Pastavino: A Taste of Italy by the Water

5 stars for customer service, atmosphere and gluten free pasta quality! This is my third time visiting Pastavino and it never fails to impress. The GF pasta is house made and they only charge $2 extra for it, which is extremely reasonable considering other local restaurants charge a lot more than that for premade GF pasta. The GF pasta is just the right texture, density and flavor. The restaurant itself is beautiful and unique to the cookie cutter Italian decor you see around Staten Island. It is also adjacent to the water so has great views. The employees were extremely attentive and hospitable and although it looks and feels like an upscale restaurant, the service made you feel comfortable, relaxed and at ease. Eg. I did not finish my salad and a manager immediately came over and asked what was wrong with it (nothing was, it was just a little lemony for my preference). I guarantee if I had any complaints they would have fixed it immediately. Highly recommend I definitely plan on returning.

I ordered the Caesar salad to start and it was fresh, crisp, and perfectly dressed... not overdressed, not bland, just balanced the way it should be. It was completely different than any other ceaser salad I've had. For my main, I had the eggplant with pasta in vodka sauce, and it was outstanding. The eggplant was cooked perfectly — tender but not soggy — and the vodka sauce was rich, creamy, and full of flavor without being heavy. The service was just as impressive as the food. Attentive without hovering, friendly without being forced. Everything came out at the right pace, and you could tell they actually care about the experience. The atmosphere was calm, clean, and relaxing... the kind of place where you can actually enjoy your meal and conversation without feeling rushed. I’ll absolutely be back. Highly recommend.

Great meal! We sat outside which was lovely but inside looks great too. We really loved the Parma focaccia and the chicken parm with spicy vodka sauce is delicious. Pricey but worth it in my opinion. Great service from our waiter Fernando too!

Very nice place to have a small celebration. Love the minimal but very relevant decor. Food is delicious. Finished with the olive oil cake - perfect! You will not be disappointed. Service is great.

Pastavino offers an energetic atmosphere, excellent service, authentic Italian dishes, and a good selection of drinks and wines. The prices are a bit high for Staten Island and for its distant location and challenging parking (there’s plenty but in a graveled lot, or via valet), yet that is the price for the many good things Pastavino has to offer. You can quickly detect that the restaurant will move your meal along at a quick, although not too quick pace. I sensed they might do that when I saw a notice from the restaurant about the 90 minute limit for a two person table. I prefer it to be speedy so that’s OK with me. It is worse if it moved too slowly. Many Staff members will be there to assist your meal along the way, seemingly well trained to pick up a dish, pour you some water, or tend to anything you might need. The bread is fresh and crispy, and take a look at my photo of the olive oil – – green as olive oil should be. Burn your throat as it should – – perfect! The pasta – – fresh – – is served hot as pasta should be. Perfect. The desserts are pricey and though my wife and I got two desserts we probably would shift to one next time since, though good, we probably didn’t need to spend $40 (all in) for them. The gelato is really excellent by the way. So keep Pastavino in your list of Italian restaurants to go to on Staten Island, even as you stick with your regulars for proximity and value.

This was our third dining experience at Pastavino. It did not disappoint. Service is attentive without being overwhelming. My salmon dish was superb. My partner said his pasta with clams was the best he ever had. Salad was more than enough for two! It is easy to see why they have a great rep.

The beet salad was amazing. The chicken francese was SO good. The service was incredible. Sergio is the best!

We always enjoy our dinners at Pastavino!! The food is always amazing and the service couldn’t be better. It’s always our favorite spot to celebrate our special occasions. We chose to celebrate Valentines Day dinner on Thursday and ordered 2 appetizers-Big Vic’s Meatballs, the fried calamari. For dinner we chose Linguini Vongole and the Pollo Alla Parmigiano. Everything was delicious. For desert we enjoyed the decadent Torta Di Nutella. Already looking forward to our next visit!!!