Once you eat homemade pasta, it’s likely you’ll never go back to the boxed kind. And once you find an Italian restaurant that both serves and sells that homemade pasta, it’s even more likely you’ve found your new go-to Italian place. Pasta is one of the ultimate comfort foods, and being from the Northern New Jersey area, there are plenty of places making a claim to be the best. So, when we heard Pasta Dal Cuore not only made and sold their own homemade pasta, but was also BYOB, we knew we had to try it… for research purposes, of course. Here’s why you need to be eating all the pasta at Pasta Dal Cuore in Jersey City.
Talk about authentic. Elena Cartagena started Pasta Dal Cuore in November of 2014, first as a pasta store and then eight months later as a full-service restaurant. Pasta Dal Cuore, located at 527 Jersey Ave, is not your average Italian, and Elena’s story isn’t average either. She left the advertising world of NYC for culinary school and traveled around Italy for four months soaking up the recipes and culture like a fresh piece of semolina in a dish of olive oil. She knew she could her new knowledge back to her hometown of Jersey City, and a few years later {after a stint at the Eataly pasta counter}, she did just that. So you heard right, there’s an Italy-trained, Eataly veteran making pasta right here in Jersey City. No big deal.
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The menu is a collection of dishes from Elena’s time in Italy, representing not just a particular region but highlighting the whole country. We can’t stop thinking about the Farro salad, which is served warm with farro, beets, pickled red onion, goat cheese, kale, and pistachios tossed in vinaigrette. It’s a must order. The Suppli and Meatballs are also a go-to on the starters menu. Everything is made from scratch and some ingredients are even sourced from the Grove Street Farmers Market. For your entree, skip the carne section. All of the pasta are to die for, but one favorite was the spinach linguine with pancetta, caramelized onion, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and pecorino. If you have a larger group, they will do a family style menu, so you can literally eat all the pasta.
The Sunday brunch menu puts a twist on some of the classic dishes — like french toast made from homemade brioche or ricotta pancakes. They’ll also recreate some of the favorites from the dinner menu, like carbonara and cacio e pepe. An Italian brunch that’s also BYOB? Yes please.
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Pasta Dal Cuore is open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner and open for brunch on Sundays. The pasta counter is open each of those days at 12 PM and also sells some prepared dishes and sauces. It a perfect stop on the way home if you’re looking for a homecooked meal {with a lot less work}. Though you’re probably already loyal to your fave pasta place, we definitely think this place is worth adding to your rotation. Buon appetito!
Have you been to Pasta Dal Cuore? What did you think? {And more importantly, what did you order?}
