Montclair Restaurant Is Marriage Of Italian, Japanese Flavors (Photos)

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A “pop-up, omakase-style” restaurant that blends Italian and Japanese dining has opened a highly anticipated brick-and-mortar location in Montclair.

Until now, Pasta Ramen has been an invitation-only, “pop-up, omakase-style” dining experience that operated out of secret locations in New Jersey, New York, Miami and Los Angeles. But with its restaurant at 6 South Fullerton Avenue in Montclair – which will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, Jan. 28 – things are being kicked up a notch.

Pasta Ramen – which bills itself as the “first-ever Italian ramen shop” – blends ingredients, textures and techniques from Japanese and Italian cuisines into a style that has been dubbed “Wafu-Italian.”

According to a news release, diners at the “BYOB” eatery can expect to encounter dishes such as cacio e pepe gyoza, a hand-folded, deep-fried dumpling filled with imported parmigiano Reggiano and fresh cracked black pepper; mochi ramen carbonara tsukemen, a “signature Pasta Ramen standout” balanced with limone, sesame, togarashi, parmigiano and egg yolk; tonkotsu ramen with porchetta and the “crowd-favorite” udon alla amatriciana, which combines guanciale, tomato, miso, black pepper, chili, scallion and pecorino romano.

Co-founder and chef-partner Robbie Felice said it’s “incredibly rewarding” to get a chance to be creative and give people a dining experience they’ve never had before.

Felice, a previous nominee for the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year award, said that the response at Pasta Ramen pop-ups over the past two years in Montclair, Jersey City, Miami and Los Angeles has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

“So when it became clear that there was an appetite for Pasta Ramen and this new type of cuisine, we knew we wanted to give the restaurant a permanent home in New Jersey,” Felice said.

Part of the Montclair Hospitality Group, Pasta Ramen is a partnership between the group’s founder, Luck Sarabhayavanija, and Felice, two “longtime friends” that came up with the idea for the unique eatery in 2020. Felice, who has worked in several Michelin-starred kitchens across the globe, helms the kitchen, while Sarabhayavanija heads operations.

The restaurant can seat up to 65 people in an 1,800 square-foot space. It will be open Monday to Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m. Reservations can be made through Resy.

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