Overcooked pasta My boyfriend and I came here for the first time a week ago, and the food was amazing. We live 5 minutes away and we thought this was gonna be a new go-to pasta place. But today was so disappointing---The most overcooked pasta we've ever had. Maybe we had a bad batch. Whatever it may be, al dente is how it should be made. Please improve, we would love this to be where we normally go for decent pasta in Irvine. read more

Pasta Viva - overcooked pasta - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

Chloe was the best server ever. She went above and beyond and the pasta is super fresh. The chicken was super fresh. There was so much garlic. The portion size was amazing. The ambience is great. The music was great. The place was clean. There was nothing about this place that I could complain about. read more

Pasta Viva - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

Overall, the atmosphere and customer service were great. However, the pastas we ordered were unfortunately overcooked and gummy. Using fresh pasta is a nice touch, but it can overcook easily if not timed right. I was expecting the pasta to have a nice bite and texture, but instead it felt more like eating play dough. The sauces were also just okay. I actually had to send one back because it was so watery that it had almost no flavor. Since the sauce had already absorbed into the pasta, it made the noodles even mushier and caused them to fall apart while eating. The foccocia flatbread was good and had great flavor. But, it was cold and could've been heated up make the bread a bit crustier prior to serving. Overall wanted to love this place and the concept of it sounds awesome but fell flat especially paying $60ish for my meal. read more

We had Foodja deliver Pasta Viva for lunch today and it was really good, the entire office loved it. The Alfredo was light and creamy, the ingredients were fresh and nicely prepared. read more

Pasta Viva - Make your own pasta with chicken and mushrooms. - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

This is a hidden gem my wife and I was in the area and this place didn't disappoint at all food was delicious and on point the service was excellent as well Chole really took her time to explain everything about the menu to us we brought 2 different pasts plus the dessert pasta everything was so good we actually ordered the to go pasta special as well Thanks for everything we will definitely be back and send our family & friends as well read more

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Maryjane M. Great service Staff very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Having organic root beer. Having the Alfredo roasted garlic pasta with Alfredo sauce and a touch of Parmesan cheese highly recommend this. Also having the Caesar salad with avocado also delicious. Having Limoncello cookies. Bathroom very clean. Place very clean. Parking decent. 5 stars thanks for a first time visit. read more

The location is very easy to find in the food court at Main & MacArthur. We arrived for a late lunch to find they still had a vibrant lunch crowd providing a high energy atmosphere. Their menu is a variety of choices of additions to their thick and very tasty Parmesan Alfredo Cheese sauce on freshly made fettuccine. The chefs were friendly and the available tables were clean and ready for us. read more

We decided to stop in this past weekend to try this restaurant given the fact that they talk about clean ingredients and flour imported from Italy. All that seems to be true given how this pasta seems lighter than pasta I've tried at restaurants that I know don't import their flour from Italy. This is definitely not my first time trying pasta like this. It's about on par with other restaurants that do similar. I do credit them for doing pasta this way because you don't feel like you have a gut bomb after eating here. That's all great, but one issue I have with this restaurant's food is the fact that the portions are a bit small for the price. Also, the chicken in my pesto dish and the chicken in the game changer was dry. I understand that this is more like a quick service restaurant so they probably already have the chicken pre-cooked so it's to be expected that it's a bit dry. Given the prices this should not be happening. One thing I noticed that was unique about their pasta is both dishes had some lemon flavor to them which I have not experienced before in a pesto or an alfredo dish. I can't say I loved that aspect of the food but it was interesting. One other thing I did not like about eating here was that they have Tractor drinks. I think I've tried them one other time somewhere else and they really are just glorified flavored water and light on the flavor at that. For $4.50 you should get more for your money than glorified flavored water. It's not all negative here though. I like the direction they're going with this restaurant but I think they definitely need to improve a few things. It is their soft opening so I hope that they can improve upon things for their grand opening. I do think that if you want food like this, there are better places to get it at the moment. Maybe in time this will be the go-to spot for authentic Italian pasta. Right now it's just not. read more

Great tasting pasta and flavor, definitely will come again!!! Presentation with the pasta wheel was cool!! read more

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Was excited to try this new pasta spot near me and i was very disappointed. I placed an online order and got a notification within 2 minutes that my order was ready.. seems a bit too fast considering the time it takes to boil/heat up pasta, mix it into the sauce and cheese wheel, and assemble the bowl.. when i went to try my food, the pasta was soooooo dry! Quite literally like there wasnt any sauce. I even dug to the bottom and there was no visible or taste evidence of sauce. The meatballs i ordered were dry, the mushrooms were decent. The pasta texture is light and bouncy. If you want a fast meal then sure but it seems they purposefully skimp out on sauce to get you to pay for more or the worker preparing my bowl was trying to break a personal record for speed but forgot a key ingredient. Not sure i'd try this spot again or recommend. read more

Really good pasta. Had the parm and mushroom bowl. Protein is extra charge so beware.

I ordered pasta and meat sauce it came with dried out noodles and what looked like dog food on top

My friend and I were looking for a quick bite to eat and were craving Italian. We stumbled upon Pasta Viva and were intrigued by their takeout style set up as opposed to the surplus of sit-down "fine dining" in the area. They offered quality, fresh made pasta where you can select from a pre-set menu or build your own plate to your tastes. They use alfredo as the base sauce for the build your own pasta; we added pesto, garlic cloves and chicken to ours. It's a bit steep of a price for one person (~$18+ depending on what you add), but it's a good option if you're like me and you like to share. We also got the blood orange Italian soda and it was very refreshing! Service was excellent and the staff were attentive and kind, even bringing our order to our booth. The interior is super cute as well, I really enjoyed the layout! read more

Pasta Viva - build your own pasta & blood orange soda - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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Incredibly fresh and authentic flavors at Pasta Viva. Met the owner and she was very friendly and passionate about her restaurant. The pasta is handmade in house! The quality of the actual pasta was terrific and the staff were super friendly. I'm glad we gave it a chance despite the other reviews. Recommended! read more

The serving size is generous. I wasn't able to finish mone for lunch, so i had about half for dinner. I do think the roasted veggies are expensive for the portion you get. I ran out of roasted veggies while eating. Idk for 4 dollars I'd like more esp as veggies are cheap to sell. I was also annoyed at the onion skins i had to pick out from the roasted veggies. The pasta is good! Really creamy and the pasta itself is cooked well. Not al dente but i dont like that. They aren't overcooked and soggy if thats an issue for you. Just slightly more than al dente. Will return! And was not v busy during a thursday at 12:30pm for a plaza that caters to office workers. read more

Pasta Viva - Cheese Wheel Pasta (Build-Your-Own) Bowl, roasted veggies, - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

Food was fresh n flavorful. Service was fast. You go to the counter n order n then find a seat. Inside or out. Not alot of seating. Was clean n well kept. Would link to see more pasta shapes n not just fettuccine. read more

Love this place. They make the food in front of you and they are always super friendly. It's a cute little space with plenty of tables outside if you prefer to eat outside. I love the Bolognese pasta as well as the basic chicken Alfredo. The pasta taste amazing and we love the stuff. Definitely recommend this place to everyone. It's also affordable! read more

We love this Italian concept of Cheese & Pasta, however, I've read the most recent reviews and heard from several folks who ate there recently and it's really disappointing hearing how bad food condition (cold, sandwiches falling apart, expensive) is as well as the establishment condition (dirty) appears. Learning this we don't want to waste a trip from San Diego to Irvine to be disappointed on what we were excited to try out. Establishment Manager needs read the reviews and correct these concerning issues so reviews become outstanding showing this place is well worth the eating-visit! read more

I like pasta viva! The actual pasta is pretty good quality and the sauce is super yummy. I also really liked the meatballs and roasted garlic!! It is a little on the pricier side, but I still really enjoyed the food overall. The workers are also all super super nice :) read more

Pasta Viva - Chicken Game Changer (ChickenMushrooms) Pasta - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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Went to the grand opening and got the bolognese pasta. It was delicious! I just wish they had garlic bread to go with. Also tried the pesto which is equally yummy. read more

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No flavor and chewey pasta over priced for what you get I don't think I would not come back I have had way better pasta and cost less

Came to try them for the first time, tempted by the Bogo pasta wheel. But apparently they "miscommunicated" how long the deal was not honor it. They said it was supposed to be through the end of the year, but they just decided to change it until through Christmas. Guess I won't be trying it, don't want to support that sort of business practice. read more

Pasta Viva - Bogus BOGO deal - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

Came here for lunch for the first time. I'm a sucker for fresh made pasta and this place didn't disappoint. The cashier helped us decide on sauce and toppings. Service was great and the food delish. Would definitely come back. read more

Cute interior and friendly staff. A few tables inside and more outside. Pasta was overcooked and felt doughy. Flavor was very rich. read more

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Pricey. Interesting?...desert chocolate paste was interesting? Good to try it once. Not sure if I would go back. read more

Pasta was great and ordered the Viva Bowl. Great food, fast service and great people!

If you love fresh made pasta, this place is for you! The restaurant is small but the taste is big! My handmade pasta was mixed in a huge cheese wheel with delicious sauce and savory meatballs! Can you say YUM?? Highly recommend Pasta Viva for lunch or dinner! This was my first visit but am planning a return trip just for a tasty meal! read more

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Great place I liked the food and service Fast and easy I would recommend it for sure if you want something good and quick read more

Ok so I found this place through tiktok. Gave it a shot one day after work and was quite pleased. The staff were patient (I had questions haha) and professional. The food? Best part. As it should be. I got a make your own bowl with filet mingon (can't spell sorry) and the focaccia. Excellent. Not oily pasta. One bowl is enough for two servings. And it reheats well. I later took my mom here (she has tummy issues) and loved it with no tummy rebellion! Thrilled for another pasta place that's not Olive Garden. read more

The sauces were delicious! The service was great and we definitely want to come back!

I just tried this spot today for a cute lunch date with my husband. The surrounding area is a really nice place for eating outdoors. The restaurant itself was cute, it had a boutique vibe with the decor. The one employee I interacted with was nice and had an approachable demeanor. This is a great location if you don't like ordering in person because they had a really easy to navigate ordering system that didn't involve needing to speak to anyone. Introvert friendly! The food was good! We tried the basic bowl, just Alfredo with no fixings because I always believe in judging a place by its basics. Salty fatty meats can pull a lot of flavor weight and cover up for mediocre basics so I start with the simplest items. And wow! I was really surprised! Restaurant Alfredo can sometimes be on the blander side but this one was great! You could taste the cheese and everything they added. The final scoop of parm and seasonings they topped the bowl with at the end gave the dish an herby punch. The handmade noodles are a fantastic touch as well, they had a nice chew and flavor. All in all it's was a very pleasant meal and a place we'll definitely try again. I'd recommend bringing a toothpick; the parsley and herbs were very attracted to our teeth! My only "complaint" which doesn't impact my rating at all, is for the price point it would be nice if the to-go container was filled. It's not that large of a container so portion wise it felt like a lighter lunch than we were expecting. read more

Fast food meets restaurant-style pastas, sandwiches, and salads made with fresh ingredients and house-made pastas. I tried the Gladiator Bolognese with Meatballs and their create your cheese wheel pasta with meatballs and chicken. Both were light and creamy. My favorite was the cheese wheel pasta with meatballs. The chicken we had was slightly dry, not sure if it was because they just opened and it was towards the end of the night. All their hot pastas are tossed in a hollowed-out, giant cheese wheel (like Parmigiano-Reggiano), which creates a creamy coating. The service was fast, and the ambiance was clean and upbeat with club dance music. I enjoyed the food and have returned many times. read more

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Ordered: chicken pesto pasta What I got: a bowl of salt with a side of cold chicken and cold pasta. This place ain't it. Next. read more

Came to Pasta Viva for the first time with high expectations, especially knowing they import their flour directly from Italy, which also explains why prices run higher than your typical Italian spot. Right off the bat, the ordering process was frustrating. Instead of ordering with an actual person, we were required to use a self-service kiosk. For a first-timer, that's not very intuitive or welcoming, especially when you have questions or want to customize. I asked an employee if I could do pink sauce (half marinara, half Alfredo), and she explained that their red sauces already have an Alfredo base. Food-wise, the noodles were really good and clearly high quality. The sauce was rich and flavorful, having both depth and creaminess. That said, the meatballs were tasty but noticeably small for the price, which felt disappointing given the premium cost. The Caesar salad was good, fresh, and well dressed, but not impressive or memorable. Overall, Pasta Viva isn't bad, but the experience didn't quite justify the pricing. If you already know what you want and don't mind kiosk ordering, you may enjoy it more. As a first-time guest, it felt a little impersonal and underwhelming for what you pay. read more

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Listen up Irvine! Saw many reviews where they were complaining about paying too much and I saw a couple people say $50 pp??? What the heck did they order ???? I just went there last night. Ordered 3 dishes. Came out to $50 and the 4 of us shared the three meals plus we had left overs. The service was good. Didn't take long to get our food. Inside was limited seating but we were a party of 6 and we were able to sit as people left when we arrived. There is outdoor seating where you can find seating with no problem. We watched them dip the pasta in the pinwheel. The pasta comes out super cheesy. Especially after they flame up the pinwheel. The pesto was very flavorful and the pasta you can taste it's freshly made. Definitely looking forward to go back read more

OMG this place is the BOMB!!! I came here after looking online that they have a giant cheese wheel that they mix the pasta in and holy mole thats a big wheel!! I customized my pasta and it was the chefs kiss definitely coming back with friends and family!! read more

Great food and will be come back to enjoy it again. The chicken and mushroom with cheese was excellent! read more

Had high expectations about this place when I read the comment's. The flavor just isn't there. Alfredo sauce, too runny and lacks flavor. Cheese wheel is probably the only wow factor. read more

Pasta Viva - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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We loved eating at Pasta Viva. My wife and I saw a review and eagerly made the drive. Chloe and was so sweet and kind to my girls and the food was incredible. I mean hand cooked pasta made in a Parmesan cheese wheel is always going to be on point. We got the Chicken Alfredo and the Biva Diva which was a red sauce with meat balls, and the calabria focaccia flat bread and it was all incredible. If you want fresh home cooked food with good quality service come check them out! read more

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Loved the fast, casual experience- especially when trying to dine with a toddler! Everything was fresh and delicious. You could taste the authenticity of the noodles and sauces. The salad was crisp with just the right amount of tang! Just realized I didn't take any pictures, but that's because we couldn't stop ourselves. The staff were super friendly and nice- and immediately offered a highchair and to carry our tray for us! This will be a regular stop for us! read more

Pasta Viva - My baby enjoying The Gladiator (Bolognese Meatballs) Pasta! - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California