There is pasta and then there is fresh pasta.
Tucked inside the Los Cerritos Center food court, La Pasta is putting a decidedly different spin on the typical mall meal. Instead of something prepared hours earlier and waiting under a heat lamp, the focus here is on fresh pasta, made-to-order dishes and letting customers build a meal around exactly what they are craving. And visually, La Pasta immediately gets your attention.
Bright blue tile, sunny yellow accents and the oversized retro-inspired La Pasta sign give the counter a cheerful, contemporary Italian feel. Behind the glass, trays filled with different varieties of pasta make it clear what the star of the show is.
The concept is wonderfully simple: choose your sauce, choose your pasta and add your protein. Choices include classics such as marinara and Alfredo along with pesto, sweet butter and premium sauces. Pasta selections range from familiar spaghetti and linguine to tagliatelle, rigatoni, fusilli and other varieties. Chicken, meatballs and shrimp can be added to create your own combination. But one of the things that really caught our attention was the fresh pasta itself.
The beautiful nests of noodles displayed behind the counter look more like something you would expect to find in an Italian market or neighborhood trattoria than in a shopping mall food court. La Pasta says its emphasis is on fresh, locally sourced ingredients and classic dishes, and that philosophy is evident in the presentation.
Then there is the cheese wheel. Yes, an enormous wheel of Parmigiano-style cheese sits right on the counter, ready for one of the restaurant’s most eye-catching preparations. Hot pasta is tossed directly inside the hollowed wheel, coating the noodles in all that rich, cheesy goodness.
If you happen to be walking by when they are preparing it, you’re probably going to stop.
We certainly did.
The restaurant also offers sides, salads, desserts and a colorful assortment of specialty and imported Italian drinks, making it possible to turn a pasta bowl into a complete meal.
What we especially like about La Pasta is that it takes something familiar and makes it fun again. Pasta is comfort food. Most of us grew up eating some version of spaghetti, Alfredo or buttered noodles. Here, you can stay comfortably traditional or experiment with a different pasta, sauce and protein combination every time you visit.
Early diners have particularly praised the Alfredo, tagliatelle and truffle Parmesan pasta, as well as the friendly service. As with many made-to-order concepts, waits can be longer during busy periods, and some customers have commented that pricing is higher than they might expect from a food-court restaurant. But many reviewers say the freshness, quality and generous portions make La Pasta feel closer to a casual Italian restaurant experience than standard mall fare.
The Olive Grove verdict: La Pasta is worth putting on your list, especially for pasta lovers. The fresh-pasta display, build-your-own concept and show-stopping cheese wheel make this much more interesting than the average grab-and-go lunch. Sometimes you don’t need white tablecloths and candlelight. Sometimes you just need a bowl of freshly made pasta covered in cheese. And really, how can you argue with that?
La Pasta
239 Los Cerritos Center, Food Court #23
Cerritos, CA 90703
(424) 425-3827
