Basta Pasta Tratoria - Cambridge

I ordered the Greek salad and Chicken Cacciatore for dinner. The portions were generous, and the food was delicious. However, the interior ambiance could use some improvement to achieve a 5-star rating. While there were bright spotlights in certain areas, the overall lighting felt a bit dim, as it wasn't evenly distributed, which made the restaurant's atmosphere feel less inviting.

What a wonderful place! Our first time to try this great little restaurant tucked away in a Cambridge neighborhood. Lots of choices for pasta dishes with 4 different types of homemade pasta. We ordered the Chicken Parmiggiana and the Chicken Cacciatore on penne. Truly appreciate the extra large portions of each dish. There was quite a bit of take out business. Folks ordered lots of pasta dishes as well as pizzas. Such a wonderful place. You will also enjoy the food and the experience at Basta Pasta.

I remember visiting this restaurant when I first moved to Cambridge for a summer job back in 2005, just across the street. It was likely my first meal after landing and dropping off my bags. The restaurant had just opened, and I have very fond memories of it with its excellent food (or at least that’s how I perceived it as a young man). The people were great too—I hope the original owners are still running it; I believe they were two Albanian brothers. I'm really glad to see that they’re still in business!

I ordered takeout from this restaurant and I must say, I was pleased with both the quality and portion sizes. I tried the chicken parmesan along with some steamed broccoli. The chicken parmesan was delicious, but the pasta lacked a bit of salt and flavor. It felt like the chicken was carrying the dish on its own. As for the steamed broccoli, it was fine but needed some seasoning; steamed broccoli with lemon isn’t the most appealing option.

Basta Pasta is a wonderful lowkey pasta place in Cambridge! They serve so many varieties of pasta and pizza and the serve it in less than 10 minutes which is so quick. We got the chicken and broccoli, chicken parm and pasts bolognese and everything tasted great. You have to check it out if you live in the area!