This is our must-stop place anytime we are in Boulder. Never disappointed with any meal or the service. And we always grab a jar of marinara to take home! read more

Not my first time at Pasta Jay's but after yesterday, I don't really look forward to going back. Our server was at our table two times. Once to take our order and once to drop the check. Some other employees luckily got us garlic bread after we didn't have any for 20 minutes after ordering and got us boxes at the end of our meal when our server didn't. We asked her for a bag when she dropped the check and she never got us one. I ordered the coach mac and it was fine. It's always very heavy, but that's what you get with a cheesy pasta... but this time the noodles were almost toasted? They were very crunchy except for a very small portion of the dish that was fully covered in sauce that actually was the correct texture of noodles. They also seem to have reduced the size of their dishes (but not the prices) since the last time I was here pre-covid. read more

I go to school in Boulder, my friends and I love to treat ourselves to Pasta Jay's whenever we can. The food is great, the service is excellent, and the location is perfect for anyone staying or living in Boulder. 10/10 recommend read more

This place was okay. The food was hyped up a bit by friends, but for me, it wasn't super amazing. I think the best part was the Jumbo Stuffed Shells. That filling was spot on shine like a star. The perfect balance of cheese and spinach and spice. The rest: kind of run of the mill Italian. We started with the garlic bread, and even ordered extra garlic bread (large group, just wanted to make sure we had enough). I don't get the hype about the bread, and flavor-wise, definitely nothing exceptional. They make it on the spot and charge for it. My brain is still trying to comprehend the highlight, and/or need, for the on-demand-cooking-style to be a selling point for the bread. Anyways, time for dinner. My husband and I opted for our own Hagan Options. I got the Stuffed Shell, the Chicken Parmigiana, and the Manicotti. Again, the Stuffed Shell was the best. The Chicken Parmigiana was a bit tough and hard on the edges. It felt like it had been previously frozen (with a bad microwave job to get up to temp). The Manicotti was forgettable. Despite having some similar stuffing ingredients to the Shells, it fell short. I also added on the two meatballs on the side. Meh, a lot lacking in the flavor, and they were very dense. My husband had the Stuffed Shell, but opted for the Gnocchi and the Ravioli. He wasn't very impressed by either. In terms of grabbing a drink, I did order the Blushing Whiskey Sour (or whatever the Blushing drink is). I kid you not, the drink came out with ice that towered above the rim of the glass (it looked like a sad attempt at a snow cone shape). There were 3 sips of actual drink in it. I wish I had taken a pic at the time. The second time, my husband ordered the drink for me, and he followed it up with "easy ice, please". The second drink did have less ice, but there was still a lot and definitely overkill with keeping a drink cool. Honestly, we did finish all the food, so that's why this is getting the three stars. We did almost polish off half a jar of Parmesan to try to get flavors to wake up. I have a feeling that this place might be doing the "all about the sauce" approach, while leaving the base ingredients falling a little flat. The sauce itself was decent. Not too sweet or salty, well rounded. If I was in the area and the wait time was short, I would eat here again. read more

See all

We had a wonderful Lasagna meal at Pasta Jay's last Wednesday. Erin gave us excellent service and the food was delicious. I highly recommend them. read more

I've been here a few times and never have I been impressed by the food, the service or the prices. Pasta Jay's excels in the mediocre. The location is pretty prime, which I suppose is why I end up there sometimes, and every time it is like I have jamais vu...only to realize at the end of the meal when my stomach is pissed and the heft check comes that I remember: "oh yeah! I don't really like this place..." Uh yeah, not so much.... read more

Pasta Jay's - http://ubikes.com/merchant/155/images/site/pasta%20jays.jpg - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

I know good Italian and sadly this is just ok. The yummy smells lured me into PJ's, it also didn't hurt that from the outside it's really cute too. I got the Pasta Noto, which is spinach, artichoke, broccoli & mushroom in a tomato cream sauce. The type of pasta it's served over changes daily, which to me is just plain dumb & unnecessary - pick one & stick with it. It also comes with garlic bread on the side. The portions are generous, but I found the veggies to be cut too big & the sauce rather bland. After spicing it up with cheese, red pepper, salt & pepper it was decent. Like others have said it was obvious the pasta came out of a box. The garlic bread was tasteless & dry. My service was ok, but the tables next to me had some minor issues. Bottom line: I'm sure there's better Italian fare in Boulder at similar prices. read more

This Italian eatery at the west end of Pearl Street captures the essence of what I love about buona (GOOD!) Italian food: it's filled with history, passion, fully-developed flavors and irreverence for anything pretentious or disingenuous. My Italian half-sisters would certainly agree that the sauce here is, indeed, the real deal. You'll know you are in the right place the instant you see the small crowd of lingering diners waiting for their tables under the heat lamps; you can smell the roasted garlic wafting up the sidewalk. Looks like it is unanimous: this place is worth the wait! I recall eating here 27 years ago (shhhhh reserve your math skills for later, Ace!) as a very, very young student at CU/Boulder, and at that time Pasta Jay's literally saved me from starving. True to this day, you can still count on Pasta Jay's for very nicely priced yet deliciously fabulous food. We were lucky to arrive during Happy Hour so that meant draft beers & house wines are $3, house made sangria $5, Moscow mules $5...garlic knots for $3, the best tasting mac & cheese $5, balsamic glazed brussel sprouts with pancetta, $5! YES these are 2016 prices! Even better news? Happy hour goes ALL DAY Mondays & Tuesdays, Wed - Fri 3-6, and nightly from 9 to close! It's no wonder there is often a line at the curb! Our lovely server recommended the house specialty - stuffed shells - and WOWZA it was perfection. The tomato sauce is just the right consistency to cling on your fork, while the ricotta and spinach filling in the pasta shells kisses your taste buds with promises of rainbows and butterflies. Yep - I said it: this dish makes you giddy and happy. I'm pretty sure that was just spinach in that filling (and not another famous Colorado herb) but in any case it was so yummy that it made me salivate for more. Mindful not to drool on the cheery red & white checked table cloth, I reached for one of the Boulder famous garlic knots. Yum again. Butter, butter, butter and garlic. Yum - butter! I imagined myself as a garlic knot on a hot summer afternoon in Vernazza, and...well I digress. The humble macaroni and cheese are elevated to a higher level here. I think if I ordered it with pancetta (+$1), I might hurt anyone who threatened to come between me and my fork! Right about now, I laugh at myself! All of this tough talk from my cozy table overlooking the best block of Pearl Street. In my humble opinion, this restaurant is capo di tutti i capi...the boss of the bosses in the Italian dining world. Grazie per questa buona sera! Thank you for the lovely, lovely evening! I'll definitely be back. read more

See all

Decent food but I wouldn't go back - staff and.service was great all around! Jumbo shells were the best on our list of items (ravioli, chicken parmigiana, gnocchi, chicken tortoleone) read more

"I'm freezing my ass off!" (Come up on Jay's while trudging through snow) "I heard this place was goo-" "Great! Let's go in!" When it's 0 outside with slight windchill, of about minus 10, you don't need much encouragement to run into a warm establishment. The place was too adorable and offered plenty of small foursome tables. There was a separate section, outdoor seating (only if you want to get nailed by icicles in the winter), and a bar in the middle. We got a window table and there was hardly anyone in there for a late lunch on a Sunday. I ordered Jay's Famous Jumbo Shells for $12, friend got the Hagan special that allowed you to select three different things for kind of a sampler plate for $14, and HK got a sandwich, that looked awesome. JI's and my plates were baked and the marinara sauce they use is soooo bursting with flavor. I had three huge shells and I thought I wasn't going to be full, but I was stuffed after also eating two pieces of garlic bread that you get with the entree. We got to defrost in there and service was great. Not too expensive and I'm so glad we got a little taste of an awesome restaurant on Pearl Street. read more

We really enjoyed the pasta special combined with wine and garlic bread. It was especially nice sitting outside with the backdrop of the mountains and the bustling Pearl street. We highly recommend stopping here for an Italian feast. Good price tasty food wonderful service. read more

Pasta Jay's - Delicious and beautiful views. - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

PastaJay's catered our event and we had a fabulous spread. I highly recommend their catering service. Novel Coworking has a great event read more

Pasta Jay's - Novel Coworking Member Appreciation - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

First time going there, Sangria was awesome! they brought out or garlic bread and it was fishy tasting NOT GOOD at all, you cold smell the fish before you even took a bite. They bring out a new basket and she said they used less butter But still not good.. When they brought out our garlic knots they were okay but were sitting in the fishy tasting//smelly butter... Very disappointing, main meal was pretty but burnt on top from broiler. read more

In my 8 years of living in Boulder I have eaten at Pasta Jays 3 times. Every single time me, and everyone I ate with, got severe food poisoning and/or diarrhea afterwards. The most recent time was two weeks ago, and I had to skip my trip to meet family out of state, because of the food poisoning. I would not recommend eating here, the food is decent at best. The meat and veggies aren't fresh, and they will make you sick. read more

Pasta Jay's is the best place to get Italian in Boulder. There tends to be a very long wait line and they do not take reservations except on Thursdays so it can be hard to get a table on short notice. Otherwise, the food and service is amazing every time I go! One of my favorite restaurants in Boulder! We often get take-out due to the long wait for a table! read more

I love the food at Pasta Jay's, and I love the atmosphere. The restaurant has been around for decades in Boulder -- no easy feat for any restaurant. Their pasta is so good and their staff is so friendly. I highly recommend this place. It's fun for lunch with friends, or before a game. I love this place. read more

We took our granddaughter and her friends here for a birthday dinner. All of us loved our meals. We will be back whenever we're in Boulder. read more

I've eaten here twice now and think it's overpriced mediocre Italian food. I ordered the stuffed shells as delivery tonight, they arrived hot, well packaged, and looked delicious but taste really terrible. I'm not sure if something is burnt or the seasoning got messed up, but it's inedible. Knowing the restaurant, I wasn't expecting anything crazy delicious, but this is worse than any frozen meal I've ever had. I'm still trying to figure out what they got so wrong, because nothing looks burnt, but I cannot figure it out. Personally, I'd recommend trying any of the other Italian restaurants in town because they're the same price range and much better food, including Il Pastio (I think that's spelt correct) which has homemade pasta. I was really craving some meat sauce which is why I ordered Pasta Jay's tonight, but will not order from there again. 16$ is a lot for inedible shells. read more

We love love love this Italian restaurant. We ordered the Garlic Knots...wonderful. Also had the Tortellini with meat sauce and the Williams Fettucini Alfredo (lightly breaded chicken on top)...best alfredo I've ever had. Social distancing and masks were used. Merlot was great. Service was great. Grasshopper pie was awesome. All around great dinner. We have been here 3x before and each time it was outstanding. Their lasagna night is worth waiting for. Loved it all. We will be back! read more

In a nutshell: Tiiiiny, itty, bitty garden (but that's not their fault, just the way Pearl St. is designed) Waitress brought a water bowl for our dogs -- yay! OK Bloody Mary. Wouldn't get it again. We didn't get a basket of bread until our main courses came out.. bit backwards? Food was A-OK, as 3-stars on Yelp say. No big hits or misses. Overpriced for being so middle-of-the-road. I think my favorite part was just the general ambiance. The restaurant is adorable, and I love how open it is on a sunny day. It's one of those places where you can sit for hours and just enjoy life. read more

See all

I don't care what people say, pasta Jay's is awesome! Best dishes in this order are 1. Tortellone Borbolini 2. Cesare salad 3. Tortellone Alfredo 4. Cheese Tortellone with tomato cream sauce 5. Pizza 6. Pasta Fresca 7. Pesto It's awesome! read more

See all

I've tried this place for the 3rd time and it's just never as good as I want it to be. Which is so disappointing because they have an amazing location and beautiful outdoor seating on the pearl. And when you walk by the food looks amazing, but honestly it just sucks. The first time I tried this place it was mediocre so I thought I'd try again and the second time me (and my 2 friends) fettuccini alfredo's came out luke warm, it wasn't good. Then my boyfriend and I tried it again the other night, and we both felt awful after. Their red sauce is super acidic and the fettuccini sauce is too runny and doesn't have much flavor. I also don't love how they bake all their pasta, makes it way to crunchy. It's definitely disappointing cause I've wanted so badly for their food to be good but I've always left not very satisfied. I don't think I'll be come back again... read more

Hello, i just wanted to say the first time i went to pasta jays I fell in LOVE with the mac and cheese (about a year ago). coming back recently i got my favorite mac and cheese, but something was different. it wasn't the mac i fell in love with. it wasn't cheesy, it wasn't creamy and it wasn't bow tie. It tasted just like buttered noodles and it has ruined my special mac and cheese. read more

Really wish my friend had chose a better place to celebrate her 21st because you only turn 21 once and all one can ask for is a good time, yet she decided on pasta jays and there we sat waiting 1 hour for bread after having to ask 4 people 4 diff times... finally when we get our bread our food follows 10 minutes later only for the waiter to finally come back around to our table and Asks to box things 10 mins after food arrives to kick us out. No we are here for a b day not to be shoved out sorry. Thankfully as any real establishment would they sang happy birthday with us for dawn, however when we all decided to sing her name they decided to add in "pasta jays" as advertisement.. in their own restaurant... killer the vibe not that there ever was one. The food was pretty good though. read more

Super expensive for very greasy Alfredo Williams. Ordered from Doordash. The chicken was overcooked and rubbery and there wasn't enough pasta. read more

I ordered the pasta margarita with chicken. It was very light but tasted great. The pasta was slightly undercooked. Chicken was juicy. Good price for the portion Free garlic bread read more

Pasta Jay's - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

Overpriced and mediocre. Boyfriend and I sat outside. They were semi-prompt to take our drink order and food order but after that initial interaction I think we were forgotten about or maybe they were very short staffed. Took about 30 minutes to get our entrees. Not terribly bad wait time for the food but it took another 10 minutes to get our waters. I got the pesto with chicken and my boyfriend got the buffalo ravioli. Pesto with the chicken was meh. Not very hot when it made it to the table. My boyfriend said his ravioli was good. Probably would not come back. There are better places on pearl street. read more

My friend who lives in Boulder took me here for dinner, and I whole-heartedly agreed to walk in after smelling the Italian aroma from half way down the block. I liked the atmosphere and it was a perfect summer night, but that did not make up for the average food. I got the special of the night which was a parmesan-crusted salmon. It was fine but nothing to write home about. My friend got the Hagan special with about three different kinds of pasta that burnt both of our mouths upon first bite. The service was kind of slow and non-committal and overall, not worth the price of the meal. I would definitely opt for another restaurant on Pearl St. the next time I visit. read more

I had a very hard times deciding how to post my review... I waited 7 hours before I posted to let things simmer. Our food was decent, some of us thought it was superb. For me I had a horrible experience! I ordered a salad and found a hair in my food- granted it may have been the breeze that invited it in and not the cook. That's not what irritated me. The first employee who I asked to come over seemed miserable and when I presented my concern he was obviously unapologetic; matter of fact he didn't even apologize and looked at me like it was my hair that flew in it and I Was the stupid one. When I say obvious I mean my brother in law said exactly what I was thinking! What I did appreciate was the waiter and who may have been a manager that apologized, LISTENED to my concern and were genuinely sorry. I'm not sure if I will give another try- but I will update if I do. read more

Best Italian food in boulder. Everythings so so so so good. 10/10 would go all the way back to boulder just to have it again!!!!

Pastas are fantastic in flavor and size. Overall turnaround service was quick. Fair size with easy view of the street.

It's not often that I can say that a place has never been bad. Well, I can say that about Pasta Jay's. I love everything about Pasta Jay's from the decor, the location, and the atmosphere to the food and wine. I always order a house salad with the house dressing and bleu cheese and I share it with one of my kids who usually has a bite or two. It's a perfect start to the pasta. The pasta is delicious and fresh and hot. (It's really hot, you have to wait a minute for it to cool down.) We've had everything from simple pasta with marinara or pesto to the gnocchi to ravioli to pasta diavolo, baked rigatoni and chicken pesto tortellone. It's usually enough food with the salad for me to eat half and take the rest home for lunch the next day. Also, the bread is delicious - crisp, perfectly seasoned. Over 20 years of meals here have been great. The servers are friendly, matter-of-fact, and they are there when you need them and not there when you don't. I'm a big fan of Pasta Jay's. read more

Nice place, it's really busy though, so it'd be best to make a reservation. And even if you do make a reservation, they only seat you until your entire party arrives. That's at least what happened to us. As for the food, it was pretty good, very home-y. I didn't particularly enjoy my dish, Chicken Cacciatore, but I sampled other people's dishes and they were tasty. I loved that they give you a big basket of garlic bread with your meal. :) read more

Pasta Jay's - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

See all

Delicious traditional Italian fare.Red sauce or white sauce both are delicious on any pasta you choose. It takes a while for your food to come out but they have decent cocktails for you to enjoy while you wait. It is so worth the wait plus you get to buy some sauce to take home. read more

The pasta here is bold, rich, and heavy. It's delicious for sure, but don't bring your S.O. here if you want to get laid. You will get a nap instead. Pro-tip: Arrive before 6pm if you don't want a long wait. Plus side - if you get there too late, put your name down and grab a drink at Eureka across the street - exceptional cocktails. read more

I called February 9, 2022 and made a reservation to Celebrate my Son's graduation on May 5, 2022 @ 5:30pm for 12 people (well in advance). I have documentation - text and call records that I made the phone calls at around 12:15 2/9/22 and sent texts to my son to confirm within a few minutes of getting off the phone. Today I called to confirm and ask if we could bring an extra person and was told they did not have record of our reservation. (they have a book they handwrite it in???? - I am out of town and can't see the book). Mind you, they do not give a confirmation number or any sort of receipt. I talked to the manager and he denied it was in their book and said he was full for that day and the next and could not/would not help me and Hung up on me..... He was very very rude to me. This a definite sign of poor management.... shame on you Pasta Jay's! We have been coming to Pasta Jay's since 2011, we also have family in Boulder....this was where my son wanted to celebrate his Graduation and you failed us in every way....... read more

Not bad but service was slow. Ordered a pizza which had TONS of garlic. If you love garlic, you'll love the pizza but WAY too much for me which overshadowed the other ingredients. read more

Terrible wine. Terrible pizza. Terrible salad. pasta had no flavor except burnt garlic. waste of time and money.

My daughter and I were headed to a different restaurant, which was closed this week. So, the fall back was Pasta Jay's. And, as usual, the food was excellent. It was a fairly busy lunch crown and they could have had more servers. I am, however, continually disappointed with the to go containers being "clam shells." In a town that is so conscious of composting and recycling, a restaurant so respected needs to stop contributing to the local garbage. read more

This is a solid place for some pasta but not the best I've ever had! The wait during peak times can be pretty intense, but if you have a smaller party it's not as bad. The service was relatively slow, but the food is hearty with good sized portions! There's nothing tangibly wrong with this place, the food is just very average. read more

Pasta Jay's - Italian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

See all