Pasta Brown in City of London, Westminster

A Truly Disappointing Experience My experience at this restaurant in Covent Garden was, unfortunately, one of the worst I’ve had in London. After seven years of enjoying the city’s incredible culinary scene, I was shocked and humiliated by the treatment from the staff, specifically the waitress and hostess. Our group of 3 was simply looking for a quick bite and a glass of wine, but we were told we needed to order at least a three-course meal to be served. I’ve never encountered such a demand without prior warning, especially in a city known for its hospitality and diverse dining options. The policy seemed excessive, and the staff’s rude, dismissive attitude only worsened the situation. As someone with a background in marketing and client service, I was appalled at the lack of customer care and communication of these “rules.” This experience felt less like dining and more like extortion, and I would advise anyone considering this place to be prepared for an unwelcoming environment. After leaving, we went to another restaurant nearby, spent over £70 per person, and were treated with respect and without pressure. Sadly, I cannot recommend this establishment to others, especially given the unprofessional and impolite service. If the restaurant hopes to maintain its reputation, it needs to focus on better training its staff to prioritize respect and transparency.

Really teasty. Delicious. Great!!!

Delicious and large portions of food. Good service. But, the seating is a bit cramped.

Just wow, we were given a very warm welcome, the six of us were seated promptly. There was a lovely selection on the menu as well as specials. They gave us a complimentary nibble, we then ordered our food and drink. I chose a chicken, and mushroom pasta in white wine and Parmesan sauce with a salad. Delicious. All my friends had an amazing meal too. Thank you. This beats any pasta I have had from the chains. Amazing. 😊. I have signed your petition to help save your gorgeous restaurant too. I want to be able to visit again. 😊

It was a wonderful restaurante, outstanding service, mouth drooling food, wonderful atmosphere if i was a critic i would give this restaurante 100000000 stars.💫💫💫 Wondergul smiles too, such kindness.👌

😁 I absolutely love this place 😁. Always make a B line to here whenever I'm in and around Covent Garden. A great experience from the second you are greeted at the door with a smile. We're seated immediately and had a drink in front of us within a couple of minutes. Quickly followed by some delicious food (I recommend the Pasta Brown pizza). The service is second to none. Cant wait to come back..... again... and again 😁👍

Randomly found this place... walk until you are too tired. This resteraunt was excellent!! Pasta carbonara, pasta brown, garlic bread w/mozzarella, mista salad, chocholate torte with coconut, bananas carmel, and several wines. We gobbled up everything. Service was friendly and fast. Great pick for dinner!!.

Giving it one star because I can’t give them 0. We had to leave the restaurant because the woman serving us kicked us out. The reason was we were not ordering a main each. She only said that after we ordered drinks. We were only 3 and wanted to share since we were not that hungry but the waitress refused to take our order and immediately brought the card reader telling us to leave.

We popped in for food on a Sunday evening with no booking. The place has a warm, cozy vibe that feels just right if you're looking for some comforting Italian food. We tried a couple of their pasta dishes, and they didn’t disappoint—each plate was packed with flavor and tasted freshly made. The service was friendly and made us feel welcome, which added to the relaxed atmosphere. Prices are a little on the higher side, but considering the location and quality, it’s to be expected.

All very well. Perfect service.

Restaurant situé vers Covent Garden, sympa. Propose pizza, pâtes. Service rapide. Plusieurs vins disponible au verre. Mérite 3,5. C’est bon mais un peu cher.

Absolute gem of a find, loved it. Such good quality food and great service.

The restaurant is easy to access and has many tables. Concerning the food, unfortunately it is not of high quality (probably industrial). The prices are correct and not abusive. The service is ok + free parmesan supplement on the pasta.

Nice pizza and lazania. It's a good place to eat Italian food in Covent Garden.

Fantastic food, brilliant staff, may have to wait if 4 or more but worth it.

Amazing food cooked to perfection. We had the steak and the sea bass and the steak was cooked exactly as requested, melt in your mouth and amazing. The sea bass was tender and perfect and came with light and fluffy new potatoes. Great tiramisu to finish with large portions but so good you didn't want to leave a single mouthful. Staff were friendly and helpful, offering advice and suggestions when asked. Great atmosphere and perfectly located. Really hope they'll still be here next time we come to london. Haven't had a meal this good since we were actually in Italy.

Decent food, expensive - but it's prime location, good service and portion, no atmosphere, and very tight sitting...

Essen war okay, leider keine 5 min zum Durchatmen. Mein Glas war noch halbvoll als der Kellner mit Rechnung und Kartengerät vor mir stand.

Fantastic independent Italian restaurant. Pasta cooked perfectly and the homemade Tiramisu is superb. Excellent choice of wines as well. Definitely on our return to list.

Super delicious, great service, very friendly staff Escalope mialanese Napoli pork leg bone meat is super tender and delicious Pasta pizza is also delicious Freshly made orange juice is great Well worth coming again

Loved our experience at Pasta Brown so much that we decided to have a second dinner here on our last night in London. So refreshing to visit a place with an authentic feel in the middle of touristy Covent Garden. Wine and spaghetti bolognese was delicious and their amaretti strawberries & cream was the perfect desert. We will go back every time we visit London.

I got the mussels, he got the spaghetti Bolognese. Food was great! Limoncello and desserts were excellent too. We sat outside, we were sat very quickly on a Saturday night, and staff was very attentive.

Best Italian in town, go there, you wont be disappointed!

Dined in with a friend. We loved the vibe, service, and the food. Among the food we ordered, we both loved Chilli Chicken Pasta, one of the best in recent times. Every ingredient was so flavourful. Grateful for the excellent service we received. Adding this place to my go-to list.

Absolutely delicious chicken, mushroom & spinach gluten free pasta! All the staff were so friendly and the Resturant had a homely & inviting atmosphere! Definitely worth the visit when you are in London and if you are looking for authentic Italian cooking!

Amazing food with fantastic staff! Extra thank you for Aga 🥰

The very basic, English-style food does not stand out. The service was good and they were nice. Even so, very very expensive for what they offer, also adding that they charge you for the service as a percentage of the bill.

Very friendly and attentive staff Pasta like the pizza was very good!

Really good food and service! The portion sizes were great!

Absolutely gorgeous from start to finish! Lovely on the house garlic bread The staff were a delight, very accommodating and helpful The food was delicious

First the good. So what was bad was that the food wasn't really Italian. Prices were bottomless. Service ok. Better not to go✌🏻.

We were welcomed in by the owner who was really kind and attentive throughout the night which i thought was really charming and kind. The restaurant felt homely even though it was very busy. The restaurant is a family business and it was obvious hoe much the owner cared for his business and customers and thats a rare thing especially in london these days. The food was gorgeous. Lots of options and reasonably priced. There was a bit of a wait for the mains however it was very busy. Id come again, one of the best Italian pastas ive ever had and ive had many. Portions were big and there the owner would top your dishes with cheese which felt traditional and personal. Hope this restaurant continues to thrive, it felt very special.

Fantastic! Great portions and friendly staff. Food was lovely

Food was good the service was appalling over hour and half for mains and ordered desserts that didn’t come and after 2 hours we called it quits and paid. Never coming back ever again!

My girlfriend went with her family for what was meant to be a nice meal. It turned out to be one of the most awful services she had ever experienced. Bearing in mind that this is a place she had already been to with me before and we had no issue. This is a note of her experience: the service was extremely slow for their table in particular, they waited 20 minutes before a waitress came to take the order. There had been other predominantly white customers who were seated after them that had already been served their main course - how is this even possible?!! She had been looking around for someone to serve her, her brother and her mum BUT not a single waiter came over to take the order until she had to get up and call them over. By the time they were served their main course, which was a pizza, pasta and steak, those said white customers who had been seated after them had already left. This whole ordeal took over TWO HOURS and in the end they had ordered dessert which never came and rather than speaking up and asking for their dessert my girlfriend asked for the check and to her surprise the final bill hadn’t even placed the order for their desserts. If you are eating here be mindful if you are from BAME community because this restaurant does not know how to treat everyone with the same respect.

We have been here several times with our children and parents over the last couple of years and I recall eating here with my parents when I was young too. It's just as excellent now as I remember it from my childhood! It's our go-to restaurant at the end of a day out in London. The options are varied and delicious enough for the sophisticated tastes of the adults while also catering well to my children's narrow palette. A Bellini at Pasta Brown's is an excellent way to relax after a day out with the family!

Everything about this place is fabulous, lovely food especially the pizza, staff are so lovely will be visiting again..

Fantastic place and waitress special Agnieszka and Sylwia 🫶

The penne pasta was one of the few options for vegans. The pasta was tasty, service prompt. The overall vibe of the place was great.

It is too delicious! Like homemade food. Not so expensive as others. Definitely will come back once.

We stumbled upon this lovely restaurant yesterday and we are so pleased we did. We had a carbonara and an arrabbiata and both were absolutely delicious, cooked to perfection! The service was prompt and friendly and the setting is really lovely. We will be back soon! This is a proper Italian 👌

Real Italian, authentic and insanely delicious

Tastewise, one of my 2 favourite places for italian food in London. Located conveniently to those at Covent Garden, reasonably priced, Pasta Brown always delivers (the only disadavnatge would be sometimes long ques to wait, but this only reiterates my cimpliments). Visited it multiple times, and do plan to visit again for sure.

Very very expensive. Starters are way too overpriced for the portion size, £15 for two meatballs. Skip the starters altogether and just have a main course. These are also expensive but bigger portion sizes. The service is friendly but you feel super rushed as they clearly want as many people through the door as possible. We were in and out within 45 minutes. The food is tasty but it’s not worth it for the price. We had one starter two main meals and two soft drinks, the bill was almost £80 including service charge. Plenty of other options close by for half the price. Been twice now won’t be coming back.

Lovely italian restaurant and amazing food and menu. Good value for money and good portion size too. I always bring anyone I am with here in the area when visiting London. The tiramisu is the best i’ve ever had

Small Italian restaurant with a good selection of dishes. Very fast and friendly service. Food was very tasty... - would love to come back…

We had lunch here. We ordered fettuccine Alfredo and a lasagna. The fettuccine wasn't particularly tasty, just normal. The lasagna tasted better. Both portions were a bit small. We found the store too expensive for this portion size and average taste. Service was quick and the staff were distant but friendly. The place wasn't air conditioned so it was a bit depressing.

Good food. Varied wine list. Great service.

The penne pasta was one of the few options for vegans. The pasta was tasty, service prompt. The overall vibe of the place was great.

The only Italian restaurant we'd ever use. Superb choice on the menu and superb food. Oh and the staff are pretty special too. Still as good as it was 40 years ago!

Amazing service ! Specially from Morat Badic And Tarik and who served us AGA , very welcoming and treated us very kindly , we will be coming back more and more !

I happened to go to this restaurant while thinking about Com Viet, and this place is awesome. The silver-haired gentleman in white clothes in the picture is the owner, and he is really cheerful. The food here was much better than Bella Italia, which I honestly thought was pretty good. Highly recommended!! The employees are also very friendly!!

Walked in when they were incredibly busy, to order carry out. The host was very gracious. Found a spot for me to wait. I enjoyed watching the staff work. They were very efficient and precise. Some smiles. Definitely take pride in their offerings. Open kitchen, yet it wasn’t distracting for diners. That’s amazing and kudos to the crew!! The carry out packing was well done. Food arrived hot when I got back to my rental. And it was absolutely delicious! My only regret is that I didn’t order dessert. Highly recommend.

Very average Italian that’s over priced due to its location. Pizza dough was chewy, pasta was fresh carbonara lacked any sauce, and was more like Parmesan and bacon mixed together with olive oil.

Pretty good dishes, but way too expensive for pasta. At the end we paid a tip on the final bill (more than 13 pounds) without our prior agreement. Neither done nor to be done. There are other much better Italian restaurants in the area

Always excellent food & service. Lovely friendly family.

We were hungry and craving pasta, a quick google took us to pasta Brown. Such good food, everyone was more than satisfied. Friendly staff. The only downside was that it was crowded in the restaurant. Would love to come back😍

10 stars if I could, so delicious. Try the carbonara!!!

Very good food, but they charge an extra 12.5% service fee.

Ordered Pizza without cheese but came with Mozzarella. I sent it back and 20mins later I got what I ordered. Hence 3stars as they got order wrong then took 20 mins to get it right.

Stopped by here for coffee and sat outside. Interestingly, I wanted a beer, but they are not licenced to serve alcohol outside. Probably not worth applying for as there are only few tables on the pavement and not worth it. Excellent coffee and sewift service.

food is INCREDIBLE!!! can be a little crowded as its super popular (so check for peak times) but it's definitely worth it!! I had the mussels and pasta and i could eat it religiously!!!

Food was average at best. Service was terrible. People came and went on either side of us while we sat there. Go elsewhere.

Very unimpressed with this place. For the quality of the food you are served, these prices are a rip off. Modest quality pizza that I struggled to finish despite being hungry. We were charged £55 for 2 pizzas, 1 beer and a water. There are better places in the area.

We were so delighted to find this gem of a restaurant! Fantastic service from very attentive staff, a great vibe and the food was delicious - a bonus for us too as they offer gluten free pasta. So much more than we expected considering it is in the heart of a tourist area. We will definitely be visiting again soon!

You would never expect to find this Italian-run, super warm, friendly vibes restaurant in the middle of Covent Garden!!! Considering it’s such a tourist trap location. I was taken to this place by a good friend who lives nearby. The restaurant has a very warm and welcoming atmosphere and I particularly enjoy and appreciate the open kitchen where you can see the action of the chefs. We had such an amazing time chatting, drinking and eating good Italian food. 10/10 would recommend this place and myself will definitely come back again.

If you get seen by Aga you are in for such a delightful night. The food is absolutely 10/10 and the atmosphere is great! Aga was an absolutely amazing person, she made sure we was okay and was such a friendly and kind person. She definitely made the visit what it was!

I've been to this restaurant a couple of times. It's a tourist trap. The old-fashioned decor could have a pass if the food was any good, which it isn't. My pasta was undercooked, and the seafood was clearly low quality. I've also had the tiramisu which really soggy and lacking cocoa, and the texture was revolting. There are much better quality chain and proper Italian restaurants in the vicinity for the same price. Avoid

staff seems like racist, very arrogant to us, maybe because we are Indians.

A little underwhelming to be honest. Restaurant seemed very inviting and lovely location but the rest let it down to be honest. Seemed very rushed and bill was put down before being asked for it. Just as well I didn't want another drink I guess. The pizza I had was ok at best and a little bland.

This is a popular restaurant in the heart of Covent Garden. Due to its prime location, it’s always busy. We sat down because we got a bit lost with our original destination & my senior friend could no longer go further. The restaurant is a tad better than I originally thought, but service is quite lacking. It’s rushed with no smiles. Food is OK but I wouldn’t call amazing. Portions decent but I would say it’s on the expensive side. But considering it’s catered for the tourist trade & in a prime location, it is what it is. Tiramisu, I must say, is a bit sub-par even though it’s made on the premise.

We are on vacation for a few days and our hotel is down the street and they mentioned the food is great. We visited twice in 4 days and we just loved it. Being Italian from New to York, I have to say it was very close to my Sicilian mother cooking. Our meals were Penne Rosso Basilico, my wife had Spaghetti Alio Olio Alice, other family members had the Gnocchi. 5 ⭐'s on these dishes.

The staff were amazing, the food was great and the atmosphere was brilliant. I've never had a bad meal there.

While I was eating my spaghetti carvonara I was already thinking about leaving here the best review I've ever given in my life. The service was great, the food was good and the portion was very well served. BUT after I finished, we (me and my family) ate the Banoff and omg(!!!) what a wonderful surprise. Even if I leave here the best review of all, it won't match how good the experience we had there was. Thank you for everything!

Very average food, average service, above average prices. Good atmosphere. Wouldn’t come here again.

This is a restaurant we’ve been to before, on a London visit a few years ago, and turned out to be right next door to our hotel for the two nights we were in London last week. After the first night’s visit we decided we’d be going there the 2nd night too! Service was polite and friendly, food was so good, l had a craving for ravioli, and thankfully they had it on the specials menu. It was so good, my husband had it the following night! This is an independent restaurant that’s been there since 1970, true testament to the food and the service! When deciding where to eat my husband quite rightly said, we can go to chain restaurants anytime anywhere, so the decision was made and we’re so glad we chose this restaurant. We are a huge fan of Italian food, so this was an excellent choice. Support independent restaurants!!!

Horrible service and attitude. They are forcing everyone to eat main course. Never seen such an irritating restaurant.

Great little family restaurant, friendly and great service. Simple dish, quick and efficient, 8 of us accepted it quickly and everyone was cool.

Very nice food and delicious food Very friendly boss Good service from staffs

Cannot recommend this place enough. Simple but absolutely fantastic authentic food. For Covent Garden, not badly priced either! Would highly recommend anyone wanting a nice Italian meal to try here!

Such a lovely restaurant. A family business where you can taste the love for what you do. The atmosphere is very cozy, the service is first class, the waitresses are so nice. Some vegan and vegetarian options. Prices are certainly appropriate for London, and especially for home cooked food. I wish we still had gastronomy with heart in rural Germany. We'll definitely come back.

It was a fantastic experience with food that could blow anyones mind. Service was amazing with lots of really nice staff that came to all my needs. I want to give a big thanks to Georgia who served my meals!!!!💗💕❤️

great buzzy place to eat, service was excellent and food also excellent , really great place to eat

Visited this restaurant a few days ago. a must visit if you like good service and great quality food. The meals were very generous and presented well Do go and enjoy your evening meal

The Food was delicious and the service was also great. The food also arrived very fast. The place is packed with tables so it was a bit loud. But overall I would recommend it.

Been here a few times and always enjoy it, the food is great, the location is great and they always manage to find space for us as walk-ins. It’s always an option in my back pocket when out in Covent Garden.

Fantastic chance find for lunch. Mum and I absolutely loved everything about this place. The staff were so attentive and welcoming and the food was great! My Mum absolutely loved the apple dessert she had as it was just like the one that her Italian Nanna used to make! Saved this place on my favourites list for next time I visit London!

So extremely delicious ❤️ Covent Gardens finest, I ordered pasta arrabiata but asked for it to have mozzarella and basil added it was by far the best pasta dish I have had ever!

Popped in for lunch. Busy but the service was 10/10, good food and decent portion size. Not cheap but it’s in a tourist trap area so that’s to be expected. Lovely family run atmosphere. Would definitely return.

Feeling a bit peckish, later on at night, we decided to pop in here for a bite. Very glad we did. Greeted at the door and shown to a lovely table. Ordered drinks which seem to arrive in seconds and then the food arrived just as quick it seemed. Nice family atmosphere, has a lovely buzz to it. Food we loved, pizza and chicken with mushroom, we shared and finished the night with an aperitif. Plan to eat here again.

Very expensive for such small portions. We had lasagne which was quite basic with not even a garnish, the portion was small for an adult size. I had anT Bone steak with salad. The steak was tasty but very small and thin for £29. No starters or side dishes, four meals, 2 desserts, a bottle of average wine and 4 beers was £200. Really not worth it.

Overpriced for average lasagne. I had a T Bone steak with salad for £29.00 not a bad price I thought, until it arrived! Thin, more like a Minute Steak. Average salad spread flat across the plate to make the portion look bigger and a very boring looking pizza. Basic food, and very disappointing.

Really busy evening but was welcomed by the maitre'd. Food was great, served quickly and efficiently, giving us time to move onto our evening entertainment. Will return if we get a chance

Tasty food & good service 👍⭐️ Delicious food and excellent service 👍⭐️

The owner fit us in at last minute even though they were extremely busy. Fantastic restaurant, quick service and friendly staff. The food was absolutely delicious, will be coming back here on our next trip.

We walked in after looking for somewhere to eat with our young kids. We were welcomed & drinks were ordered. Unfortunately we had to ask to order as no one came over to us which isn’t acceptable. There were plenty of staff and they were stood at the front quite a lot not really being active in serving the tables. Pizzas were very nice. There was no kids menu other than kids version of pastas so ordered pizzas for them which is expensive compared with kids menu prices elsewhere. The food (chicken escalope & steak)was average but pizzas very good. Didn’t get any more drinks because no one came back and they didn’t check if food was okay. I would try again as perhaps this was just not a great experience compared to normal given the other reviews on this page.

yes, it's ok, passable, in a nice kind of way. The food was pretty good, it's a volume business, so an it's in, order, eat, leave kind of place, but does what it does pretty well. It's pretty good value for money, service was pretty prompt too. It was packed. Given where it is, right in the middle of the West End, of course it will be. What stood out were the servers, the lovely Polish hostess who greeted us at the door and the young Londoner who served our meal. Both were wonderful and made what was a passable but no better dining experience into something far more pleasant. Thank you to both and to all who prepared our meal.

This restaurant was fun and lively and very busy on a Thursday night. Our group of 6 (including 3 teens) walked in and lucked out with only a 5-minute wait. Service was not super attentive, but they were quite busy, and we were just happy to have a table. Food was pretty good, though some dishes were better than others. Overall, I would recommend for family or friends as it was a fun environment.

Having recently been diagnosed with Celiac disease I have been very nervous at eating out. I explained my situation to the waitress and immediately felt very comfortable, they not only took time to show and explain the menu to me, but also brought over there allergy folder. Not only this but they evidently explained my situation to all the over staff. I immediately felt incredibly comfortable and safe, for this I will always be grateful to them as this was the first place I had truly felt safe eating in. I will always take the time to visit everytime I'm in London and I would highly recommend this friendly welcoming place to anyone.

Pasta Brown has gone down hill massively. Used to be our restaurant of choice when visiting the West End,but not any more.