The Pasta Shop

"I desperately wanted to love this place after seeing it on Instagram several times. We drove an hour and then waited 90 minutes for a table after arriving several minutes before they opened, which we expected after reading the reviews and were fine with. The staff is pretty incredible - friendly, organized, and super efficient, a beautiful example of teamwork gliding around and between tables and each other in a pretty small space. The vibe of the restaurant is fun, and while it’s pretty crammed in there, somehow it doesn’t feel overwhelming or awkward to be eating shoulder to shoulder with strangers. We ordered some of the most popular dishes with high expectations. Unfortunately, we were underwhelmed with the food. We tried the meatballs, the mozzarella sticks, the baked clams oreganata, the Bolognese, ziti with housemade sausage and truffle cream sauce, and rigatoni à la vodka. While the food wasn’t terrible by any means, we expected to be blown away and we just weren’t. The baked clams were dry and needed more buttery goodness - and fresh oregano would’ve been nice instead of dried, which was overused. The meatballs and mozzarella sticks were OK, but honestly not better than others we’ve had. The ziti with truffle cream sauce was heavy and rich and yet somehow still lacking flavor - and the house made sausage was chewy and didn’t really work with the dish texturally. The vodka sauce was delicious, but the pasta was way undercooked. When there are only a handful of pasta dishes on a restaurant menu calling itself the pasta house, you expect the pasta to be executed perfectly, but the rigatoni needed another minute or two of cook time to even hit the al dente mark. The undisputed winner of the night was the pappardelle bolognese - it was pretty close to perfection. So it’s not that it was a terrible experience, but it didn’t really live up to the hype for us. To be fair, that may be more the fault of influencers than the restaurant (and any great restaurant can have an off night), but if you’re reading this wondering if you should make the trip, then perhaps adjust your expectations to a normal level. I will say again that the service was amazing and it was a surprisingly good value for the money considering the area. If I lived locally, I’d probably go again, but with more realistic expectations this time."

"The Pasta Shop is one of those restaurants that come once in a blue moon and just hits all the notes. They are a local, family friendly restaurant that is not only a local favorite, it’s in my opinion one of the best pasta restaurants in the state. They specialize in Italian American Favorites and Italian comfort foods. When you visit the Pasta Shop, before the end of the visit you will likely be embraced as family. The vibe and environment truly plays a big part in the experience, but even a great vibe will not save a restaurant if it serves subpar quality food. I kid you not, you will be very hard pressed to find a better dish of pasta here in NJ or across the river in NYC. They do a seasonal menu, with many of their ingredients sourced locally. Our favorites: The mozzarella sticks - they are homemade with fresh mozzarella. Served with a spicy marinara sauces and topped with grated cheese. They. Are. Simply. The. Best! The pastas change seasonally as well. Some of the standouts: Rigatoni Vodka with Prosciutto - incredible Linguini with Clams - they make the best version, hands down! ****Bucatini with Summer Tomatoes*** my all time favorite pasta dish I just tried their spaghetti with bolognese sauce. It’s served with pappardelle, but they accommodated my request! It was outstanding!! You are social like my wife and I, we tend to strike up conversations with patrons who sit by us. Very friendly and lively environment! The desserts and cappuccinos are outstanding for dessert lovers!! They do not take reservations, so prepare to wait at least two hours during prime time, we have sort of figured out the times to get without a wait, Tuesday and Wednesday you are likely to get a table quickly at around 4 pm. Friday expect a wait unless you arrive at or around 3:30/4 pm. Saturday, expect a wait unless you arrival around 12:00 pm. It’s a small space, but they make up with BIG. FLAVOR! If you see Roy, say hi and enjoy being embraced like family."

"Absolutely Delicious!!! We went there for an early dinner on a weekend and the place was packed. The weather was pleasant and there were benches outside so we decided to get takeout and enjoy our meal outside. I got the gluten free pasta and it was absolutely amazing. I could not for the life of me figure out it was actually gluten free. My husband got the regular pasta and he enjoyed it as well. If you want to grab a seat inside the host suggested we come around 3 and have our names put down for a spot. There is a brewery right across the street where you can chill until they have a seat ready for you when they open for dinner!!"

"Stopped in here for the first time and I’ve never been so impressed with the quality of the food. The meatballs were some of the best I’ve ever had and the mozzarella sticks came with a really yummy sauce that we didn’t expect. Dinner was amazing but do not get me started on the cannolis!! They were truly the highlight of our meal- surprisingly light and crunchy. In addition to the great food- the service was impeccable. I would HIGHLY suggest visiting here. There’s lots to do while you wait for a table and it’s totally worth it."

"I’ve dined here on at least 5 occasions and I always love the vibe, energetic without being loud and intimate without being cramped. The food is not showing off because it doesn’t need to. Just great, well cooked, simple dishes with well chosen ingredients. Always a great meal. The menu has something for even the pickiest eaters (my dear Mother and Brother among them.) I try to visit whenever I’m in the Denville area. Great spot!"