Vegan
Italian
Beer/Wine

Family owned restaurant offering fresh pasta dishes. All items are handmade and artisanal. Carbon-Free Dining Partner. Reported closed March 2025.


165 Reviews

First Review by SierraPastaLover

HenryBlane

Points +13018

Vegan
09 Aug 2024

Very tasty!

Update 2024 (5*): Prices have barely gone up since 2022 and it is now good value, the food has improved and service too, 5* now!

Original review 2022 (4*): Pastan have a great selection of pastas and it was hard for us to narrow down to just 2 for me and my fiancée! We went for the Mushroom Stroganoff (Chef’s Special) and Dolce Vita (carbonara). They were both really tasty and decent portions (my only criticism is they could’ve been a bit hotter). The Stroganoff edged it for me as I thought the mushrooms were really delicious, but I was also impressed with the carbonara sauce. For dessert we ordered the 9 Speculoos (Biscoff) mini doughnut balls. They were served hot, filled with Biscoff, and were really rich and tasty!

Overall I really enjoyed my experience at Pastan – the food was good, it had a nice ambience and the waiter was really friendly and helpful. It was also really cool to see it so busy and I’d definitely recommend booking as it has limited opening hours and it’s very popular.

However, it is pricey for what it is (our bill came to almost £60 for 2 mains, a dessert & a glass of wine) and I didn’t feel the food was good enough to warrant that price. They also only had one waiter serving the whole restaurant (and pouring the drinks!) so the service was a bit slow. But that’s not to take away from the wonderful service and enthusiasm he provided, he was really great!

I think it’s still worth a visit though as it is a good experience!

Updated from previous review on 2022-10-21

Pros: Tasty, Nice ambience, Lovely waiter

purrsitivity

Points +937

Vegan
19 Jul 2024

Always a fave

I was so gutted when the Pastan in Manchester closed down! So I had to visit the Barbican branch when I was in London😋 It was quite busy so I would say to book in advance, but we managed to get a table.

Staff were very friendly and helpful despite full tables, one waitress did ask “it’s fully vegan is that okay?” of course it’s okay!!! It’s more than okay, so sad to think anyone would think it’s not🥲🥲🥲anyway I digress.

But the food was great quality as always, we got a garlic bread to share and a pasta dish each, very filling and tasty, great place, definitely want to return to try even more of the menu (pls reopen up north🥹)🫶🏼

SJS5

Points +1288

Vegan
01 Jul 2024

Third visit and still lush

The dishes here are big, be aware if you can't eat well or can't take your leftovers away! This time I went for a filled pasta as smaller and my husband had the pasta paella. Both dishes had lots of flavour, the paella was too hot for me but luckily he didn't want to share lol. We also had some tasty bread and fried gnocchi- we asked for mushroom sauce but were given cheese, it was nice but not mushroom! The waiter was clearly waiting to close the doors which was a but off putting. I'd eat there all the time if I could afford it / my waist could take it!!!

Updated from previous review on 2023-07-07

ionarob

Points +335

Vegan
27 Jun 2024

Delicioussssss

I loved everything. I had seafood paella and for dessert me and my friend shared an affogato and a tiramisu. Really enjoyed it all. They put a candle in the tiramisu for us too 🎉

Pros: Food, Limoncello, Friendly staff

AnitaH

Points +613

Vegan
25 Jun 2024

Some of the yummiest food I’ve ever had

Shared a bunch of dishes - my absolute favorite was the Firenze. Really tasty and delicious food. Had the pan con tomate, mini mushroom ravioli, Napoli pasta and the Firenze. I wish I had had room for dessert. Excellent food and highly recommend this cozy spot to anyone.

jague

Points +924

Vegan
24 Jun 2024

Very good Pasta

The Pasta was so delicious. This was the best pasta i‘ve ever had. Staff was very friendly and Food was very quickly.

Oishichan

Points +28

Vegan
23 Jun 2024

Disappointing

We read the high ratings and were thrilled to go.
Especially the "handmade and artisanal" part. Also the menu looked great.
Service was good, no complaints there.
I asked about the cheese and was told only the parmesan was their own.
Bummer, but ok.
Then disaster struck.
The pizza base was gummy and dry. The topping not much better.
The tortellini were undercooked in the thicker part and served with just melted butter, not sage butter.
The orzotto was cooked well but lacked any flavor.
We must have been extremely unlucky. Otherwise I can't understand why all those high ratings.
I'm also curious, how is this a family owned restaurant with so many locations across countries?

izzyfrances

Points +310

Vegetarian
08 Jun 2024

Delicious plant-based pasta

Loveee the comfort food at this all-vegan restaurant (and my non-vegan sister loved it too!)

lenaN

Points +117

Vegan
29 May 2024

Excellent Italian food!

Really great Italian food and all vegan. Loved the cheese board and garlic bread. Will definitely go back.

Pros: Cheese board, Great selection , Decent desserts

NaomiC

Points +103

Vegan
28 May 2024

Lives up to the hype

The food here is great and the service really friendly. I wanted pasta so based on others’s reviews ordered their version of carbonara for my first visit. It was yummy, as was their cashew Parmesan. I also had the veg starter - perfectly cooked and delicious. And the specious mini doughnuts are simply the best thing I’ve tasted in as long as I can remember. They are outstanding - a must have. Am already planning to go back for more, and more!

LucyCParr

Points +118

Vegan
18 May 2024

Super tasty, great place

Great service and really yummy pasta. Highly recommend.

tnk_00

Points +36

Vegan
17 May 2024

Top notch vegan restaurant

Fantastic pasta and lovely service. The cashew parmesan on the side is such a nice touch. This is up there amongst the best vegan places in London both for quality of food and for their warm service.

They also gave us free samples of doughnuts to try at the end 🥹 Thank you for making our week.

AgataJarzebska

Points +204

Vegan
14 May 2024

Delicious pasta!

Lovely place for a dinner, food is amazing and portions are really fair.

laura_e_vegan

Points +1964

Vegan
27 Apr 2024

Wow wow wow

Now one of my favourite (if not THE favourite?) restaurants in London. Amazing food and menu variety, wonderful and helpful staff. We literally wanted to try everything on the menu. What we had was a total success. Can only recommend and can’t wait to be back!

redshift

Points +869

Vegan
26 Apr 2024

Gem in Farringdon

This place is amazing. I enjoyed the pizza and salad I had. Ambience was also great (before it got busy).

Food is of great quality and tastes great and the customer service was excellent. The waitress went out of her way to help me which was a lovely touch.

Next time I will try the pasta which I have heard great things about!

Pros: Great ambience, Excellent quality vegan food, Excellent friendly customer service

RojiVerdeVgn

Points +769

Vegan
09 Apr 2024

Brilliant vegan pasta

We thought this place was pretty awesome all round.
The food was super quality, full of flavour and the service was friendly and efficient.
If we're in the area again, or visiting a city which has a branch of Pastan, we will try something else off its appealing menu. Highly recommended.

Kate134

09 Apr 2024

Hey thanks for posting this, I’m making my way there now!

zozj

Points +37

Vegan
03 Apr 2024

Very good pastas

Gnocchis were excellent, pasta carbonara too
The raviolis were really good but there wasn’t enough of it.

LinnHAE

Points +212

Vegan
28 Mar 2024

Exquisite vegan pasta place

Multiple options. Great service. Great atmosphere. Delicious.

Pros: Atmosphere, Pasta dishes, Doughnuts

VernaP

Points +127

Vegan
24 Mar 2024

This place will gnocchi your socks off!

Fantastic menu! Very hard to choose, ended up having to have three starters to share and a main (each 🤭). And for afters we were very kindly we were offered a free dessert by the restaurant owner and his mum after we'd got chatting about the history of the restaurant. After starting up as a vegan pop up in Smithfield market and being laughed at by all the 'meat loving locals' they now have their own property that's been going for two years! Directly opposite that same market they started up at.

The mushroom gnocchi was full of flavour and the perfect texture! The dressing on the salad was so creamy and the little 'bacon' bits really made it extra. Both mains were also very tasty, although I did think they'd be a bit more 'chorizo' on mine but they were both very hearty portions of pasta and you could tell the pasta was freshly made! The carbonara delivered. The melty biscoff donuts were out of this world! 😋

Pros: Gnocchi was a highlight, Friendly service, lovely restaurant owners, The open kitchen

floatingbubble

Points +20

Vegan
23 Mar 2024

Incredible food and service

We had a great time bere with unbelievably good vegan cheese and platters. The staff were very friendly.

kennyp353

Points +1774

Vegetarian
23 Mar 2024

My favourite restaurant anywhere

Having first discovered it in Barcelona last summer, I then visited the sadly-now-closed Manchester branch several times, and this was my third time to the original London one. They now have a weekday lunchtime special - any main course, two of the frankly incredible Biscoff donuts, and a glass of wine for £13.50. Most mains alone are more than that. I've tried much of the menu now, and I can tell you that anything with deep fried gnocchi in it is brilliant - the Caesar salad comes with said gnocchi together with beef-like shiitake mushrooms that they apparently import from Australia, and is up there with the best salads I've ever had. The various tortellinis and raviolis are all delicious. The most important thing is to order something that can absorb industrial quantities of the cashew parmesan - because you'll want to eat the whole containerful. Actually no, the most important thing is to ensure, whatever you do, not to miss the outstanding Biscoff donuts. If there's a finer donut in the world, I don't know it. This time I accidentally brought an Italian to this London vegan Italian restaurant - but he adored it, he's gonna bring his parents next time they visit from Italy to challenge their preconceptions about plant-based food.

Updated from previous review on 2024-03-23

Pros: Caesar salad or anything with fried gnocchi, Biscoff donuts are worth the trip alone, Lunchtime special £13.50 any main + wine + donuts

Cons: Bit of a scam they buy in much of the pasta, Buy it yourself from La Tua Pasta mailorder online

AmandaBall

Points +18

Vegan
18 Mar 2024

Excellent restaurant

Had a fantastic meal at Pastan last week. It's such a relief to be able to eat anything on the menu without worrying. The tiramisu for dessert was outstanding and the staff were very friendly and attentive but not constantly checking up on you. Highly recommended

Pros: Food was great, Prices are good, Lovely atmosphere

Damien.vg34

Points +553

Vegan
14 Mar 2024

Bon + mozza vegane !!

Nous y sommes allés le 4 Novembre 2023, c’était globalement bon, et j’étais très content d’y voir une salade tomate mozza !! Le mac & cheese n’est pas mauvais mais j’ai préféré l’entrée de mon côté !

moonmagnets

Points +32

Vegan
03 Mar 2024

Delicious and great service

The pasta sauces are creamy and delicious. The cheese platter is excellent. A reservation is recommended, since the place is usually packed.

MagaliEledhwen

Points +2809

Vegan
02 Mar 2024

Great place for pasta lovers

Great restaurant offering a range of pasta dishes.

RC1

Points +1064

Vegan
01 Mar 2024

Very good

Very good pasta, although a little too salty for my taste. It's a unique place with a lot options that you wouldn't get anywhere else in London.

ClareBewick

Points +88

Vegan
22 Feb 2024

Fantastic food

The food we had was great. Really tasty and inventive. The tiramisu was possibly the best I’ve ever had!! I had to stop myself from licking the plate.
The cost was also reasonable for a London restaurant
Quite a small venue so definitely need to book in advance.

Pros: Superb Food , Friendly and attentive Service , Good portion size

Cons: Tables too close / close to other people, Febreeze left out on side - took away from ambient, Some of the decor




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