Pasta tends to be a high-profit-margin menu item for restaurants; it’s cheap and simple to make, yet it’s priced in line with other entrees. On the other hand, those same characteristics allow some amazing deals on pasta dishes, from all-you-can-eat buffets to prix fixe menus worthy of date night. Here are a few of metro Atlanta’s best pasta deals:
Pero’s Pizza & Pasta
Pero’s has been around since 1969 because it gives people what they want. The old-school pizzeria offers a weekday all-you-can-eat lunch buffet that includes pizza, pasta and salad for just $10.95. Enjoy crowd-pleasers like spaghetti with marinara, and linguine with clam sauce in whatever quantity your body can withstand.
3521 Northside Parkway NW, Atlanta. 404-261-5077, perospizza.com.
Ray’s New York Pizza
Ray’s, in Midtown’s Tech Square, has fed thousands of hungry college students over the years, and now also boasts locations in food courts at both Emory and Georgia Tech. During the week, the restaurant offers a lunch buffet for $11.99 that includes all-you-can-eat pizza and pasta, as well as a variety of options suited to different diets. Classics like spaghetti and meatballs and fettuccine alfredo will have you eating like a college student again.
26 Fifth St. NW, Atlanta. 404-888-9911, raysnewyorkpizza.com.
Maggiano’s Little Italy
It’s not all-you-can-eat, but, with the portion sizes at Maggiano’s, it might as well be. At its three Atlanta area locations, Maggiano’s offers a Today and Tomorrow pasta deal: Order a classic or specialty pasta from the menu, and take a classic pasta dish home to eat later. Classics like spaghetti and fettuccine alfredo cost around $15, while specialty pasta, like the Meditteranean spaghetti, is under $20.
Multiple locations. Maggianos.com.
Osteria Mattone
As magical as all-you-can-eat pasta is, it’s not really appropriate for a date. Luckily, Osteria Mattone has a deal for value-minded romantics: Mattone Mondays, a three-course meal offered each Monday for $25 per person. The prix fixe menu includes dishes like tagliolini bolognese and spaghetti greci. Add an appetizer and dessert to those generous pasta entrees, and you won’t feel like you’ve missed out on the buffet.
1095 Canton St., Roswell. 678-878-3378, osteriamattone.com.
Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
Davio’s weekday Power Lunch deal is aptly named: $20 for an appetizer, entree and a nonalcoholic beverage. Entree choices typically are a rotating selection of pastas, including noodle dishes like spaghettini and tagliatelle bolognese.
3500 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. 404-844-4810, davios.com/atl.
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