Sarah Yong
Google
Saint Pasta
100 W Portland St, Phoenix, AZ 85003
When I googled "pasta downtown Phoenix", I was SUPER excited to see this spot pop up. I had eaten at this food truck a few years ago at the Pemberton, I had ordered the linguini garlic and oil w breaded chicken cutlet, and it was yummy!
I was sad to see when they closed down. Imagine my delight to see them have a brick and mortar store! 😄😄❤️
AMBIANCE:
The place is honestly a little bit small, but they definitely work with what they've got. Expect lots of bar top seating and only four proper seated tables. The kitchen is also an open concept so you can see what all the people are doing. When you step in, you can smell the garlic smell in the air (mmm 😋), but you do end up smelling like that a little bit too. It was kinda noisy and the music was a little bit too loud for me (tho it was fun old school r&B jams). I had to scoot real close to my friend to hear what she was saying. 😅 The lighting is also reddish-blue, so not the cutest for pics of food and selfies. 😆🤣 The place was bustling and busy the whole time we were there, good for them! ❤️🔥
FOOD:
The menu is pretty limited; however, I would rather a place have a small menu with yummy food, rather than a large menu with mediocre items.
For pasta, I do feel the pricing is a little bit on the higher side. However, the quality of the food is good and the flavors are yummy, so that makes up for it.
Caesar salad:
We got this to share and it was really good. I wished there was a stronger anchovy flavor; however, that is just personal preference. I loved the breadcrumbs on the salad.
Linguini garlic and oil (I added a breaded chicken cutlet):
The linguini was perfectly al dente (I don't usually like al dente pasta, don't come for me 😂🤣😆🙈🙈😅) but I liked it! It was crispy w breadcrumbs and garlicky. The breaded chicken cutlet was perfectly crispy. I think the only thing I would have added was a teensy bit of salt. And I wish my linguini portion was a little bit bigger. 🤣😂
Chicken vodka Parmesan:
My friend got this and she liked it. I also thought it was good, not overly mushy.
I also got a Jamaican cider and it was decent. They do have a varied drink menu as well, w beer, wine and cocktails.
SERVICE:
Being such a small spot, it's hard to have bad service, I feel. Our server was very attentive and checked up on us often. They also refilled our waters without asking, which was nice.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
I was happy to see the food truck had evolved into this place. My friend enjoyed her food and so did I. The total bill ended up being $100 after tip, so maybe on the higher side, but I felt it was worth it for me. The rules are strict here though (no substitutions, etc) so please don't be fussy or rude to staff, otherwise you will literally end up paying for it. 🤣🤣 We left, full and happy but also smelling like eau de garlic (no regrets though! 🤣🤣) I would definitely come back to this place and try some other things! 😊❤️😋