This New Jersey Restaurant Was Named the Best Pasta Spot in the U.S.—and It Even Makes Its Own Gluten-free Pasta

Craving pasta? You’re not alone. According to YouGov data, Italian food is the world’s most popular national cuisine, and Yelp found that searches for “pasta shops” on the platform rose by 52 percent between September 2025 and August 2026, compared to the previous year. That’s why earlier this month, Yelp published its very first list of the Top 100 Pasta Places in the U.S., to help users find the best of the best. 

The platform tapped its community of reviewers for their favorite pasta places, and the overwhelming majority opted for local family owned shops, trattorias, and walk-up windows serving authentic pastas and sauces.

The No. 1 spot went to The Pasta Shop in Denville, New Jersey, which, according to Yelp, draws long lines daily. Guests can choose from five to six pasta varieties—including rigatoni, spaghetti, linguine, cheese ravioli, and seasonal specials—along with homemade sauces. Executive chef and co-owner Tommy Pollio told Yelp the restaurant is known for its gluten-free pasta, made on a designated gluten-free machine, but that’s not the only thing to love. It also has a wood-burning oven, an open kitchen, and pasta-making demos in the front window. 

At No. 2 was Eataliana Homemade Pasta, in Shelby Township, Michigan. It received high praise for its family recipes (its lasagna, in particular) and slow-simmered gourmet sauces. Bestsellers include its Salsa Rosa Palomino, a creamy red tomato-based sauce, and its Vodka & Prosciutto Cotto sauce, another creamy red tomato sauce prepared with vodka and ham. 

“This family-owned diamond of a spot is fantastic,” one Yelper wrote. “We had the [seasonal] pumpkin ravioli with butter and sage, the lasagna, rigatoni with Salsa Rosa, and four-cheese ravioli. Delicious. Everything is scratch-made. The pumpkin was fresh, not canned. We took rigatoni home by the pound.” 

Rounding out the top three was Forma Pasta Factory, with two locations in Brooklyn. According to Yelp, chef Amit Rabinovich’s “special pasta dough” is made with the same tap water that makes New York City bagels so famous, and then extruded and air-cured for up to 72 hours. Its assortment of pasta shapes is available for dine-in or take-out, in addition to dried pastas customers can cook at home. One Yelper described the spaghetti pomodoro as a “must-try,” and wrote that everything they’ve tasted there has been “super tasty.”

Family run spots made up a significant chunk of Yelp’s list, like Borgatti’s Ravioli & Egg Noodles, in the Bronx, New York City (No. 10) and Pastosa Ravioli (No. 21) in Brooklyn (though it has locations across New York and New Jersey), proving that authenticity will never go out of style. The company also found that people are seeking more “slow” pasta moments, aka, handcrafted pastas that take time to make, like those at The Pasta Shop, Ceres in Tucson, Arizona (No. 9), and Zero Zero Handmade Pasta in Kansas City, Missouri (No. 41). 

See the full list of winners at yelp.com. 

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure