Saint Pasta to open in former Larder + The Delta space this fall

The resurrection continues for notable Italian food truck-turned-brick-and-mortar Saint Pasta. Chef and owner Racan Alhoch is setting up shop in the former home of The Larder + The Delta in downtown Phoenix and planning to open during the first week of November.

“We’re going to be doing the Saint Pasta greatest hits, for sure,” Alhoch says. “The menu will include classics from our food truck days, like the Rigatoni in Vodka Sauce, Spaghetti Pomodoro and Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta, but we are also adding two or three more pastas — essentially double the amount from the food truck.”

In addition to the pasta-forward features, the menu will include fan-favorite appetizers and family-style entrees.

“We’re doing a Caesar salad. We’re working on a fried mozzarella — either sticks or possibly mozzarella in carroza — along with the usual suspects. The Garlic Cheesy Bread is definitely back, chicken cutlets are back, all the best from the food truck days, but now we’re able to do more."

Additional entrees will include chicken parmesan and desserts, such as tiramisu and ice cream, are in the works.

The brick-and-mortar location will be able to seat about 30 patrons indoors and another 30 in the outdoor patio area. The restaurant will be full-service, but in keeping with the original food truck experience, Saint Pasta will be walk-in only, with no reservations.

“Hopefully it’s much less of a wait than the three-hour days, since we don’t have to contend with Acts of God with a truck at the mercy of the elements, but with walk-up only, it might be 45, maybe an hour to the table.” Alhoch confirmed. 

Given the expansion of the service and venue, Alhoch mentioned that the price point for most dishes will increase slightly since Saint Pasta was last seen at The Pemberton.

“I want people to have an amazing fine-dining experience, but without taking out a loan," he says. 

While patrons wait, they will be able to enjoy cocktails, beer and wine. Alhoch reiterates that this is the elevated version of the food truck, so while you can sip on Saint Pasta classics like the Boardwalk Lemonade, he is also eager to pair the pastas with natural, low-intervention wines, as well as partnering with a local brewery to bring some hops to the party.

The iconic ambiance will be back as well, with the space leaning into the stark black and white and soft neon purple lighting of the pasta priest’s previous Pemberton place. Fans of that location’s vibe will no doubt be happy to hear that Alhoch will be back on the aux, curating playlists that fit the swagger of the sauce.

“East Coast hip hop classics will be prominent, but we’ll also be introducing new playlists that we swap out depending on my mood that day,” Racan says.

While he has been pressed on the ifs and whens of Saint Pasta’s return since leaving The Pemberton in August 2022, Alhoch is still processing the sudden turn of events. Following The Larder + The Delta's closure, another restaurant called The Pairing Room took up residence in the Portland Street space. But the restaurant closed after just a few months, leaving the space available once again.

“I was content doing sauce,” he says, mentioning the online small batch runs of his stellar vodka sauce, “but if the elements were absolutely right, I always wanted to bring back my take on the food I loved growing up, and, when the space became available, it was definitely an ‘oh shit, I have a restaurant now!’ moment.”

The small batch sauces will continue to drop via saintpasta.com and on social media @eatsaintpasta. The sauce offerings will expand to include a pomodoro sauce later this year. So, for those who can't get a table, there's still an opportunity to have a bit of the religious experience that Saint Pasta is known for. In the meantime, pious pasta pilgrims will be offering up prayers that the renovations are swift, and the doors open soon.