All Our Favorite Pasta in Honolulu

Finally, all the spaghetti, pappardelle, gnocchi and other pasta dishes our foodie team craves.

7 hours ago

Frolic Hawai‘i Team,

Photo: Steve Czerniak

Arancino Kahala

I love the rich flavor of the uni pasta, the spaghetti ai frutti di mare. It’s that feeling that the uni melts in with the pasta. Generally with uni on hot rice, you get the melt, but not like with the pasta, where it almost becomes like uni butter. That richness elevates it to a fusion of Italian with that Japanese umami. —Zak Noyle, Eleven 17

Kāhala Resort, 5000 Kāhala Ave., Kāhala, arancino-kahala.arancino.com, @arancinokahala

Photo: Courtesy of Aroma Italia

Aroma Italia

A hearty take on the classic spaghetti and meatballs, the orecchiette meatballs al sugo features a pasta shape that hugs the homemade marinara sauce. The beef meatballs are topped with ricotta cheese, imparting a rich flavor without feeling heavy. Parsley and parmesan cheese garnish the pasta, showing off the red, white, and green of the Italian flag. Aroma Italia has two locations; enjoying the dish at the cozy café on Monsarrat Avenue makes it feel especially like comfort food. —Alexander Gates, Frolic

3045 Monsarrat Ave., Lē‘ahi, aromaitaliahawaii.com, @aromaitaliahawaii

Cino

This one caught me by surprise. I had expected the heroes of my first meal at Cino to be its much-lauded chophouse staples, the pork chop and twice-baked potato. And while both were excellent, it was the sleeper herb pappardelle pasta that really blew me away. Layered between fat, chewy noodles and a dollop of whipped ricotta, its decadent ragu features a wild boar meat (sometimes swapped for oxtail or lamb) so tender that it falls apart at the touch of your tines. To confirm, I ordered it again a few months later and was delighted to find it just as wonderful, if not better for satisfying my cravings. —Brie Thalmann, HONOLULU managing style editor

987 Queen St., Suite 100, Kaka‘ako, cinohawaii.com, @cinohawaii

Photo: Olivier Koning

Giovedì

Giovedi’s Gnocchi Mapolonese is the kind of dish that you still think about a year later. The pillowy gnocchi and melt-in-your-mouth beef cheek create a rich base, the gentle heat of the doubanjiang warms you from within and whipped tofu adds an airy contrast to the heavier flavors. This gnocchi lives rent-free in my mind. —Chloe Cornforth, Frolic intern

I cook pasta at home more than I order it at restaurants, but the tagliatelle arrabbiata at Giovedì is on my rotation of must-order items. The traditional Italian spicy tomato pasta gets an upgrade with a marinara made from crushed cherry tomatoes, which chef Bao Tran says makes the dish taste Asian. To lean into that flavor profile, he replaces basil with shiso and uses a fermented Calabrian chile instead of red pepper flakes. I’ve had a few other pasta dishes here, but this one is my favorite—I definitely took more than half when my dining partner wasn’t looking. —Katrina Valcourt, HONOLULU executive editor

10 N. Hotel St., Chinatown, giovedihawaii.com, @giovedirestaurant

Photo: Courtesy of Kapa Hale

Kapa Hale

The first time I tried Where’s Da Beef, I didn’t realize it was a vegetarian pasta—it was so rich in umami. Turns out the Bolognese sauce is made with mushrooms and cauliflower. With accompanying tomato, basil and Parmesan on perfectly cooked housemade tagliatelle, the dish is so flavorful that no need da beef. —Andrea Lee, HONOLULU digital editor

4614 Kilauea Ave., Suite 102, Kāhala, kapahale.com, @4614kapahale

Pappardelle pasta with sausage and cheese

Photo: Eric Baranda

La Cucina

My first choice for pasta in Honolulu is always the pappardelle norcina at La Cucina Ristorante Italiano. Wide ribbons of housemade pasta with uncased Italian sausage, onions, garlic, porcini and whole mushrooms are topped with cheese shavings. The sauce lightly coats the al dente pasta, and the flavor is rich, savory and full of umami. When we lived nearby, we sometimes indulged in a plate right after the gym. We would walk in wearing damp workout clothes, but the service never faltered. That made me appreciate the place even more. —Eric Baranda, Frolic

If pasta were a love language (and it is), La Cucina’s pappardelle norcina would be the equivalent to touch because this dish smothers you with layers of flavor. The velvety rich sauce of house-blended Italian sausage, white wine, cream, porcini mushrooms, onions and Pecorino Romano cheese cover long ribbons of housemade pappardelle pasta. Dang, now I need to make a reservation. —Thomas Obungen, HONOLULU special projects editor

725 Kapi‘olani Blvd., Kaka‘ako, @lacucinahonolulu

Palazzo Ristorante Italiano

From coast to coast and here at home, my go-to pasta order is an eggplant parmigiana with spaghetti marinara and a side of white sauce. But when the stars align, I treat myself to Palazzo’s fresh Clam Casino. Fresh manila clams sautéed in garlic and chopped bacon on a bed of linguine in butter wine sauce, a basil chiffonade, a light cloud of grated parmesan and a lemon wedge. I enjoy their freshly baked bread with butter while I wait, then use it to mop up all the sauce off my plate. —Christine Labrador, HONOLULU senior art director

‘Aiea Town Square, 99-080 Kauhale St., #C2, ‘Aiea, (808) 485-8688

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