Overall Pasta Pooks is widely praised for fresh handmade pasta and bold flavors, with standout dishes such as ravioli, gnocchi and casoncelli mantovani, and desserts like tiramisu and panna cotta earning high marks. Many reviews note that portions are small for the price and the overall cost can feel steep, especially given limited seating and a busy, sometimes loud, intimate setting. Service is often described as friendly and attentive with good wine knowledge, though a few visits mention slower or inconsistent service and occasional reservation hiccups. Taken together, Pasta Pooks is regarded as one of the top spots for pasta in the city and a must try for pasta lovers, albeit with the caveat that the hype comes with premium pricing and potentially cramped space.
We went yesterday to try Pasta Pooks out after seeing all the social media hype, & we can confirm that it's just that, hype. Quite expensive for the portion size whether it be the appetizers or the pasta. We ordered 2 appetizers (very tiny portions, 20$ minuscule strachiatela with veggies), 1 pasta, which was actually good, just quite small, & its pasta... which is very cheap, & still the portion served was disappointing.
The very small glass of wine was $17 dollars (plus tax) & we finished the night hungry, definitely it was more hype & snd did not live to our expectations.
It feels like they're trying to live off the hype, & not have any returning customers. 3 stars because the pasta was actually good.
You cannot justify those prices when the portions are minuscule, there's not even a nice view, or you're not in a highly touristy area.
This is the first bad review I have had to write, which says a lot
Ultra décevant & ridiculement cher. Agnolotti à la farce hyper salée & peu savoureuse, sauce très sucrée. Gnocchi très ordinaires, avec beaucoup de farine. Sauce tomate trop acide.
Feb 19, 2026
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Hit & miss but overall doesn't live up to the hype. We had 2 antipasti: veal tongue was great BUT stracciatella +'seasonal veggies'(2 small spoonfuls of stracciatella, a sad log of undercooked leek & 2 pickled garlic) was an absolute joke for 20$. Seriously, shame on whoever thought about putting that on the menu.
Butternut squash ravioli was excellent but definitely overpriced for the portion size (25$ for 6 ravioli if I remember correctly). Ragu was good but nothing to write home about, & also expensive for the small serving.
Decent but won't be returning.
J'avais de grandes attentes compte tenu du hype & de la couverture médiatique entourant ce restaurant.
Malheureusement, l'expérience ne suit pas. C'est overrated.
Les portions sont petites pour le prix demandé. À ce niveau, chaque bouchée devrait marquer. Or ici, les plats manquent de relief & laissent peu de souvenirs au palais. Une fois sorti, aucune envie d'y revenir, aucune assiette qui s'impose à la mémoire gustative ou au palais.
Les pâtes sont fades. Ceci dit: les gnocchis étaient réussies mais pas au point de se dire :'wow, je dois absolument revenir en manger!'
La salade en entrée, sans intérêt particulier, la vinaigrette est plutôt anémique au goût.
Le sandwich lemon pookie n'a rien de marquant.
Le tiramisu s'éloigne de la tradition italienne: l'ajout de sel brise l'équilibre classique & la texture, trop spongieuse, manque de fondant.
L'espace est exigu, bruyant, avec une musique trop forte & peu élégante. De plus, la salle était inconfortablement froide.
Pour de véritables pâtes fraîches, l'expérience est bien plus convaincante & plaisante dans un authentique restaurant italien à Saint-Léonard ou dans la Petite Italie.
👉 À souligner néanmoins : le service.
Une serveuse dynamique, chaleureuse & très professionnelle.
Not bad, but not great. I can see the appeal in the concept, but feels like it felt victim to it's hype. Had big expectations as a lot of people said it's the best pasta they've eaten, but in my opinion there's much better spots for pasta in the area & in Montreal in general. Prices are also kinda crazy for what you get.
Sep 26, 2025
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Im very disappointed by this place. First, the place is very small & loud so I suggest you the take out. The service is very slow, we wait almost 30min for our take out outside & they forgot our order & didn't mentioned it at all. The pricing is very very high & I would have expected a bit more quality for the service. Concerning the food, it was ok, the tiramisu & the bred antipasti was very good but the Ravioli & Bolognese was missing of flavors. & again, when you see the pricing it's pretty high for what is it especially when the portions are that small. Doesn't really worth the hype, I won't go back.
Love an easy to grab pasta place & especially with fresh pasta. Would have been my type of place. The location was beautiful. Did not try their wine- & maybe that's where all the hype is about.
Unfortunately, i didn't really understand the hype, the plates are over 25$ each & the portions are very small. The chosen ingredients are simple & straightforward. The gnocchi pesto & pistachios, felt like they had no pistachio.
As others have noted, the pasta portions will leave you feeling hungry & the bread used for the sandwiches tastes less than fresh, borderline stale. For the price, you can do way better in Montreal. Too bad, I had high hopes & the pasta is very tasty. But for now the hype exceeds the reality.
