By far my favorite food cart and a top pasta spot for me! They have a rotating menu, but always have some form of delicious, creamy, multi-cheese Mac and Cheese. The other pasta's change, but they always have fresh ingredients and creative combos. Some of the best and unique pasta has been from Common Pasta. Just cause it's a food cart doesn't mean it can't be amazing and top quality. Following them on Instagram to keep up with where they are going. I usually catch them at pop-ups at breweries or distilleries. read more

Great food good pasta I try Everything in the menu was delicious My family loved Thank you chef Jhon read more

Common Pasta - Good food by a great chef I loved - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The fact that food this quality is in a food truck is a miracle. Firstly, before I can wax poetic about the pasta here, I need to let you know the focaccia they have is the best I've had since Italy. It's heaven and I refuse to buy less than 3 pieces so I'll have one to scarf, one to savor and one to share. The pasta is creative, delicious and simply beautiful to look at. I've waited in the winter cold for it many times. It's also parked in a place on capitol square that usually has some meter spots in front. Go check it out! read more

Common Pasta - Green fusilli pasta salad with chicken. Beautiful focaccia and a salted chocolate chip cookie. - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great location on the Capitol Square! They seem to be consistently busy with a line over the lunch hour, but people only need to wait a few minutes for their order to be ready. Their staple menu items are great, but I also really enjoy when they offer specials. I always order the special as something different to try. read more

Common Pasta - Capitol Square - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great food with decent prices. Some of the best Mac and cheese in the city, and they're super flexible on adding or subtracting things from your order. read more

Finally got to try this food truck! I got there a little bit before they opened at 11:30am on the Square. I ordered the pasta salad for the day and a piece of focaccia. It's a very generous size so plenty for two meals. The chef makes his pasta and breads from scratch and the quality is fantastic! I will definitely come back. read more

Common Pasta - Pasta Salad and Focaccia. Yum! - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Common Pasta delivers freshly made pasta from a small cart near the Capitol, and it's as good as pasta you can find in a sit-down restaurant. They have three choices a day. We went on the later side for lunch, so they were already sold out of one dish, but that was okay with us because the one we really wanted to try was the ragu. (The mac and cheese also sounded amazing. Next time.) Made with rigatoni, beef short rib, tomato, and parmigiano reggiano, the ragu was an excellent choice for lunch. The pasta was perfectly cooked, and the sauce had so much rich and meaty flavor without feeling too heavy. Even better, it was only $8.50, very affordable for the amount of food they gave. We would definitely go back to Common Pasta. read more

Common Pasta - Menu - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Pasta food cart! I mean come on, why did it take this long for one to emerge in Madison?! Anyways, I got to try their mac n cheese dish today and it was very satisfying. It took a while but expected for food made-to-order. What was unexpected was the restaurant quality. The mac n cheese has three different cheeses: cheddar, gouda and parmigiana-reggiano. Along with spicy pork sausage, chili soffritto and breadcrumbs. The mac n cheese was smooth and creamy, not too thick. Perfectly portion dish and the distribution of ingredients made every bite as delicious as the other. I'm already eyeing up the next dish to try - the Ragu: bigoli, beef shortrib, crimini and parmigiana-reggiano. Also, they are now located on the 200 block of MLK. read more

Common Pasta - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Guys, if you're craving ragu pasta, come! here! Best ragu pasta I had at such an affordable price point. And the serving size is generous as well. The sauce was sweet with a hint of wine. I simply loved it. The green pasta salad (pesto) was sold out along with the focaccia. Looking forward to trying those items next time. read more

My pesto pasta was absolutely delicious. My work is located on the square and since I bring my lunch from home, I never had a chance to venture out to the food trucks. Today, I forgot my lunch at home, so I needed to buy lunch. I decided to get common pasta after a quick comparison of all the other food truck options mainly because the ingredients on their menu intrigued me. The pesto pasta has almonds, squash , and argulua. The almonds added a nice, crunchy texture while the thinly sliced squashes provided a nice taste to the pasta. I need to start forgetting my lunch at home more :) read more

Common Pasta - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Common Pasta is a food truck on the Capitol Square that is a great lunch visit. It is a bit expensive for a lunch, but the food is delicious and worth it. I ordered the pesto pasta and it was fantastic. They topped it with pecans which made it taste even better. The garlic bread, though, was by far my favorite. My order took awhile to get to me, but the wait was only about 8-10 min. So, just make sure you allow yourself enough time if you're venturing out on your lunch break. read more

Common Pasta - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Common Pasta is my go-to comfort lunch. The ragu is my favorite. I sometimes venture into the pesto or the special. The noodles are homemade and cooked perfectly, and the sauces are flavorful. Plus, each entree is served with a homemade caramel. The service is friendly and quick. Credit cards are accepted. And the cart itself is nicely designed and clean. Highly recommended. read more

Common Pasta - Special: Spicy Sausage Ragu on Corn Flour Lumache - Italian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Common Pasta chooses to focus on just a few things and does them extremely well. The pasta is truly designed to be a filling meal, all pastas are handmade and the pasta is finished off when you make your order. As a result, you really do get al dente pasta from a food cart, which is no easy feat! The mac&cheese has much more substance than many other of its kind--the noodles are hearty, not mushy, and the spicy pork sausage gives a mild bite. Even if you normally find mac & cheese a little bland and for kids, give this a try, it has a lot more to it than you'd expect. The beef ragu has a good mix of beef and mushroom flavor , and I appreciate like the unusual noodle choice (bigoli, a mega spaghetti noodle). Both dishes feature Parmigiano-Reggiano (the tasty hard cheese imported from Italy that some parmesan cheeses aspire to be) The polenta and pepita roll is a hidden gem at the bottom of the menu. The dense bread is flecked with pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and has a bit of sourdough tang, and you can't get the rolls anywhere else. Plus there's enough that you could share with a friend, but perhaps you won't want to. Italian beverages are for sale too (San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna). Yes, the location in front of Educational Sciences can be a pain for non-students, but the extra effort is worth an excellent lunch. read more

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One of my favorite lunch spots on the Capitol Square. I have gone a little less often than weekly and haven't really had a bad experience there! Individual reviews: - Ragu: delicious, meaty, and savory - Mac and Cheese: hearty and cheesy. The spicy pork adds a punch. - Pesto (during colder months): Fresh, tasty, and with a good amount of cheese. Love the added nuts and veggies. - Pasta Salad: amazing and a full meal with or without the chicken - Garlic Sourdough Bread: YUM Biggest tip would be to avoid going right after noon, when it's generally busiest. Check it out y'all! read more

There's usually a line and a very good reason why. Even then, the owner is able to expedite extremely well and the wait is around 5-10 min tops. mac and cheese has a unique spin, with bits of spicy sausage among cheesy goodness. Ragu is very traditional, rustic, and phenomenal. Couldn't recommend this place enough. read more

Let me put it this way: I cook at a restaurant downtown on the square and I could cook myself absolutely anything I can dream up any day I choose. I don't do that. I've literally walked through rain, sleet, snow, and freezing cold just to get my hands on some Common Pasta for lunch. If that doesn't speak for itself, I don't know what would. read more

Had my 2nd stop here today. The first time I had the Mac & Cheese. It was a tad spicy, but super good. Today I ordered the Ragu. It is decent, but not a huge fan. I am a very picky eater. So as much as I love pasta, it is a little hard to find a dish I like and/or can eat. For example- Love the mac and cheese, but don't usually eat pork. That is why I tried the Ragu today with the beef. The beef is shredded, the sauce is like a oily pesto type. Tomatoes and pasta were really good. I need to figure out when they have a beef Mac, pasta alfredo or chicken pasta :) Without pesto of course, because like I said... I am picky! read more

Update on my previous review: I AM NOW HOOKED ON THEIR PESTO!! It broke my heart (and probably saved my wallet) when Common Pasta moved to capitol square a few weeks ago. I'm really hoping they'll return to campus after summer! Oh, and you should follow them on facebook to see their rotating weekly specials, process of making their homemade pasta, etc. :) read more

Awesome!! Made the trek from the west side to see what all the hubbub was about and it was very well worth it! Super tasty! That garlic bread is to die for!!! Never had pasta like this. read more

I'm obsessed with this pasta truck. They keep it simple and only offer 3 dishes per day (mac & cheese, ragu with short ribs and rotating cold pasta salad with pesto). The pasta is made off site the evening before and is fresh. All of the ingredients are top-shelf. They also offer sourdough bread which probably shouldn't be eaten with pasta (2 starches - yikes!) but the bread is amazing and needed to soak up whatever sauce is left over ... absolute heaven! Common Pasta is my go-to Happy Meal!! read more

First off, this is an attractive food cart, and I love the fact that the workers wear chef jackets! Bonus points for that. The pasta is delicious and simple. Everything is fresh and well-prepared. I found the pesto a little bland and too salty. The ragu, however, is pretty amazing, excellent short rib. The caramel that comes with the meal is a nice treat. The portions are huge and filling, so it's good value for your dollar. Come hungry, or it's enough to share, or save for a second meal. It would be nice if they offered half portions. Overall, a great addition to the food cart scene in Madison. read more

The Ragu and the Mac n Cheese are both so good I haven't gotten around to trying anything else yet. I'm sure the Pesto is also tasty

Oh, lordy, this is good pasta! I walked a mile one way to get some today. Here's what I've liked: pesto, ragu, beet pasta salad. What I've not liked: nada. It's all excellent. And you'll likely have leftovers, so bonus! read more

Quality food at its finest! Common Pasta's focus on quality ingredients and handcrafted pasta make this food cart a gem. Yesterday I tried the Pesto Pasta for the first time and was blown away. The kale pesto was herbacious with just the right amount of garlic. They do a shaved winter squash in the pasta and savory nut mixture on top which both add a nice crunch. Their braised beef short-rib ragu is also phenomenal! I second (or third) the previous comments about the pepita roll and salted caramel. I sometimes visit the cart to just get a roll to go along with a salad I bring from home. Great lunch spot during the week! read more

Best Mac n Cheese I've ever had...by FAR! Slightly spicy, real cheese, excellent pasta, amazing sausage topped with some crunchy crumbs....Where have you been all my life! If I had the ability to return daily to eat this, I seriously would. Don't change this recipe! I would add that I don't ever eat Mac n Cheese but tried the dish on a recommendation. Sooo glad I did. Flavor town galore! read more

They should call this incredibly uncommon pasta! Who knew a pasta salad could be this amazing?! It will definitely be my new go to for lunch! I have had the Ragu and Mac & cheese and everything is fantastic! read more

This is my favorite comfort food on the square. I don't eat meat, but they will adjust the mac and cheese for me so that it's still spicy and satisfying. Their seasonal specials are great. Staff is very nice. One bowl and a piece of bread is enough food for 2 days. read more

As delicious as it gets! Mac and Cheese is phenomenal with that extra spicy sausage! I could eat here every day.