Pasta Pooks and other Curated Vibe Restaurants (10/07/2025)

TLDR: A mediocre plate of pasta turned into a rant about modern restaurant culture, the fall of the institution and a few sideways rambles about authenticity or the lack thereof in the post-Covid world of instagram likes


I. A Review


On July 4th, my roommate and I tried Pasta Pooks, in Little Italy. I will not type out the physical address, as I simply cannot be bothered, and (spoilers) cannot in good faith truly recommend going there. Upon initial glances, it looked promising. According to my roomie (who had been wanting to try it), it was constantly busy, blew up on social media, and was said to be quite good. This was partially confirmed as there were at least two groups of people standing outside of the tiny brick and mortar awaiting their pasta. Furthermore, the inside of said tiny space was full. We managed to strike some luck, as some seats freed up inside, which allowed us to better examine the interior. A charming, seemingly earnest atmosphere greeted us. Although this was a relatively new spot (brick and mortar established in 2025 following a series of pop ups (yes, i did my research...)), it felt as though it had been around for a while, or it was referencing those lost local pasta places that had predated this place, and had since disappeared (oh the tragedy of Little Italy). A chalkboard menu with 3 pastas and two sandwiches, a kitchen that was larger than the seating area, a total of around 8 seats, cluttered walls, extensive wines, local soda, all of it was promising. What was even more promising, for me, was the fact that we ended up sitting beside what appeared to be regulars, the man working the till was quite friendly with them. Surely, no place that was bad would have regulars.

We placed our orders. I wanted the gnocchi with pesto, but they were out, so I settled for the Spinach Ricotta Ravioli, with a Zamaleck cola. My roommate got the malloreddus alla campidanese, which for those who do not know (myself included) is malloreddus pasta (cool little pasta shape), with what seems to be a fancy sausage ragu. The prices were written on the menu but hidden from me and my roommate? Like they were written in theory but I was staring at the menu and could not see them so I was jumpscared by like 30 dollar pasta. This is when we get into the true problem. I found it to be incredibly average. Overwhelmingly and disappointingly average. The malloreddus was incredibly salty, crying for some sort of acid or herb or SOMETHING... and the ravioli was just fine. The spinach Ricotta filling was very green and beautiful, but I had a whole ravioli and I struggle to even remember what it tastes like. The Zam cola was delightful, but truly, as we sat with our pasta, we were faced with this bleakness. Had we just paid 30 dollars for the world's most average pasta? Would I have been better off with a sandwich? (The reason I did not order either the lemon or mushroom one was because I would have to say the phrase "can I get the lemon pookie please" and I do not get off on being humiliated in public to a complete stranger).



II. An overarching problem?


This experience prompted us to realize this almost sinister problem of vibe-based restaurants. Surely, this is not a Montreal specific issue, and even if it is... what's the deal? Are we so obsessed with aesthetics that a mediocre pasta can cost 30 dollars if the vibes are good? Maybe I am the problem and my expectations were too high? I think the roots of this problem are in pop-up resto culture but I don't think pop-ups are inherently bad. I think they're incredibly helpful for young chefs to have creative control, and to get their name out there, especially in competitive and expensive scenes like Montreal or New York. It's sort of like the lemonade stand of the food world, if you aren't super familiar with pop-ups. The problem arises when the aesthetic becomes more important than the food itself. I'm sure the owner of Pasta Pooks cares about pasta, and about quality food. He has a history of popups, and the Pasta Pooks instagram page started as his own personal ig to share pasta, however, the actual brick and mortar was disappointing! I was sold this idea of something that feels long gone, especially in a neighbourhood like Little Italy, which is now filled with millennial greige coffee shops. An authentic (but what does authentic even mean...) local spot, where the pasta is good and the vibes are just as good.Once again, this "seemingly earnest" cosplay.

I think the problem lies in longevity. The "good vibes" of a place like Le Vieux St Laurent come from the fact that it has been open for ages. The grunge on the place is real. Even Champs, with its bar posts cluttered with stickers and other "garbage", has that authentic vibe. Each piece, or scrap, was collected; either as a gift, or something that was left behind. Maximalism, especially maximalism to mimic history, cannot be thrown together without a bit of heart. You can't throw a bunch of postcards on a checkered wall just because it looks cool, each postcard, each sticker, should mean something. The evolution of the gallery wall, of the book shelf, has to come from a desire to collect, a love of what you're collecting... I am reminded of something I was horrified to discover: if you spend enough money, someone will create an aesthetic bookshelf for you. As in, the titles do not matter, the shelf will just look pretty. How did we get here, where aesthetic matters more than the content of something, whether it's to appear highbrow and intellectual, or modest and local. Pasta Pooks continues this trend that I think started with Millennial Burger chains, and Microbreweries; the need to appear "authentic". And then we're back to this word. What is authenticity? How can it be achieved? I'm not sure myself. But at least for the resto industry, it should start with the food.

I guess the obvious catalyst is the rise of social media, where appearance is everything. I also wonder if it's a lack of physical community, and also a vacuum where local joints simply do not exist as much anymore, especially with the Canadian rent crisis, and the Covid of it all (sigh... another blog post on covid will rear its head in the future). I don't have a solution to any of these big problems, except support the local watering holes while you still can, even if it's just by telling people about them. Local institutions don't just pop up, or survive by pure energy. We need to find and support the best local places we can. This blog post coming out after the MainLine Theatre closed (and the announcement that Blue Dog is closing) is also well... fitting. Institutions are leaving, and then what? Will the skeleton of Mainline get dressed up as some horrific "concept" store?


III. Conclusion


I'm sure Pasta Pooks is fine, and I'm happy for the people that love it, and I'm sure there are worse pasta places with a similar concept (looking at you Lulu's pasta bar (I have no proof but it feels sinister)), but to me, it felt just as bleak and soulless as the coffee shops I went to that same day. I'm not sure I have a solution, since a dingy interior but good food wouldn't make it as successful as their trendy and "authentic" interior and passably decent food has, but maybe the general populace will grow tired of pseudo-modesty. There is also time for the authenticity to grow. Maybe in a couple years, Pasta Pooks will have settled into this niche of a good local pasta spot, and everything will feel a lot more "authentic" after the proverbial new car smell leaves the brick and mortar.


IV. Photo Gallery

V. Post-script notes

It's interesting to speak on "the food scene" as someone who has no involvement, aside from devotion to the food network and a love of eating out. It makes me worried about my comments and observations, like what do I know? However, I think this sort of environment created by Pasta Pooks, and other more insidious places (lulu's pasta bar...), are made to appeal to me, someone who doesn't know any better. Someone who knows about the spots these places are trying to mimic, but doesn't know how to find them in real life, due to laziness or anxiety or a simple lack of knowledge (for me, it's anxiety and a lack of knowledge, but we're working on it).

Also I know Little Italy is not where you get the good Italian food in Montreal, don't worry about it. I know things about Montreal. I will say... Little Portugal is super Portuguese.Like Little Italy had a cafe that was also a hair and nail salon... Of course the good Italian food isn't there anymore! We went to two different Annex sibling stores !! We walked past at least 1 terrible record store!

I also want to say that I am not trying to shit too hard on Pasta Pooks. It was fine pasta, I think my expectations were high, especially in this city where I've had so much good food. If you like the pasta there, keep going! I wonder how good the sammiches are... If only they weren't called something stupid...

Another thing: the millennial burger restaurant is MUCH WORSE ok? This pasta place is way better than any of those. I'll take "heavily tattooed mile end man making pasta whilst pretending he is my nona" over whatever is in the air of the millennial burger chain. The pasta was on cute little plates and they gave me a cute little glass for my Zam cola!

Coming soon will be a directory of my thoughts on restaurants, brunch spots and cafes I've tried in Montreal, which should give you (the reader) a better gauge of my palette and also food opinions, as well as the weight you should give me and my opinions :). Special mention to Euro-Deli Batory. Now this is a place with authentic swag, and excellent Polish food...



-Jouchpincess xoxo