Atelier Pasta — Restaurant in Toronto

I don’t agree with all the high reviews… this place has potential but unfortunately was a huge miss. They’d need to change several things in order for me to even come back.

First of all, the server did not do a good job of explaining the menu. I tried to consult him on what would go together (ex. Do they all go in the parmesan wheel, including tomato sauce? Which sauce would go best with the truffle paste) and he seemed confused, couldn’t form a coherent sentence and did not explain it at all. I was left guessing on what to order. Though after ordering, he upsold me on a bunch of items so my vegetarian pasta ended up being around $25. He also put regular Parmesan instead of the truffle parmesan I ordered.

Onto some of the things that were absolute deal breakers for me. First of all there is no AC, making the temperature in the summer quite unbearable. I feel bad for the workers there all day, but I was sweating. Still, I decided to eat there as I don’t think pasta sits well.

He asked me if it was “for here”, I said yes, then he gave me a paper bowl and the worst cardboard/wood fork I’ve ever used. Seriously, the fork alone is the reason I will not be coming back. I couldn’t eat with it - it was so thin and the shape didn’t let me catch any food!! I asked for a real fork and they didn’t have any?! I tried so hard to eat this pasta but literally could not using this useless utensil. If you’re going to do only disposable (which seriously cheapens the experience for $20 pastas) at least do one that actually works like a plastic one. However really to cheap out on no utensils is unacceptable considering the prices were higher than sit down restaurants.

Now onto the pasta… everything was piled on and not even MIXED. It was piled so high in the bowl there was no way for me to toss it, certainly not with that flimsy useless fork. The sauces weren’t even mixed! It was truly impossible to eat so I had to pack it and bring it home.

And now here’s the reason it was also poorly executed. The fettuccine was so severely overcooked, it was soggy when I tried to eat it in store and falling apart. By the time I brought it home, it was a disgusting congealed soggy mess. It actually wasn’t edible and I had to throw it out. If they are a takeout-only place, which seems like they are since they DON’T HAVE FORKS, then they need to be cooking the pasta way less. And also tossing it together?? Even tossing at home after was impossible since it had all congealed.

This was a total waste of my time and money, these people raving have very low standards for food and experience. I will say the flavor of the truffle paste was good ad the pasta was fresh…. With better execution it could’ve been great (undercook pasta, provide real forks & bowls, toss the pasta, and have AC).

Update: I gave this place another try and I really wanted to love it, but unfortunately it was still a miss for me, for many of the same reasons (congealed & overcooked on journey home, box overfilled & hard to mix). I just don’t think a takeout pasta concept works for me. The rigatoni did hold its shape better than the parpadelle, so I recommend that one if you’re trying it. I will say their truffle paste is delicious. However the balance of flavors was off - there was about as much sundried tomatoes as there were pieces of pasta, it was really overwhelming and ruined the dish… and I love sundried tomatoes! I eventually had to start picking them out and there was approx 1/2 cup left (see photo) after also eating them with every bite… I think they put over 1 cup in the 1 bowl of pasta. Overall, if it was $10 and I were in the area I would consider picking it up, but this is not worth a $25 pasta in my opinion. Plus points for the owner being very nice. And again, my experience & review would be very different if they stirred everything and had real forks so I could...

If you're a germaphobe Atelier Pasta IS NOT for you.

I was walking by thinking what a cute place and saw a large sandwich board advertising a bowl of pasta for 5 bucks which seemed promising.

First off the place is tiny which is fine but as soon as you open the door the wheel of parm cheese where all the pasta is prepared is literally beside the door and facing you as you walk in, like right there in your face and it's open and exposed and uncovered and is basically been exposed to everybody who has breathed sneezed or whatever once they walked thru the door

At first I thought it was a prop just to show people because it looked like there was actually a covered kitchen area for preparation so I went ahead and was thinking to order thinking that the pasta would be prepared in an enclosed sanitary area but I saw the person in front of me order to see how it worked first before ordering also the $5 deal thing is really a bit of a ploy it's just $5 for a bowl of plain pasta that's just been mixed in the parm with a basic oil no sauce no nothing just extremely basic but if you want to add a sauce or any meat or veggies it'll be at least 12 bucks

So the person ahead of me orders their meal and I noticed that the pasta is scooped up and ladeled into that same wheel of cheese that's basically facing the door that everybody has breathed on since they've walked through the front door like completely exposed completely like non-hygienic the parmesan wheel is completely uncovered

To top it off the garbage bin is situated right underneath the Parm mixing bowl wheel so it's like you don't know if someone tried to throw their trash near that Parm wheel and left any residual garbage near it and your food is there getting mixed in this thing... I just felt the ick

Having said that the menu looks good, the staff were polite but I just can't wrap my head around how exposed the food preparation process is here and I can't say I would recommend it to anybody who is a germaphobe or ocd about cleanliness.

Maybe as a recommendation they could have the parmesan wheel behind a plexiglass barrier or something whereas having it just completely exposed for everyone to breathe on as soon as they walk in and maybe not put the waste bin...

I've been eyeing this place ever since I passed through downtown a few months ago. At the time, there was a sign out front advertising for $5 pasta. Upon my impulse visit tonight, prices have increased to $7. No biggie, as I was mainly interested in fresh cheese wheel tossed pasta in a casual setting.

I ordered a bowl of fetuccine and chicken tossed in parm and cream sauce, which came out to around $12. Watching it being made in front of me was an exciting experience. The portion was huge, super generous amount of chicken-- however you could tell it was the prepackaged stuff you get from the deli. I was expecting fresh chicken so I was a little thrown off. When I was mixing the pasta around, I realized it wasn't as saucy as I was expecting either. It was actually kind of dry. You do have the option to add tomato or pesto sauce for an additional cost so I'm not sure if this is usually how it comes if you decide to order it with just the base sauce. I really enjoyed the actual pasta, it did taste very fresh and had the perfect chew, but the rest was kind of disappointing. I thought it was a little bland which is a bummer because I would've rated a solid 5 stars if it was saucy and flavorful. Not impressed but I'm willing to give another chance if changes are made.

Atmosphere is super cozy, there is very limited dining space and I can understand why some people might dislike the seating situation but I genuinely don't mind. They have a bathroom in the back if needed. The guy who took my order (not sure if he was the owner or just an employee) was really sweet.

Overall 3 stars, I'm going to be honest I would've rated a 2 if not for the price but I'm really sad about the food. I had really high hopes for this place and drove 30 minutes just to try it but unfortunately it didn't hit. I would suggest using fresh chicken and increasing the sauciness— the homemade pasta has so much potential and is the perfect vessel, it just doesn't make sense to pair it with stuff that brings the...