It is no secret to those close to me that I am passionate about pasta. I mean, what’s not to like? So naturally, when I saw we had a new food truck called PastaMania, I audibly gasped when I passed it in Urbana. Had I had the time, I would have pulled a U-turn right in the middle of University to go right then and there. I didn’t, of course, but I did go as soon as I was able to. This is how it went.
Photo by PastaMania.
PastaMania seems to be a chain of some sort, but I can’t quite figure out what other locations they have besides Urbana. You can find the truck most likely parked at 1004 W University in front of Pawn King although they have also visited Riggs.
You can also order online via Grubhub which is what I did. I try to avoid ordering apps when it comes to local restaurants, but sometimes we just gotta do what we gotta do.
Photo by Remington Rock.
First up was a classic, the chicken alfredo ($14). Fettuccine pasta was topped with chicken and alfredo sauce, and it also came with two slices of garlic bread. The portions at PastaMania are no joke; there’s plenty. One of the first things I noticed about the carryout order was how nice the to-go containers were. Nerd alert!
Anyway, the pasta was nicely al dente, and I enjoyed the creamy alfredo sauce. I do wish the chicken had a bit more seasoning, though. And who doesn’t enjoy buttery garlic bread?
Photo by Remington Rock.
PastaMania also doesn’t just serve pasta. They offer sandwiches, soup, and salads as well. To switch things up, I ordered a meatball sub ($10): meatballs with melted Provolone cheese and red sauce on a toasted roll. The sandwich was absolutely swimming in sauce, so by the time it was delivered, and we were eating, it had a super soggy bottom. I thought this was understandable since I would not exactly rate meatball sandwiches high on the ability-to-travel scale, but since food trucks mainly operate on a carryout basis, I would suggest maybe throwing that sauce on the side for online orders. Overall, I thought the sandwich was pretty tasty.
Photo by Remington Rock.
Back to pasta. Next up was the chili mac ($11): so Midwestern. If you’re unfamiliar or need a refresh, chili mac is spaghetti topped with beef and bean chili. See, Midwestern. While I thought overall the chili mac was pretty good, it was a little too cheesy. Yes, I said too cheesy which I never thought is something I would say would be an issue. The pasta became way too glugged down, and it was a bit tricky to do a fork twirl because of it. The chili mac also came with a couple pieces of garlic bread. Let’s just say, you will not still be hungry after eating this.
Photo by Remington Rock.
Lastly came the inferno pasta ($13): penne, spicy cream sauce, sun dried tomatoes, chicken, and spinach. Pasta dishes in this vein are up at the top of the list for me. I love creamy sauces and all the things in my pasta: spinach, tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, meat, all that good stuff. I thought the little spice kick in the sauce was really good, and the penne was cooked well. Once again, I was looking for a little more seasoning on the chicken. I was definitely still dipping the bread in that sauce even though I was super full.
So all in all, PastaMania is what it says it is: a pasta food truck. And that’s great! It’s something new to us. All the food I ordered (which was on separate occasions) came really hot which is something I always look for and appreciate. It was delivered quickly, and I think you get your bang for your buck portion wise. I will say that I noticed prices online are one dollar more than the menu on their site, but that could be just to accommodate GrubHub fees. If you are a pasta manic, go ahead and try PastaMania.
Check them out on Facebook to find open hours and locations.