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I must say I was shocked when I went to Basta Pasta for the first time. I thought the food would be off or less Italian somehow and it was SPOT ON! I love this place.

i came here as a party of 4 to celebrate a friends birthday party. our dinner was at 8pm and we were rushed out, not even subtely, by 9:55 pm to accomodate another dinner reservation at 10pm. we had just ordered our 2nd bottle of wine 10 minutes before and werent able to finish it. i was apalled and disgusted by the manager as he kept shooting me annoyed looks and the waiter out right told us we had to leave. ive frequented this restaurant many times since this place first opened and due to the popularity of the place service has seriously deteriorated. its sad b/c i really think the food is fantastic.. perhaps thats the restaurant's justification for being so rude..

I love this place. The food is totally on point. Very simple and very good quality. The portions are on the smallish side compared to what you get at other Italian places - but I never left hungry. The ingredients they use are sooo fresh and everything is made with precision. I like the salon pasta dish and the sea bass pasta dish. I ordered the tuna with wasabe appetizer thing - it was yummy but a little expensive for the size. i would highly recommend the desserts - soo good! i had the cheesecake and the chocolate cake - both really delicious. What else? It's a good place for groups if you make reservations b/c it's well lit and it never gets too loud. I've also eaten there by myself and they are always super nice and attentive.

The food is DELICIOUS. The portions are TINY. The prices are EXPENSIVE. The service is EXCELLENT.

I don't think I'll will ever go back and eat at Basta Pasta again. It's not that I didn't like the food, it's not bad but the serving is too small and the service was really bad. Their grilled squid is as good as the grilled squid I buy from a stand in a Japansese supermarket , nothing special. My rating for the food is good but the service we got was poor ( maybe it was just our waiter ) he was a jerk. I've been to many many fine restos in NY and water is readily available as soon as you sit down. Anyhow, I had a bite of their bread and started choking, I had to look for our waiter and begged for a glass of water. As we are ready to order the appetizer, he insisted that we also order our entree's at the same time. I'm not sure why? During the course of our dinner, the waiter never ever asked if we needed anything or even asked how we liked our food. nothing! except of course, he came over to give me the tab. The place is small, aside from the storefront. there are no windows. As you walk in, the place resembles a morgue and the top of the tables are covered with paper. It reminded me of a crab place in Long Island City. plus their chairs are bad replicas of Josef Hoffman's. Anyhow, it was not bad overall but our waiter was just the pitts. I should have left him a 5% tip but it is not my swagger. Not sure why he is inconsiderate unless he is the Iron Chef himself. What Ever !! If you like Italian food go to an Italian place such as Maccelleria or Villa Mosconi not to a wanna be Italian Japanese place that puts curry on most of the food they serve for flavor.

this restaurant is so good. if you dont go you are only hurting yourself. get the squid appetizer, sea urchin or parm pasta, chicken... everything is immaculately prepared. so so so good. and the flan !

Italian and Japanese, together? Well, Basta Pasta does a great job at both. The Japanese ownership, service staff and chefs do a wonderful job at make the customer feel welcomed and comfortable. The food is dellicious, fresh, well-presented and a great value! I come here often when eating solo and sit at the front bar area. The place has become very popular, and well worth it! It has become one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants.