Pasta Beach Providence — Restaurant in Providence

I’m from Newport RI and have only been to Newport location of Pasta Beach until tonight. I find the atmosphere in Newport to be more inviting as far as one of my preferred experiences, however it’s usually just my boyfriend and I and we tend to frequent places that are more “romantic” in nature, an atmosphere that is intimate and cozy. The Providence location does have an inviting, warm and welcoming vibe lending itself itself well but due to the high ceilings and overall nature of the interior, I feel it's best for a night out with friends or family gatherings for special celebrations. We were seated at a high top and we did enjoy our time there.

First ordered was a specialty grilled peach lemonade drink, made with Ketel One Citron, St Germaine, grilled peach purée and lemonade. It was very good in taste but very light on the alcohol. I understand a light pour accompanying the $13 price tag being in the city of Providence but I would much prefer to pay higher prices (ie: $15 drinks in Newport) if it meant tasting more like I've ordered an actual cocktail. It was light, tasty & a refreshing summer evening drink that I would have otherwise continued to order more of but I stopped at one because I wanted an alcohol drink not a glass of lemonade.

Next up was the Caprese salad which we requested be made with buffalo mozzarella. The waitress confirmed it can be done for an up charge and they will use the buff mozz that is normally made in a pizza. It was very good in taste however I didn’t like that the tomatoes were cut into chunks for the salad. I expected slices since this is more traditional, however it's my fault since their menu clearly stated chunks which I obviously glazed over. Truth be told I would never order this again based on my experience and go with a Burrata salad next time.

We also ordered the Buschetta al Pomodoro. The bread was very good, served warm and with just enough texture to make it a welcomed chewy but yet light bread. The flavors were great. My only complaint is that the chunks of tomato were too overpowering, both in size and quantity. I wanted bruschetta with tomatoes, not a plate of tomatoes with 2 pcs of bread. In hindsight, we shouldn’t have ordered two dishes in a row that both contained chunks of tomato. It was too much but remember, I failed to catch the caprese was made with chunks. The redeeming factor of it all is that the flavor for both dishes were there. Maybe consider a smaller cut on the tomato chunks for the bruschetta specifically. I feel that would make for a better overall experience while eating this dish, especially since I like to pick up my bruschetta to eat it. Large chunks of anything falling off the bread on to the table and into your lap, or my boyfriend's in my case, just isn’t fun.

Lastly, the dish of the night that was magnificent! We ordered the Bucatini Cacio de Pepe - made with pecorino Romano, parmagiana reggiano, cream and black pepper. My god was that phenomenal. We split the meal and we both ordered a protein side. My boyfriend went with grilled shrimp and he loved the flavor. I had grilled salmon and it was quite literally the best salmon I’ve had any where. Crispy and seasoned wonderfully! Definitely a grand slam on this entree option for us. Pasta Beach definitely has talented chefs who create pure explosions of flavor with their dishes. I highly recommend either place. However, Newport is much more romantic in nature for...

Overall not a bad spot, but various small things that knock the score down for me, especially for somewhere that tries to present as very high scale and fancy, which prompts me to judge them a bit more critically.

Made a reservation and had no issue getting seated, inside was very nice and clean and a good atmosphere. Service was friendly but nothing above & beyond, and was a bit slow. They did not bring out bread at first so we had to ask for it, and it was not warm, but okay. Appetizers were tasty but fairly small portions. One issue was that they ran out of veal for the day and did not inform us about it. Now I understand that sometimes you run out of ingredients but it would have been nice if they crossed it out on the menu or at least let us know when we were seated. Also, on the menu it said that gratuity is automatically added to parties larger than 6 but for our party of 8 it was not, which was a bit confusing but not a major issue. One thing I did not like was that they said they charge a $3 fee if you split an entree, we didn’t happen to do that in my party but it’s a sleezy policy if you ask me. One other thing to note is that their menu does change yearly, and they no longer have dishes like the Cacio e Pepe

Once the entrees came out they were all pretty good, pasta is definitely authentic and cooked to a perfect Al dente. Portions are so-so for the price but that’s to be expected. I would highly recommend the Tolfie Al Pesto, very robust flavor and amazing pasta. I also tried the carbonara, which I know is a salty dish naturally but this one was very very salty and it kind of overrode all the other flavors. The carbonara also came out luke warm and the sauce was already starting to solidify.

Overall it was not a bad experience but with some changes it could go from a decent night out to a great...

Salvatore, You must have us confused with someone else. We did NOT change the reservation even once. In fact, I confirmed it several times through your text message saying to confirm. Secondly, I made a point of telling your host when we arrived that I was sorry we were late but I tried calling the restaurant, at 6:55 to be exact, to say that we were running slightly late due to the heavy rain. I was put on hold for at least 5 minutes and finally gave up because we were around the corner by then . The nice young man apologized for that. Which is more than I can say for you. Please do your homework before you make statements that are not true. This still does not change the rest of my review regarding the slow and poor service and salad issue.

I have been a successful retailer and in executive sales all my life and words which have always stood me in good stead you may benefit from. "The customer is always right” whether you believe it or not. A simple apology for “any misunderstanding we may have had about seating, etc. last night “ would have sufficed and gone a long way. Also it would have been the sign of a professional. Instead you chose the low road.

Thank you for the offer of a gift card but we will not be returning mainly because of your sarcastic and misinformed reply. You do not deserve our patronage. Also one last note. I don't think we disturbed any guests by asking to move the table a little further in, away from the door, so the 2 people in our party with hearing issues might be more comfortable. Your kind host moved the tables for us. Check your facts...