One of Montclair’s most anticipated restaurant openings is right around the corner. Pasta Ramen, located at 6 South Fullerton Avenue, is a Japanese-Italian spot from Chef Robbie Felice coming to us on Saturday, January 28th, 2023. The Montclair Girl spoke with Chef Robbie to get all the details on what diners can expect from this one-of-a-kind experience. Read on for more about Pasta Ramen.
(Photo credit: @nj_native_photo)
About Pasta Ramen
Pasta Ramen started, like many things, as a pandemic project. “When all the restaurants were closed during the pandemic, I would host small groups for a speakeasy-style tasting,” Chef Robbie said. “It would be just a small group of people and I would try out new dishes. That became the basis for Pasta Ramen.”
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James Beard Nominated Rising Star Chef and owner Robbie Felice is also behind two other North Jersey restaurants, Viaggio in Wayne and Osteria Crescendo in Westwood. For Pasta Ramen, he has partnered up with Montclair Hospitality Group, founded by Luck Sarabhayavanija. “I approached Luck about the fusion idea and he was excited,” Chef Robbie said. MHG is the group behind popular ramen restaurant Ani Ramen.
(Photo credit: @nj_native_photo)
Once the concept was ready for a bigger audience, they took the show on the road and hosted a total of ten bigger pop-ups throughout New York, New Jersey, and across the US in places like Miami, LA, and Seattle. The pop-ups would always be in secret locations – and invite-only. The team settled in Montclair for a three-month stint in Montclair at The Clubhouse. “It felt really good,” Chef Robbie said. “It was the middle of the pandemic so we still had only a small group of diners, but it felt great to be able to do something creative and keep people employed.”
The restaurant is located at 6 South Fullerton Avenue and will be open for dinner seven days a week. It is a BYOB. “Coming back to Montclair is huge for us,” Chef Robbie said. “There’s no other town I’d want to do this in. Montclair is the perfect place to bring a non-traditional concept. Montclair is its own restaurant capital and it’s super different.”
(Photo credit: @nj_native_photo)
The grand opening will be on January 28th, and reservations are currently open. “In the first 24 hours of reservations being available, over 2,800 were made,” Chef Robbie said. Eventually, the restaurant will expand to serve lunch as well.
What to Expect
According to its website, Pasta Ramen is a fusion of Italian and Japanese culture and cuisine. “WaFu” means “in the Japanese style”, and that influence is clear in some of the dishes, like cacio e pepe gyoza fritti and tonkotusu ramen with porchetta.
(Photo credit: @nj_native_photo)
“It isn’t that multi-course omakase experience,” Chef Robbie said, “but it’s elegant. The food we put out has a lot of really cool and fun energy.” He went on to say that the food is only part of the experience for diners. “One of my favorite things about going to dinner in NYC is you can pick up on the heart and soul of the restaurant,” he said. “We’re going for that here. Everything screams Pasta Ramen.”
(Photo credit: @nj_native_photo)
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In contrast to Pasta Ramen’s speakeasy-style roots, this version of Pasta Ramen is a more conventional restaurant experience. Diners can make a reservation or walk in, the address is publicly available, and the menu is a la carte.
