|
Pastavino
6920 Marketplace Dr, Goleta
Phone: (805) 685-7300
|
 |
 |
Reviews by the General Public
Won't be Returnig, 11/16/2009
Reviewer: Kazanda
from Santa Barbara, CA
Pastivo has a really great atmosphere and a lot of potential. It was comfortable and well lit with beautiful decor. The server we had was clearly inexperienced, but we tried to be patient. It was the food that really disappointed us most. We ordered the Chicken Picatta and Penne Pasta. The Chicken Picatta was dry and the pasta seemed to have too much lemon. Neither of us finished half of our plate and did not care for the left overs. I'm sad to say I will not be returning, but I wish this restaurant the best of luck.
|
Great, 11/15/2009
Reviewer: Eliana Vergara
from Carpinteria, CA
I went to pastavino with my family for the first
time. Everything was great, food and service.
The pizza my son ordered was good, the meat lasagna was super, and the tiramisu the best. This restaurant is better than Pascucci & California Pizza kitchen.
Only they need to add in the menu Coffe expresso or Capuccino.
|
I'm Confused, 11/3/2009
Reviewer: David
from Santa Barbara, CA
We wanted to like this place as we are often in the area. First, the decor is great. We sat on the patio and it was a perfect night. The garlic bread was a nice touch and unexpected. It was good, not great. The service was good. But the food was just not good overall. What confuses me is how a nice restaurant like this can let the food be so well "so-so" and bland. Not everything was bad. My wife had a roast beef sandwich and soup. Sandwich was ok, soup was great. Since it was my first visit, I went with the basics and had a caesar salad and the chicken picatta. The caesar was perhaps one of the worst I have ever had. The dressing was bland and thin. I have honestly had better chicken picatta at one of those quick pasta to go places like Presto Pasta (and I typically do not eat there). It basically tasted like chicken (very thinly pounded) with butter and lemon and too heavy on the lemon. The pasta on the side was a capellini in olive oil I believe and that's what it tasted like...pasta in oil with no flavor. Italian food is one of my favorite foods and I was so sorely disappointed. Either they do not have a chef, or do not have a good chef, or they failed to taste the food when it went out.
Maybe I am spoiled. I had just recently been treated to lunch at Trattoria Grappolo, which is my favorite. The food is so authentic and flavorful.
Also, don't be fooled by the prices. Yes, $14.00 seems like a decent deal for an entree but add $4.00 to that for the skimpy bland ceasar salad which usually comes with the meal at other respectable restaurants.
The sad part is Holdren's downtown is my favorite steak place.
Bummer.
Owners: We want to come back and love your restaurant so please try to improve the food.
|
Not bad, but will try again..., 11/2/2009
Reviewer: elle
from goleta
Tried Pastavino for the first time on Halloween night. Shrimp & lobster crepes, Grilled Salmon Romantico, Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo, and Chicken Fettucine (kid size) made up our meal. Our meal was all right--not memorable, but will try again. Luckily, it was not salt-heavy, but the pasta was on the bland side. However, the salmon, shrimp, and crepes were cooked wonderfully. We also ordered the Shrimp Risotto to go--DELISH and a must try!
|
Good Food and Service, 10/29/2009
Reviewer: Glenn
from Buellton
Nice place with some good ambiance and with not outrageous prices. They have bar seating with a TV. They have outdoor seating also available at night too with glass walls and I think heat lamps, a little better privacy as not a place with particularly a lot of intimate private type tables. Thin crust pizza was really good(pizza for one). Lasagna serving was small and not as good as the pizza. Parking a bit hard in the area, try behind Borders. Two for One with discount card!
|
new but not so good, 10/23/2009
Reviewer: Karen
from Santa Barbara, CA
What is it about this location? I ordered the butter lettuce salad and they quite literally brought me butter lettuce - the entire head - including sand and grit and the roots. The Caesar dressing left a lot to be desired as well for my boyfriend's salad. The Lasagna was over seasoned and just not quite right in general and the "bruschetta" was atrocious - no flavor - but did leave a bad taste in my mouth - likely from the abundance of raw garlic.
Service was fair - not great, not bad - but not memorable. We will not be back... until this turns in to the next quasi-Italian Goleta locale.
|
great, not so great, 10/11/2009
Reviewer: Peter
from Santa Barbara, CA
We have eaten here 4 times. 1st time great. 2nd salt overload, 3rd so so a little too bland. 4th both my husbands and my filet was way overcooked. The waitress was nice and did give us a discount, which I didn't expect. We so wanted to like this place. Too bad
|
Great service, good food, fair prices. , 10/4/2009
Reviewer: Kathy McClelland
from Santa Barbara, CA
This is a nice new place with a great atmosphere and beautiful patio with heated lamps. My husband and I have been here twice and had the same waitress, Ti, both times. She was very pleasant and took her time describing the different dishes to us. The menu is large and there are a variety of dishes to choose from, their wine list was limited but offered a nice range. I had the salmon and my husband had the roasted chicken, both of which were delicious. The time before we both had pasta dishes that were larger in portion and made for great left overs. Overall great place with fair prices, my only critique would be that the soup, a bean and sausage soup, was a little on the salty end.
|
Heavy hand with the salt, 9/29/2009
Reviewer: David
from Santa Barbara, CA
I have been to Pastavino five times in the last 3 weeks. I am very happy to have a nice restaurant like that in Goleta. I have tried many of the dishes, never ordering anything twice. The service is mostly good but my main gripe is with the food. The chef makes everything too salty. Whether it's the seafood crepes, the gnocchi with pesto, or the risotto, there is a heavy dose of salt in the dish. All my friends agree. The only way I am able to finish the food is by sipping a sweetened beverage between each bite. Also, I overheard a waiter try to upsell dishes, saying the lasagna is on the small side and the customer might want a second dish. After this happened, it turned out he was our waiter as well and tried the same speech. If your portions are really too small, do something about it.
|
Worst Italian food I've had...., 9/24/2009
Reviewer: Eric Branch
from Santa Barbara, CA
I dined at Pastavino recently and the only positive of the experience was the beautiful new building. Too bad the food didn't look as good as the building, and the ownership didn't put as much into hiring attentive servers as he did into the structure. I was with a group and we all ordered different plates and taste tested each others meals. Our consensus was that each plate was lacking something and completely lacked Italian authenticity. The worst was the Gnocchi, as the menu stated it was home made, yet it was obvious it was a packaged frozen brand. We all wished we saved the money and ate at McDonalds next door, or to fill the Italian craving, just buy a jar of Prego and some noodles. I guess this establishment is perfect for the lower end Goleta, rather than downtown.
|
Great food...great service!, 9/18/2009
Reviewer: Gwen
from Santa Barbara, CA
Went for dinner last night. The service was great, our waitress, was very attentive friendly. I ordered the Filet Fettucine which includes filet mignon and it was cooked to perfection! Delicious meal and enjoyed every minute of it. Strongly recommend. Nice atmosphere. Didn't sit at the patio but noticed it walking out and it looks relaxing I will need to try in my next visit. Least to say there was 2 of us and our bill was $40...cant get a nice meal at a nice restaurant for that price especially now in days!
|
Excellent food...., 9/9/2009
Reviewer: Martin
from Goleta, CA
My family and I tried Pastavino for the first time about a month ago and have been there twice more since. The food is consistently good and in some cases, brilliant. Try the butter lettuce salad. It's a little awkward to eat but delicious!
The eggplant parmesan is really good also. Buon apetito!
|
Better than expected, 9/4/2009
Reviewer: Rich
from Goleta
I live in Goleta and I've seen restaurants come and go but I like to give them all a chance. I was presently surprised with this place after eating there shortly after they opened. I had the Osso Bucco and I highly recommend it. Service was good and the bill was actually less than I expected which is ALWAYS a plus. Give these guys a try.
|
Finally, A Good Italian Restaurant in Goleta, 8/29/2009
Reviewer: Lindsey Jacobsen
from Santa Barbara, CA
My friend and I went there last week and were pleased with what we experienced. I'm quite happy that there is finally a good Italian restaurant in Goleta. It was wonderful to see reasonable prices for the quality of the food as well as excellent service. We were interested in the Grilled Veggie Salad to start and we decided to split it hearing that it was large enough to do so. It was delicious with a variety of vegetables and a tasty dressing - definitely large enough for two people. For our entrees we ordered the Fettucine with Filet Mignon (excellent choice as the red wine was a perfect additive to the Alfredo sauce) and the Chicken Panserotti. Both were quite good and while we would like to order them again, there are so many appealing items on the menu that we need to keep our options open! I thought it very nice that they had a Chardonnay by the glass that was $6 and was a good pour as well. Outside of the good food was the fact that we had an outstanding waiter (I think her name was Taylor) who was efficient, knowledgeable and friendly. At times it makes all the difference to have a waiter who is well-trained and has a smile on her face. We've had a run of marginal to poor waiters in other S.B. restaurants lately. The Pastavino experience was far superior on service not to mention the food. We'll be back!
|
Good start, could improve a bit, 8/28/2009
Reviewer: Tiffany
from Santa Barbara, CA
This was my second try in 2 weeks. 1st was for lunch which was great, I had the cheese ravioli. I returned again last night with a group of 5 and the service was great. The food was so/so. My husband had the lobster ravioli which was just ok, the sauce seemed very ordinary. I had the butternut squash soup and an arugula salad which was very good. My Father had the filet which seemed a bit overdone, desserts were great,overall was a good experience, especially for the price, will return
|
not that good.., 8/26/2009
Reviewer: jen
from Santa Barbara, CA
The first basket of bread we got was alittle hard but we still ate it, then we got are second basket of bread..it was rock hard! I ordered that linguini bongoli which is clams with a white wine garlic sauce.. the sauce didnt have any taste at all! kind of tasted like water. and the clams all had a VERY hard piece in the middle that was uncomfortable to chew. might try something else next time..
|
Good addition to Goleta, 8/24/2009
Reviewer: Sarah
from Solvang, CA
I ate here with my mom on Saturday afternoon, and there was barely anyone there. Made me nervous, but we received great service and speedy food delivery, so it was nice! We split the butter leaf salad, which was literally a head of lettuce with lots of goat cheese, oven dried tomatoes and pine nuts. The was EXCELLENT! I had the pasta Amatriciana, and my mom had the filet mignon pasta. Mine was good, though the pancetta had an odd smell/flavor to it, but overall was really good and spicy. Mom's pasta was delicious, with the exception that the pieces of filet were mostly gristle and fat. The sauce was to die for, so it made up for the poor quality of the meat. Bread was decent. Service was great, had a really energetic college kid who was great! Will be back when we need some relief from Costco shopping!
|
Growing Pains, 8/24/2009
Reviewer: Spencer
from Santa Barbara, CA
It was an okay experience. Our waitress was not very knowledgable or helpful and disappeared for extended periods of time, but luckily other staff seemed to jump in and help her out. First time waitress maybe--giving her the benefit of the doubt. Food was mediocre, not memorable, and not exactly as described on the menu for the two main dishes we ordered (some kind of filet pasta I can't remember the name of and a chicken dish). It wasn't bad tasting, it just wasn't great. The exception was an apple dessert that was absolutely delicious. Prices are reasonable. I may give it another try eventually after they settle in.
|
Great high end Italian, 8/23/2009
Reviewer: Mike Barnes
from Santa Barbara, CA
I think the food and service were top notch. My Lasagna was the best tasting I've had in years, although a little on the skimpy side for $13. My wife had eggplant and we both considered it excellent. Fast and courteous bartenders, great martinis. This won't be our last time here. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
|
Needs a little work, 8/20/2009
Reviewer: Jim
from Santa Barbara, CA
I realize it's a new restaurant, but I hope they get their act together fast. The service was pretty slow, and the food we ordered was not as described on the menu. I had the risotto and it was pretty bad. My wife had to send back her dinner twice before they got it right. After all that, they agreed to comp us dessert we didn't want.
The restaurant has potential, and I hope they get it right. But they're not there yet.
|
Growing pains..., 8/16/2009
Reviewer: Jennifer
from Santa Barbara, CA
We tried it out Friday night. Upon first impressions, garlic bread great! yumm.... wine and beer takes 20 minutes to arrive...Appetizers...Shrimp Crepes and Calamari, not bad. There were 7 of us. My Short Ribs were yummy, highly recommend. Two people got the Veal & Chicken Masala - way too sweet, not good. Meatball Sandwhich was cold when served. Risotto, was too watery and needs improvement. Salmon wasn't bad, but not impressive. Desert, Tiramasu was the worst I have ever had. Wayyy too much liqueor. Completely saturated, recipe needs revision! Creme Brulee, yumm and Neopolatin, also very good. Overall. I'd go back and get the short ribs again, but nobody else was happy with their dinner and preferred mine. Service also left a little to be desired, but I hope that will just change with time.
|
Great Addition to Goleta, 8/12/2009
Reviewer: Elizabeth
from Santa Barbara, CA
Excellent marinara sauce; it was fresh & light with just the right flavors. No acidic aftertaste but a pleasant tang. Their cream sauce is also impressive. The pasta dishes were perfectly cooked-al dente. Good caesar salad but the croutons were slightly burnt. Had the chocolate cake which was okay however the frosting was good. Very good service. Attentive. We will be back for more pasta.
|
Best Veal Parmesan in Santa Barbara, 8/12/2009
Reviewer: Lenny
from Santa Barbara, CA
I ate here with a group of friends during their opening week. We had a party of eight, which seemed like a tall order for the new kitchen staff. It took an hour to receive our main courses. My friends found their dishes to be ok, maybe a step above Pascucci and a step below Ca Dario. The cioppino went over very well at the table and was stuffed with fresh fish and seafood. The best meal of the night was the Veal Chop Pamesan. The cut of veal was probably the best I have had in SB and the price is almost $10 less than a Ca Dario veal chop. It was by far the best dish of the night and everyone who tried it enjoyed it. If you stick with the Cioppino and Veal Parm and don't stuff yourself on the free garlic bread, you will have a great meal.
|
Great food and awesome service!, 8/9/2009
Reviewer: Helly
from Santa Barbara, CA
My husband and I had a date night here tonight, and were VERY impressed. When we walked in we were taken by the beautiful decor. The place looked very elegant and upscale, yet the menu prices were very pocketbook-friendly! We sat at the bar to have dinner and drinks, and found the bartender, Matt, very courteous, friendly and engaging. The food was terrific and reasonably priced, and the service was outstanding. We are definitely returning in the future, and bringing out friends!
|
Excellent, 8/8/2009
Reviewer: Cris
from Santa Barbara, CA
I really enjoyed my first visit for dinner to Pastavino. The Pesto Chicken pizza and Filet Fettuccine were excellent. Price was reasonable and service was outstanding. They were probably overstaffed, but that just made the service that much better. I will be coming back to both restaurants.
|
Excellent food and great prices!, 8/8/2009
Reviewer: Gillian
from Santa Barbara, CA
My husband and I tried Pastavino last night, which I think was there 2nd night open. The restaurant was full. We started with the bruschetta appetizer which was fantastic. They used a flatbread topped with grape tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and shaved parm that tasted great. I had the steak and arugula salad which was excellent (and only $10!). My husband had a pizza and chose his own toppings (pepperoni, olives and green peppers, however they brought out red and yellow). He didn't want to send the pizza back because of the wrong peppers because he didn't want to wait for a new one. He wasn't crazy about the pepperoni flavor, but liked the crust. We had chocolate gelato for dessert which was also great. The patio atmosphere was lovely. We'll be back for sure.
|
Have you eaten here? Write a review of this location!
Terms of Service
|
