Pastacino Restaurant Cafe

This place is one of my favourite places in all of Hamilton to go - I usually only go on special occasions as I revere the food and pastas that much and would never want to spoil the pleasure in which I have each outing I go. I boldly say that of my seven years in Hamilton that this is the best italian restaurant in the city. My favourite dish is the Chicken Parmigiana - the meal always feels like it was cooked right then and there and the quality is unreal, it just is perfectly cooked just a notch past al dente pasta with a delicious red sauce and a great serving of chicken cutlets. The servers are always top notch and so respectful and always take good care of things. To work there I would definately have some pride in my work, just outstanding place in all.

Food was okay, but nothing special and on the cold side. We waited AGES to get our orders taken and forever for our food after that. We asked to speak to the manager... got attitude from waitress AND the manager. Disgusting! We were told we were lucky to be accommodated without reservations so our service was our own fault... WHATEVER, would have gone elsewhere NO PROBLEM! You better believe I tell everyone to NEVER go there!!

A Good Experience

I have been to Pastacinos twice with my sister and enjoyed the experience both times. I didn’t know what to expect on my initial visit as the outside of the restaurant is very unassuming, but I was pleasantly surprised on entering. The atmosphere and décor were warm, and we were seated straightaway, although we had not made a reservation on this occasion. On our second visit we did have to wait a few minutes even though we had booked a table; but it was a Saturday night and much busier, so it was not unexpected. Once seated our drinks order was taken quickly and the cranberry juice I had was delicious. Neither my sister nor I eat meat so we were pleased that there was a good selection of dishes for us to find something we liked. The first time I had the penne with sundried tomatoes served with a salad which was extremely good. The serving was large and left me with no room for a dessert, so on our second visit we had the smaller portion which was just right. We both had the linguini with roasted vegetables which was even better. Both dishes were freshly made and although there was a bit of a wait for our meal it was not excessive. The staff were friendly and helpful on both occasions, and we were also thanked by the manager on our second visit for making a reservation. I thought the prices were reasonable for what you get, and would definitely go to this restaurant again.

Worst Experience EVER

My boyfriend and I have been going here for every special occasion for years. We went in on Valentine's Day.. we had a reservation at 7:15, showed up and were told there were be a little bit of a wait for your table. 5 minutes later, another couple came in and said they had a reservation at 7:30 and were immediately seated. We decided to give the hostess the benefit of a doubt but when we were seated 20 minutes later we had to wait another 20 before someone even took our drink order. 10 minutes to get our drinks and another 25 after that to have our order taken. Order order was finally taken at 8:30 but we then waited until 9:30 before we saw our food. We understood it was busy but we thought this was kind of ridiculous. Still, we felt we should voice our concerns with the manager. When we spoke to her she proceeded to start airing personal information about a staff member who was not at work tonight and listed off more than 5 excuses (none of which were our fault or anything as consumers we should have had to have been concerned about). My boyfriend finally spoke up and asked if it would be reasonable that our appetizer be removed from the bill because of the wait time (in any other restaurant, the meal would have been covered. From there she literally screamed and him citing how ridiculous he was being and stormed off. She promptly same back with the bill, slammed it on the table and cleared our dishes (without asking if we were done might I add!) Let me tell you, we will NEVER be back. Advice to management: take a course in customer service, when your customer complains, listen and offer a solution so you can hope they'll be back. I have never been so appalled in my life!

I visited Pastacino this past Friday night after trying to get into the Keg. I was in the mood for a fresh plate of pasta and that is exactly what I got. I ordered linguine with shimp and peppers in oil and garlic and it was excellent. The linguine is made in house (I asked before ordering) and the shrimp were plentiful. My date ordered the rotolo and she loved it. Rotolo are ricotta cheese, proscuitto and spinach in a rolled pasta, baked in rose sauce. I tired a small piece and they were great. The Caesar and house salads were both great as well. We skipped dessert, but the cakes looked great! My only complaint is that the service could have been more attentive, but it was a Friday night, so I’ll let it pass. I will be back again to try their pizza… I ordered it the first time I went and I remember it being excellent.