Hoboken's New Fast-Casual Pasta Bar Lets Customers Watch Their Dish Cook

Pronto Pasta is coming to 300 Clinton Street in Hoboken from the team behind Barbès, a French Moroccan restaurant at 1300 Park Avenue, and La Bohème, a French eatery at 233 Clinton Street. The same ownership group also operates Cafe Tati, which opened on Fourth Street in Hoboken. That's three restaurants rooted in European culinary tradition, and now a fourth that makes a sharp turn straight into Italy.

Pronto Pasta will allow customers to choose from a selection of pasta, sauces, and toppings and watch the chef cook it all together for a unique pasta dish. The format puts the cooking on full display in a way that most fast-casual spots deliberately hide behind closed kitchen doors.

The centerpiece of the space is a dedicated pasta-making station. The chef will be making pasta fresh every day right by one of the big street-facing windows, allowing people to stop and watch the process both inside and outside the restaurant. That window is essentially a live performance: pedestrians on Clinton Street will be able to catch the full sfoglia-to-bowl arc before they even step inside.

An Italian chef is in charge of the kitchen, adding to the authenticity of the concept. The owners are familiar with the Hoboken food scene and have been looking to bring this artisanal pasta concept to the city for years.

Think fast-casual. The spot will mostly provide takeout options, but some small seating will be available for those looking to dive right into their pasta. The gluten-free community won't be left out either; the owners say that eventually, they want to sell other packaged goods on top of fresh pasta dishes, such as sauces and packaged pasta, suggesting Pronto Pasta has ambitions well beyond the lunch rush. A gluten-free pasta option will also be on offer from day one.

The Barbès team, owners Lisa and Omar Balouma, built their reputation in Hoboken across nearly a decade of neighborhood dining. Barbès opened in Hoboken in 2018 and grew into a brunch institution uptown; La Bohème followed downtown on Clinton Street, bringing a French Riviera sensibility to the same block where Pronto Pasta will now land. The move into Italian pasta is the group's most genre-defying pivot yet.

The pasta concept is slated to open at 300 Clinton Street, though no word yet on when Pronto Pasta will open. Updates are being shared via Instagram at @prontopastahoboken.