Midtown Lunch

The day has come! The first (of many) Hello Pastas opened on Lexington btw. 54+55th this morning. As they promised, it’s kinda like the Chipotle of pasta, with a similar set-up to make for maximum ordering efficiency. You queue up, pick your pasta (choice between farfalle, conchiglie, fusilli, whole wheat fusilli, or gluten free penne), sauce, size (14 oz. “Handy” vs. 19 oz. “Handful”), and you’re out! The checkout counter also reminds me of the sweets section at every Pret A Manger counter stacked with last minute temptations in case hot pasta on a sweltering city day brings you down. For those hesitant to commit, don’t forget there’s an 8coupons deal for TOMORROW that gets you any pasta with any sauce for just 88 cents! Easy to hate aspiring empire-builders, but even 88 cent lunches are hard to resist. For those who can’t fathom eating steaming fusilli bolognese in this weather (like I am right now), they offer cold pasta salads and regular green salads too.

Check out our first taste, and the menu, after the jump…

It’s just their first day – and I was their third customer – so it’s too early to review officially. I think the price for a Chinese takeout container of fusilli bolognese was reasonable ($7.95) considering it’s in Midtown East. Nowhere else around here can you get made-to-order pasta unless you get it from a restaurant, which would be more expensive! And while it’s no Babbo, the pasta sure as hell beats anything I’ve ever made. Plus, they’ve got 11 different sauces to choose from for those who want to go nuts and switch things up.

We’ll be back tomorrow for 88 cent day. Hope to see you there!

Hello Pasta 649 Lexington btw. 54+55th, 212-557-2782