Pasta Romagna

Reviews

• Rebecca D.

  star star star star star 23 May 2026

  I just realised that I've somehow never reviewed Pasta Romagna, one of my favourite Leeds food places. Time to fix that.
  
  It's always such a treat to visit this place. It's a proper little Italian cafe right in the heart of the city centre, somewhat incongruously located - I would never expect to find a great Italian here, but here it is and here it's been for years.
  
  Both pasta and pizza are great, as are the cakes. The pizza is either sold by the slice or you can order a personal one if you have more time to wait. They used to do a really quick service pasta deal if you chose from one of the daily specials but they didn't seem to be running that when I last visited. Personally, though, I prefer to wait and take a little time at a table, soaking up the atmosphere of the place.
  
  It's always bustling with energy but I've never visited and felt it was overly crowded. Service is friendly and the staff are happy to make suggestions (I tend to trust their recommendations). Also, the coffee is good. What's not to like?

• Rowena H.

  star star star star star_border 22 May 2026

  I stopped by Pasta Romagna again the other day for a cheap and easy lunch and I'm really pleased I did. I browsed the menu for a while but opted for the easy slice of pizza, cheap as anything, and ready to go. The slice was delicious and the service was top - the chap who served me was really friendly and good with the banter. It's always fantastic to get good service and I couldn't have found a faster lunch than this.
  
  What's more was the entertainment - GIlda's lovely operatic tunes were as usual playing out full blast, and at impromptu points during the time I was sat there she would suddenly sing heartily along. Wonderful! I noticed that they have a note in the window directed to the customer who had complained about this practice, stating that there was a popular poll in support of her music so it would be staying! Fantastic.

• Lee K.

  star star star star star_border 22 May 2026

  Just occured to me that I didn't mention the wifi in my previous review.
  
  Pasta Romagna doesn't have wifi but you can pick up free wifi from several nearby cafes.

• Christian H.

  star star star star star_border 18 May 2026

  Hmm - this morning was a time for a difficult decision. Did I purchase my new PC speakers from Argos on The Headrow (thereby allowing me to set them up and get remixing my songs today) or did I look online (saving money, if not time)..
  
  There was only one thing for it - pop to a local coffeestuffs emporium and mull this issue over.
  
  Now, as someone who despises the corporate blandness (not to mention prices higher than Lesley Garrett's falsetto) of many chain coffee shops, I'm often at a bit of a loss for somewhere to go in Leeds' increasingly generic city centre (something that truly saddens me, but that's a different story..). However, luckily I remembered Pasta Romagna was nearby.
  
  I've not been in for many years, but it was as great as I remember it - crazy Gilda behind the counter singing along (completely out of key) with (the legend that is) Dean Martin like some kind of half crazed banshee with too much caffeine in their system. The coffee I had was £2 - pretty averagely priced for Leeds city centre as far as I can tell (I'm not really much of a coffee drinker so I can't really compare prices - you'll have to make your own mind up over that!). She did try and persuade me to purchase a slice of (quite frankly delicious looking and smelling) pizza, but I erred on the side of caution (and later spending £80 on PC speakers..important decisions require plenty of caffeine).
  
  The atmosphere was lovely (even with my pet hate of screaming children in the background - I can't really complain, it was a Saturday afternoon in a city centre after all), the music loud enough to hear but not deafening (and also - Dean Martin - what's not to like?!). The coffee was delicious & the other foods (which I have previously sampled) all smelled and looked as tasty as ever. Despite the on and off classic British rain outside I felt like I was in a little piece of Italy (the heating was perfect) and it's a great location just to idly sup a coffee/glass of wine, ponder and watch the world go by outside : )
  
  I would certainly recommend this over a department store cafe/chain coffee shop any day. The one thing I would advise (having read some of the other reviews here) is that you have to stand your ground on being sold other things (eg pizza) - I suppose they are trying to sell as much as possible but I can see how it would be annoying if you know exactly what you want (what you really really want..).
  
  I'd still definitely recommend it to anyone shopping in Leeds though, certainly as a different experience if nothing else. And - unlike many other coffee shops - they serve wine. If you loathe shopping as much as I do then this can only be a good thing..   ; )

• Karen C.

  star star star star star_border 16 May 2026

  What can I say about this cafe.. Well I've been going for years whilst on various shopping trips into leeds... Years ago you could hear Italian music belting out onto the streets.. Nowadays it's a lot quieter but it's still a nice atmosphere and the lady who owns it is always very welcoming .. So if you fancy a quick coffee and a slice of pizza to keep you going .. This is the place for you