Restaurant Reviews

Lake Chapala may just be paradise for those who enjoy dining out and eating wonderful, creative food. This guide to our favorite restaurants is just that - our very own favorites. We have ranked them according to their menu selections, service, ambiance and price and have personally eaten at them all, sometimes more than once. If you think we have left out a really good restaurant, it is probably because we haven't eaten there yet. Let us know and we will make a visit and add our review to this guide. Buen Provecho!

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Pasta Trenta Restaurant

Address: Constitucion 33A casi esq. Ramon Corona, Ajijic
Telephone: 376 766 1121. Call for a Reservation.
Email: pastatrenta@gmail.com
Facebook
Hours: Monday - Wednesday 1 PM to 10 PM; Friday - Sunday 9 AM - 10 PM 
Visa and MasterCard Accepted. Free Wifi.  

Directions: From Walmart, travel toward Ajijic and turn left at Calle Serdan, and then left onto Calle Ocampo, which will turn into Constitucion. Pasta Trenta is on the left, just before Calle Galeana. Park along the street in front of the restaurant.



First Impressions

One of the newest restaurants in Ajijic, Pasta Trenta, is located in a cozy nook on Calle Constitucion. The understated café entrance is easy to miss if you aren't watching out for it. But, don't just pass by without stopping, especially if you are hungry for authentic Italian cooking.

The daily specials are posted on the wall just outside the entrance and this afternoon they featured ravioli made in house and a coconut garlic bisque as specials. As we were standing outside, reading the menu and trying to decide to have lunch, two women who were just leaving told us what delicious meals they had and ensured us that we could not go wrong by eating at Pasta Trenta.

That is all we needed to hear to decide to venture in and try some of the interesting looking dishes on the menu. Word of mouth - especially unsolicited - really is the best kind of advertisement.

The intimate dining room may seat 20 guests. If you are coming for dinner, make a reservation so that you will not be disappointed if the restaurant is full. After our meals this afternoon, I predict that Pasta Trent will become very popular with local diners.

The Menu

Pasta Trenta's Dining Room
As their name suggests, the menu features at least 30 unique Italian dishes. Or, perhaps the name references a town in Southern Italy that inspires their cuisine. There are dishes on the menu I have never seen at any other Italian restaurant at Lake Chapala. Someone in the kitchen knows what they are doing.

The menu tempts you with a variety of starters, including a soup (today a coconut and roasted garlic bisque was the special), several fresh salads, bruschetta, antipasto and fried calamari, to name just a few.

A chalkboard on the wall above the table lists the mixed drinks available and several coffees. The waitress brought us a wine list with a decent selection of red and white wines served by the glass or bottle. The choices were almost overwhelming and everything sounded delicious. We decided to begin our meal with bruschetta and two glasses of Spanish wine, the Tempranillo.



Bruschetta
The serving size of the bruschetta was small, but quite enough for two, prepared fresh and arranged on two slices of toasted Italian bread. The tomatoes and fresh leaf lettuce were well seasoned and the dish was attractively served on a wooden cutting board.

For the main dish, we ordered 
POLLO E FUNGHI, prepared with chicken, garlic, and mushrooms in a cream sauce for


Prosciutto E Melle

$115pesos. At the waitress' suggestion, we also ordered PROSCIUTTO E MELLE, ham, apple, and choice of pasta served in a cognac and cream sauce, and priced at $115pesos. A basket of fresh bread and a small jar of garlic spread accompanied our meal.

Pasta Trenta's  entire menu can be previewed on their Facebook page.  

By the end of the meal we were stuffed but could not pass up dessert. We split a delicious lime tart which was not on the menu but offered by our waitress. I wish I had saved room for coffee because Pasta Trenta offers cappuccino as well as café latte and café Americano.


Lemon Tart

Service and Price

Our waitress was attentive and able to explain the menu selections to us and even made suggestions of her own favorites. I am always impressed when the wait staff can explain the menu items and describe how they taste. We each had two glasses of wine during our meal, a substantial glass for a mere $35pesos.

The total price, after 4 glasses of wine, starter, two main dishes and dessert came to $463pesos.


Those who read Lake Chapala Restaurant Guide  know that when we review a restaurant we do not skimp on our meals or drinks. Can you eat for less at Pasta Trenta? Yes, but you can also splurge and still spend less than $30US for two people.

Our Recommendation ****

Delicious Italian food prepared fresh by a knowledgeable chef. Attentive, intelligent service. Intimate, pleasant dining experience and reasonable prices. We highly recommend this new restaurant for a dining experience that is different from any other lakeside. Muy rico! Tell them Lake Chapala Restaurant Guide sent you.








3 comments:

  1. Best italian food in town! And excellent people!

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  2. I've been..and lived in Italy a few times...and the food at Pasta Trenta is really wonderful!!! and yes the people that own and work there are so friendly...and helpful. The energy there is great!! good people! I love that place!

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  3. some of the best food I've had anywhere in the world! I will totally support them...hoping they stick around for a long while!

    ReplyDelete