Pasta Pesto - Wildwood

My daughter, her friend, and I were in town for a basketball tournament at the Convention Center, and a good friend recommended Pasta Pesto to us. We tried the fettuccine Alfredo and spaghetti amatriciana, and the portions were enormous—three of us could easily share one pasta dish. Each meal came with a large side salad or soup, both of which were excellent, along with fresh bread and homemade pesto served on the side. I only wish we had saved some room for dessert!

The restaurant has a lovely interior, and the staff are welcoming, creating a cozy atmosphere. The pesto sauce that comes with the bread is absolutely delightful. Be sure to try the garlic bread appetizer and dip it in the pesto! The salad was perfectly seasoned and loaded with cheese, which I loved! Both pasta dishes were flavorful, but they seemed to lack a little something. Overall, it was a wonderful dining experience!

After being seated and handed our menus by the hostess, our waitress arrived shortly to take our drink order. When our wine arrived, she also took our food order. Almost immediately after placing our order, we were served warm bread along with an incredibly delicious creamy pesto spread—I wish I could have taken some home! As we savored the bread, our shared side salad drenched in creamy dressing was brought out. Just as we began to enjoy the salad, our Carbonara Fries arrived. This left us with barely any room on the table, making it difficult to enjoy our bread and salad as the fries took over. Unfortunately, the Carbonara Fries turned out to be just cheese fries topped with melted mozzarella and a thick sauce that was supposed to resemble carbonara; I wouldn't recommend them. As we were still picking at our salad, our entrees were served—this all happened within 10 minutes of placing our order, no exaggeration. The server who cleared our full salad plates to make space for our entrees asked if she could take any other plates away, which was puzzling since all our plates had food on them that we were still eating. I had ordered the Shrimp and Scallop Fra Diavolo with penne, but the pasta was soggy, and the scallops were so gummy they were difficult to cut. The shrimp were overcooked and frankly inedible. I ended up picking out the seafood and took home the fishy pasta, thinking I might eat it later, but I didn’t. My husband was also disappointed with his bland Chicken Parmesan over penne and didn’t take home his leftovers either. Additionally, I should mention that the lights went completely out twice during our meal. At first, we thought there may have been a power surge due to the intense humidity, but it turned out they were simply turning out the lights to sing happy birthday to other customers. Having the entire restaurant go dark felt a bit excessive and posed a safety risk. We were seated and out in less than an hour; we could have signed the check within 30 minutes if we hadn’t ordered wine. We felt rushed throughout the meal and were really disappointed with the food. When we go out to eat by the shore, we hope to relax, enjoy a drink, and soak in the ambience. Unfortunately, we won’t be seeking that experience at Pasta Pesto again.

Lovely place! The soup and the bread with pesto it's just phenomenal. The main dish was fetuccini buratta and I loved it. My server Raluca was really sweet and gave really good recommendations. The place it's so nice and quiet it really gives an italian vibe. Definitely coming back!!!

THIS IS A RARE FIND!! delicious Italian Food just like Grandma would make! Clean. Spacious. Incredibly friendly staff!! I Will be back! So glad I found you! Amy Barb !