The Italian Deli Co. — Restaurant in Pasadena

The area certainly has its share of Italian restaurants, from pretty bad to awfully good. Therefore, it can be hard to get excited about a new one. The Italian Deli Co. is an exception.

This is a truly outstanding local Italian restaurant. The food is spectacular. Spaghetti Carbonara is a personal favorite, but only if it is prepared in the original Italian manner, i.e., an egg and cheese sauce WITHOUT cream. It’s hard to find around here. Fortunately, The Italian Deli Co. serves an exquisite traditional version. Quite possibly, you have never eaten “real” Spaghetti Carbonara. Do yourself a big favor and drop by the restaurant for a real treat.

I also enjoyed the Arancini. While not as rare as Carbonara, it's still somewhat hard to find. This one is excellent, extremely flavorful with a perfectly crispy crust.

My wife ordered the Vegetariano sandwich. It comes with a nice side salad, and my wife deems it the best vegetarian sandwich she’s ever eaten.

The service was great, and the outside tables are quaint and laid-back in a charming way.

The prices are significantly lower than those of other Italian fine dining restaurants.

This was our first trip to The Italian Deli Co., but we, like Gen. McArthur, will return. The menu is full of tempting choices, but I'll have a difficult time ordering anything but the...

Tried this for the first time and it was good! Will definitely be back. I didn't realize they were new, so my first visit makes sense knowing they're still getting a handle on things. The deli was busy so it took a while to get my order. It was also Saturday lunch rush, so that's expected. However, when I inquired about dining in, the hostess said the dining room is for the restaurant and the outside is for the deli. Yet as we ate outside, we saw waiters tending to guests. The other thing was there was a sign outside with iced drink specials referenced by numbers, but when I tried to order it from the deli, they knew nothing of it and the cashier had no idea how to ring it up. I ended up ordering the Piadina (by accident) and it turned out to a yummy surprise! However, judging from another review who made the same mistake, I would suggest the deli confirm with the guest to make sure they know what they're ordering since much like me, they may not read the menu board thoroughly and not see that you're ordering from the Piadina section. 😁 Overall, employees were friendly and food was great. Will be back to try another sandwich and...

I went in early Thursday evening during the soft opening. Only the deli was operating (I understand that dining room service will start next Thursday). The folks behind the deli were friendly and recommended the hero and Vito's porchetta (I think it was Vito's) sandwiches. These were delicious! The preparation is reminiscent of the famous "sandwich" on Mountain (if you know, you know) but each unique in its own regard. The imported Italian deli meat and simple preparation reminded me of what you might find travelling through Florence and dropping into a deli for a quick meal. Gary, one of the owners, introduced himself and told us about the coffee bar, wine/cocktails, breakfast, and late night (for Pasadena) dining (I believe the plan is to be open until 10:30 p.m.). I was really impressed by Gary and his partners plans for the space and love that he has a lot of experience operating dining establishments. I really enjoyed my first experience with the staff and the sandwiches and will definitely be back. (We also had the marinated artichokes which were...