Insider Pages Reviews for La Pastaia

4 Stars: Great Dinner and Dessert (by Julie Q.)

Julie Q. — Sat, 17 May 2008 09:55:00 GMT

La Pastaia is located in the Hotel DeAnza on W. Santa Clara St. in downtown San Jose. They serve delicious Italian food and even more scrumptious desserts!

1 Stars: What a joke... (by by slofoodie at Citysearch)

by slofoodie at Citysearch — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 09:00:00 GMT

We ate at La Pastaia Restaurant after the San Jose Grand Prix and I was ready for a great meal after walking around all day. There were 7 of us in our party and we were seated promptly then it went down hill from there. It took quite a while for our waitress to show up to take our drink order when she finally did we also ordered appetizers at the same time. We got our drinks, well all but one which showed up after we had reminded them about it, and our appetizers which were bland and cold. After another 20 minutes or so we finally got to order. When our food finally came parts of my dish were cold, I guess it wasn't all the way under the heat lamp... One dish had to be sent back because it was over cooked so bad it was like rabbit jerky and they got the side order wrong. Everyone else in our party said their food was decent. In addition to the poor service and pedestrian food we had several problems with the bill which had to be sent back twice. One person in our party actually got up and went to talk to the manager of the restaurant who told her he was sorry and he "didn't know it was going to be so busy tonight" On a Saturday after a major sporting event in downtown? Come on people let's at least act like we're professional.

5 Stars: completely overlooked... (by by 930amwendnesday at Citysearch)

by 930amwendnesday at Citysearch — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 09:00:00 GMT

It is always disconcerting to read a poor review of a restaurant that is a gem in the Bay Area. Having had the opportunity to travel to Italy several times for business and pleasure, coming home and having a neighboorhood restaurant such as La Pastaia is a blessing. I have always found the service to be knowledgable and personable, casual and professional. One gets the feeling that they generally would like you to enjoy your experience and may feel bad if you do not... The food has always been an example of great rustic cooking, (and they do not skimp on portions). The Italian wine list alone is worth the visit. The bar in the hotel has the best bar menu in town thanks to La Pastaia. I am sure a slip up in service was just that. This is one of the best in the area.

2 Stars: Where's my waiter??? (by by scubadon at Citysearch)

by scubadon at Citysearch — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:00:00 GMT

Had eaten at La Pastaia many years back and seemed to remember having a good experience. However, was surprised at both the food and the service at a recent lunch with a client. The place was pretty quiet when we arrived. After 15-20 minutes, I finally asked one of the busboys (our waiter was not in sight) about where our soup and salad might be. He immediately brought them to us. The house salad was unimpressive. We had to ask the same busboy to bring our entree because our waiter was still nowhere to be seen (I have a feeling he was tending to a larger party ). The waiter did finally stop by the table, offered no apologies for his inattentiveness and, in fact, looked about as indifferent about the situation as I have seen a waiter look in some time. I ordered fettuccine with salmon, but was served fettuccine with chicken instead. Nothing special about the plate, except , of course, that it was not what I ordered. I called the restaurant back after several days because I thought I should let them know about my experience. The lady who answered was very apologetic and made it sound like they wanted to send some discount coupon, 2 for 1 deal, or something like that. She did say she would need to check with the manager (or owner?). Anyway.....that was 3 weeks ago and I have not received a call back or seen anything in the mail.

5 Stars: Wonderful food, great atmosphere (by by jenzo42 at Citysearch)

by jenzo42 at Citysearch — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 09:00:00 GMT

My husband and I had our wedding catered by La Pastaia and took another couple out for dinner to there recently. At the wedding and at dinner we loved the food as did our guests. The atmosphere in the restaurant is very nice and as it got more crowded the server closed curtains between us and other tables to create a more intimate feel. I would highly recommend!

3 Stars: Great food, horrible service, very disappointing (by by lsechres at Citysearch)

by lsechres at Citysearch — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 09:00:00 GMT

The food is wonderful but expect to be very disappointed with the service.

We took a large party out to lunch to celebrate a very special event, once we got the food, it was great but the service was terrible. We were ignored, not followed up with and spent over 2 hours trying to finish our meal (we couldnt change restaurants because of the large party). The food was great but we were incredibly disappointing because of the service and embarrassed by our choice of restaurant because we invited our friends and family based on the great food.

3 Stars: Good food, bad service (by by dineabout at Citysearch)

by dineabout at Citysearch — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 09:00:00 GMT

We went on a Saturday night, it was quite busy, the food was very good, no complaints but the service was terrible. There was 8 of us, we all ordered either soup or salad...the soups came out and the salads came out 15 minutes later. Our entrees came but we didn't have our knives because they took them with our salad dishes so we had to wait for them. When we needed something it was hard to wave them down.

4 Stars: This One is a Keeper (by by 12dine at Citysearch)

by 12dine at Citysearch — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 09:00:00 GMT

I really like the service, the ambience, and the food here and have come here consistently because of it. Love the bread and olive oil/balsalmic. The meal selections are good, and the tiramisu is the BEST I've had anywhere. Great place for a date, for a dinner party, or for before/after theater event. I've never had a bad experience here.

5 Stars: Excellent dinner before the theatre. (by by wnderwoman at Citysearch)

by wnderwoman at Citysearch — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 09:00:00 GMT

We went here before going to the theatre. The service was excellent and the food was wonderful. My boyfriend ordered the portabella appetizer (yummy!) and I had the fire roasted artichoke (divine!). For entrees, you can't go wrong with the chicken over polenta and/ or the tilapia over artichoke risotto. For dessert we had the tiramisu which was served untraditionally in a glass, but was very tasty! La Pastaia is a very romantic setting and I was VERY happy!

2 Stars: Very Disappointed (by by sricci at Citysearch)

by sricci at Citysearch — Sun, 06 Apr 2003 09:00:00 GMT

It started with waiting 20 minutes at our table, but finally the hostess flagged down a waiter to at least get a drink order. The portabello mushroom appetizer was burnt, and you could taste the grill. The chicken dinner salad was the only thing that was good about the meal. The linguine and sausage was very oily, and the vegitables were overcooked and limp. Strangly enough, my wife's pasta dish was al dente. Dessert was the kicker. I ordered apple dessert with caramel. What I got was white lemon cake. After I pointed out this mistake, the waiter actually argued with me that it was apple, and brought it back to the chef to prove me wrong! The waiter was a little disappointed when the chef explained it was lemon. By this time, we just wanted out.
Overall, we had heard good things about this restauraunt, and were very disappointed.

4 Stars: Great Food! (by by borad at Citysearch)

by borad at Citysearch — Wed, 05 Feb 2003 09:00:00 GMT

I don't understand the City Search ratings. If we're talking about food how can La Pastaia be rated below restaurants like Buca DI Pepo? For food La Pastaia is a breath of fresh northern Italian air. Unique preparations, tastefully served in a quiet, classy establishment. A great place for a small quiet gathering or for a romantic night out before a movie. Bon Appetite!!!

5 Stars: Great Food & Excellent Wine (by by alane77 at Citysearch)

by alane77 at Citysearch — Wed, 21 Aug 2002 09:00:00 GMT

Excellent Northern Italian food with even better wines!! Located in the Hotel De Anza in downtown SJ.

1 Stars: Worst Meal I Ever Had (by by worstmealever at Citysearch)

by worstmealever at Citysearch — Wed, 31 Jul 2002 09:00:00 GMT

My husband and I dined at La Pastaia before a concert last night. This was quite simply the worst meal we've ever had. The bread they brought out looked delicious. Unfortunately, it tasted like paste. Both of our meals were vile. My husband had a shrimp pasta dish. The shrimp were very tiny and were of the frozen, shrimp cocktail variety. The sauce tasted fishy and disgusting. I had a grilled veggie pasta. The veggies were way overcooked and were the consistentency of baby food and the pasta looked like it had been sitting out for an hour before I got it. The rest of our dinner consisted of a flavorless soup and a very small salad. Other things to note: poor quality, small portions, exorbitant prices for low quality food, poor service and a high noise factor. I do not recommend this place at all.

5 Stars: Sweet Romance (by by amandel at Citysearch)

by amandel at Citysearch — Thu, 25 Jul 2002 09:00:00 GMT

Set into a cozy corner of the Hotel De Anza, in downtown San Jose, is where will find this restaurant. A place warm with good service and meals to impress anyone with a curious palete. Come alone or with that special someone, you will not be disappointed. But don't trust my opinon, find out for yourself.

5 Stars: I love this place! (by by smcall3 at Citysearch)

by smcall3 at Citysearch — Wed, 24 Jul 2002 09:00:00 GMT

This place has the best food in such a great, romantic atmosphere! My favorite date restaurant. I also love to come here for brunch in the indoor courtyard.