This was an incidental find while walking on the riverfront. The restaurant staff was amazing and we meet a vegan server who helped us out with options. We got the veggie sauté and aglio e olio pasta. Both this were amazing with Perfect seasoning and flavor. They also provided us with house bread. I would definitely go here again if I am craving pasta again.
Really happy with our lunch at Pastini. We started with their calamari appetizer which was wonderfully light. I got the spicy spaghetti which was cooked just right with perfect sausage and spicy sauce. Everyone was quite full, very happy and had a box of leftovers to enjoy later in the day. Great stop for Italian if you are in the area.
Excellent service, good food that was tailored to our dietary needs, and a reasonable price. The portions are large, enough to split for senior eaters. Patio eating is a plus on sunny days.
I love Pastini except this visit. I took my 93 yr old friend for a late afternoon lunch. The hostess sat us a a great table for a woman with a walker. She arranged the napkins and silverware and walked away. 10 minutes later the waitress arrived for our orders and notices we still had no menus. Wonderful helpful waitress! This was not the norm here. We had the butternut ravioli, good but to many hazelnuts on board.
S/O Beth. This woman needs a god damn raise. Personality, service, and wits about her were (and clearly) will always be beyond a 10.The 45 minutes my family and I spent there were not enough to fully appreciate this experience and her alone.The food was immaculate, but come on!! Let’s talk about BETH. angel, provider, Buddha of the hospitality industry.Nothing but positivity, love, and good people when it comes to this joint.Hey Beth? Adore ya, sister. See ya next time.
They are consistent in their dishes
This was our first time here. We will definitely be back again. We were very impressed! We ordered from their special lunch menu (available 11am-3pm). Great value! Pasta, salad or soup, add bread and a drink. I ordered the fettuccine alfredo added chicken, salad (no iceburg lettuce they have fresh, dark greens)! I added 2 pieces of their soft garlic bread (shared one) and an ice tea. My husband ordered the spaghetti carbonara with salad greens, coke and ate the other piece of garlic bread that I ordered. Great: -Clean restaurant and bathrooms. -Service was good. -Great location! In the Old Mill District by the river. -Everything we ordered tasted very fresh. The ice tea was strong and not watered down. -Fun atmosphere. -You can order from their special lunch menu or regular menu. -Offers a variety of non and alcoholic fun beverages. -They have they have really nice outdoor patio during the warmer months too. Their food will put you in a happy mood quickly. Needs improvement: None. We are definitely going back when we travel though Bend again next month. This is our new favorite restaurant!
It has taken me almost seven months to write this review, as I have still been processing the events that took place on the night we visited Pastini. I had even considered not writing this review and questioned my own judgment but realized that I was just in denial and did not want to accept that were discriminated against. I was in Bend, Oregon in August of 2020 visiting my mother and sister. On the 8th of August, my family and I, who were a party of eight, decided to go to Pastini's for dinner. Before I go any further, I would like to mention that we are a Mexican American family. We walked into Pastini's around 7:00pm and I walked up to the hostess at the counter and asked how long the wait was. She told me about 30-40 minutes. I asked to be put on the waiting list. I was told to hold on and the hostess went to speak to another employee. The other employee, who also appeared to be a hostess, told me that they could not accommodate parties larger than seven. I stated that the eighth person in my party was just a child, and that he could share a plate with me if needed. The second hostess called the manager over to speak with me. The manager told me that they were not staffed to accommodate parties larger that seven and that there was nothing he could do for us. I looked around and noticed that it was not very crowded and there was available seating throughout the restaurant. At this time, a party of eight White guests walked into Pastini's and were standing in the lobby right behind us. The manager then told the other party of eight to please hold on and that he would be right with them. I told the manager, "They are also a party of eight, I guess they can't dine here either, right." He just rolled his eyes and told me that he could not help us. As we walked out of the restaurant, I turned to the other party of eight and told them that their party was too big and they would not be able to dine there. The manager told me to leave and not to bother his guests. As we left the restaurant, I also noticed a party of nine White guests dining in the patio. I stood outside to see if the manager was going to let the other party of eight dine in, or send them away as he did us. After about 10 minutes, and a couple of glances outside to see if we were still there, the manager had the hostess seat the entire party of eight. I have never experienced blatant racism like this before. It was humiliating and dehumanizing to be treated like this. The worst part of it is that my two sons were with me. My nine year old was trying to comprehend what had just happened, and wanted to know why they let the other party eat there, and not us. How do you explain that to a nine year old. We were treated like second class citizens and judged for being Mexican. It was disgusting. When I returned home, I called the Pastini HQ, and was put in touch with the district manager. Though she was polite and empathetic to the situation, she was not really any help. She made excuses for the manager's behavior, mentioned something about sensitivity training and offered me a 100.00 gift card. I rejected her offer and asked if she could review the cameras so that she could see for herself, what had went down. She told me that the restaurant did not have any cameras. It took me a while to process what happened that night. I even made excuses for the manager. Being that he was a little man and I am 6'3, I told myself that maybe he had a Napoleon complex, and it was just me he didn't like. Maybe it had nothing to do with my race. Looking back now, it's quite obvious that it had everything to do with our race. It feels good to get this off my chest, as it has been eating away at me for some time. EM
I used to live in Portland and went to Pastini when I was a kid. It had always been a favorite of mine. Then to discover it as an adult here in Bend! And all the same amazing flavors as when I was young. Plus the people who work there are consistent and awesome. It's in an amazingly beautiful spot on the water front. Wonderful wine selection. Prices really good for such high quality food. I highly recommend.
We have had phenomenal experiences at Pastini. The food is exceptional, the service is fast, the staff are friendly and attentive, and the dishes are reasonably priced. We ended up here on our way through Bend last year, and then planned a honeymoon partially so we could come back here! We will be regulars - well, as regular as we can be as out-of-towners!