Erin S. from Morris County designs afternoons around waiting for The Pasta Shop.
Or so she writes on Yelp.
“They don’t take reservations,” she says, “So either get there when they open, or wait at the brewery. It’s worth planning a day around.”
Locals know the deal — the tiny shop has lines; so much so, that, by 4 p.m., an hour after the restaurant opens, prospective diners are often told the “waitlist is already full for the night.”
Those hopefuls order takeout, and their wait starts as soon as the tickets hit the kitchen. Typically, the food arrives in 15 minutes.
For the “lucky” ones who snag a spot in the queue, however, the clock starts ticking backwards from 1½ to 4 hours.
But a bowl of Rigatoni alla Vodka is worth it, right?
Maybe.
Perhaps what’s worth it is the wait itself.
Though the food at chef Tommy Pollio’s “neighborhood eatery,” is fantastic — each dish crafted with intention, every al dente noodle formed in-house — there’s a sense of closeness among those who’ve scored a table. In the line, at the restaurant and around town, diners who’ve eaten at The Pasta Shop are a member of a collective fettuccine society (whose barrier to entry is not hard to pass, so long as you know the tricks).
Using firsthand testimonials of Yelpers, then, here’s a glance into how a notorious wait — something that can cost a restaurant its reputation — fortuitously earned The Pasta Shop 4.6 stars.
A communal restaurant in a communal town
Pollio grew up in Denville, and the Wash Shop Laundromat, which The Pasta Shop’s building used to be, was special to him. He recalls warming up in the space on blustery afternoons, and walking home as a teen. As an adult, he wouldn’t have set up shop in any other place.
“The town has a major sense of community,” he said.
That prime real estate further contributes to the continued success of The Pasta Shop, because not all clientele would agree to endure a wait in the first place — let alone found joy in it.
“The downtown area has so much love,” said Erin Pollio, the wife of co-owner Tommy Pollio. “You could look at any building here and find a heartfelt story behind it.”
“The people of Denville are happy people,” general manager Roy Nussbaum, says. “It’s incredible to see people walk into the restaurant and say ‘We waited two and a half hours, and we are so happy to be here!'”
Whether The Pasta Shop builds a sense of community in downtown Denville, or downtown Denville aids to the sense of community within the restaurant, the two exist in symbiosis, developing — for those fortunate enough to have slurped down a bowl of Pollio’s spaghetti — a lively oasis in which interpersonal connection is served as liberally as parmesan cheese.
“We talked with the owner Tommy,” Sam O. wrote on Yelp. “And he definitely loves Denville.”
And mutually, Edward K. adds, “The people of Denville are lucky to have The Pasta Shop!”
A near-perfect reviewed ‘neighborhood eatery’
The Pasta Shop is known for having excellent food. Its accessible pasta dishes are given upscale spins; as ravioli are smothered in truffle butter, rigatoni is topped with robust vodka sauce and pappardelle Bolognese features wide, handmade noodles that nearly melt in your mouth.
Regardless, affordable food prepared with passion will get annihilated by a public forum of angry Yelpers if the air conditioning in a place is too cold, the music too loud or a kid two towns over sets off a firework in his yard.
It should be expected, then, that an over 90-minute wait would knock a spot to the 3.7-star realm.
Of the 313 Yelp reviews of The Pasta Shop that mention the wait (compared to the only 17 that mention the words “casual,” “unassuming,” “humble” or “affordable”), however, just about all award the restaurant five stars.
Let’s read some.
‘Hacking’ the wait time system
“One word of advice —” Yelper Walter R. from Montville writes,” — If you don’t want to wait for a table, get there before they open and get in line, because they don’t take reservations.”
“Yes, the wait is usually over an hour,” Shirley Z. of Los Angeles agrees, “But it’s the perfect time to explore the area; grab an ice cream, or grab a boba.”
It may be “difficult to get seated,” Shirley S. of Sayreville adds, “however, right outside the establishment, there are 4-5 public picnic tables, and it still feels like a dining experience because they bring the food right to you (after you let them know you’re waiting there).”
Those wait time “hacks,” so to speak, bond the local community as past or prospective Pasta Shop diners make them casual points of conversation any time they discuss eating at the restaurant.
“The Pasta Shop has a reputation of having a very specific way to get in,” said Erin Pollio. “It’s not like you ‘need to know someone.’ It’s a very regimented process of joining the waitlist. So, because of that, people all talk about their ‘tips and tricks,’ and it’s very unifying for them.”
And, when those hints and cheats work — whether they be “going at ‘X’ time,” “lining up at opening” or “using the picnic tables in the spring” — Erin says, it can be incredibly satisfying to those who used them, as they are connected to the scores of others who’ve once “gamed the system.”
If people don’t get a table for the first seating, though, they use the interim time to hang out downtown (often running into other waiting parties in the process), or stand outside conversing with different groups; all hoping that the general manager doesn’t come out and tell them the list has “reached capacity for the night.”
“While waiting for a table at The Pasta Shop,” Angelica Laine, who I ran into killing time last week, said, “I take the opportunity to walk around downtown and catch up with friends. It’s a great time to share what’s new in our lives.”
The Horvath family, who were similarly waiting for their food, explained they were big fans of the takeout-picnic table option (which Shirley S. of Yelp described).
“The only time the wait is really painful,” Kelly Horvath said, “Is if you’re really trying to get a table inside. If you’re happy to do takeout, it’s not a big deal.”
Her son and husband, David and Steve, agreed, saying they even came “early to sit” al fresco and hang out, and that the Shop is good at offering “alternatives” to soften the blow of the delay.
Plus, Kelly added, “The mozzarella sticks —”
” — and the Chicken Parm,” David chimed in —
” — are really worth it.”
“From the very beginning of someone’s Pasta Shop experience,” Erin Pollio explains, “Everyone is in it together. Even waiting in line. Even before waiting in line, once they start giving each other advice.”
Then, when they do secure a table in the restaurant, she says, “They join in each other’s celebration, and the communal feel continues, because the tables are so close together. You’ll hear them talking to one another; asking their new friends ‘What is that?,’ and pointing at their dishes.”
From start to finish, then, a meal — characterized by a communal closeness that begins on the sidewalk — not only satisfies the palate, but the human urge to be part of a team.
Bonding over (waiting for) rigatoni
Pollio opened The Pasta Shop in 2019 with his business partner, Sergio Sciancalepore. He wanted to serve New York-quality food (specifically Italian-American classic comfort dishes, made the best they can possibly be) in a casual neighborhood spot in New Jersey.
“I wasn’t trying to make anything fancy, and that’s why people love it and keep coming back,” he said.
When I first scored a seat in the restaurant, those homey vibes impressed me long before the house-made linguine did. Wooden chairs and tables lie between tile walls and alongside an open-concept kitchen. I delighted in watching chefs prepare single pan, à la minute meals just for me.
Equally as much, though, I enjoyed spending the hour prior at the pottery studio down the street with my friend Anna, and — once in the restaurant — chatting with the pair of mid-sixty year-old women that did the exact same thing.
To this day, I still speak with those women.
Pollio’s claim that the Shop’s “casual” ambiance and simple dishes are responsible for its success, therefore, are only partially right.
Claiming that he’s created a sense of connection, though, would be seen as arrogant coming directly from a chef himself.
So, instead, I’ve said it.
And so has his wife. And so have the Yelpers.
“There’s often a wait,” Ariana S. writes online, “But the personal atmosphere makes the experience well worth it.
No exceptions
With the lines at The Pasta Shop often extending out the door, one might wonder if there’s any possible way to receive an exception; to be the one person who’s allowed to reserve a table.
“My wife has to wait,” Pollio said, “And my kids order takeout.”
An emphatic “no,” from the chef, it seems.
Taking away that integral period of connection, however, would rob guests of the most distinct part of their Pasta Shop experience.
Or — for Yelpers Johnny O., Jueli L., Blair V., Jeff K., Violet D., Anusha V. and Shelby B. — take away their time for a pre-bucatini beer.
Maybe, next time, they can meet Erin S. from Morris County at the brewery.
Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can’t find her in Jersey’s best restaurants, she’s probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.
Dining and Cooking