Fatto a Mano, The Pasta Shop — Restaurant in Redondo Beach

PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW BEFORE DEALING WITH HORRID MARCO.

I have not been able to dine here, so I cannot comment on the quality of the food. Yesterday, I was having friends over, one of whom was pregnant, so I wanted to inquire about the ingredients in a couple of items before ordering. I want to EMPHASIZE that I DID NOT MAKE ANY SUBSTITUTIONS OR CHANGES TO ANY DISH as stated on the website. I also was completely fine waiting for them to take their time to make the food. My fault is asking them what happens if I can’t pick up the food immediately after it's made, as I had other errands to run. And since they cannot give you an estimate of how long the food will take to prepare, I couldn’t plan around that. Apparently, asking questions is grounds for Marco to go psycho on you. He was very upset that I would not be able to pick up immediately after it’s prepared, and basically told me that I do not deserve to eat this food, as it is meant to be eaten right away, and that I should take home the raw ingredients, and prepare it at home if I cannot pick it up immediately.

I understand he takes pride in his creation, and is VERY PARTICULAR about it, but this is on another level. Not all of us have the luxury of placing an order, and waiting around to pick it up as soon as it's ready, especially when no time commitment can be given. I was willing to be patient, and was requesting if the same patience could be extended to me, since there was no timeline, and I had other things to do before the evening to get ready for dinner. Around 2 pm I called to place an order for a 6:30 pm dinner. This is when things REALLY WENT LEFT. I asked what was in the gnocchi, because his wife who was initially taking my order, mentioned it had a softer texture than usual, and if I would be ok with that? That is when she put me on hold, and had me speak to Marco. To this inquiry he said the following things, and I am giving VERBATIM QUOTES here:

He told me that I am causing him frustration with all my inquiries and that my “friends will never be satisfied with this order…and he can guarantee that”. He even went as far as to say “these are not the people for me”, and that he would put me on hold to “think” before placing this order. He never took me off hold. I called back two more times only to be put on hold twice more. The fourth time I called it went to voicemail, which said I could place the order online. I went ahead and placed the order online, and soon after received an email that they canceled my order.

Barring any mental illness, this behavior is not acceptable. I understand that he doesn't care about getting business, but kindness and humility costs nothing. I was really excited to try this place, but honestly, yesterday left a bad taste in my mouth.

Again, I understand taking pride in your food, but in this day in age when it is common for people to be inquisitive about what is in their food for a variety of reasons, it's mind boggling that they would have such an issue with someone ONLY INQUIRING which ingredients they use. I want to REITERATE I RESPECTED THEIR PROCESS AND NEVER ASKED FOR ANY ALTERATIONS. People have taste concerns, allergies, etc. In my case my friend was pregnant and very nauseous. I only inquired because of what his wife told me about the gnocchi.

Fatto a mano boasts that their ingredients are fresh and handmade, but they are not the only place that does that. You’re not that special Marco. Please check your arrogance/narcissism. No matter how good the food is, it is not worth the headache and insult of dealing with Marco. I am sure Marco will have some petty response to this, but this as far as I will engage. I promise you everything I have written is 100% true, and an under exaggeration of what actually happened, as words cannot fully express...

Love it! Very very good. Highly recommend this place.... awesome awesome place. Everything is handmade with LOVE. I can't say enough about this beautiful place.

Edit... 0ct 4 2022. I feel compelled to write this review after multiple visits more than I care to admit 😅 maybe over 30 at this point. First I would like to point out the obvious I have nothing to win from this review ONLY my HONEST OPINION.

Fatto a Mano makes only GENUINE AND REAL Italian food. I have been to Italy twice now and let me tell you I prefer Fatto a mano over 99% of places HERE IN ITALY (IM CURRENTLY IN 🇮🇹). I'm the kind of guy that eats a lot 😅, therefore I believe I'm qualified to speak on this topic. It is unfair to leave a bad review for the wonderful people at Fatto A Mano because YOU THE CUSTOMER comes to this business looking "for American Italian food" maybe go eat something gross that comes from a microwave or a factory like Olive garden Sbarro or somewhere else

ONLY COME HERE IF YOU WANT THE BEST MOST AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE EVEN BETTER THAN ITALY...TRUST ME!!.

Yes it does get busy, yes sometimes we have to wait yes it sucks but there is nothing ANYONE CAN DO. Marco Arlene and his Wonderful team work very very hard to accommodate everyone and do the best they can in every single situation. Good things take time ⏲️ please drink your ☕️ and enjoy life.

You cannot judge a place based on 1 interaction. Not only is that unfair, it is wrong. Imagine if people judged based on 1 tiny interaction. Do you think that would be a good assessment of you as a person? Please learn to be patient, try not to be entitled, be open minded and be NICE.

The difference between a good person and a bad person is that the good Constantly TRIES TO DO GOOD, the other doesn't care. We are all human we all have bad days, good days and somewhere in the middle days but please at the very least appreciate and recognize the effort people at Fatto A Mano do everyday. Most other restaurants will never take the time to personally contact you to MAKE IT RIGHT. Other places could care less about what you have to say. Understand that marco is taking time out of his busy day to contact you PERSONALLY TO ADDRESS YOUR CONCERN. What else do you want? If this doesn't show how much care and love he and his team put into his food I don't know what will.....

To end my review I can't wait to get back home and run to Fatto a Mano to eat there. Only come here if you want the very best genuine italian food, and if you appreciate the effort, love and time put into this wonderful place and the personal attention...then this...

I wrote a 4 stars review (below), this was not a bad review but the owner called us (scared me at first thinking how he knew my number) he told us we already knew that I have to wait for 45 minutes so why I gave him 4 stars? Yes I knew so I wrote so. I thought 45 minutes are a little longer than regular restaurant so that was the only negative point for me so I gave 4 stars. But he scared us and threatened us to "re-think" my 4 star review. 4 is not bad! And that's the review. He shouldn't force me to re-write my review. That's MY thoughts. Nobody forces to choose my stars. He shouted over the phone for 50 minutes! And ended up with "I don't want your business". Yes! Of Course Me too!!!!!! I kept tell him I never come back but he kept threatened us that my review hurts his business (again, I gave 4 stars not 1 star at the first time) and don't come back. Again, I SAID I NEVER COME BACK. He really pressing that a 4 star is same as 1 star so my review is malicious lol Is he serious? LOL He called me at night around 9pm and asked to talk to my husband. Then told him I am hurting his business so we shouldn't come back unless I change my mind. He threatened us, that's more than malicious than my review! LOL Other reviewers said/posted similar comments. He lost so many customers because he called and threatened good customers. I never recommend this restaurant anybody. He might lose his business sooner or later. I understand he wants to expand his business but he did too much. Nobody is going to give a 5 star review after getting a threatening call from the owner. I hope our (all 1-4 stars threatened customers lol) messages reached all new customers before you go to the restaurant. And now I hate his foods as well. All foods are not bad but I know better Romanian pizza at another restaurant!

All menus are amazing. Especially pasta. We love tomato sauce pasta. Definitely recommended!! But there is always super busy, you should expect at least 45 minutes. I can't wait 45 minutes at that site so I always call 45 minutes beforehand then pick it up. There are only 2-3 tables so you might not wait inside or at the site (maybe in your car) so I recommend calling...