I had been wanting to go to this restaurant for a while but don't get to Baltimore that often. We went yesterday 9/18/24 for a late afternoon/early evening dinner. The food and service were excellent and priced well. We had appetizers and entrees with wine and Italian beer. We enjoyed everything we ordered and our server (Katie, I think) was very knowledgeable of the food choices. read more

Tasty fresh pasta at a reasonable price. I had the penne pesto and I loved it. The server was friendly and attentive. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Penne pesto - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Go there you will not be disappointed great food ,this place is in the heart of Hamden Baltimore on 36 street ask for Giulia tell I send you ! read more

The sauce and the noodles are beyond authentic and delicious. Potato gnocchis are phenomenal and the people and service are equally excellent. Call ahead and pick up your order from the window or eat Al fresco on the sidewalk. read more

When I wrote a review of Grano back in 2021, they were still in the midst of their COVID pivot (take out only from the window on the Avenue). At the time, the menu was pretty limited (pick your pasta type, pick your sauce), and I don't remember being blown away. Since then, Grano is back! The takeout window in the front is the kitchen now (you can still pick up take out order there, though, I think)!, and after a short walk down Hickory Avenue, you'll find Grano! It's a charming, partly underground (fully underground?) wine cave/restaurant. The service is great (so friendly so you feel like you're at home)! And the food is really good, too. I've been three times since they reopened the wine cave, and the food has been really consistent each time (burrata, meat balls, pasta). The wine list is good, too (options by the glass and by the bottle). Overall, it's just a great place for meal with friends - cozy, delicious, homey. It is popular, so expect a wait for a table if you show up during busier hours, but it's worth a little wait! read more

Didn't love it or hate it. My friend and I came here on a Saturday evening for dinner and sat in their heated tent on the sidewalk. She grabbed their last table available outside while I found a parking spot, and by the time I arrived there were a handful of people waiting outside. (I don't think there is an area to wait for a table inside the restaurant when it's cold out, fyi) I ordered the Teresa (tomato sauce with shrimp) and while it wasn't bad, it was rather boring. I wish they had added more sauce. My friend got the carbonara with gluten free pasta, and she said hers was too salty for her liking. Service was pleasant and prompt, which was a plus. read more

Hate to say it...but Grano did not live up to the love and hype for me. The Checca was recommended so two if us ordered that and one person ordered the Bolegnese. We also ordered bread (you gotta pay for it) and two of us ordered Caesar salads. Salads were good, bread was fine, my dish was realllllyyyyy oily. Bolegnese was fine too. I liked that it was BYOB. Nothing really stood out to me here. I wasn't blown away by the quality of the pasta or the sauce. After paying for salad and bread and your meal, it can seem a little pricey for what you're getting. The BYOB saves a lot. I didn't love it, didn't hate it. Would certainly return if someone wanted to go. Perhaps I would try the carbonara next time around, seems to be a crowd pleaser. read more

Not a great place for solid vegan options. I almost feel bad posting this because I do love when restaurants have clearly labeled vegan options, but really this place has got to do better if they are going to advertise menu items as vegan. I probably shouldn't have expected much from a restaurant that literally serves dead, abused, baby calf (veal ) but the fact that they listed vegan options enticed me. My boyfriend and I got the olio aglio and the pesto pasta for $14 each. We were sorely disappointed even at first when we saw how small the portions were for the high price. Then we go to eat it and both of our dishes were literally BATHING in olive oil. So, so much olive oil. How is that a "sauce?" The pesto was the most light-skinned pesto I've ever seen in my life, with the olive oil dominating the whole dish. Also, one thing I HATE about some vegan options is when restaurants make dishes vegan by just omitting ingredients rather than replacing them. That's just a lack of creativity and exploration. For ex: Pesto usually has cheese, but this restaurant just omits the cheese without replacing it with a vegan cheese, nutritional yeast, nuts, or anything. It was so flavorless and sad. The olio aglio was also sad, also swimming in olive oil, and i felt like I could count the number of little peppers/tomato slivers there on 1 hand (ok maybe 2). It had slightly more flavor than the pesto due to slight heat from the peppers but was still just overall so plain and boring,. I think $7 would have been more reasonable for these dishes- maybe I wouldn't have been so disappointed. I felt like I could have easily made them at home for $1-2 each honestly... just not worth it There was no "vegan protein" option at this restaurant either. No chickpeas, beans, tempeh, tofu, beyond meat, vegan sausage, vegan cheeses, nothing. Just pasta and pasta and more pasta with a minuscule amount of veggies included. Not my kind of place. I really hope they can explore vegan options a little more to produce something more substantial and flavorful without resorting to simple omission. Vegan food is usually very spectacular! read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Pesto Sauce (vegan) - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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The spaghetti carbonara was scrambled and tasteless. Don't recommend the dish. Could also use better quality spaghetti for the price. The chicken Saltimbocca (better as veal Saltimbocca) was merely ok. I don't recommend these dishes at all. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Scrambled carbonara. - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

genuinely enjoyed my experience at grano this past weekend. the service was fast & the entire staff was very friendly. we got the tomatoes and burrata as well as the caesar salad. everything tasted great and was definitely authentic italian! i recommend visiting if you're ever in the area :) read more

Grano Pasta Bar - caesar salad tomatoes & burrata - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Everything was amazing. The servers were so kind and so helpful. The food was delicious, felt like food served straight from a home kitchen. They have a wine list now, so you can order glasses of wine. I got a lovely Pinot Grigio. Prices are reasonable. Inside, it is cozy and comfortable! read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Fusili caprese - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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I've ordered from Grano Pasta Bar several times and have always been impressed. Some menu highlights for me are: -Mussels with pasta: a generous portion with delicious creamy sauce (pictured) -Spinach and ricotta ravioli with truffle sauce: this comes with 5 large ravioli and the sauce is to die for! I wish they would bring back the mushroom ravioli! -Spaghetti Carbonara: it's light but incredibly flavorful. Their menu options change frequently and they offer BYOB for dine in. It's also very affordable! Highly recommend! read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Mussels with linguini - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

The food was good and the staff were very friendly and attentive! Would definitely recommend.

All their food is authentic and delicious - plus service is very fast! The space is small but there are tons are fantastic and fresh options! read more

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It doesn't seem like much but it really is a gem in hampden- the pasta bar has a take out on its facade, but go around the building's corner and there is a cute indoor and outdoor seating area. I have tried a few Italian places in the area, and I might just become a regular here because you can't go wrong with this place. The seafood is always fresh, the marinara a perfect chunky mouthful, and the bolognese rich. I haven't had a dish that was bad here yet, highly recommend! Parking is a bit hard since it is street parking, however it is worth a visit. read more

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Solid experience here. The place is super small, and I would have never thought to come here on my own (I'm not a super fan of pasta). The pasta was pretty good, light, and fresh. I was kind of hesitant to try the place when then menu showed a no options to add meat to the pastas, but it was good without it. They have a decent dessert collection, but I didn't see anything I wanted specifically. I had one qualm--- I think bread should be complimentary. For an order of artisanal bread, it was about $3.50. We ended up needing to orders. In addition, the appetizer salads were slightly expensive at $9 a pop. Those were minor qualms, so I would come back again when I'm in the mood for pasta. read more

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Bottom Line: Quaint pasta shop that has a small dining room but would be great for carry out too. I love pasta and sometimes even make it fresh at home so I was excited to try Grano Pasta Bar. We were ready for an intimate setting and we were happy to find a table for two. It was nice to be able to see into the kitchen and watch our dishes be prepared. I think the best seats in the house might be the ones in the front windows so you can people watch and pasta watch. We were there for lunch. I had the penne with vodka sauce with a side of meatballs because I felt like I needed some protein. I ate half there and took the other half to go. My husband had the bow tie pasta with Bolognese. Both dishes were good but I would have loved some fresh parmesan Reggiano and bread to go with the dishes. They have parmesan cheese in a shaker and I saw others with bread so maybe we needed to order it . . . The clam dish that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives looked awesome on the show but I either overlooked it on the menu or its not currently being offered. Maybe it was a special? I would try Grano Pasta Bar again but I don't think it will make it back into the rotation until I've tried some other places in Hampden too. Or perhaps, I'll stop in to get some sauces to go! (As Seen on TV: Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" episode entitled "Meat in the Middle.") read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Where pasta magic happens! - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

This place has been on my list for a long time, and since I had a craving for pasta, I figured it was time to try them out. It's a cute corner restaurant located on the famous 36th street in Hampton. They don't offer indoor seating right now so you walk straight up to the window to place your order. I got the Ravioli Ai Funghi with Italian sausage, Linguine Positano, and Burrata Caprese. Everything was AMAZING. Seriously, every dish was on point-- the flavor was excellent, the ingredients were super fresh, and the serving size was great. Even the pickup time was efficient. Grano Pasta Bar is definitely a restaurant that should be on anyones list for great Italian. read more

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Loved this little spot. Delicious food, a nice server, and a lovely little heated outdoor space to eat. It's enclosed in a few sides and they are right - the heaters are efficient. I'm always cold and sat right below one and was comfortable. Will definitely be back by the next time I'm in the area! read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Linguine Positano - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Just had a very nice dinner. The service was excellent on a busy Saturday night in December. We were seated right away and everyone there was very pleasant and helpful. Dinner was great and so were the drinks. We were on a tight schedule and the hot food arrived in plenty of time. Great ambience in a nice part of town. I recommend this restaurant and will return. read more

If you're looking for something local in Baltimore, then this is a good choice!! I agree with others, the best description I can give is "cozy" vibe. It is a very tiny restaurant, and I had to wait for spots to open up (~7pm on a Thursday evening) that didn't take too long despite being prime dinner time! I ordered carbonara with fettuccine and loved it because it's pretty interesting in that they prepared it with eggs. As an egg lover, I was totally into this dish but definitely not for everyone! It had like a breakfast vibe because of the eggs :) I do have to say that the portion errs to the smaller side but plenty enough for an average person to get full off of. I also ordered the tiramisu and to be honest I didn't go crazy over it. I did enjoy the dessert though because it tasted very homemade! It is BYOB/BYOW with a $3 corkage fee but totally worth it! If you're looking for a convenient/fast place for dinner then Grano may not necessarily be the first option to consider (seriously the wait wasn't long for a weeknight) but definitely a place worth trying! read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Tiramisu! - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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The first time I visited I ordered carbonara via grubhub. The portion was tiny and it had absolutely no flavor. I recently gave Grano another chance since I was already in the area and I get a monthly grubhub credit via Amex. So I figured even if it's bad at least it will be almost free. Again, bad...just bad. I ordered the linguine and vodka sauce. It wasn't edible until I seasoned it with some garlic salt. The food is overpriced considering it doesn't include a protein...and because it's basically flavorless noodles. I could have bought a jar of Rao's and a box of pasta from the grocery store and had a better meal. Save yourself the time and money and just cook at home. The food has no soul or flavor and is the antithesis of what Italian cooking should be. This is cafeteria pasta. And what is up with this place not providing forks with takeout orders? This happened to me both times. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Linguine and vodka sauce - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Cheap, affordable and great food. Bolognese is a staple that's consistent. However the linguine dishes with seafood seems to be constantly changing. Great date night spot. read more

We ordered door dash from Grano, which was great as a site own restaurant. The door dash order was disgraceful and disgusting. Pasta was overcooked, sticky and tasteless. Meatballs tasted like canned food. Bruschetta was swimming in oil. Calamari immediately went to the the trash. Asked the restaurant what happened. No answer after several days. Won't be patronizing them again unless there's an explanation! read more

It used to be much better until they changed their menu. Now, I would no longer recommend going there. I personally won't be going again though I was a regular before they made the menu bad read more

We went here on a Saturday night and were served immediately. Great outdoor seating with festive lights. Not pictured starter was the burrata that was delicious, the accompanying greens and tomatoes were so fresh and the bread just crunchy enough. The frutti di mare with farfalle was fantastic, such a great Neapolitan style seafood pasta. The clams, mussels, and shrimp were all cooked to perfection. The carbonara sauce with gnocchi was also great. Gnocchi was so tasty and the carbonara was so flavorful. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Carbonara Sauce gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Maaaaan, I must have come on the hottest day of summer and I WAS NOT FEELING THIS PLACE. It was pretty small (maybe the smallest I've ever been to) and pretty hot. There was this one little fan that could only be felt if you were a foot from it. Though service was quick and the noodles seemed to be homemade, the flavor wasn't my favorite. The reviews for this place was probably better than what I experienced. Something was missing. Not on a must do again list. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Bolognese and fettuccine Sauce - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Best pasta in BMORE! Now if you know me you know I loveee pasta haha. So giving Grano the title of best pasta in Baltimore is a huge honor lol. Now don't let the size fool you! This small pasta bar boost massive flavor. I love how you can truly create your own pasta dish and watch it come to life! The staff are very friendly, accommodating and offer great tips. This is a BYOB restaurant and they do have a 3 dollar fee for providing cups but who cares, the pasta is so good! We also had the mussels which I would have to say had the best sauce I have ever had. I literally just started eating it with bread. Overall this is my new fav spot for Spring and Summer! read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Penne pasta with pesto, red sauce and cheese blend - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Really tasty pasta - highly recommend the fruti de mare pasta. The serving team here is also really nice - we wanted to order multiple pastas and share like family style and the waiter totally understood and brought us extra bowls and whatnot. Guy Fieri also visited here if you're a Triple D fan. The only negative I have is that the tiramisu was a bit disappointing, but I am a tiramisu snob so if you leave it in fridge for a few days, I can taste it. Overall, I would recommend for the pasta but not for the dessert. This spot has tight seating. I recommend taking no more than 3 other people with you (for a total of 4) if you want to get a seat. I went with 2 other people and we got lucky that someone had just finished their meal. This place fills up fast so plan to go with enough hunger time that you can wait for a bit. read more

Customizable pasta bar?? Say less, I'm there! This was my second time going to Grano, and it was just as amazing as the first. When I first came here in the fall, the menu was a bit different - you could order off the menu or make your own pasta by choosing a type of pasta, sauce, and meat. This time, you could order off the menu and then make substitutions for the pasta or sauce - still a similar concept that allows you to individualize your food, but less fun than the "pasta bar" vibe from last time. Regardless, the food is delicious!! I got the linguine zia teresa, and oh my, those were juicy shrimp!! My friend got the linguine positano, and she couldn't stop raving about the clams. The portions are large, the flavor is fire, and the price is pretty fair. And, it's BYOB with a small corking fee. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Linguine Positano - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Came here since we were in the area for my daughter's jiu jitsu class and have been wanting to try it out. We got the capresse salad - basic fresh ingredients with a delicious pesto, fusilli bolognese - meaty and delicious, and spaghetti with shrimp, olive oil, tomato sauce - a little bland, which there was fresh basil to kick it up a notch but perfectly cooked. Chocolate mousse dessert was creamy and delicious. Service was good. Will definitely be back to try more pastas!! read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Bar facing kitchen - cooked to order and hot from the kitchen!! Yummy! - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Whenever I fly into Baltimore, this is the place I dined at first. Sadly it won't be the case anymore. Obviously, thanks to inflation, the prices have went to the moon. But prices aside, the service is horrible and the food has changed. Dogs are allowed inside since there were at least a couple barking and running loose freely... what happened! read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Very disappointed. Was really wanting to try this place. Got Americana with penne and what was supposed to be linguini carbonara. The Americana was fine; not great. The meatballs just meh. But the carbonara was terrible. The sauce was broken (see pictures) and tasted terrible. All I could taste was salt. It was so disappointing. I will not be back, even though I visit Baltimore frequently. read more

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Walked past this place many times in Hampden, finally gave it a try. Pasta was wonderful. Sat outside on a nice evening, but downhill angle made it difficult for drinks to not slide across plastic table. Wait staff very helpful and accommodating. If you like pasta, definitely check it out. read more

Maybe we're burned out on carry out and delivery. I hate to give a bad review. Shrimp bruschetta doused in enough oil if a candle was anywhere nearby our house would end up in blazes. Man, 60 some bucks for a maybe 35 dollar meal. Lower the prices and you get the food you pay for. 10 dollars for... slices of bread! 5? Maybe 4? Nah. Hard pass. It's sad to see the good restaurants go bad. Overpriced just because. Had a few ok meals here. Not now. read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Best dive restaurant I've ever been to. Plan to go there often. Carmen is special. There's just something about the place. It's fun.

I absolutely love Grano! I've liked almost all of the pastas and appetizers I've tried. It is a bit of a smaller place though, so expect a wait if you're coming in during a busy hour. That's kinda a given though. I've sat outside and inside, and both are nice (as long as the weather is nice outside as well). The servers are normally very sweet and kind. read more

We were dropping by this area and was so hungry. The clams pasta is so gooood, the seating reminds me of days in Europe and service is so friendly. Weekend around 4:30pm is not a popular hour so it's not hard to find seats! Small bars but food is so great - will come back! read more

Grano Pasta Bar - Italian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

ehhhhhhhh went back a second time. The food was just ok. Portion sizes are small. Really not worth returning to.

Great atmosphere and even better food. I had the lasagna and it was amazing. My husband has celiac and their meatballs are gluten-free and delicious. Definitely recommend! read more