Pastagina

CLOSED — I have tried to update the listing but it doesn’t seem to be working, so I am putting it in a review so no one wastes their time going there. The entire space is cleared out without any sign in the window explaining what happened. «Pastagina» and the business hours are still in the window. Looking at Unilocal and google I think Pastagina completely went out of business. The name always creeped me out. sounds like some kind of venereal disease. The food was never that great either, always tasted soggy to me. The corporate email address and phone number are also disconnected. Not sure why the website still works? I wonder if they had some bad business dealings and had to leave the country in a hurry.

though you are inclined to, when reading the name of the restaurant, call it pasta vagina, it’s actually not bad. portions are pretty good, pasta takes pretty good, sauce is not bad. it’s a nice, quick «italian» option where you don’t have to sit in bs «mood lighting» and waste 3 hours waiting for someone to bring you a bowl of overpriced non-​fresh starch. it’s worth the 7 bucks or whatever not to have to boil your own water.
that being said, i came here a couple of days ago and there was hardly any sauce. i actually kinda like that, but it was unexpected and ended up being dry as heck. good thing the cook cooks the cooked pasta and sauce in a pan, so the «essence» of the sauce ended up in the noodles. whew

Okay, I’m usually okay with being gouged by Italian food prices in a sit-​down, moody environment, but when you’re in the Pasta equivalent of Carl’s Jr, you’re hoping to get what you pay for. Unless you frequently pay $ 6 for a few ounces of pasta, you’re going to be surprised.
First off, if you’re a guy looking for a filling pasta, you’re not going to find it here. Period. Any meat in a sauce is going to be shavings. I think I’ve had vegetarian food that snuck more meat byproduct into the food than Pastagina. The portions are a bit on the small side but the bread roll included does helps quench the empty feeling of betrayal an overpriced restaurant like this delivers.
Don’t get me wrong, I found the angelhair’s texture to be basically perfect but the bulk of the flavor came from the excessive amount of cheese I had to pour onto my pasta. Pastagina is kinda yummy but it doesn’t justify eating out. Use that $ 6 you save and buy some angelhair and Classico from the Trader Joes next door and make 10x as much pasta.

So is this place called pasta-​jynah or pasta-​jeenuh? I felt weird telling my coworkers that I ate at pastajynah.
For fast food pasta, this place wasn’t bad. For lunch, you get a choice of 3 sauces, your choice of about 6 pastas, a soda, and a bread roll for $ 5.99. For what it’s worth, the Alfredo with fettucine was good, but that mini bread roll was SO hard, that I threw it out. The cashier/​cook was friendly and told me to have a nice day.
I hear their gelato is good– it’s too bad that the freezer was out of order and there wasn’t any for me to try =/​
I’ll come back if I don’t feel like a sub from Jersey Mike’s or a salad from Trader Joe’s nearby.

I have never heard of this place although I’ve definitely walked past it a few times before. What caught my eye was the $ 5.99 lunch special and since I wasn’t craving something specific for lunch I decided to give it a try. Cashier was friendly and I was surprised that I was allowed to choose my own type of pasta: I shoe the curly fusilli? Very fun concept although, pointless. Ordered the garlic chicken, got my drink and sat down.
The interior décor is very simple and clean. Nothing really unique. I was mainly watching the large TV they had while I waited for my order to be ready. To my surprise, they actually serve the pasta at the table which was nice. Presentation was good and they included a small plastic cup of cheese and a piece of hot bread in a paper pocket.
Pasta wasn’t half bad — but wasn’t good. I would say it was what I would express for the price point. I originally intended the get the garlic chicken to get some chicken, but the chicken in the sauce was shreded into tiny pieces that it wouldn’t have mattered if they were there in the first place. The sauce itself wasn’t anything to rave about either. Adding the cheese was a welcome, if much needed addition to the pasta. While the pasta was ok, the bread was very disappointing. The crust and inside were very hard, and I would have stopped eating if I was one to waste food, which I am not.
I have to say that I would go back to sample their other lunch specials or menu items. I will say that their pasta is better than what I cook in the apartments (I am not a good cook by any measure, I am sure some of you out there can cook better than what they serve), even though it is more expensive. I am only going back if I am close to that part of Westwood or if I am very tired of campus food. We’ll see if the next visit is better.

Came here per clients’ suggestion. I love the concept, but my plate tasted awfully starchy. But hey it’s cheap, quick, and there actually were tables open during lunch hour. Like almost everything else I’ve had in Westwood, it’s A-​OK.

Stopped in for lunch — glad I got there early — it got busy.
$ 5.99 chicken and garlic angel hair pasta with a soda. Can’t beat that.
Noodles were al-​dente, chick was ground and not too much garlic.

PASTA-​GINA! The name says it all. Pasta like Granny used to make in her oven. But tastes like bad left-​overs.

So I used to live in Westwood, and was there for about half a year after Pastagina opened. If what you’re looking for is cheap Italian food to-​go, this is the place to go. I came here a few times because they had free gelato to go with your pasta. I’m not ashamed to say it because the gelato was AMAZING. Yes, I would buy a bowl of pasta just for the gelato. I’ll have to reconsider coming if the gelato isn’t part of the deal though.
But, I have to say, I love the modern décor of the restaurant! Note to self when decorating my future home, take a cue from Pastagina. Other than that, Pastagina is good for about two meals, which is great if you’re a poor college student.

After reading these bad reviews, I’m embarrassed to admit I actually liked Pastagina. In my defense, I hail from an island where bad Italian restaurants abound. Most of the Italian restaurants in Hawaii are owned by Chinese or Vietnamese and aren’t very authentic. On the other hand, I’ve been to Italy enough to know good Italian food and I liked their mushroom pasta with truffle oil that the counter girl recommended.
The food is super cheap and they had a special: each entrée order got a free small gelato! That sold it for me! I was starving and was really happy about how quickly my order came out. Apparently, they have these red machines that cook pasta in only a few minutes. The counter girl was friendly and checked up to make sure we had everything.
My pasta was al dente and I really liked the mushroom sauce with a hint of truffle oil. I also tried my brother and sister-in-law’s pastas and both of those were good also. The gelato is okay here. Some flavors were too sweet. The rocky road was the only one I loved because the chocolate was dark, rich, and not too sweet.

They serve what Westsiders would consider «inexpensive» Italian food. Much of the main entrees cost less than $ 7, so even with drinks and tax, you’re eating a meal for less than $ 10, unheard of in this supposed college town. Pastagina is set up like The Counter burger where you customize what pasta, sauce, and meat you want. The order setup is like that of many fast-​casual places like Corner Bakery so you get food quick, but freshly cooked (or heated most likely).
I forgot what it was called, but I tried their pasta dish with alfredo sauce and chicken. I would say the fettucine pasta were cooked «al microonda» rather than «al dente» since there were dry bits of it.
Three stars seems high considering the quality of food. Yet, it’s hard to get carbs in Westwood at this price without paying $ 15 or more and without being served an enormous plate of greasy sauce.

I like Pastagina more than most of the reviews here. Taking into consideration the price (super cheap!) and the quality of the pasta, this place is worth going to during tough times. The pasta here, in my opinion tastes on par to better places that charge twice or thrice as much.
Pastagina is pretty good, you get your pasta pretty quickly. You have a choice of which type of pasta you want to pick. I had seafood pasta with sphagetti both times and I thought it was pretty tasty. It had some punch and was filling enough. No worries about having to wait to get seated or waiting for your order. It was convenient. Décor is simple modern. Perfect for simple lunches I think.

The food really isn’t that bad. The meals are made in a reasonable amount of time (usually within 5 minutes). I’ve had the Chicken Garlic, Meatball, and Chicken Carbonara sauces in a number of different pastas. I thought it was pretty decent for the amount you’re paying ($ 5.99 for the lunch special, which is limited to 3 sauces, but you’re getting a soda and some bread as well) or somewhere between 6 and 9 bucks for the others. The pasta has been consistently prepared and though others here have complained that the sauce is premade, I have no complaints.
The ice cream, however, was inconsistently blended or kept at an inconsistent temperature and had huge ice crystals in it. Not good, but it came with the dinner meal, so can’t complain too much.
Conclusion: it’s not precisely gourmet Italian food, but it’ll suffice for a quick lunch or a cheap dinner.
PS. Customer service sucks, and everyone there seems unhappy/​bored/​sad and is the primary reason for 3 stars instead of 4.

The food is alright, something I can make myself, but for a higher price — exactly what you would expect from westwood! I agree with most reviews that the food isn’t amazing, BUT, it isn’t terrible either. i like the seafood pasta, i just wouldn’t pay $ 8.50 for it… i can make a huge portion for half the price, if i just go to ralphs.
the gelato though, is yummy yummy. and pretty cheap i think. and they’re pretty fast, everyone in my group of 5 got their food within 5 minutes. one star for each of this. mediocre food should get half a star, but since they don’t it makes the total 3. but i would technically give it 2.5 stars.

First of all, I don’t think Italian and fast food go together. There’s just something about it that doesn’t work for you. I’ve been avoiding this place, but eventually decided to try it. Puka D. is right, it’s like just a frozen dinner. The price is cheap… but you get what you pay for. The taste is bland or over the top, either way, no good.
But they do get an extra star for their ice-​cream. I got he pistachio, and it was delicious!

Past here was mushy and the sauce tasted straight of out of can. I had penne with meat sauce. If you want something fast, then maybe eat here, but I would suggest skipping.

You can eat at Pastagina, or you can pay $ 7.00 for a Marie Callender’s frozen dinner. Same difference.
That being said, I do find myself craving a sodium & fat laden alfredo sauce every now and again and both the Marie Callender’s fettuccine alfredo and the alfredo sauce at Pastagina usually hit that junk food spot of mine.
Choose from a variety of pastas, then pick your sauce. Don’t expect anything added or on the side — it’s already mixed in the variety of sauce you’ve selected (so don’t think you can add broccoli to your alfredo). If you like olive garden, you’ll love this fast food version of it.

Keep in mind that this is a fast food restaurant. They have a good selection of sauces and pastas. You can create your own, mix and match, or go with something they special in. Either way, you’ll go wrong. The price for portion is good but what’s the point if it doesn’t taste good. Walk down the street and you’ll find a couple of mom-​and-​pop Italian restaurants that are authentic and better than this place.

pretty subpar/​mediocrem and it’s not super cheap either. 8 bucks or so, and all pretty average to poor. they get an extra star because the service was really nice but really the food is meh.
i doubt i’ll ever eat here again, esp with angelinos (which i love) right down the street

Pastagina is located in a newly constructed mixed used apartment complex on Glendon. I never knew this place existed until my friend recently took me here. I am usually skeptical about fast food style italian places, but this place was a bit different. Large lcd monitors instead of old school boards, interesting little machines that cook pasta in «under 3 minutes.» I have a weird fascination with the food. The pasta has this interesting but great texture. Sorta bouncy, but I love it. I don’t know why.
Serving sizes are perfect. The salads are fresh, and their dressings are very good.
I had the bolognese w/​Penne. I will be going back to this place to try out some other dishes they have there. I am overall satisfied and will definitely come often.
FYI: they are currently getting an alcohol license, so I assume they will have that soon.