New Restaurant Review: Casa Barilla at South Coast Plaza

There's a new Italian in town at South Coast Plaza!

Insalate Ruspante w rosemary chicken,
walnuts, & apples

Casa Barilla is open! Yes, THAT Barilla - the same one that sells that boxed pasta you have in your pantry right now waiting to be cooked up at home with your favorite jar of sauce. This is one of two fast casual restaurants the company recently opened in Southern California - the other being in downtown LA at the USC Village. 

Located in the old Rainforest Cafe location in the Sears wing, the restaurant has been fully made over with some fun pasta-related decor! An open kitchen has been installed too so you can get a clear view of them making your pizza or pasta! 

Pizza Nobile w prosciutto parma,
blue cheese, arugula & parmesan cheese

The menu includes fast casual items such as pasta, pizza, sandwiches and salads. The focus is on Italian food the way Italians eat it every day as part of a healthy Mediterranean diet. 

Spaghettie & Polpettine
w basil and marinara

You will find some cream-based dishes but the majority of the dishes are actually on the lower end calorie-wise and laden with healthy fresh ingredients. 

Each dish is made fresh from scratch so no need to worry, you won't find jarred sauce here folks! 

Being a fast casual style restaurant the prices reflect this ranging no higher than $15. It is South Coast Plaza so you're not going to find food of this quality here for Del Taco prices. Just as a note, they also offer a special family meal that averages to about $9 per person which is a great deal if you're going with a friend or a few friends/family. 

Yummy Paninis grilled up for you after you order!

Casa Barilla is a nice addition to SCP as there is a need for something like Casa Barilla that is not fast food and not quite a sit down restaurant. It's also nice to have healthy fresh options as mall food. 

You can view the full menu on their website at the below link. They have pics of most dishes and they even offer online ordering so you can do a quick to-go! 

Check it out:  http://www.barillarestaurants.com/

Orichette Pugliese w sasusage, spinach and pecorino cheese - my fav dish! 

 Casa Barilla is inside South Coast Plaza, located at 3333 Bristol in Costa Mesa.