Fresh Handmade Pasta and Exquisite Sauces at Taipei's Renowned Spot: "PASTAIO"

"PASTAIO" means "pasta artisan" in Italian, directly expressing their confidence and pride in handmade pasta. Founded in 2020 in Taipei's East District, PASTAIO specializes in freshly made "raw Italian pasta," featuring vibrant colors and diverse shapes paired with a variety of rich sauces. The restaurant quickly gained a reputation and now has four branches in Taipei and New Taipei City. Recently, they launched a new brand, "pastaio noodle cafe," in the Minsheng Community, offering Asian-style pasta that you can enjoy with chopsticks, making it even more relatable to Taiwanese daily life. What exactly is "raw Italian pasta"? It's not about whether the pasta is cooked or not, but whether it has been dried. Italian pasta varies between the north and south. In the humid northern regions of Italy, where dairy farming and soft wheat cultivation are prevalent, fresh pasta is made using soft wheat flour (like Italian 00 flour) and eggs. In contrast, dried pasta is more common in the hot and dry southern regions, where durum wheat is grown and sun-dried. Making fresh pasta in humid Taipei makes perfect sense. PASTAIO's pasta artisans use Italian durum wheat flour and 00 flour to prepare dough daily, incorporating natural ingredients like eggs, spirulina powder, tomato, and squid ink to create beautiful colors. The dough is then hand-rolled or machine-processed into various shapes such as ribbon pasta, wavy pasta, long tube pasta, cockscomb pasta, shell pasta, and handmade orecchiette, all boasting the unique chewiness of fresh pasta. Who says fresh pasta can't be a type of dry noodles? With vibrant pasta shapes and exclusive sauces, this kind of dry noodles is something "Ah X Eatery" or "Old X Noodles" could never replicate! Italians emphasize pairing specific pasta shapes with certain sauces for the best flavor, and PASTAIO follows this tradition. Here are some of their best-selling dishes and exclusive flavors that are truly exciting: 🔸Meat Sauce Long Tube Pasta 🔸Chongqing Spicy Ribbon Pasta ✨Exclusive Flavor 🔸Vodka Pink Sauce Shell Pasta 🔸Pesto Cockscomb Pasta 🔸Mapo Tofu Lasagna Combining Italian classics with Asian creativity, these dishes are endlessly enjoyable! All pasta is handmade, frozen for preservation, and shipped with the sauce. No need to defrost before cooking—just boil for two minutes! It's much more convenient than dried pasta, which often requires ten minutes of cooking. 🔸Meat Sauce Long Tube Pasta: The taste of an Italian grandmother's kitchen, a household staple! Pasta and meat sauce are a must! PASTAIO's homemade tomato meat sauce features a classic beef and pork blend, simmered with garlic and onions to create a rich, authentic red sauce flavor. Pair it with their fresh long tube pasta for the ultimate comfort food. Don't forget to grate some Parmesan cheese on top! 🔸Chongqing Spicy Ribbon Pasta: ✨Exclusive Flavor! A cultural fusion of secret spicy oil and handmade wide pasta! Surprising! Who knew Sichuan flavors and Italian pasta could pair so well? If Italians were to make Chongqing noodles, this might be the result. PASTAIO's fresh handmade wide pasta, similar to pappardelle, is traditionally paired with meat sauce but has been transformed here to complement their "secret spicy noodle sauce." It's incredibly delicious! The noodle sauce is intensely flavorful! Move over, Lao Gan Ma—this sauce bursts with the numbing aroma of Sichuan peppercorns and complex spices, combined with chili and peanut butter for a fresh and rich taste. Stir-fried with butter, the sauce is irresistibly aromatic. The handmade wide pasta has a unique chewiness and firm texture, perfectly absorbing the robust sauce. Don't forget to sprinkle some scallions on top! 🔸Vodka Pink Sauce Shell Pasta: A classic of American-Italian cuisine! The go-to dish for romantic dinners in 1980s America! Creamy with a hint of boozy sophistication, the subtle bitterness of vodka adds charm. Combined with mascarpone cheese and tomatoes, the sauce is bright, tangy, and rich with garlic and caramelized shallots. Paired with small shell pasta, it's incredibly satisfying! Recommended toppings include sautéed cherry tomatoes or shrimp—give it a try! 🔸Pesto Cockscomb Pasta: A refreshing green whirlwind! Time for a lighter flavor! PASTAIO's authentic Italian pesto is made with pine nuts, fresh basil, spinach, Grana Padano cheese, anchovies, and garlic, offering a high-pitched aroma mixed with nutty creaminess and anchovy umami. The pasta itself is green, too! Made with natural spirulina powder, the cockscomb pasta has a standout wavy texture. Add grated Parmesan cheese or silky ricotta for extra flavor. I also sprinkled pine nuts and arugula on top—the peppery freshness of arugula complements the pesto perfectly! 🔸Mapo Tofu Lasagna: A creative fusion of Chinese and Italian flavors! I never expected this dish to be so delicious! Move over Bolognese sauce—mapo tofu is here! PASTAIO takes it seriously, using Pixian bean paste to stir-fry minced beef and tofu, layering it on top with mozzarella cheese, and baking until crispy and gooey. Beneath are five layers of wide pasta sheets interspersed with spicy minced meat and a sponge-like texture created by fried tofu. This clever addition not only ties the dish to its mapo tofu theme but also adds a springy texture between the pasta layers. If you're curious, you must try it! The Mapo Tofu Lasagna serves two, while the other pasta dishes serve three to four people. You can adjust portions as needed. We've also curated different combo sets for you.