Pasta Avest & Pizzeria — Restaurant in Guilford

We found this place on a trip back to NY, as we were STARVING and needed food asap. We needed somewhere with parking for our trailer and that would be close to the road and quick. We stopped here, as the food looked better compared to the other places along the way. They had a few guys in the back making food and one girl at the front handling orders. We ordered 2 paninis & a sub. I heard the girl softly say it would take 20 min after just l ordered, which I thought was odd because it was a very simple order and they weren't busy. The restaurant was interesting, as it was a mix of a pizza, pasta, sandwich, and coffee bar of sorts. There were plenty of seats and outdoor seating as well. It took maybe 25-30 minutes to get our orders, putting a large dent in our trip home by adding an hour. I didn't have much to complain about for my order, a fresh mozz, basil, tomato, and grilled chicken panini on focaccia. It was huge and beautiful, but it lacked a lot of flavor that it had a lot of potential for. The focaccia was very crispy & the mozz and chicken were fine, but the pesto did not have much flavor, so it was really one note. When my friend opened his sub, he noticed hair on his lettuce, which is never something you want to see, especially after paying ~$15. I don't have a photo, so you can take my word or not. My boyfriend had a special sandwich with a cutlet and vodka sauce. He didn't rave about that either and thought the cutlet had little to no flavor. Maybe we just ordered the wrong thing or caught them on a bad day, or maybe we are just used to having really amazing restaurants near us. I won't recommend it to anyone driving back through CT. The staff was nice and the place was cozy, but the food just didn't make...

Been coming to Pasta Avest for a number of years. My family particularly enjoys their italian bread. Stopped by on Christmas Eve to pick up a loaf for our Christmas Eve Dinner and were told they were doing "pre orders only." Apparently I'm supposed to pre-order bread - laughable. There was also nothing posted on their website about this ridiculous practice of turning away any customer who didn't have a pre-order. At the very least, you would have thought they would have baked some extra bread for customers who wanted an add-on to their pre-order. Needless to say, we won't be back.

Update 12/30/2024 - It's clear from the response of the owner that they can't handle a negative review and apologize (or at least express remorse for my experience) in order to keep a customer. Based on their response, prospective customers should always check their social media, front door and website (what's the purpose of having a website if they don't keep it updated)...

What I love most is that they have very affordable customized options.. unfortunately they are a little small for the growing demand which means they often run out of ingredients and make substitutions that are ok but disappointing. They are super nice people and I love supporting small business.. Expect that things might be substituted or just sold out. It might be better to call and confirm but using online or the app causes availability issues. If you don't order ahead expect to wait a minimum of 20 minutes depending on what you get. When they get it right it's super good the taste never missed ESPECIALLY the meat sauce..I recommend the special items for locals and vacationers but not so much if you are in a rush and on the road because you won't have time or be in the area for any correction. The cookies are SUPER good and worth a visit for just that.. Their salad greens are amazing. If you are getting pizza ..a salad and cookies go...