Pastificio d'Oro

I have fallen in love with the pillowy-perfect gnocchi. Whenever I see a version on the menu, I go for it. The texture of the fresh pasta is just so consistent, always prepped and cooked with so much care. I love the short menu of choices, ordering is really easy, and everyone is SO LOVELY and NICE! Sitting outside on the patio with a lovely glass of wine on a date night is a superb way to spend an evening. Come to St. Johns and eat PASTA!

Handmade pasta,Intentional and genuine service,from hearts that welcome you in the door. Don't skip on this pasta house! And don't bother with deciding between the choices, get both!

This place is excellent! The owner is kind and very gracious. I felt like family going to eat dinner there. And the hand made pasta is freshly rolled out. The most unassuming delight is that the plate doesn't reflect the depth of flavor until you get your mouth around it! XXX--Food porn all the way!

I've been hearing such amazing things about the quality of the pasta at Pastificio d'Oro, and I was not disappointed. Make sure you arrive early because they do not accept reservations and they also tend to sell out. I arrived on a Saturday a few minutes before they opened at 5pm, and there was already a 40-50 person line at the door. The rustic/cute dining room is very small but there is also outdoor seating, as well as the cocktail bar next door. Since you order at the counter, the service you receive once you're seated is minimal, but everyone we interacted with was kind and professional. I love that the menu changes periodically and how it is set up in a way that it makes sense to order one of everything. I also appreciated how well the timing between each course was spaced out. The only dish I was not the biggest fan of was Maggie's salad. The dressing was delicious and I can see how others must love it, but something about the greens used left a spicy burning sensation in my mouth. The gnocchi and dessert were what absolutely blew me away. The pasta dishes were smaller portions than we anticipated for the price point, but since the we ordered the whole menu, we were still more than satisfied by the end. They also source only the best ingredients, so I'm sure that's a big contributing factor to the price. Overall, I would definitely come back another week when they switch their menu up, I'll just pass on the salad and arrive extra early.

The 2 of us shared the salad, both pastas, both desserts, and ate at the full bar on the same square, so we had lovely martinis. Didn't regret skipping the olives, but did regret skipping the bread as scarpetti. Had to stop ourselves from licking up the sauce when done. We've eaten our way across Italy several times, but never had such excellent pasta and produce. We will be back many, many times. We recommend PDO to houseguests and all have said that dinner here was a trip highlight. Relaxed but professional ambiance and service by happy workers -- it doesn't get better than this!

I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming wave of nostalgia when I first learned Pastificio d'Oro would be opening in St Johns. I spent several years living in Reggio Emilia, a northern Italian community where local ingredients and traditional culinary methods really matter. I developed a genuine affection for the unique flavors from this region, so to be able to relive those sensory experiences in my own hometown was great news, indeed!Entering Pastificio d'Oro for the first time, one senses a warmth and coziness that isn't easily explained. Could it be the amber-gold luminous glow coming from the wood-fired oven? Maybe it's the romantic lighting and vintage European aesthetic? It doesn't take long to realize that, yes, there is magic in this space. But it's not just the decor, the magic stems from the infusion of love and dedication Maggie and Chase bring to their restaurant. Pastificio's rotating menu showcases a commitment to serving authentic northern Italian cuisine, prepared with high-quality, locally-sourced ingredients. Their handmade pastas are formed using traditional tools that infuse every dish with a touch of class, preserving the authenticity and integrity of time-honored recipes. These restaurateurs understand that love is in the details. Every dish I've ordered at Pastificio d'Oro is worthy of praise. Since the restaurant opened, I've savored gnocchi, bigoli, tortelli, and other Piedmontese dishes served fresh from their kitchen. Exercising restraint becomes a challenge because all I want to do is order seconds, the food is that delicious. The attention to detail and the balance of flavors in every dish represents finely-honed skills and a passion for creating the best Italian cuisine in Portland. I promise you, this restaurant is an absolute must-visit. A few details to consider: As interest in Pastificio d'Oro increases, it also means the restaurant may have a few growing pains along the way. Due to the handmade nature of their food, quantities are limited. That means folks should arrive earlier in the evening to ensure they'll be served. Another thing to consider is there's limited seating in the restaurant itself, but diners will find sufficient outdoor seating under a large covered patio, as well as space inside a neighboring pub that allows outside food to be brought in. And finally, don't underestimate the distance to St Johns from elsewhere in Portland. It takes a good 25 minutes to drive from my neighborhood in NE.

I went for my birthday last night. It was incredible.I'm realizing that what makes a meal enjoyable to me, it's more than just the taste of the food. They say that we eat with our senses -- smell, sight, and whatnot -- but I think there's more to it than that. There's a top-down, cognitive element to it.Basically, what I'm trying to say is that the place is just really awesome, and it makes me happy. It's these two people who opened this place up in 2020, and are just trying to make good food. The menu is super small. One appetizer, one salad, bread, two pasta dishes, and one desert. They change it every week. They get the highest quality food that they can. They take pride in what they're doing. Craftsmanship. You can tell that they're not really doing this for the money. It's about the craft and about making people happy. This feels all mushy and emotional, but for real, it's something that sticks out just kinda amplifies everything else about the meal. Which makes for a truly amazing experience.Ok, on to the food.The salad was great. It, and everything else, felt very homey to me. Like, it's not some modernist, fancy restaurant that is trying to impress some Top Chef judges. Nah, it's just a couple who serve you extremely high quality, homestyle dishes.And so for the salad, it was basically just a bunch of super, super fresh lettuces and herbs, some super thinly shaved radishes (I think?), some vinaigrette, and some shaved parmesan. Nothing crazy. You could in theory add some crunchies, nuts, protein, fruit, more veggies. But honestly, I really appreciated how this salad just KISSed.Idk how useful this is because their menu always changes, but our first pasta was Maccheroni al Torchio con Stracotto. Basically, some hand crafted pasta with a tomato-based meat sauce and fresh parmesan. It was one of the best things I've ever eaten in my life.Something about it was just so _juicy_. Looking at the dish, that doesn't feel like the right word at all. But, I don't know how to explain it. You take a bite, and your mouth is just totally coated, and you instinctively close your eyes in bliss.I can't do it justice in this description. These people know their pasta. Seriously.And something about that pasta shape itself was just so great. The bite. I dunno. I would have happily paid the same price for just the pasta itself with some butter, salt and pepper though. I don't have words for it.The second pasta dish I didn't like as much. It had winter squash and "fruit mostarda" as the filling for some sort of fancy ravioli shape. It was a little sweet for me. But at the same time, it was still delicious.Oh, and mopping up that sauce on the plate with the bread was incredible. They get their bread from Cafe Olli. It's good stuff. Nice little sourdough aftertaste. Soft.Although, to offer a piece of constructive feedback, the bread was room temperature and I'm a believer in it being important for bread to be warm. The sooner out of the oven the better. But hey, it's just two people running the place.We also got salami as an appetizer. It was good, but I think it needed something to complement it. Salami by itself is very salty and fatty.For desert, we got was described on the menu like this: "Crumbly Almond & Cornmeal Cake with a Sweet Marsala Wine Custard". The cake part was fine but nothing special IMO. I didn't like the custard at all though. It had a strong alcohol flavor to it. I'm not saying it's bad, it just wasn't a flavor that I personally like.Then I ordered another Maccheroni al Torchio con Stracotto because, well, I had to.Anyway, despite some constructive things I said in this review, Pastificio d'Oro is one of the best places I've ever been to in my life. And I don't say that lightly. They know their pasta, and the vibe you get in being there is special. I'd highly recommend giving it a try.

When the line is already down the block 15 minutes before opening, the food is either really good or overhyped. And Pastificio d'Oro is definitely not overhyped. It is really good. So good. Handmade with love, Chase and Maggie know pasta and know it well. They offer weekly menus featuring seasonal and local ingredients. Since everything is homemade, there are only 60 portions of pasta per night, so they can sell out quickly! When I went, they were sold out within an hour. We got everything on the menu: salame crudo, maggie's salad, pisarei e faso (gnocchi), tortelli di zucca picacentini, and bread from cafe olli. Every dish was perfect. The unique plates they use make you feel you are over at a friend's house eating dinner. Truly a homey hospitality. You can tell the pasta was handmade - soft, chewy, al dente, the sauce coated it perfectly and each bite was a pillowy goodness. Have you ever felt sad when you finish the last bite of food? That's how I felt because I didn't want this pasta experience to end. If you are looking for a great meal, please come here!! It is worth the drive and wait.

This is a very delicious, rustic Italian restaurant that I can't wait to return to. It'd be five stars except for the following reasons.1) Small menu- Menu changes regularly and can be found online. There's only a few pasta dishes. They are made exceptionally well, but it would be nice to see more items on the menu.2) Smaller portions- We ordered a salad, one pasta and a special rabbit dish. I was just about full, but really would have loved more pasta.3) Wine list- or should I say lack there of. I think there was only one Italian wine that they were pouring which wasn't great.4) The salad-This was a very delicious salad marred by the prodigious use of garlic. Its off the charts and unfortunately burns your tongue.Overall, however, I really liked this restaurant and can't wait to come back .

Such an amazing place! Food is so so good. Staff are friendly and went out of their way to make our anniversary dinner special.Make sure to arrive early if you want good seating and to avoid having to wait. We got there about 20 minutes before open and there were at least 4 groups ahead of us.