Asta Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Stellenbosch Local Municipality

My fiancé and I reserved a table for 5pm on November 19th at this spot. They have parking on the side. Should perhaps put up a sign to indicate this as we had to ask people where we could park.

When we arrived we were of the first people to arrive as they had just opened for dinner service. Our waiter was friendly but could have been more attentive.

I ordered the Margherita cocktail and it was nice. My partner had a cool drink.

For the mains, we chose the Asta pizza and the pescatore pasta but chose to have it with gnocchi. My summary of the food is as follows:

Pizza - it was OK. It actually tastes like lasange but on a pizza. It did lack seasoning and even though the pizzas are woodfire pizza, the ends were burnt far in and those parts were inedible. Management should be mindful of checking this as it affects the quality of the pizza.

Pasta - the worst food I have ever eaten in my life and I am so shocked that this was served. As can be seen in the picture, this is a tomato based sauce. To explain the taste, the sauce simply tastes like a can of tomatoes were opened and put over the pasta. The gnocchi tasted very very weird as though it was made a long time ago. And finally, the prawns. Absolutely shocked that this is marketed as a prawn pasta. We counted 5 shrimp, not prawns, in this entire dish and it was overcooked. No seasoning at all. We literally just gulped it down without chewing and tasting because we were so hungy at that time - that should indicate how horrific the taste was. For R140 per plate, I cannot believe it and my skin crawls just thinking about it.

I honestly believe that quality control is required at this spot and I urge management to pay attention to the food being served and consider that the chef needs more training. It is not great to read a bad review about your restaurant, but it is very important to realise when things are not as consistent as they should be. Make sure you are regularly tasting the dishes to make sure that it is fit for your customers. I read a lot of the reviews before reserving here, but thought to give it a chance even though the previous reviews were a hit and miss.

This is definitely far from authentic italian food and I would definitely recommend...

Located on a quiet stretch of the heritage site that is Dorp Street, Stellenbosch, this lovely restuarant is a hidden gem behind a modest facade. Entering through a cozy and modern entrance area the main dining area is warm and atmospheric, while being well-lit and cleanly decorated. For those that know about this restuarant it is well sought after and it is almost always necessary to book a table well in advance.

Though the service was a little slow to get our drinks order they recommended a truly delicious and well-priced bottle of italian variant red wine, from the Cape Interior. The Rosso, Idiom - Sangiovese, 2018.

We had a melt in your mouth Margherita pizza, which arrived straight from a flaming pizza oven, within a very short period after placing our order. Thereafter we had the Napoletana and Burro Parmigiano pasta with tagliatelle. These dishes are both very classic and simplistic dishes, with few ingredients - leaving nowhere for the chef to hide. They were both truly exceptionally made.

We spent the evening engaged in conversation over good wine and food. Suspended lights, strung up in a glass-walled courtyard frame a beautiful tree against the backdrop of the night sky.

I highly recommend a visit to this exceptional restuarant for an authentic Italian experience. A must try for locals and visitors alike.

Though I offer a word of caution to the restuarant - service could be slightly faster and the manager could offer...

I spent my birthday evening at Asta and I had a great time. There is parking right next to the venue, the service was personalized and the venue was intimate and cosy. The manager came to our table to see if everything was fine, he ensured that the lighting and music selection was top notch for the evening. The only critique I have lies with the food. The pizza we had was very clean from a flavour profile perspective which for some people may be adequate but if you're coming to dine with a more 'refined pallet' then you may feel that the food lacks richness, especially considering the pricing. I respect the venue and what it offered, but I just wish it wowed us a bit more from a food flavour perspective. All in all, we had a great time and I wish the owner and staff all the best. I will definitely be returning in the near future with the hope that the flavor profiles improves. Give this venue a try, especially if you are into clean eating and enjoy cosy intimate settings with...