II Pastaio Ristorante

I'm so happy to discover this gem of a restaurant! The food is fresh and excellent, pasta cooked perfectly, and the eggplant Parmesan is the best I've had in Colorado. This is a family owned business and has been here for 25 years - don't hesitate just go! But make reservations - it's small and bustling and was full of happy diners!

We were curious how an Italian eatery a little off the beaten path maintained a 4.7-star customer rating. We started with daily in-house baked rolls and the arugula and calamari salads. The salads and dressings were so good that we really needed the rolls to sop up the remaining dressing - Yum! I had their famous Linguine Mare Nero and my wife had the Tilapia alla Vongole w/butter and sage Capellini and we loved every bit of each. So tasty! So, we topped it off with a shared Tiramisu. So now we know their secret: EXCELLENT service (thanks Alfredo and team!) and attention to whatever your table may need along with perfectly prepared and seasoned classic recipes that are so hard to find. We came away from a memorable meal feeling very happy with our choice of Il Pastaio. This is truly great tasting Italian food. Highly recommend!

Delightful dinner with a beautiful environment. Everyone there took care of each table beautifully. The food was excellent and left me full! Will definitely be recommending to others and coming back again.

Excellent food. We went there during lunch hours. Kinda buffet style where you get to pick one of the vegetables, one choice of lasagna and sauce per plate. All the vegetables are very tasty. We only had one choice of vegetarian lasagna on the day we went. However they said we can call them in the morning and find out the menu. Their food is out of this world. Lasagna was very tasty Update : April 2025 We went there during our visit to Boulder. Still love their food.

Everything was delicious and fresh and the staff and owner were so warm and inviting. The restaurant itself is also really cute. It can def get busy so recommend making a reservation for a bigger party. I got the pesto cream pappardelle soooo good ❤️

The Gazpacho Soup was heavenly! It was velvety in texture and had the best flavors with hints of herbs. The fresh toppings finished it off perfectly.

It was our first time here and we were greeted by such friendly service. It is small and intimate, we were lucky to sit outside on a beautiful night and have the best chicken parm, pasta, and wine. We will definitely be back 🫶

Great service, delicious italian food! I recommend to make reservations. It is in high demand.

Fantastic food, excellent service, great vibes, classic intimate family restaurant, hidden gem.

Such a lovely place to go for lunch. (We haven't yet visited for dinner, but will do so in the near future.) Lunch is counter service, while dinner has table service. Lunch consists of an entree, a side dish, a little salad, and a good roll. Choose from one of five entrees. (For example, the last time we visited, the options were beef lasagna, turkey lasagna, veggie lasagna, ravioli, and beef stroganoff, with two different red sauces to top the lasagnas.) Choose one of five side dishes. (The side dish options were broccoli, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and scalloped potatoes.) The salad consisted of nicely dressed mesclun greens, topped with a bit of good bean salad and a couple of slices of Roma tomato. The roll was a substantial artisan-style roll. The food is all cooked from whole, fresh ingredients. The pasta is made from scratch. This is real food. The real deal. Yum. A word about service. The first time we visited, we walked up to the counter and asked the young woman to explain the lunch procedure to us. What we were anticipating, having experienced this at soooo many places in Boulder, was either a deer-in-the-headlights inability to coherently explain even the simplest thing, or a sullen and/or annoyed mumble. What we experienced instead was a pleasant young women who provided a full and useful explanation. And beyond that, her attitude made us feel welcome, rather than like annoyances. Thank you for that! The food. Excellent. Home cooking executed perfectly. Couldn't have asked for a nicer meal. And, I must mention, nothing was too salty. Much less salty than nearly all other restaurants, which was so very nice. Thank you for that! Maceo's beef lasagna was tender and delicious, the arrabiata sauce spicy yet balanced. The scalloped potatoes were delicious. The beef stroganoff (which I never would have thought to order in an Italian restaurant, but which looked so good that I couldn't resist) was delicious. Filled with beef and mushrooms and onion in a beefy cream sauce. Exactly like I would have made it at home. The salad was a nice accompaniment, the greens fresh and the bean salad tasty. (I'm usually not the biggest fan of bean salad, because it tends to be too vinegary, but this bean salad wasn't vinegary at all.) And the substantial roll really added to the meal. (And was good, for rude people such as myself, for absorbing the stroganoff juices.) The cost? $16.00 (which includes the tax). Worth every last penny.

Home-y restaurant with food that reflects that. I keep coming back here when I crave pasta. The food: They make everything from scratch. The pasta is a perfect al-dente texture. The sauces all have a distinct flavor and very well done. Some favorites are Aurora, butter & sage, and pesto cream. The ravioli is stuffed with the right proportion - love their mushroom one. You can buy the pasta and sauce in bulk to take home. The dessert: Tiramisu is decent. The limoncello iced dessert in a glass is my favorite. Lunch vs dinner: Lunch is different where you pick a lasagna, plus sides up by the register. Dinner entrees options can be ordered al a carte any time during the day. Service: Average - nice and polite. It's always packed in there for dinner. Lunch is more relaxed.

Wonderful find! Small inside but very cozy ambiance and the food is absolutely delicious! Pasta is all fresh and sauces are amazing. Make sure to get some dessert. Unique gelato flavors. Just a great experience all around

Make reservations in advance if you can - it's tiny but delicious and worth it! The Arabbiata sauce is no joke spice but delicious; the marinara is incredible if you can't quite do spice though. We go here 1-2 times every time we're in town. It's super cute inside!

This is a hidden gem in Boulder. Family run restaurant and they treat everyone like family. Food is AMAZING!

Great family owned business. Our meal was all pasta: Fresh homemade pastas with your choice of sauce. Incredible service, you can tell the staff and family are proud and invested. Clean, Cozy small space with only a few tables and feels so nice and authentic. We felt special to have to opportunity to be present and welcomed. Reservations recommended but not necessary.

Very small place and if you go at a really busy hour, I would make a reservation. Food was really good and the prices were reasonable. The the papardelle with shrimp was fantastic! We would go back when in the Boulder area again.

Inside a cute store/restaurant, the fresh pasta was great! Tried the Pollo alla Francese (4/5), Rigatoni with Pesto (3/5, could use less basil and more cheese/nuts), Papperdelle paglia e fieno portofino (5/5, super tasty and favorite dish), the Flan (4/5, they moved our table so this one was free!), and the tiramisu (4/5). Overall, a nice intimate place with amazing service and kind people. Would recommend!

I love this place! The pasta is made fresh and they are kind enough to list it on their menu from smallest and most delicate pasta to largest. I usually get the pairing of pasta with sauce. Most recently I got Alfredo with bolognese sauce. It came out piping hot. Perfect. In the future I'll skip desert. The cannoli was fine but nothing special. Really the pasta is the show here. Make a reservation. There is very little seating and it fills up fast!

We love the fresh pasta, the sauces, the meatballs, and our favorite is lasagne. It is a tiny restaurant, so reservations are a good idea. It is VERY good!!!

This unassuming Italian Restaurant in Boulder is fantastic. Although the small dining room was full, we were offered a small table for four outside the entrance with a promise of a little something extra for sitting outside and being the first of the season to do so . Everything we had was delightful be the fan favorite was the fusilli with pesto cream sauce (not pictured). The owner's son came to check on us and offered us a free Tiramisu at the end of our meal which was quickly devoured!

Best Italian food in all of Boulder! I miss visiting this restaurant dearly now that we've moved. It's on my short-list of restaurants to return to next time we visit. It feels like your family is cooking for you, very intimate and wholesome. Ravioli is great and so is the bolognese! You can select your own pasta and sauce when you order to create the dish you most desire. Highly recommend!

Overpriced. The service was friendly but the food left a lot to be desired. My sauce tasted like Febreze.

We're visiting from out of state and searched Italian nearby. So glad this came up and at first we thought, there is no way this could be good, it's set in a strip mall and the only tables are high tops. We were wrong, from the moment we stepped inside the service was exceptional. We brought our babies so high top tables and little babies isn't easy but they had booster seats for the tables to accommodate us. We all ordered different dishes and each one of yet couldn't stop commenting on how amazing our food was. Food was so fast, service was impeccable and the food was divine. We already talked about going back again because it was that good. I had to eat with one hand since I was holding our newborn for avoid him getting fussy and the chicken was thin enough to cut only with a fork. The creamy pesto sauce for the pasta is something I'll be dreaming about for days. Thank you for a wonderful experience and memorable comfort meal. Highly recommend!!

The vibes of Il Pastaio are unmatched. The food is wonderful and I cannot recommend their butternut squash ravioli enough. We came last for a business dinner and colleagues birthday and they offered a free dessert which she took graciously. We did find a hair on one of the pasta dishes, but they rectified the situation immediately and were more than happy to resolve our concerns. Service was great and food was delicious, we will be back for sure!

This place is incredible! Do yourself a favor and make a reservation at least a day ahead because it's a very small restaurant but it's worth it! The pasta is homemade and so yummy. My husband had the chicken Parmesan and it was perfection. I can't recall the name of my dish, but it was pasta with Alfredo shrimp and mushroom and holy moly. It was incredible. The staff was very friendly and the food came out super fast. I would highly highly recommend!

Il Pastaio is hands down the best Italian restaurant in town. Their Chicken Francese, Chicken Parmigiana, sautéed mushrooms, homemade pasta/ravioli and sauces (especially the aurora) are all top-notch and are giving some of my favorite places in NYC a run for their money. Every dish we've tried here has been outstanding. It's a small, family-owned restaurant where you can tell how much love they put into it and that's exactly what makes a restaurant like this so amazing! Everyone is always extremely friendly and that's just the cherry on top.

Always so delicious, their choices of pastas and ravioli to bring home and cook are also incredible.

I've eaten here in the past for lunch and recently went for dinner for the first time. We all loved our food! I went with my wife, kids (9/10), and my mom. The food was all delicious and the wine was quite good. The service here is extremely friendly. The restaurant is very small and intimate.

Awesome food, amazing service, you got the food very fast, inside was amazing and it felt like real Italy, have a tradition which could make u win a bottle of night each night, so the easiest 5 star ever made

I just finished a fantastic meal here. Chicken fettuccine Alfredo was very well seasoned and fresh. The tiny little dining area has a family feel to it, come early or with reservations or you might wait or eat at the kids table (the two person bar). Great service, great food and reasonable prices. I highly recommend.

Yea, so I have been back here like 4 other times since that first time. HANDS DOWN the best Italian, maybe under the radar place in Boulder. The Pollo alla Francese is LITERALLY Insane. Chicken lightly cooked with lemon butter sauce. I now only order this with rigatoni with basilico sauce. Crushes it.

Pasta perfect. Kind and hospitable ownership present in service. Clean cared for, welcoming and of the best character! Regards

This place is so cute! The day we went they had lasagna, salad, delicious rolls and a variety of vegetables. I had meat lasagna, Brussels sprouts, salad and bread; my husband had the vegetable lasagna, broccoli, salad and bread. You get a great value for your money. The staff is so sweet and friendly, and the cafe has a warm and cozy feeling. My husband said it reminded him of a restaurant in a Miyazaki movie. The lady who served my lasagna said, "It's not going to cut into a nice square because it's just out of the oven. That's how you know it's extra delicious!" It was!

The food is always prepared perfectly. Il Pastaio is a small family run restaurant with exceptional service. The chicken parmesan is the best I have ever had.

Went here for the Valentine's Day dinner. At $75 per person set dinner I expected a lot more. A small cup of soup, which was good, a very small portion of ravioli that was also good. But the main dish was very disappointing - I was served a couple of boiled brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes with my veal parmesan. No pasta. And for dessert a champagne glass of cream and one macaron! The food was ok, but for the price I paid I left feeling a little dissatisfied.

Try something different tonight. Linguini shrimp Alfredo sauce. It's very good and creamy. I would recommend.

Authentic and incredible Italian dishes. Family recipes that are worth a special trip. I got the take out homemade pasta and sauces for a cold and snowy winter weekend. Amazing.

II Pastaio is excellent! The service was wonderful and the food was superb. We can't wait to return. I highly recommend this restaurant. I wish I was a restaurant critic so I could better describe the freshness and delicious flavors of all of our meals. I highly recommend II Pastaio.

Amazing! Well well. Delicious food and wine. Great family owned atmosphere and service.

Oh my goodness, what a gem in this strip mall. Small space with 10 tables inside and 2 tables outside the front door. All food is authentic, pasta made fresh in house and sauces so simple but so delicious. We were in town on a vacation and so happy we found this spot. Reservations really necessary since such a small space. The antipasto was perfect for our party of 4 and loaded with goodies. The warm dinner rolls are HUGE and slightly sweet. All dishes delicious. Too full for dessert but bought one to go..for later in evening! Boulder residents take note..this is a special treat.

Excellent food , busy place but serving desk very patient and friendly. Has to buy whole lunch and not entrees from lunch sections separately. Quality and taste to the par

I love this place! They have a great lunch special as well as fresh pastas that you can take home. So good! I love to support this business.

Unpretentious solid Italian food. Fresh pasta and a few interesting entrees. Love the ravioli in particular b/c of the wide variety of fillings. Tried the eggplant and chicken. Solid eggplant parm. House wine is nice touch. Don't forget to get pasta / sauces to go so you can enjoy at home.

Don't be fooled by the unassuming exterior, inside we had one of the best plates of pasta we've had in a LONG time. The Pollo alla Francese, Arrabbiatta, and Pesto Cream Pasta were fantastic, and they came super quick when we let the staff know we were on a tighter schedule. You can taste the quality and freshness in all the food. Staff was friendly and helpful, we'll definitely be back!

Yum!!! We're from NY, are Cyclists and got married in Italy - we're serious about carbs ;) The pastas and sauces are homemade and that's what makes it special - hearty, rich and so flavorful. We shared the seafood soup which is a special dish only available on Fridays - chalk full of seafood - and the good stuff! Shrimp, muscles, clams, and one big prawn. Could easily make this a meal. We both got linguini - the boy w pesto and me w the basic (tomatoe, garlic and basil). Oh and the bread is soft and chewy too! If you're new to altitude, or doing something outdoorsy or just want authentic Italian food - look no more. Tho make a ressie if you can. We went Friday at 4pm and they were turning away people without bookings past 5pm.

Food as usual was excellent and the small format makes for a fun, cozy evening. My only complaint is that we got there 30 minutes before the kitchen closed, ordered quickly and as soon as the closing hour rolled around we felt pressured to leave. The owner assured us to take our time and enjoy, but the staff didn't get the memo. All that said, I do really like this place. Just go early!

I absolutely adore Il Pastio. They have amazing food, and staff. It's a cute small hole in the wall restaurant that is reasonably priced and they also have amazing deserts!

Four of us had the best dinner. Minestrone soup to start. Then sautéed mushrooms and calamari salad. Then I had the chicken francaise, my wife had fettuccini matriciana ( tomato, onions, pancetta), one of us had ravioli zucca (butternut squash filled), and one of us added salmon to their pasta in a red sauce. It's all fresh pasta, and it was all al dente. Two cannolis to finish up. A masterful dinner, and at a good price to boot.

Three Stars for the service, sorry. Here's why: This was my second time here. I live out of state but read great reviews about this restaurant and was excited to try the food. My first time here did not disappoint; I went as a walk-in at lunch with my daughter. We both were blown away by the homemade bread, soup (me), and our entrees. The restaurant was small but packed, and we were seated at the bar. This was fine as I got to chat with the son and daughter of the owner. Both were proud of the restaurant and dedicated to being there. The second time I went was a few nights ago: this time I booked a dinner reservation for 6:30 (the restaurant closes at 8pm and FYI is also closed both Saturday & Sunday.) This experience was not great with respect to the service. I asked to taste the house wine (an $8 red.) The waiter did not seem thrilled about this but did bring me a splash = about a 1/2 ounce pour in a glass. The wine was just okay so I asked to try to Malbec ($10.) I have tasted wines numerous x at restaurants and often the server asks me if I'd like to taste a wine I'm questioning. I've never been refused a taste of wine I'm considering. Most restaurants view this as part of the focus on customer service. When I asked to try the Malbec, the waiter walked away and then had a terse exchange with the sister of the owner. She shook her head no and came over to my table very abruptly. She noted that they don't do tastings, saying her father/owner does not allow it. I praised her restaurant and its food, noting I was in from out of town and excited to be back here. I replied that I understood if that was their policy and that was that. I then ordered the house red. The original waiter then came back to our table with my wine and asked if we were ready to order. I said no (I hadn't even looked at the menu), and said we needed more time. He walked away in a huff and within a few minutes the son of the owner came over to the table, albeit with a smile. He asked if I he could help take the order (or something to that effect.) I replied that our waiter did not offer up specials or guidance, and that I felt a bit rushed to place an order. With the son's suggestions and noting my tastes, I ordered eggplant parmigiana with gnocchi pesto as my included side. My daughter ordered the chicken parmigiana with spaghetti as her side. I also ordered an insalata mista. While the food was wonderful (again), the service and house rules did hamper my experience. I felt like a child being scolded for daring to ask for a sample of wine. Second, for not being ready to order within 10 minutes of being seated. Lesson learned: I'll come back for carryout so I can drink my own wine and we'll sit in the Pearl Market area, or eat back at our hotel if it's cold. Possibly I will try lunch dining again, where I don't feel rushed through my meal. I really love the food and the brother and sister seem very dedicated to their father's business. Perhaps their staff needs to be aligned with the idea of eating for enjoyment, not how quickly you can get in and out. :(

Absolutely delicious Birthday dinner! We loved the fettuccine with Sausage. The desserts were delicious! The Tiramisu and the Cannoli were both amazing. Service was prompt and friendly and the ambiance is authentic Italian. Very quaint!

Ate here twice over the last 7 days. Both meals were amazing. I love everything about this place. The service is amazing. The bread was amazing. Pasta, amazing. Sauce, amazing. Meatballs, amazing. Chicken Parm, amazing. Get my drift :) If you are in town, I suggest you stop by. They also raffle off a bottle of wine at the end of each day. Amazing!!!!

Tiny little place but with great feel. Food is authentic and always great. Have never had a bad experience and always excited when we find a last minute open table

I ordered from the lunch combo in the window. The food looked and tasted flavorful and delicious. Service is immediate from the counter, and the small venue is cozy and comfortable. All the food is fresh, and I was tempted to order some sauce to go. Would be happy to return. Mushroom pasta, scalloped potatoes with cheese, house salad with garbanzo, and homemade yeast roll. All delicious with friendly service.

Great lasagna, great salad and great sides. The white bread was the only disappointment. I was craving fresh baked whole grain French Bread.

Bread was meh but the ravioli was on point. I had the zuca (butternut squash?) ravioli with butter sage sauce. I love me some al dente pasta and this had just the right amount of bite to it. Finished it off with both varieties of local gelato (ginger and rosemary) and an espresso. Caffeine runs through my veins.

This tiny restaurant fits the bill perfectly! The food and the staff are a great combination that one should experience in every restaurant - delicious and welcoming! Skip the pretentious places on Pearl and give this place a try.

My husband and I had our rehearsal dinner here before our elopement. We had a total of nine people in attendance. It was the perfect place to host the dinner! We had visited Boulder a few months prior to eloping and that's when we first ate at Il Pastaio and fell in love- we knew we had to come back. The second time around was just as great, even with a large party. The people who work there are so kind and helpful, you can tell they really enjoy their job. My favorite dish is the Goat Cheese Ravioli- I talked about it so much, I convinced most of our party to get it too. The restaurant is small so it was a little cramped but we knew this going in and it didn't bother us. Keep in mind they only take reservations for the current month. We had called several months prior and someone wrote down our name but when we called to double check closer in, they didn't have us down and the lady told us their policy is only same month reservations. I definitely recommend for a rehearsal dinner or just a fun date night!