Cafe Pasta

Yummy chicken salad sandwich for lunch. Solid size and comes with a nice salad as an included side. The is better than your typical house salad. Interior is a bit dated and dark but otherwise a nice spot. I will be back!

Outdated décor, Caesar salad had very little dressing, the panini was made with what looked like whole wheat loaf bread, and the tortellini surely came out of a bag from the frozen food section at the grocery store. We were overall unimpressed.

Café Pasta has been around for over thirty years, dishing out myriad pasta-​centered concoctions with a strong lilt toward Italian cuisine. In my exploration of their current menu I found several Italian staples and a few less standard ideas, while nothing really ventured far from safe ground. All in all, the food was generally better than I expected, which is to say that it ranged from decent to good, but there are several sticky points to mention. For one, I can’t say I feel that Café Pasta quite produces value equivalent to what they charge. A lesser point, but one I couldn’t shake so I feel it bears mentioning, is the odd and outdated environment of the place — strange angular mirrors, hot pink neon lights, a disco ball, classic rock radio — none of which seems to bother what appears to be their core demographic, middle-​aged and older white people. Were it not for these points I’d be able to recommend Café Pasta more highly. As it stands, I’d only really suggest visiting during lunch when prices are more affordable.
The dish I’d most recommend is their Cajun Penne ($ 16.95 at dinner, $ 9.95 at lunch), a mix of chicken, shrimp, and andouille sausage tossed with penne and marinara sauce. I was impressed by the way these unspectacular ingredients came together to shine. The sauce provided a salty, umami, and spicy coherence to the other ingredients, which for the most part were very well prepared, too. The penne was cooked properly, having some toothsomeness, the chicken was surprisingly tender and moist, and the shrimp were plump and juicy. Topped with some delicious, nutty parmesan, this dish was really defying my expectations. The only detractor was the andouille, which was disharmoniously tough, and relatively mild besides. It seemed ill-​fitting to me, and didn’t quite work as a counterpoint. I get that the andouille is what makes the dish «Cajun», but it really was the weakest part of the dish. I personally feel that the dish would be stellar if they simply dropped the sausage, upped the amount of chicken and shrimp, and compensated the loss in heat with some red pepper in the sauce. Even as it was, though, this would be my first recommendation.
Second in line is their Lasagna ($ 12.95 at dinner, $ 8.95 at lunch), which needs little introduction. Café Pasta’s version is quintessential, being simply noodles layered with beef bolognese, ricotta cheese, and tomato sauce. Topped with an attractive but unwieldy round of mozzarella, this dish was hefty but lacked excitement — it felt very utilitarian to eat. The main thing that needs some tuning is the amount of ricotta. I kept getting these big hits of it, which sort of blanked out anything else I might have tasted. The ricotta is less salty than the sauce, so you get these shocks of blandness over top of the other ingredients, which weren’t exactly pulling overtime, mind you. Overall there was nothing actually bad about the lasagna, but it could use some tweaking.
Finally, we have South Beach ($ 19.95, available only at dinner), a dish consisting of angel hair pasta, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and five medium scallops, all bound with a creamy parmesan sauce. This was my only significant disappointment at Café Pasta, but I’ll start with the positives. The scallops were tasty, seasoned on top and bottom with a sort of mellow blackening seasoning. They were sweet and salty, but just a tad overcooked. Unfortunately, balance problems pervaded this dish. There were not enough scallops, too few (and too under-​roasted) red peppers, too much sauce with too little interest, too much pasta that didn’t work well with the ingredients, plus last and definitely worst — plentiful but unpalatable artichoke hearts. These pretty much ruined what could at least have been an underwhelming dish. They were the cured-​in-​vinegar variety, and didn’t lend anything but a signature unpleasant tang to a dish that was meant to be creamy and rich. I think this dish would be much improved by adding one or two more scallops (or maybe some shrimp), putting some black pepper in the sauce while using less of it, increasing the amount of red peppers (and roasting them more to make them more potent), plus considering spinach instead of the artichoke hearts and a different pasta shape like shells or bow ties that would encourage bites containing all of the ingredients.
In the end, I’m still surprised by how good some of Café Pasta’s food was. But their prices seemed excessive, and their environment had me feeling out of place. I know they have potential, yet I’m not sure Café Pasta is striving for it. If their décor is any indication, they’re quite comfortable with the way things are. You should gauge for yourself, but I’d suggest going during lunch when prices are less steep. It may be worth your while if you’re a fan of Italian pasta dishes. Otherwise, I don’t think you absolutely need to eat here.

It had been quite awhile since we’d tried the food at this longstanding Italian eatery, a place that had been our go to place for fresh tasting pasta dishes for years. But quality started to slide a few years back, sauces, which had been a real treat here, no longer seemed freshly prepared, the flavors muted — and even the usually excellent house made Italian Sausage became very ordinary tasting.
I’d heard some positive things for a change over the last year or so, so we placed a dinner order through Dining Dash delivery service and hoped for the best. The results were rather a mixed bag with some decent to very good tastes, questionable value, and a lost salad.
We tried the Homemade Italian Sausage with Roasted Red Peppers ($ 8.50), and while the flavor was nice, especially with the added taste of the excellent roasted peppers, the sausage was a little overcooked, and the portion is small, making this app a little overpriced.
The Lasagna ($ 17.95) with the house Pomodoro Sauce is very, very good, with the sauce being exceptional. The portion here is nice, but this dish at this price, is still not a real value. The Veal Parmigiana ($ 20.50) was ordinary in every way except the Marinara Sauce was excellent. The portion was on the smallish side, and the meat was overcooked, leaving it dry and chewy. This dish as served was way overpriced. Neither entrée comes with bread or a side.
I requested a side salad with Blue Cheese Dressing for an additional $ 3 but the salad was a no show — not cool. If the Unilocal rating system allowed I’d give this experience 2 ½ stars, pending another meal here. But the large lack of value and the overcooking of the meats seems problematic.

Sooooooooo disappointed in this restaurant. We visited 19 years ago to celebrate picking out my engagement ring. We haven’t been back, partially because of the location and not being able to find it in the pre-​GPS era and partially because we have our favorite restaurants in Greensboro and we remembered it as being a bit over priced. Well looking for something different we visited her again when it came up in a search on restaurants nearby. When we arrived we entered into a hallway with no hostess stand in site. We could look into the door of the messy office on our way in which left us wondering if we came in through the right door. When we rounded the corner we were greeted by a gentleman (we later learned was the owner) who instructed us to «pick a table» and a waiter would be right we us. He was sitting at the bar on his cell phone at the time! Alrighty then… not a great start. He obviously saw our confusion or indecisions and decided to get up and offer us a table, which needed to be cleaned so we could sit there. The waiter came and was a very pleasant and efficient help throughout our meal. We both had salads and from there it went south quickly. We remembered the food as overpriced, I think because back then we were on a very strict budget. This many years later we can splurge on a meal if we choose to do so, so price wasn’t an issue. The issue was taste. There was none. The food isn’t bad… but it isn’t good either. Everything suffered from a lack of seasoning except the salad. I had the Linguine Rustica for 16.95. It is sautéed chicken and shrimp with sun-​dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil, lemon and herbs and mixed greens served over linguine with Parmesan cheese. The shrimp was white and transparent so I was afraid it wad not fully cooked. It did not look appetizing at all and it was bland! My husband had the Herb Grilled Chicken Breast $ 12.95. It looked char broiled but didn’t taste char broiled, which led me to think they brought it frozen with the grill marks. The chicken was tough and tasteless.
After the lackluster welcome I was afraid to send the dish back to the kitchen. I was afraid if the owner did not care to greet and seat his guests, how much accountability did he have for the back of the house. I guess I watch too much Restaurant Impossible! I wanted to call Robert Irvine and ask him to help revive this place. The décor was so confusing. It is an upscale Italian restaurant or a sports bar? I don’t know!

Where do I start… the way I see it, Café Pasta is in the mist of an identity crisis. Playing classic rock does not set the mood for an Italian restaurant, the décor is very dated and needs to be refreshed. As for the food — one reviewer said that she is a foodie and rated Café Pasta with 5-​stars, seriously?!? No foodie would ever rate Café Pasta as a top 5, unless McDonalds is a part her top 5. Don’t get me started on the fact that she has no other ratings… fraud alert.
Let me net this out for you — if you like food that is not made from scratch and does not use fresh ingredients, you will love this place. Flavor is bland and some dishes are not properly made. I give you the fire cracker shrimp. Fire cracker shrimp is supposed to be crispy with a dipping sauce. Their version was covered with a mayonnaise type sauce that was not appetizing. Do yourself a favor and spend your money elsewhere.
On the good side, the staff was wonderful and attentive. The owner was also there and is a super nice man. I do not take any joy in writing this review as I really like the people at Café Pasta. This place is the perfect candidate for a restaurant make-​over reality show.

I stopped in here alone today for lunch after having driven by this place a billion times in the past and always thinking, «Gosh, I should try that place one day.» I had to park a few blocks away, and the weather wasn’t great, so I was already kind of cranky, and when I walked in, I was told, «Sit where ever you want.“Well, okay… the restaurant is laid out in several levels, but rather than stand there scoping it out, I snagged the closest available tiny, two person table by the bar. I was given some alone time before anyone waited on me, so I glanced around a bit and got an idea of the space (and took a picture). The restaurant has a dark ceiling, dark trim, and yellow-​washed walls with some neon artwork, mirrored walls and… a disco ball! I mean, who doesn’t love a disco ball?
The restaurant wasn’t packed, but it did appear to have a crowd of older aged «regulars» who seemed to know each other and the staff. The staff consisted of what I believe was the owner, his mother (?) and another guy, so they didn’t have a ton of people for the luncheon crowd, but the wait for service wasn’t too bad. Indeed, the longer I was there, the more frequently I was attended to, and toward the end, I was starting to feel like family. I was asked for my business card, I was told the owner knew my boss and his wife, and I was invited by first name to become a regular. I wanted to hug everyone on the way out.
The complimentary appetizer consisted of a single roll and a shallow dish of a doctored up red sauce of some sort that was quite delicious. I didn’t have any strong feelings one way or the other for the roll, but I had been up since about 5:45 a.m. this morning and this was my first food of the day, so I was sort of aggressive about the roll. My entrée was the «risotto of the day» (which I think they just make up when some one actually orders it); mine was spinach, sausage and shrimp. Now, the problem with risotto in general is it takes a while to cook. I wasn’t on a strict time schedule, but I started to worry about getting back to work after a while. Plus, there was that one roll that I wolfed down and then… nothing. (I was offered another roll, but I declined out of austerity). I didn’t see any side salads on the menu.
The risotto came out about 30 – 35 minutes after I ordered it, and it was in a huge bowl! My eyes said, «Yeah, baby, I can eat all of that!,» but my stomach gave up about halfway in. It was very delicious, and very filling. I boxed up the remainder and treated a coworker to the leftovers (she had just had her wisdom teeth extracted yesterday and needed something soft to eat). She loved it. So did I.
This place is a little more expensive than my lunch posse typically will want to spend on Italian, but I think I can get a few of them to come with me. Otherwise, I’ll return when I’m alone for lunch and want a relaxing atmosphere and good food. Disco ball notwithstanding.

I have nothing bad at all to say about Café Pasta. I don’t venture out to Greensboro much, but when I do, I usually get Korean or Middle Eastern food being that we don’t have much of either in Winston-​Salem.
Eating at Café Pasta convinced me that I need to branch out and try more of Greensboro’s other restaurants.
It’s a bit trendier and updated than most mom & pop Italian eateries, and I was appreciative of that. The service was nothing short of great. They have a very good, attentive staff.
As other reviewers have stated, the menu is quite limited. I did not mind this. Sometimes when there is an extensive menu, it becomes confusing to order and I’m sure it’s harder to keep track of a larger inventory of the kitchen. I liked the simplicity of the menu.
I ordered the cheese tortellini, and it did not disappoint. The portion was small compared to, say, Olive Garden, but it was filling enough and I could tell the quality of the food was fresh.
The server offered cracked pepper and parmesean which I gladly accepted.
You do get bread before the meal comes out and I’ll have to say… this was the only part that I felt they could do better on. The bread wasn’t bad– it was hot and soft. I just felt like it could have been better. Some Italian places smother their bread in oil and spices, and that makes it fantastic! Café Pasta should follow suit.
All in all, I really enjoyed café pasta. I would come back again and try more of their menu options. The firecracker shrimp jumped out as something I’d like to try next.

I had an ok experience at Café Pasta. The décor is very dated and the giant TVs made it feel more like a sports bar than an Italian place. The service was good. The staff was friendly and were there when we needed them. I ordered the veal Marsala. It tasted great and the veal was tender. I just felt it was a little pricey considering it did not come with a salad. They did bring 2 rolls with marinara sauce. The roll was good but the sauce was cold which which was not good for the bread. I am not sure if you can get more bread since they did not ask us if we wanted more. I will travel for really good Italian food but I don’t think I would travel out of my way to eat here.

I agree with the previous post. The service, ambiance, and food was great here! I enjoyed the Mediterranean salad which was flavorful and fresh! My friend enjoyed a pasta dish which I couldn’t get a bite of before it was completely consumed… great size portion as well. Take my advice and try this place and you be the judge. Great little gem!

I have no idea why this place only has a 2-​stars. I am a huge foodie who tried almost all the good restaurant around the area. Café pasta would easily make my top 5. Great food and service. Very nice environment. Restaurant is on a very cute street, kind of reminds me some European restaurant street that I’ve been. They can customize the pasta for you if you ask for. Give this place a shot, and I bet you will love here.

My second visit here. Celebrated a my best friend birthday, treated her to an awesome lunch… she desired seafood and pasta. We both ordered a salmon dish, pasta with three meats… including seafood… yummy; and their homemade cheesecake. OMG!!!
The price… thirty five bucks… alright alright alright.
Location…perfect
Atmosphere…tranquil
Music…most appropriate
Service…knowledgable staff, efficient,
Abundant food choice… pasta selection, sauce creations, freshly graded cheese
WINE, FINE SPIRITS, and YOU NAME IT.
100% satisfied

Café Pasta is tucked amid a cluster of trendy shops and restaurants, so it’s no surprise that it isn’t your parents’ red sauce joint. The atmosphere is modern and comfortable with low lighting and eclectic background music. Though the establishment appears small from the outside, it is deceptively deep, and there is ample table space.
The menu is similarly unpredictable. Though somewhat limited compared to other Italian eateries — it is a single page front and back — it strikes a good balance of classic dishes and modern flourishes. Lasagna, ravioli, and Bolognese hobnob with Cajun penne and neon noodle shrimp. You can also customize and opt for chicken or veal in one of three sauces over your choice of pasta.
All of the dishes sampled were well-​executed. The bouillabaisse (a house specialty) featured fresh, succulent scallops and was perfectly complemented by a light Vongole sauce. Similarly, the heartiness of wild mushroom ravioli was tempered by the smooth, creamy vodka sauce. Playing flavors off of one another is something Café Pasta does extremely well.
Relative to the competition, Café Pasta offers no bargains, but prices aren’t unreasonable. Entrees do not include salads and run from $ 11 to $ 18. The portions are adequate though not as generous as some I’ve seen.
Service joins food and ambiance to give the eatery a trifecta of high marks. We were greeted upon entry and offered our pick of tables. Our server was personable, attentive, and gave good recommendations. The folks here seem dedicated to making sure that you have a good meal, and it shows.
Light, fresh, and fun, Café Pasta is good for a change-​of-​pace. There will be times when more traditional Italian still beckons, but this is one alternative that should not be ignored.

A classic Greensboro staple, and perhaps one of its hidden treasures.
located on the heart of state st. on the edge of downtown.
They are providing an excellent low light environment, including local live music multiple times a week.
The menu gives you the classic Italian dishes you would expect, prepaired with care and creativity.
From the moment you walk threw the door the whole experience grows, including the building. the presentation feels like candle light, intimate and private. Seating on the main floor along with a cozy downstairs and two high rise, dining areas.
Among all of this, the full bar right in the middle of it all, is in perfect view of the live entertainment and gives a comfortable place to come and soak up the sounds and smells.
All around café pasta has been a favorite of my family & friends for years, and with almost 30 years in business, I don’t think that will change anytime soon.
If you are in the area it is definitely worth a bite.