asta italian foods

when we arrived (just two of us), the manager served us and i found him to be quite rude and uninterested. we were one of two tables of customers at the time. we sat waiting for service for 15-20 min, when the manager finally returned, we could take a look at the menu. i placed an order specifically without a certain ingredient.
i then waited an hour and a half for our food to arrive. i had to complain to a different person, a waitress who had come in. once our food arrived, my order was scattered full of the ingredient i asked several times to be left off of my meal.

my partner enjoyed his pasta though but i feel my pizza was underwhelming.

a while after our lunch, both my partner and i experienced symptoms of food poisoning (stomach cramps and so on).

very disappointed in the experience, especially after all of the raves we have heard about this place.

if i were to base it on food and portion size alone, asta would get a much higher rating. the flavor and quality was like no other, and the food arrived very quickly even though it was clearly freshly made.

but due to the “authentic” italian owner who is actually just incredibly rude, my experience has been brought down to a two. after my previous attempt at visiting asta, my group was 5 minutes late for our booking due to an accident, and we were rudely brushed aside even though the restaurant wasn’t full. this time was no better when it came to the service, even the waitron was unenthusiastic. don’t expect any good customer service.

we heard amazing things about this place. and we are so grateful we came. the food was great. the portions were great, the staff were friendly and the vibe was very intimate.

heard that the food was good and we booked a table. unfortunately we were running a little bit late and well ... grumpiest and rudest owner ever.

we shared some starters which were tasty and beautifully presented. i had the paezanna pasta and it was divine, the portions are healthy and the flavours were well balanced. we sat in the courtyard, it was a lovely, quaint atmosphere. the tiramisu was also delicious, authentic italian tiramisu. we will definitely be visiting again when we are back in stellenbosch!

excellent pasta! don't expect the owners to be too chatty, but definitely go for the best pasta in stellenbosch! the building and interior is beautiful.

asta seemed like a great italian restaurant as we entered, the food was fine and the dessert was amazing. the only real complaint is that all the pastas had the same base sauce and there was no variety of pasta flavours. service was ok, could be better as we were hardly tended to but the experience wasn't an overall bad one

great food, great service. i come here a few times a year and am never disappointed! both their pizzas and their pastas are to die for! also try their bread with your pasta :-)

wow what a place small and intimate!! good food and good service the best pizza i ever had in stellenbosch will def be back its my number 1 italian restaurant!

great food, nice and cosy atmosphere. all in all a good place. will definitely be back again.

asta la pasta, as i know it, is my favourite pizza and pasta spot in stellenbosch. the variety of dishes is quite impressive – from traditional to trendy. i have visited this restaurant quite a few times and i've never been disappointed in the food. the atmosphere is very nice – minimalistic and clean. the fireplace is quite exceptional on a winter’s night, with a nice long table right next to it. the service is, however, a bit of a letdown for this gem: friendliness is not high on the list. the food always comes quickly, but not with a smile – leaving a bitter taste for such a great italian spot!

alhough the food was really good, the service left a bad taste in the mouth, and we were basically evicted by the owner who gave us the bill obviously signalling that they want to close shop for the night.

"asta la pasta", as it used to be called, is the real deal - unlike the saucy american "italian" us south africans are used to. it is a little family-run restaurant and before they moved to their new location, one used to be able to see the whole family in action in the open kitchen. the restaurant is now situated on a prime spot next to the slee gallery in dorp street. it has a clean, modern feel to it and a small outside area at the back.

but it's the food that steals the show! the pasta is obviously home made and the sauces traditional italian, made using only the finest ingredients. one can identify each component that went into the meal, as one should. their pizzas are also exceptional with a relatively thin base. and the few times that i've been, their specials were different each time.

unfortunately, the service was pretty slow the last time hence the 4 and not 4.5 rating from me. the owner did apologise profusely himself, though we couldn't make out much of what he was saying due to the accent. haha. definitely make a reservation before you go, the restaurant is small and very popular.

this is definitely one of my favorite dinner spots in town. i have been there a few times and have never been disappointed with the food. i have had a variety of their pastas but always seem to go back to the gnocchi with the zozzona sauce, an absolute win. simple italian dishes made to perfection. their pasta portions are generous and they are not stingy with their pizza toppings. it is good value for money and definitely a place you could enjoy with the whole family. this restaurant has a very relaxed atmosphere and good wine that often has me staying there for a few hours. i highly recommend this little italian spot.

asta came highly recommended by friends. everything was great up until we were served our mains. i ordered a special, a carbonara and when it came with beef instead of pancetta, as described - i enquirer about the substitution and the owners wife (a south african) threw a fit, and treated us with no respect.

however, the italian owner did compensate by not charging us for the mains. he was sweet.

a little respect goes a long way, and i don't tolerate unsubstantiated disrespect. i'm sure we would have had a great time, had it not been for the owners wife. asta la pasta, baby. pity.