people! remember to balance your dishes! a little acid on the brussels would go a long way. also, the calamari deserves better than canned tomatoes with a few random ingredients tossed in
JBG
This was our 4th time here. The staff is VERY nice and the place has a nice atmosphere. The first time the soup was good, the last three times- tasteless as if they forgot the seasoning. The barciola dish does not come with braciola as listed, maybe they should update their online menu. The chicken parm was stringy and tasted off, we threw it out. The pasta was "ok". The broccoli rabe dish was acceptable and the bread was good. Gave the place 4 tries because the choices in Delmar are few but will not return. Completely unacceptable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Dave F
We’re there frequently and the food is consistently excellent. Menu is full of well executed traditional Italian dishes. Staff is friendly and very attentive. Icing on the cake - prices are very reasonable for high quality offerings. We plan to continue visiting often.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrew Joyce
Absolute perfection from beginning to end. We can’t wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shelby Bojdak
A top choice in the Capital Region!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lori B.
Just left a dinner party at Pastina's. What a delight! Have never been to this restaurant before but I most definitely will again. Lovely ambience, pleasant staff and the spread of dishes served was amazing! Caesar salad had an authentically flavorful dressing with delicious crushed croutons and grated Parmesan cheese. The veal Marsala was exquisite with fresh mushrooms and the most tender veal medallions you can imagine. The crispy brussel sprouts were excellent. Rather than smothering the chicken parm with mozzarella, the chef carefully spread just the right amount allowing the flavorful tomato sauce to be appreciated. We had the pleasure of enjoying the Zuppa di Pesce as well. Extraordinary! The desserts were scrumptious, to put an end to an incredible meal. So pleased to have had this experience and look forward to sharing it with friends in the future.
David Hettrich
Very accommodating, great service and the food was delicious. Had the Halibut special not listed below for dishes we liked.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kayla G.
We loved Pastina! The food was delicious and the service was very good, we would definitely return for a nice evening out. For food, we were served bread and butter initially. The bread was fresh and warm, and I appreciated it was a light bread and not a heavy start to dinner. We ordered two glasses of red wine, to be honest I do not recall the names. I do wish the wine menu had some descriptors, we are not seasoned wine drinkers and would have liked that guidance on the menu. (We could and should have asked our server, but, it was very busy and we just went for it.)We ordered the prosciutto & buratta appetizer ($20) and we knew right away we were in for a great meal. Zero complaints - order it, it was fantastic. My dinner was the chicken francais, served with pasta. The sauce was very good, and I most certainly used my last bit of bread to soak some up. The chicken was well seasoned and a nice portion. My partner had the eggplant parm, and he ate every last bite, so I'd say that was a good meal, too. No prices are posted online, our meals were in the higher end of the $20s range, each. Our wines were $15/glass and I was satisfied with the pours.The service was very good. We felt well attended to and were never waiting, despite how busy it was. Ambiance is my only critique and reason for four stars. It was busy and we were packed into that tiny restaurant. While lovely to see the restaurant well attended, the sound was a bit overwhelming and the tables are too close to one another, you do feel like you are eating with your neighbors. We also experienced, as another reviewer mentioned, a chef slicing the prosciutto fresh in the main restaurant area. It did feel a little strange. We were quite close to him and made eye contact at a point, but he doesn't interact with the guests and I'm not quite sure I understand the point of this awkward interaction. No room in the kitchen? Haha. We were too full for dessert but will be back for a special night out!
Bernard Ng
Excellent and quaint gem of a neighborhood Italian restaurant. Service was fast, friendly, and attentive. Food was excellent, flavorful , and carefully prepared. Definitely will recommend and go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kathleen Economides
First time visit. Nice atmosphere. Good food. Bread was disappointing- cold. Food was good, but lukewarm.
Fantastic food and service. Restaurant is very cramped though. Noise isn't too bad as patrons are aware of how close other tables are. Parking is also limited, but there is a lot across the street from the restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Picatta
Paul MacFarland
Trying to be fair and equitable here. First time here at this establishment. Very small with limited seating inside and out but food was very good ( quality & presentation), however service could have been better. Waiting time for drinks after initial order was longer than expected. Maybe they were understaffed. Not going to beat up this establishment understanding the current workforce shortages but that’s why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. Other than that , a good eatery.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Joe Recchia
After seeing all of these good reviews we were excited to try this place. Unfortunately, I was disappointed to say the least. While my meal was OK , my one daughters chicken parm was over cooked and my wife and other daughter decided to order off menu and got spaghetti pomodoro, a very simple dish to make. Both sent it back due to tasting nothing but garlic. In addition, the shisito peppers we ordered were undercooked with no flavor. I am Italian and know good Italian food and maybe they were off that night but it was not good. Also it was extremely loud in there since it is small.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Robert Shannon
Went out for an Italian dinner we were served great food with excellent service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jean-Francois Briere
Everything in Pastina was superb: the appetizer, the main dish (sole), the dessert (gelato), the Italian wine, the espresso, the service. We felt like we were transported back to Florence. Only the Italian-speaking waiter was missing. Fine dining at its best. 5/5
people! remember to balance your dishes! a little acid on the brussels would go a long way. also, the calamari deserves better than canned tomatoes with a few random ingredients tossed in
This was our 4th time here. The staff is VERY nice and the place has a nice atmosphere. The first time the soup was good, the last three times- tasteless as if they forgot the seasoning. The barciola dish does not come with braciola as listed, maybe they should update their online menu. The chicken parm was stringy and tasted off, we threw it out. The pasta was "ok". The broccoli rabe dish was acceptable and the bread was good. Gave the place 4 tries because the choices in Delmar are few but will not return. Completely unacceptable.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
We’re there frequently and the food is consistently excellent. Menu is full of well executed traditional Italian dishes. Staff is friendly and very attentive. Icing on the cake - prices are very reasonable for high quality offerings. We plan to continue visiting often.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolute perfection from beginning to end. We can’t wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A top choice in the Capital Region!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Just left a dinner party at Pastina's. What a delight! Have never been to this restaurant before but I most definitely will again. Lovely ambience, pleasant staff and the spread of dishes served was amazing! Caesar salad had an authentically flavorful dressing with delicious crushed croutons and grated Parmesan cheese. The veal Marsala was exquisite with fresh mushrooms and the most tender veal medallions you can imagine. The crispy brussel sprouts were excellent. Rather than smothering the chicken parm with mozzarella, the chef carefully spread just the right amount allowing the flavorful tomato sauce to be appreciated. We had the pleasure of enjoying the Zuppa di Pesce as well. Extraordinary! The desserts were scrumptious, to put an end to an incredible meal. So pleased to have had this experience and look forward to sharing it with friends in the future.
Very accommodating, great service and the food was delicious. Had the Halibut special not listed below for dishes we liked.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We loved Pastina! The food was delicious and the service was very good, we would definitely return for a nice evening out. For food, we were served bread and butter initially. The bread was fresh and warm, and I appreciated it was a light bread and not a heavy start to dinner. We ordered two glasses of red wine, to be honest I do not recall the names. I do wish the wine menu had some descriptors, we are not seasoned wine drinkers and would have liked that guidance on the menu. (We could and should have asked our server, but, it was very busy and we just went for it.)We ordered the prosciutto & buratta appetizer ($20) and we knew right away we were in for a great meal. Zero complaints - order it, it was fantastic. My dinner was the chicken francais, served with pasta. The sauce was very good, and I most certainly used my last bit of bread to soak some up. The chicken was well seasoned and a nice portion. My partner had the eggplant parm, and he ate every last bite, so I'd say that was a good meal, too. No prices are posted online, our meals were in the higher end of the $20s range, each. Our wines were $15/glass and I was satisfied with the pours.The service was very good. We felt well attended to and were never waiting, despite how busy it was. Ambiance is my only critique and reason for four stars. It was busy and we were packed into that tiny restaurant. While lovely to see the restaurant well attended, the sound was a bit overwhelming and the tables are too close to one another, you do feel like you are eating with your neighbors. We also experienced, as another reviewer mentioned, a chef slicing the prosciutto fresh in the main restaurant area. It did feel a little strange. We were quite close to him and made eye contact at a point, but he doesn't interact with the guests and I'm not quite sure I understand the point of this awkward interaction. No room in the kitchen? Haha. We were too full for dessert but will be back for a special night out!
Excellent and quaint gem of a neighborhood Italian restaurant. Service was fast, friendly, and attentive. Food was excellent, flavorful , and carefully prepared. Definitely will recommend and go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time visit. Nice atmosphere. Good food. Bread was disappointing- cold. Food was good, but lukewarm.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Picatta
Restaurantji Recommends
Fantastic food and service. Restaurant is very cramped though. Noise isn't too bad as patrons are aware of how close other tables are. Parking is also limited, but there is a lot across the street from the restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Picatta
Trying to be fair and equitable here. First time here at this establishment. Very small with limited seating inside and out but food was very good ( quality & presentation), however service could have been better. Waiting time for drinks after initial order was longer than expected. Maybe they were understaffed. Not going to beat up this establishment understanding the current workforce shortages but that’s why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. Other than that , a good eatery.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
After seeing all of these good reviews we were excited to try this place. Unfortunately, I was disappointed to say the least. While my meal was OK , my one daughters chicken parm was over cooked and my wife and other daughter decided to order off menu and got spaghetti pomodoro, a very simple dish to make. Both sent it back due to tasting nothing but garlic. In addition, the shisito peppers we ordered were undercooked with no flavor. I am Italian and know good Italian food and maybe they were off that night but it was not good. Also it was extremely loud in there since it is small.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Went out for an Italian dinner we were served great food with excellent service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Everything in Pastina was superb: the appetizer, the main dish (sole), the dessert (gelato), the Italian wine, the espresso, the service. We felt like we were transported back to Florence. Only the Italian-speaking waiter was missing. Fine dining at its best. 5/5