed spinach which besides for being just a tad too salty for me, was a great side, especially to share between 2 – 3 people.
Overall, great location, decent prices especially for Italian, and friendly service.

Hands down. The BEST Clams Capellini that I have ever had.
I was visiting my friend from college and we were *exhausted* so we ordered in. Now, I don’t tend to write reviews when I order in… but it would be remiss to not review this dish. Especially because I didn’t expect much from a pasta place.
When the meals came, we thought that they messed mine up because there was SO much clam. I immediately thought, surely they gave me a chicken dish by mistake. NOPE… their clam pasta was chock full’ o clams, tons of large chunks… it almost felt like a protein dish with some pasta. Add that to very thin pasta mixed with olive oil, white wine, oregano, red pepper flakes, parmesan and no fishy smell (!!). This is a pescatarian’s dream pasta.
4 instead of 5 stars because I have only tried one dish from here…

I frequently come here because the staff is really friendly, the food comes out quickly and is always good. I had the cypress salad, which had olives and peppers. I’ve never had caprese that way, but it was good. I had the bruschetta, as usual. That’s always awesome! For an entrée, I had the spaghetti and meatballs. Cooked perfectly and delicious!

I must admit, I was really looking forward to trying this place.
It was good, but they went very heavy on the sauce and cheese. I can sense it’s intended for the indulgent college kid looking for a replacement for their pizza or grilled cheese.
Even their salads are overwhelmed with salad dressing. I would like it more if they had some restraint and allow their flavors to show. Worth a try if you want something heavy and fatty.

My friend and I stumbled along the Pasta Bowl, mid day, starving and our systems both extremely full of caffeine. So that is a recipe for disaster, haha. Whelp the Pasta Bowl satisfied our needs. They have this awesome lunch special, I believe it was 7 or 8 dollars and you get any pasta entrée and a nonalcoholic drink.
I had the Farfalle Pollo. Whatever their signature cream sauce is it is so so so good! Not to mention they give you so much food that you can’t finish it. I tried to finish it, I tried real hard and I massively failed. I probably sat there for a solid ten minutes attempting to finish everything, but was way too full.
Our waiter was super friendly and he dealt very well with how indecisive my friend and I were with ordering. Do we want a beer do we not want a beer… do we want an app… nahhh. Not to mention my constant, I’m going to finish all my food… wait nvm you can take it, haha. I also really liked the décor, very cute.
Overall if you’re in the area, starving and want a ton of food you probably should come here.

A friend was in town visiting and wanted pasta. I had this spot on my radar but hadn’t tried it yet so we checked it out.
Wonderful.
Reasonable prices, great cute little spot, awesome friendly service.
We tried the farfalle pollo which was amazing with basil, tomato, mushroom, and cheese garlic bread.

Great pasta bar at a low price. This location is pretty popular. A lot of people were waiting in line to get some food.
I had a great experience here. Sat at the bar and you can see them cook your pasta right at the grill. Good beer selection too.
You should also get the cheese bread. They put globs and globs of cheese on it. And the marinara sauce is pretty darn good.
I’ll be back for more.

I can’t wait to come back! Our waitress was one of the nicest I’ve ever had and the food was fantastic.
Between the three of us we had a rosemary gnocchi dish (with added broccoli… it’s a must try!), linguini with pesto, and the farfalle pollo. So much food, very filling, and so many options!

The was the first restaurant my boyfriend and I went to together for our anniversary weekend in Chicago. When we walked by I was slightly unsure because honestly, it just didn’t look like a restaurant where we could get GREAT food, but it was. It was seriously amazing, for about the same amount of money you would pay to get not-​so-​great food. We had a pesto pasta, clam pasta, cheesy bread, and dessert bars. Oh, they also have a craft beer special on Thursdays and the beers we got did not disappoint.
Besides the food, our waitress was fantastic. Because I’ve worked in restaurants for the last few years, I think I can especially appreciate a good server. She was not only very nice and chatted with us for a little bit, but also magically checked in on us at all the right moments. I hate when servers are there every five seconds being like «Is everything still okay since the last time I saw you a few seconds ago?» And then there’s the server who disappears (maybe to never return again?). Our server was perfect. (I unfortunately can’t remember her name, but she worked last Thursday, June 4^th and had light brown/​blonde hair. and people should know that she’s great at her job).
Overall, I recommend The Pasta Bowl if you want good food and good service.

Yummmmmm!!! This place was amazing! I was so glad I found it on Unilocal because from the outside it looks like a little place that I probably would have just walked by. I am so I glad I didn’t because the gluten free pesto pasta was to die for! I loved that the whole menu was able to be made gluten free if need be. The caprese appetizer was great to start our meal.
The waitress was super friendly and happy chat!

I’m not a big fan of pastas but this restaurant has its way with pasta! Located in the middle of Lincoln park, this place is a vibrant statement in itself. You are greeted with courtesy and the ambience is always lively no matter what time you show up. I had a wonderful experience and I’m not just talking about the food.
We got the farfelle pollo and frutti. I must say that if you love white sauce pastas better than red, this is an absolute must have. The seafood ladden frutti is delicious as well, with big shrimps, scallops and mussels. I will safely comment that I have never had better seafood pasta! I was told their sandwiches are also wonderful. People seemed to be really enjoying the crafted beers.
Long story short, if you are in Chicago, in the mood for something warm and delicious, drive down to Lincoln park and rediscover pasta!

So impressed with the food, and most definitely impressed with the prices. It’s sooo cheap! And really big portion. I think what the Unilocalers said about goin to heaven was true, I went to heaven when first tasting their pasta… yummm.
Came here at 11ish AM, place was still empty. Service was g ood though. I got the caprese salad, it’s soo fresh. I’m lovin everything!
Lunch special was $ 8.75 and it comes with soup or salad. Wooho! Sucha a deal!
Look at pictures to drool :)

After a very fulfilling and stomach-​stuffing Christmas holiday, I evidently wanted to continue stuffing myself… Im going to be a fat ass :(Carb-​loading was the order of the day as I wanted a big plate of satisfying spaghetti. The first bite was oh-​so-​good, second bite not too bad, third bite wasnt bad but I realized i could do better and have. So it wasnt bad but it wasnt a superb, satisfying bowl I was hoping for.
What was up with that teeny tiny old piece of bread. Apparently im a pigeon with no taste… They could give you a fresh good size piece of bread to soak up that sauce.
Things were not all bad the Bruscetta was pretty darn tasty and very fresh. The meatballs, made of pork, were phenomenal. Some of the best meatballs ive ever had actually. Lastly, the service was excellent. My server was very attentive and super-​friendly.
Overall i was a little dissapointed as the spaghetti did not meet expectations. But there was enough positives here for me to come back in the future and try something else.

Ich war hier vor einigen Jahren essen… es hat uns damals so gut geschmeckt, dass wir ein 2. Mal hin gegangen sind. Extrem freundliches und zuvorkommendes Personal. Sehr, sehr leckeres Essen (vor allem die Tages-​Specials)! Und sehr nett eingerichteter, kleiner Laden. Ein MUSS!