Vegan
Italian
Beer/Wine
Family owned restaurant offering fresh pasta dishes. All items are handmade and artisanal. Carbon-Free Dining Partner. Open Tue-Fri 12:00-14:30, Tue-Thu 17:00-21:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-21:30, Sat 12:00-15:00. Closed Sun-Mon.
155 Reviews
First Review by SierraPastaLover
Ebsveg
Points +2398
Yummy all vegan pasta - Edit
It had such a huge selection of pasta and so creative! We had the fried gnocchi and cheese sauce and tomatoes and bread to start followed by a pasta with chorizo and the pumpkin ravioli. All of the food was good but didnt blow me away. My favorite was the tomatoes and bread (which sounds simple but was very delicious!) I would still go back if I was in the area, it had a lovely ambience and a lot more yummy sounded dishes on the menu.
Read moreGuest
fruityjuicyluce
Points +268
Home of vegan pasta - Edit
I feel like the UK is definitely lacking in vegan Italian spots so it's nice to see a place like this. I wasn't blow away by the food personally, but it wasnt bad either. I don't think I necessarily picked the right things to try. Staff were friendly and I would recommend it to people who really enjoy Italian
Read morePros: Good menu , Nice atmosphere
Cons: Food wasn't exceptional
Guest
Lealeena
Points +212
Delicious - Edit
My friends and I had an amazing time at Pastan, the service is fast and great, the staff is lovely, friendly and beyond (the Owner went out to get us bottled water). Now the food was delicious, gastronomical and the portions were rather generous, to me. The music is also quite nice yet a little loud, to me.
Read moreThe restaurant has a very good design, cosy and joyous
Updated from previous review on 2024-10-30
Pros: Food quality and portion , Service, Location
Cons: Loud music
Guest
chb-pbfp
Points +10592
Vegan food - Edit
It's a nice restaurant with lovely staff. I personally however prefer the Italian pasta over the French one, now that's probably just a matter of taste. They did not have the cheese plate for the moment, should be back in a few weeks.
Read morePros: Vegan food, Nice place , Lovely staff
Guest
Kostas84
Points +73
Excellent! - Edit
Delicious pasta and great service! We had 2 starters and 2 mains. Generous portions and everything was perfect.
Read morePros: Food, Service
Guest
GreenGourmetDuo
Points +20
A Hidden Gem: Pastan Barbican - Edit
We strolled into Pastan Barbican expecting an ordinary pasta experience and came out impressed. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming, while still maintaining a touch of elegance. The staff is friendly and attentive, making every guest feel special.
Read moreThe pasta is outstanding – freshly made with a variety of vegan options that are truly delicious. We were particularly impressed by the homemade pasta.
In short, Pastan Barbican has become our go-to spot for carb-loaded meals. We highly recommend it to anyone looking for a satisfying dining experience.
Guest
sophiardi
Points +48
delicious and good service - Edit
the food was great and we really enjoyed the service. if we were in london for longer we would definitely go back
Read moreGuest
JakubD
Points +429
Great pasta - Edit
Super delicious pasta served here! The ratings speak for themselves; they offer a lunch deal which also offered small donuts which were tasty - but the pasta was the star!
Read moreGuest
greenluno
Points +293
Great vegan pasta! - Edit
Have been here a few times, and while I would have originally given 3/4 stars after my first visit (shortly after they opened) I've been back since and they have definitely improved and have had a great experience since! I've had the dolce vita and also the spanish style orzo which were both great but honestly the mozzarella in the portfofino is incredible!! Would reccomend ordering that 100%
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-09-24
Guest
Queensland
Points +33
Please visit this place if you can, their food is amazing 🥹 - Edit
I can’t remember the last time I went to a restaurant that was that good.
Read moreI had mac and cheese with bacon bits, and the portion was enormous. The mini ravioli with mushrooms are really nice too. My non vegan partner really enjoyed his bruschetta with tomato sauce too.
I recommend trying their doughnuts, these are tiny round dough bits that are filled with hot caramel sauce and it’s simply delicious.
Also our waiter was very kind and helpful 🥺❤️
Pros: Doughnuts!!!, Pasta
Cons: I can’t order delivery, they are too far from me 🥹
Guest
lizzienicholls123
Points +1071
Pasta Lunch - Edit
Visited for lunch and had the carbonara. My mum had the macaroni cheese. Nice enough but didn’t wow me. The pasta was a little cold and definitely required some additional seasoning. We had the biscoff doughnuts for dessert - these were by far the best bit of the meal!
Read moreGuest
KanoSekine
Points +23
One of my favourite restaurants in the world! - Edit
Like everyone has already said, this place is incredibly perfect. Nice location and close from my Japanese school so that I can take people including non-vegans and impress them with varieties of the pasta dishes.
Read moreGuest
aidstef
Points +24
Absolutely unreal pasta - Edit
Everything was insanely delicious, what's the point of eating animals when plant based dishes are so incredibly tasty? We loved the gnocchi loaded with vegan cheese, the carbonara and the ravioli. We finished this massive dinner with 6 mini doughnuts filled with biscoff which were out of this world. Shout-out to the waiter who was super kind with us and our dog and gave us lots of treats for her! Can't wait to be back, I'll be dreaming of their fresh pasta until then :)
Read morePros: Food tasted amazing, Calm atmosphere , Very clean and tidy
Guest
tallulahdenyer
Points +95
Delicious food - Edit
It was really refreshing to eat in an all vegan Italian restaurant. I had the carbonara and it was great, although didn’t resemble a carbonara sauce much like I remembered. It was still delicious though. The staff were also slightly frantic but it didn’t impact our experience. A lovely and quaint restaurant.
Read morePros: All vegan, Delicious Italian food
Guest
BenjHayes97
Points +152
Excellent variety of incredible food! - Edit
The sheer range of starters, mains and desserts was amazing, the gnocchi and ravioli starters in particular were amazing!
Read morePros: Variety of options, Location , Taste!!
VRebecca
Pastan is the best 💃🏻
Read moreGuest
cocoldn
Points +1048
An overall amazing experience 🍝 🍨 - Edit
Pastan Barbican has been on my wish list for ages now and I was so glad to finally try it. It was well worth the wait, the food was incredible and the vibe is fabulous. They have a large and interesting menu, you’re absolutely spoilt for choice. I had the Napoli (a vegan version of a puttanesca) and a Frangelico Affogato for dessert, both were delicious. The staff were all so lovely, which really added to how much we enjoyed our trip there. I’d recommend booking in advance as it does get very busy.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-08-10
Guest
HenryBlane
Points +11284
Very tasty! - Edit
Update 2024 (5*): Prices have barely gone up since 2022 and it is now good value, the food has improved and service too, 5* now!
Read moreOriginal review 2022 (4*): Pastan have a great selection of pastas and it was hard for us to narrow down to just 2 for me and my fiancée! We went for the Mushroom Stroganoff (Chef’s Special) and Dolce Vita (carbonara). They were both really tasty and decent portions (my only criticism is they could’ve been a bit hotter). The Stroganoff edged it for me as I thought the mushrooms were really delicious, but I was also impressed with the carbonara sauce. For dessert we ordered the 9 Speculoos (Biscoff) mini doughnut balls. They were served hot, filled with Biscoff, and were really rich and tasty!
Overall I really enjoyed my experience at Pastan – the food was good, it had a nice ambience and the waiter was really friendly and helpful. It was also really cool to see it so busy and I’d definitely recommend booking as it has limited opening hours and it’s very popular.
However, it is pricey for what it is (our bill came to almost £60 for 2 mains, a dessert & a glass of wine) and I didn’t feel the food was good enough to warrant that price. They also only had one waiter serving the whole restaurant (and pouring the drinks!) so the service was a bit slow. But that’s not to take away from the wonderful service and enthusiasm he provided, he was really great!
I think it’s still worth a visit though as it is a good experience!
Updated from previous review on 2022-10-21
Pros: Tasty, Nice ambience, Lovely waiter
Guest
purrsitivity
Points +919
Always a fave - Edit
I was so gutted when the Pastan in Manchester closed down! So I had to visit the Barbican branch when I was in London😋 It was quite busy so I would say to book in advance, but we managed to get a table.
Read moreStaff were very friendly and helpful despite full tables, one waitress did ask “it’s fully vegan is that okay?” of course it’s okay!!! It’s more than okay, so sad to think anyone would think it’s not🥲🥲🥲anyway I digress.
But the food was great quality as always, we got a garlic bread to share and a pasta dish each, very filling and tasty, great place, definitely want to return to try even more of the menu (pls reopen up north🥹)🫶🏼
Guest
SJS5
Points +747
Third visit and still lush - Edit
The dishes here are big, be aware if you can't eat well or can't take your leftovers away! This time I went for a filled pasta as smaller and my husband had the pasta paella. Both dishes had lots of flavour, the paella was too hot for me but luckily he didn't want to share lol. We also had some tasty bread and fried gnocchi- we asked for mushroom sauce but were given cheese, it was nice but not mushroom! The waiter was clearly waiting to close the doors which was a but off putting. I'd eat there all the time if I could afford it / my waist could take it!!!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-07-07
Guest
ionarob
Points +245
Delicioussssss - Edit
I loved everything. I had seafood paella and for dessert me and my friend shared an affogato and a tiramisu. Really enjoyed it all. They put a candle in the tiramisu for us too 🎉
Read morePros: Food, Limoncello, Friendly staff
Guest
AnitaH
Points +465
Some of the yummiest food I’ve ever had - Edit
Shared a bunch of dishes - my absolute favorite was the Firenze. Really tasty and delicious food. Had the pan con tomate, mini mushroom ravioli, Napoli pasta and the Firenze. I wish I had had room for dessert. Excellent food and highly recommend this cozy spot to anyone.
Read moreGuest
jague
Points +130
Very good Pasta - Edit
The Pasta was so delicious. This was the best pasta i‘ve ever had. Staff was very friendly and Food was very quickly.
Read moreGuest
Oishichan
Points +28
Disappointing - Edit
We read the high ratings and were thrilled to go.
Read moreEspecially the "handmade and artisanal" part. Also the menu looked great.
Service was good, no complaints there.
I asked about the cheese and was told only the parmesan was their own.
Bummer, but ok.
Then disaster struck.
The pizza base was gummy and dry. The topping not much better.
The tortellini were undercooked in the thicker part and served with just melted butter, not sage butter.
The orzotto was cooked well but lacked any flavor.
We must have been extremely unlucky. Otherwise I can't understand why all those high ratings.
I'm also curious, how is this a family owned restaurant with so many locations across countries?
Guest
izzyfrances
Points +304
Delicious plant-based pasta - Edit
Loveee the comfort food at this all-vegan restaurant (and my non-vegan sister loved it too!)
Read moreGuest
lenaN
Points +71
Excellent Italian food! - Edit
Really great Italian food and all vegan. Loved the cheese board and garlic bread. Will definitely go back.
Read morePros: Cheese board, Great selection , Decent desserts
Guest
NaomiC
Points +99
Lives up to the hype - Edit
The food here is great and the service really friendly. I wanted pasta so based on others’s reviews ordered their version of carbonara for my first visit. It was yummy, as was their cashew Parmesan. I also had the veg starter - perfectly cooked and delicious. And the specious mini doughnuts are simply the best thing I’ve tasted in as long as I can remember. They are outstanding - a must have. Am already planning to go back for more, and more!
Read moreGuest
LucyCParr
Points +118
Super tasty, great place - Edit
Great service and really yummy pasta. Highly recommend.
Read moreGuest
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