Today’s Takeout Pick: Pastaria

Much of the restaurant industry has had to rapidly change its business model due to COVID-19, and we’re highlighting the Nashville places that are attempting to stay open. Each day we will give you a critic’s pick for a restaurant and a dish, as well as a running list of restaurants still open that you can support. Today: Pastaria.

When I’ve frequently recommended Pastaria to friends over the years, I've always mentioned how much I enjoy the flexible dining experiences available inside the attractive restaurant, which is at 8 City Blvd. in the ONE C1TY complex off Charlotte near Centennial Park. Need a quick spot for a business lunch? They’ve got you covered with a tight menu of midday specials and efficient service. Dining with kids? The well-spaced tables are usually filled with families, and nobody seems to mind much if your young ones take a little time to wander around between courses. Looking for a more adult experience? Belly up to the pizza bar and watch the chefs at work or steal away to the cost and appropriately dim bar area with its excellent selection of Italian amari to make up the backbone of some great cocktails or sipped alone as a digestif.

But truth be told, I’ve probably ordered carryout from Pastaria at least as many times as I’ve actually sat at a table. They already had the experience down before the pandemic, with a dedicated counter and cashier located just inside the front door and abundant free parking nearby to make zipping in and out easy as pie ... or tiramisu. It’s also conveniently the same spot where you can pick up some fresh pasta to take home for your own cooking or a pint or three of their fabulous selection of gelati in a rainbow of flavors.

So they were ready for this whole emergency carryout situation without having to majorly rejigger their operations to handle a pivot to more to-go business. This makes Pastaria an ideal option for a meal when you just can’t bear coming up with something new to cook or aren’t willing to brave the maskless mobs at the grocery.

While the cuisine at Pastaria logically skews Italian, there’s still plenty of variety to choose from. When I was younger, I thought Roma was the ultimate takeout destination because I could order pizza, pasta and salads from the same place to satisfy all the appetites in my household. Ahh, I was so simple back then, and admittedly at least some of those appetites were frequently driven by the munchies.

Pastaria offers that same sort of variety, but elevated to the nth degree. My household craves their chopped salad, something you’d think would be a pretty pedestrian dish. Au contraire, mon frère, or more appropriately, al contrario, mio fratello! Not only do we always order their version with the chickpeas, green olives, pistachios, pepperoni, oregano, red wine vinaigrette and pecorino, but we always try to keep those ingredients on hand to make it at home at least once a week. But seriously, get the original if you’re ordering from Pastaria.

I’m also a big fan of Pastaria and chef Gerald Craft’s version of bolognese, which he shared to me is made more authentic by the addition of chicken livers to add a little zang of iron to the sauce. It’s the base of one of their seasonal lasagnas, a hearty winter dish, but it’s also the reason why I frequently order the strozzapreti, thick ropes of hand-rolled pasta (literally “priest stranglers”) topped with that bolognese and nutty grana padano cheese.

A fine vegetarian choice is the chitarra al pomodoro — noodles cut by passing pasta sheets through a set of taut, sharp wires like guitar strings, giving the pasta its name. The tomato sauce offers a hint of the ripe beauties to come later in the summer, taking advantage of good canned Italian tomatoes, as is the tradition. Add some garlic and basil and more grana padano, or opt for the aglio e olio version instead for a spicier version thanks to the addition of chilis. For an extra two bucks you can add some umami rich anchovies, like I always do.

Portion sizes are definitely generous, not necessarily two meals, but at least enough for a pasta side for a future lunch, so that adds to the bargain status of carryout from Pastaria. Add in the efficiency and safety of their processes and the delicious variety of their food offering, and you can see why they are a regular part of my carryout rotation. Mangia!

#CarryOutand CarryOn

Below is a list of Nashville restaurants (with links) remaining open for takeout and delivery during the COVID-19 shutdown. While some may have had existing relationships with delivery providers, most of this list are offering the service for the first time. Most offer curbside pickup, but check when you order. As this list is a moving target, please leave any changes, suggestions or omissions in the comments.

Chris Chamberlain

Places with takeout or delivery as of Wednesday, July 1

Chris Chamberlain

Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!

Followed notifications

Please log in to use this feature

Like what you read?

Calendar

In Print

May 15 - May 21, 2025 (Vol. 44, No. 16)

Cover Stories

Gerrymandering Works

Gerrymandering Works: The 7th Congressional District Race

Sections

Services

Follow Us