Arabella Casa Di Pasta

I recently dined here and let me tell you, this place is amazing, literally! Serving rich flavors of traditional Italian cuisine while the decor is Star Wars theme, this restaurant delivers a unique experience that’s sure to impress both foodies and sci-fi fans alike. Highly recommend you build your own pasta bowl!

I just love their homemade pasta. I like to make my own and I choose the spicy tomato cream sauce with the homemade pappardelle. I like to add either black Kalamata olives or artichoke hearts. So delicious & affordable! A local gem! Thank you,

The pasta in this place is amazing!... Is one of the best places that I've tried in town. The pasta was served nice and warm, with lots of good quality cheese. You can tell the chef prepare the dishes with love! the glasses of wines and cocktails were at a reasonable price. The staff was super friendly, and the atmosphere was fun! They have a patio are that connects with a bar next door with karaoke!, it is super fun! I'm definitely going back!

One of my favorite restaurants in the whole city! Has a really fun atmosphere and the nicest staff! And the pasta! I would eat here every night if my wallet and my body could handle it. I also love the fact that they pay their employees appropriately so tips aren't required. (I still usually tip though because I love this place so dang much) I'm an especially big fan of their parmesan cream sauce.

Aug 2023 This place is great if you want to sit down and eat great food without having soft conversation drowned out by noisy surroundings. We enjoyed the appetizer, salad, and custom pastas. And the desserts! Basically you go to the counter where you can choose from several suggested combinations or just build-your-own entree from about 6-8 choices on each of the lists of pastas, sauces, and toppings There’s also a nice selections of anti-pasto and desserts. The servers were friendly and efficient and brought our order to the table. The cannoli were hand filled and delicious. The place was clean and welcoming and interesting without being cluttered or overwhelming. Very refreshing from the bar food scene.

Fantastic food, owner is nice as can be, but I’ve run in to a few awful front of house employees here over the years. Most recently Leo… for some reason he thought it was pretty funny when I told him I had been trying to place an order over the phone, and informed me that he was letting it ring on purpose. I don’t understand why that would be funny? Not sure if that’s the attitude that the business wants here, but that’s a good way to lose future business. I’ll try back in a few months and hopefully this employee is gone by then.

Great inviting atmosphere for those who really appreciate a theme over a style in a restaurant. The food, service, and atmosphere are great. Each and every dish boasts flavorful sauces and the pasta is cooked perfectly. Another note, the salad is always fresh. Thanks for being a consistent go to.

Visited NOLA for the first time. I stumbled on this restaurant and thought it was cute. The menu looked appealing and it had many great reviews so we decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, the food was not good at all. I ordered the Yolko Ono pasta and my husband ordered the John Lemon pasta. His food was all undercooked. Mine lacked flavor and both of our dishes were extremely oily. We stomached as much as we could since we knew we weren't going to eat again that evening because of a show we were attending. On our way back to the hotel, we were both SO SICK all throughout the night and into the next morning.

Food was delicious and the people are friendly, the vibes were tight, had that dark coffee shop kinda feel.

Can't wait to visit in person, but our first delivery order was amazingly delicious! On our first try, we ordered the Pomodoro and the Puttenesca along with "The Don" salad. The Pomodoro is just as described ...savory tomato sauce, (not sweet !) and loaded with flavor. The puttanesca was exactly what we were hoping for... two types of briny olives adjust the right amount of anchovy flavor to hit all the buttons. The pastas were both exceptional and perfectly Al Dente... Tender but with a very soft chew... just the way you want good pasta to me. Unfortunately, we did not get to enjoy the Don as the Uber Driver ran off without the salad, but the gentleman at Arabella was heapy to accommodate and promptly voided the charge on our card. Overall, the food was delicious, and we can't wait to return... Highly recommend! You will love it!

Gluten free pasta made in house! Divine Best (maybe only?) GF pasta I've had in New Orleans. AND very friendly staff.

Food is incredible. Fresh pasta with homemade sauces. They have vegan options which were delicious. Highly recommend it!

I love this location tucked away on St. Claude avenue. Their roasted red pepper pasta dough is fantastic and they have a variety of homemade sauces, white red and green, to put on any pasta you choose. For what they offer, their prices are so reasonable and I always walk away completely impressed. Don't sleep on the toppings. The mushrooms are my favorite and they're not stingy with the amount you give. There's a lovely selection of wine and cocktails to pair with your meals.

This place has been on my radar for years but took me this long to finally check it out and glad we did. The space has a fun decor with collections of sci-fi figures displayed in collector cases as well as themed posters. Seating is available at the bar or tables along with patio seating in the back. You order at the counter and then food and drinks are delivered. Nice wine list by the glass but the beer selection is lacking. The salads were fresh and tastee. The made to order fresh pastas were very good. I do wish the menu offered a bit more variety than just pasta and salads but nothing wrong with focusing on what you do best. Took me long enough to make it here but I'll be back.

Food always good. I had the Scampi shrimp pasta. Cannoli's good. Cesar salad good. The downside, Just don't know why they have to stretch a bottle of cheap wine at an expensive price in 10 glasses... we both looked at what she served out of the bottle and looked at our glasses and that's a no way. You can see it in the picture. Everything else was fine.

The food was delicious. The meatball app could have been a meal. Its eclectic decor makes it not a great date spot unless you're of the geek variety.

Disappointing experience. It's been probably a good 7 years since the last time I was in. I'm rarely on this side of town so when we made karaoke plans to sing next door, I figured we could order some quick pasta and get to singing. It was taking a long time so I got up to ask the counter girls if our food was coming out soon because 30 minutes had passed (and I was suffering from the "hangry" phenomenon.) Food to table took a total of 38 minutes. Door dash orders were being filled before the six souls that braved the epic rain and flooding to eat. *I do want to thank the girl with the short hair and glasses for coming next door to return my gloves that fell out of my pocket. That was very kind. :)

Wonderful pasta dishes. And very cool concept of "build your own". We'll be back to get sauce as take out. What we actually had was the "lasagna". Not really lasagna but wide papardelle with sauce, sausage, and cheese. Yummy. And the lemon shrimp linguini, not strongly flavored but good. The only strange thing was the staff vibe; competent and professional, but cool to the point of cold. It's NOLA, people smile here yall:-)

A 3 minute drive from where we are staying in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans is this very cool restaurant. We found it the night before after listening to a band at Hi-Ho Lounge (across the street on St. Claude). Sadly, the restaurant was closed, but we reviewed the menu and decided to return for dinner the next night. We were not disappointed! My wife ordered from the build your dish portion of the menu - pappardelle noodles, creamy pecan pesto sauce and the meatballs - OMG, the meatballs were marvelous!! I ordered from the Signature Dish portion of the menu - "the John Belu Cheese" (sliced chicken thighs, Jack Daniel's cream sauce, fried chicken cracklings, green onion and bleu cheese crumbles. WOW, WOW. WWWWOWWWWW!!!! Flavor was fantastic. To finish our meal, we had the tiramisu. VERY scrumptious! I will visit again and many times thereafter. Our meal was wonderful from start to finish.

Homemade cannolis from scratch, as well as their pastas. Possibly the best meatballs I've had in New Orleans, they melt in your mouth. Excellent friendly staff. And they have NBA jam and teenage mutant Ninja turtle arcade games. Awesome Star Wars memorabilia, this place is very cool, I've been coming for almost a decade, and it's nice to see they stay consistently on point, also without breaking your wallet.

Always a go-to in NOLA! Meatballs are an excellent appetizer to get started, I usually build my own pasta dish from the listed options

My favorite inexpensive restaurant in New Orleans. I'm a regular and every experience has been a positive one. The signature dishes are great, but the build-your-own choices are amazing, too, and pretty much means you can get absolutely any killer pasta dish you want. I love that when it's busy, it's still never too loud. Service is great, friendly, and very informative for people who are unfamiliar with the setup. The sci-fi elements, chill and capable staff, and the amazing food makes this an easy recommendation.

SERVICE: 4 FOOD QUALITY: 4 DRINK QUALITY: 5 ORDER TIME: 5 AESTHETICS: 5 NOISE LEVEL: 5 MENU SELECTION: 5 OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 4.71 This place was recommended by our hotel down the road. Upon entering you realize it's a lot more than just a Italian restaurant. It's a hit of pop culture, and more specific, alot of Star Wars. The service was great, but the bar was a little sticky, and could of used a wipe down. Good way to help shape better manners I guess by keeping my elbows off the table :). For dinner i got the bruschetta which was not that appealing for me. For some reason the tomatoes had a rubbery feel and tasted weird. I wound up not eating them. I also ordered the fredo which was delicious. I was pleasantly surprised because the pasta was cooked perfectly. Go to a lot do pasta places and the pasta is over cooked or under cooked. I wound up ordering a drink called "the blue shit you see in Star Wars movies". I wound up ordering a second it was so good. Overall this place was the perfect recommendation. The food was great, and the drinks even better. If you're in the mood for pasta and it's not too far from you then it's a must go.

I loved this place - good pasta, with a "choose your own adventure" style customization for pasta types, sauces, and add-ons, and a bunch of tasty specials. The fusili pasta and arugula salad were great, the funk/soul music playing and informal ambience was relaxing and super friendly staff. Five stars, can't wait to be back next time I'm in NOLA!!

Absolutely delightful. I love their rich sauces and the choose your own combo options for pasta, sauce and other tasty things beyond just proteins. I got the pappardelle with the white cream sauce and mushrooms on this visit. I just love their atmosphere and cute signs/art. They also have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time and the original Mortal Kombat arcade games. Also an NBA game but I don't know it. They serve up friendly and fast. Absolutely will come again to keep trying combinations and specials.

Hidden gem, unless you are a local I suppose ! We were visiting from out of town and almost kept driving because of the establishments next door, but SO glad we ate here. The staff was really helpful and everyone in our party of 7 loved our dishes . All the pastas were cooked perfect and they don't miss on anything; every dish was exactly as advertised. Enjoy !

Excellent service and food. Will definitely be back next time I'm in New Orleans. Cool vibe with cool pictures and 80's memorabilia!!

This place is a hidden gem! The moment you walk in the door you are greeted and taken care of by the friendly staff. The ambiance is like a blast from the past. The food is the best part! The pasta dishes are to die for! You just gotta try the Lambotomy pasta!

What a great hidden gem of an Italian eatery! I've driven by many times without even noticing the inconspicuous storefront or faded sign. Don't let the curb appeal (or lack thereof) keep you from some of the best pasta in NOLA. Spotlessly clean dining room and shaded, dog-friendly patio. Orders are placed at the counter, but the service couldn't have been any more efficient or friendlier. For my first visit, I went with the recommended "spaghettiesburg address" (aka spaghetti & meatballs with parmesan and basil), while my date had the fusoli with parmesan cream sauce and chicken, with garlic bread, after splitting one of the best Caesar salads I've ever eaten. The spaghetti was cooked to perfection, with amazing red sauce (perfect spiciness without being too sweet) and awesome meatballs. My date's pasta dish was delicious as well. Others have commented on the al dente pasta, but until you've tried it, you don't know how good perfectly cooked handmade pasta can be. Not a vast wine selection, but we enjoyed a glass of very good Cabernet-style red, so enough options to keep us coming back, and come back, we will! Another thing that sets them apart from most other restaurants, is that their very reasonable prices include tax and a 14% gratuity. You'll likely want to round up, if your service is as good as what we received this evening.

Parking is difficult, but experience is ok. Service is practically non existant as you order at the counter (yet, they still ask for a tip) food was just ok. for 'homemade' pasta it was terribly overcooked.

I had to wait two years to eat here! When I came down to NOLA for Mardi Gras 2020, I had no idea a global pandemic would make me have to skip my favourite event in the world for an entire year (but I think we're lucky it was only one year). I first tried to eat here the night I arrived in New Orleans in 2022, which was a Tuesday. The place was packed! I stood in line for a half-hour only to find out they were sold out of gluten-free pasta. I was so bummed but was determined to try again the next year as the rest of my week was planned out for restaurants (you have to do this when you cannot eat gluten). Arabella has a very rustic feel to it, which is very inviting. The restaurant isn't huge on the inside, but there are plenty of places to sit. The smaller size adds to the cozy feel along with all the wooden accents to the decor. I really love the cute little lights over the bar and the chalkboard menu. There is also a little case with beautiful desserts, but I'm pretty sure I couldn't eat most of them due to the gluten thing. This year, in 2022, I went for an early dinner on a Wednesday and there was hardly anyone there. But this was the first post-Covid Mardi Gras, and I noticed most restaurants were less busy than in years past. I was very happy to almost have the place to myself. There was a woman at the front making the pasta by hand which was very cool to watch. I also love the way the menu is structured. You get to pick your pasta, sauce, and then add meats and veggies to it. You go to the cash and order, and when your food is ready, they will bring it to your table. This was vaca, so I endeavoured to have alcohol with every meal, lol. The man who took my order asked what I'd like to drink, and I told him I love coconut and he proceeded to make me the best coconut rum punch I ever had. I also ordered I think, a house salad and the gf pasta with chicken, serrano peppers and I believe a parmesan cream sauce. The salad was so, so good. There were big parmesan flakes and red onions, two of my faves. Then, the pasta dish came out, and it was incredible. The gf pasta was rotini, such a great choice because it really grabs the sauce. The chicken was high quality, with no fillers very obviously. I loved the heat level. They put enough serranos in to burn my mouth...and I love that. I'm a huge fan of heat. And the parmesan sauce was a perfect relief from the heat. I fell in love with this dish. The bathroom was spotlessly clean, as was the rest of the restaurant. There is plenty of street parking. Homey describes the atmosphere and the service. I will DEFINITELY be coming back. I'll be including photos from my last visit in 2020 as well as they show more of the restaurant even though I didn't get to eat there that year and so had to skip reviewing then. You will LOVE Arabella, especially if you're gluten-free. I applaud all restaurant owners who cater to those of us who have dietary restrictions we hate. This place made me hate mine much, much less.

Sheshe cooks the BEST pasta! I was pleasantly surprised by how amazingly flavorful this food was!!!!! Kid friendly too!!!!!

Very friendly service and a great atmosphere...enjoyed my cocktail...the food was good. Fun little place.

Ambiance is casual and unique. A must if your are a Star Wars fan; experience is literally and figuratively like the movie. In house made fresh pasta with great selection of sauces/fixings. Lamb dish was a bit too much heat and masked flavor of the meat JD whiskey sauce pasta was very rich with not enough chicken Lasagna was very good. Fredo pasta dish was good but on bland side. John Lemmon pasta dish was the best. Flavors popped and a lot of shrimp. Service was attentive and professional. What will bring us back was the cannoli filling being made and piped while we waited. That type of attention to detail and care is rare.

An Italian restaurant in New Orleans may be something one doesn't consider often, but Arabella is a place you should definitely consider. It seems that their pasta is homemade and tastes great because of it. The atmosphere is very casual and they have a decent selection of drinks, including wine and beer.

Some of the best pasta I've ever had! I could go back again and again. Great Caesar salad dressing and a wonderful house chianti as well.

Not as good as it used to be. Staff not too friendly, guy in the kitchen was. But overall, will never come back. If I am going to pay this amount of money, better service is a requirement! Will tell all my friends to not come here!

This was my first time visiting this restaurant. The reviews have been amazing so I knew it was time to go visit. The restaurant is charming, inviting, personal and feels warm and cozy and a place everyone can know your name. You order at the counter and get to choose your own sauce, from many selections and you also get to pick the type of pasta you like; also from so many selections. You can also order one of their named pasta dishes that has been created especially with a concerning consumer in mind. You can then sit at the bar or at the many tables offered. The food is cooked to order and delivered to your directly. I ordered for appetizer the spicy meatballs with Pomodoro sauce which were absolutely amazing. The perfected amount of various types of meats culminated to make the perfect tasting meatball. The Pomodoro sauce was delicious. I also ordered the Caesar salad that was plentiful, crisp, fresh, lots of shredded Parmesan cheese and the most tasty Caesar salad dressing I have ever had. I could not stop eating it. Dinner came and I had ordered the fettuccini with pesto sauce (pecans were crushed perfectly in the pesto). The pasta was cooked to perfection. This was absolutely amazing. I also ordered the John Lemon which was fettuccini noodles with arugula and shrimp with lemon infused extra virgin olive oil sauce. It was light and fresh and delicious. You can substitute and/or add anything you want. The sky is the limit. This is the place where your the boss and create your own Italian extravaganza. The deserts are amazing and made fresh weekly. The tiramisu and cannolis were delicious. You get to pick what type of filling you want with your cannoli either chocolate chip, pistachios or like I ordered a little bit of both. Totally decadent. What can I say best deserts ever. I would be remiss if I didn't mention they have a full bar with weekly specials. The drinks were generous and oh so creative. The customer service was sublime. The manager Scott was gracious, courteous, helpful and absolutely went out of his way to make sure my visit was special to me. The front end staff Jordan and Casey were friendly, attentive and a delight to be around. The chef LG deserves kudos in his creative ways of making so many different sauces to pick from and for creating a magical meal. Did I mention that the pasta is made fresh daily? This is a five star restaurant all around offered at prices that make it easy to consider this place a weekly or biweekly place to come and enjoy. The atmosphere was phenomenal and inviting to all ages. I can't wait to come back and continue to create and enjoy some yummy meals.

Their pasta is amazing! I like to build my own with the pepardelle pasta, the fungi sauce, roasted garlic, chicken and hot peppers. Delicious! Their arugula salad is awesome, too! Meatballs are to die for! It is all soooooooo goood!

Super cool, casual, friendly environment and the meatballs.. delish! You walk in. Order fast food style. Drinks at the register. Take a table topper and have a seat of your choice and they bring your food out to you. Everything is perfectly casual and done right. The vibe is certainly right with a mix of bodies and a couple kids thrown in. We'll be back for the balls and vibe

This was a recommendation from a bus tour guide who ate here often The homemade pasta was fantastic Appetizers excellent. It was great you could mix and match pasta, sauces and add-ins. I had the John Lemon which was amazing If there was one drawback it was that it seems to be a one man show, although he really hustled. Both bathrooms were broken but the bar next door allowed his customers to use theirs. Fun collection of tchotchkes

Food was delicious, portions were ample, staff was super friendly, ambiance was more family friendly than date night. Had more of a pizzeria vibe.

Excellent pasta and service. You can make your own pasta or get a specialty dish. The garlic bread is amazing.

It's build your own so if you don't like the food that's on you. If you're a nerd you'll love this place if you like pasta you'll this place. In short, everyone will love this place!

A great place to eat. Food is spectacular. Their meatballs are some of the best in the city. Pasta are flavorful and they offer a good selection of pasta. Every person that I have sent all raves about that Ceasar salad....hail Ceasar!!! The prices are very reasonable. You could easily pass it up when looking for it. As you enter, you order at the register. You can sit in the cozy courtyard and enjoy your meal

Probably the best pasta I've ever had. Always stop by here when I'm back in NoLa. Try it!

Not a fan of their garlic bread. Bread is super fresh, but I don't like the preparation of it. The butter and garlic is on top of the loaf and not thoroughly soaked into the bread. That's my only dislike. Whether dining in, ordering take-out or getting it delivered, we have yet to be disappointed. Pre-pandemic and during pandemic, food has been consistently fresh, consistently tasty, and consistently consistent. I love the texture of their pastas and the sauces are delicious. Hipster? Sure. Quality? Absolutely. Watered-down? Absolutely NOT, not in my opinion.

The food is EXCELLENT!!! Service is great. Staff is friendly. Overall A+. Black Pepper Fettuccine w/ Funghi

Five stars, because the pasta choices are both interesting (novel ingredients) and prepared with flavorful choices. You can choose from a half-dozen or so pasta dishes with names, pre-assembled from the various choices, or you can make up your own combination from the ingredients much as one can do with pizza. For me, the cashier/order taker had helpful tips on what goes together well. There's an excellent bar with a changing selection of on-tap beers from local breweries The meatballs are worth a mention, spicy, with proper meatball texture (which, to me, is NOT a spherical hamburger). I'm not in a pasta mood every day, and you don't go here for anything else as best I can tell. For what their mission is and how they execute it (pasta and bar service), I can't find much to fault. Portion sizes are decent--some days I find myself wanting a bit more, but most times I've been it's been just right. And if I need more, the appetizer menu ("small plates" actually) offers classic Italian bruschetta and salads that have been uniformly fresh and delicious.

3/5 stars for food, 5/5 for service and experience. This place was really hit or miss. Some of their dishes were really good but others were not. I ordered the Marco Pollo and there was not a lot of flavor. No garlic or white wine flavor. The tomatoes seemed out of place also. The lambotomy on the other hand was extremely flavorful and tasty! The bruschetta was also very good as well as the tiramisu. A friend ordered the John Blue Cheese and said the blue cheese was overwhelming. I also tried the pineapple cocktail but I wish I just opted for a glass of wine. Definitely worth trying out, it is pretty affordable. The staff are all really friendly and the outdoor seating is nice and heated. One unique thing about this place is that the price includes tax AND tip! Don't forget to make a reservation online ahead of time :)

Food was absolutely awesome. Thanks the lambotomy was so good. Tons of ground lamb and the sauce was to die for. I'll be back for another helping soon.

Doesn't get better than this for Italian pastas. This is the best place I've ever eaten at, hands down. I even want some tomorrow. Christ, even the burp tastes good

Portion size vs price is very unreasonable $24 for me some bruschetta and some pasta with barely any chicken thighs and artichokes really disappointed.. Bread as also not included with my pasta.

This place has a super cool vibe! The food is absolutely amazing. I got the Fredo. The broccoli and chicken were cooked perfectly. The portion sizes are perfect, you won't be overfilled and won't have to take any away

I adore this place!! Pasta made from scratch and the best sauces ever!! You mix and match your own combo!! Always delicious!!!

Checking in on Yelp yields a disparaging message about Yelp, but despite that, this place seems to be doing just fine on this imperfect but reasonably useful review site. It is an effect a fast casual restaurant, but with a more local vibe than most of the chain restaurants I'd categorize as such. You build your own pasta dish from various noodle and sauce choices. Seeing that you could get extra sauce on the side made me wonder if I would get shorted on the actual dish, but no, it was ample and delicious. The pecan pesto I ordered was rich and was something I couldn't have made or acquired myself, and I was happy with my choice to combine it with red pepper-infused rigatoni. It needed some hot red pepper as well, which was at the table. The salad that capped it off tasted fresh. A casual vibe and a lot of Star Wars pictures characterize the dining area. Their hours are a bit unusual in being open only for dinner but starting early. The customizable (and vegan-friendly) menu offered enough promise that I wouldn't mind experimenting more.

Yummmm!!! All pasta made in-house, cute hipster Star Wars vibes, nice outdoor seating area, great staff. Portion sizes were perfect, not too little - not too much. Meatballs were delicious. Everyone had happy plates. Worth the visit!