Mirko Pasta now open at Towers Mall
Mirko Pasta is open in this corner space behind Growler's at Towers Mall in Roanoke. Roanoke Times file photo.
Virginia’s first Mirko Pasta restaurant opened to the general public at 11 a.m. today. It is located on the lower level of Towers Mall in Roanoke.
Co-owner Michael Boggins has lived in Roanoke for almost 16 years but this is his first foray into the restaurant business. Previously, he worked as an engineer for Rowe Furniture.
He said a soft opening/preview on Saturday went really well. There were a couple of glitches, he said, but that’s to be expected when a restaurant is brand new. In fact, Boggins and his business partner are a little nervous about me blasting the news of the opening on their first day. “While we are still in the learning curve, we don’t want to get slammed,” he said.
But some of my eagle-eyed readers have already noticed Mirko is open and sent me messages, so there’s no turning back now. Besides, it’s hard not to get excited about a restaurant that makes 95 percent of its pasta, fillings and sauces from scratch in-house.
That’s the biggest highlight at Georgia-based Mirko Pasta, where the slogan is “Pasta is our passion. Fresh pasta is our obsession.” The menu there changes seasonally and features all Italian-style foods. Appetizers include bruschetta, calamari and baked eggplant. Salads include Caesar, Caprese and a few others, such as one that caught my eye that’s made with baby organic spinach, raisins, and goat cheese with a walnut, honey and balsamic vinaigrette.
The menu online has four $11 dishes and four $13 entrees, including Tuscan style seafood stew with grilled garlic croutons, sautéed tilapia with white wine, lemon, capers, radicchio and cannellini beans, and chicken Marsala. But the majority of the rest of the menu features a build-your-own pasta option, which allows you to pick a fresh pasta ($4.50 to $5.50), a protein ($2 to $4) and a sauce ($5). For example, if I was going to order right now, I could go with cheese and spinach ravioli topped with grilled shrimp and Alfredo sauce.
Bonus: They serve gluten-free pasta!
To get a better idea of all the options, click here and scroll to the bottom of the location list, then click on the Roanoke menu. Boggins said there may be a few discrepancies (namely in the dessert list) right out of the gate. But I sure hope they have the cannolli soon because the picture on their website is making me want some.
Mirko Pasta will be open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. Phone number is 540-685-2054.
October 8, 2012 - 2:48 PM
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Any word on whether they will be offering “Free Pasta Mondays?” This was a huge hit at the original location in Watkinsville, GA.
Their menu looks wonderful. Definitely on my check-it-out list…Buona fortuna Mirko!
David, I checked with Boggins and he said he is familiar with that promotion but they aren’t going to start doing any promotions at the new place until they get the basics down. Maybe that would be a good thing to request if you go in there.
My wife and I popped in for a late lunch today, and had a wonderful experience. The interior was clean and casually elegant, sort of minimalist but comfortable. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. They explained everything from the bean dipping sauce they offer for the bread, to the many kinds of pastas they have on tap. Our waitress was extremely helpful in suggesting good pasta/sauce combos.
With her recommendation, we started with the carpaccio beef appetizer, which was tender and very tasty. My wife had the gnocchi in alfredo, with meatballs, and it came out perfectly, with a nice, rich sauce and very flavorful meat.
I tried the sausage/sage/apple ravioli in the carbonara sauce, and it was to die for. Very rich, flavorful, a real taste sensation. Our waitress was awesome in helping me to decide on the right sauce for the pasta.
We finished up with the tiramisu, and again, wow.
All in all, this was easily one of THE best dining experiences we’ve had in ages, and we’ll definitely be back to visit Mirko again and try more of their offerings. If they keep this sort of service and quality up, they’ll hopefully be around for a long time.
Is this a sit down place or an order through the line type place like Noodles & Co.?
Had a great meal there last night. For the first night the staff was wonderful!
I have eaten at the Athens Mirko and I am so exited Mirko has come to Roanoke. I wish it tons of success. I hope to eat there very soon!
Had lunch there on Tuesday and it was a great experience. Staff was very eager to please and the pasta was homemade and the sauce was fresh and wonderful. I had spinach ravioli with a tomato/eggplant sauce. My only negative was the bread. Although it was homemade and good, it was not Italian bread (crusty). Maybe that is just me, but I would have expected Italian style bread. But I will be back again to try some different items.
have to slightly object to Lynda’s comment…only slightly in that my first reaction was “hey, these are just dinner rolls”…then I tasted them. these were wonderful fresh rolls with a good crunchy thin crust and wonderful texture. Add in the white bean / olive oil / rosemary dip that accompanied them and it was GREAT!
We ate there Monday on their first night open, which in any restaurant’s defense could be a rough night. It was quite the opposite, and like commenter Michael said it was actually one of the better restaurant experiences I’ve had in some time.
The entrees were great, though I agree with commenter Lynda – the starter bread wasn’t fantastic. But hey – it was free. It comes with the rosemary bean dipping sauce which is a bit like a white bean soup.
As for the pasta, you can definitely tell the difference when it’s made fresh. It’s just better. And if you’re unsure what all of the different pastas are, the waiter will bring out a tray to show them off – sort of like a dessert tray, but with the dried pasta displayed.
Speaking of which, our waiter was exceptionally polite, attentive and knowledgeable, again especially considering it was their first night. Both the manager and the owner came over to introduce themselves and ask how things were. The owner took the time to recommend some good menu options for my mom, who’s vegan, and offered some substitutions for things not specifically listed. Since everything is prepared fresh, you can ask for the dairy/meat parts of certain dishes or sauces to be left out.
In summary: our food was delicious – nothing mind-blowing, certainly, but also not your typical chain, prepared-that-morning normalcy.
The customer service was what was particularly impressive, though.
(Not to be pessimistic, but I’ll be interested to see if they can keep up that customer service momentum, so to speak, or if they were just eager on opening night.)
@Original Greg – it’s a sit-down place. They’ve got a small bar area and the rest of the space is dedicated to seating (roughly 75-90 seats, it looks like).
I’m really hoping Mirko makes it. I’m the “wife” from Michael’s post, earlier, and we had a great experience there. The location seems to be a bit cursed – nothing’s stayed there long. I’m desperately hoping they overcome that and flourish. There was a level of care and effort put into the restaurant that I don’t usually see. I’m an admitted alfredo sauce snob. The Mirko sauce was fresh and layered with flavors that just bloomed beautifully. It wasn’t your typical alfredo, but it didn’t overwhelm the pasta. And if the cars from Georgia in the parking lot were an indication, I think the folks from corporate were keeping an eye on things to make sure the quality and reputation of the name are upheld. I’m definitely giving Mirko two thumbs up – and can’t wait for the next visit!
Lindsey – We just ate there tonight (Tuesday). They did not disappoint, fantastic! They do seem to have the opening glitches mostly under control. We started with the Bruschetta Classica ($5) three nice pieces and a kinda salady garnish. Bigger than a garnish actually but smaller than a salad. We were not quite sure of what to do with it, so we ate it. The Bruschetta was good (not great) but very good. Chopped tomatoes and spices with a kalamata olive on crunchy rounds. It was just a little on the typical bruschetta side. I am always hoping that someone will surprise me with something new. I will definitely try more of the appetizers.
The two pasta dishes we had were off the build your own menu. Firstly, if you aren’t familiar with fresh pasta then you are in for a treat. So perfect and delicate. Perfectly cooked to dente with the nice firm bite. Trecce Spinach with Italian Sausage and Salsiccia e Funghi was one of our dishes. Not my cup of tea, but Matt loved it and not a morsel of the good sized portion left. I had the Mixed Mushrooms Ravioli with Funghi Sauce. The raviolis were over stuffed and of excellent size. The taste was delicate and creamy. The mushrooms came through nicely. I loved this dish.
One touch that took me back to Italy. The water bottle was left on the table for us to serve ourselves. We loved that. It is almost embarrassing how many refills we can go through during a normal service. We are some water drinking fools.
Our waitress, Tammy, was on her game. She handled every request and answered all of my many questions. Be sure to have your server bring out the pasta tray when you order. Tammy did her homework for sure and her pronunciations of Italian pasta was perfect.
I would have loved some dessert but I was just too full. The portions are generous without being over the top.
For the very few things I didn’t care for, the bean dip. This was brought out with the bread (which are fabulous yeast rolls). The bean dip was strange, again not my cup of tea, next time I will just use butter. Although the bread is yummy enough to not use or need anything with it. Butter was offered but we turned it down as we like to try different things. It wasn’t bad it just didn’t seem to fit.
This sounds like an old person complaint but I really couldn’t read the menu it was so dark. We were seated in what I would consider one of the two worst tables in the place. In the far back left of the restaurant. The lighting designer missed the mark on this area of the restaurant. No table lamp or candles either, we had to whip out the cell phone flash light to read the bill completely. No big deal really but I do enjoy reading menus and that was difficult.
I can’t wait to go back and try more things on the menu. There was so much that I want to try. Managers are gushing over all the guests and still holding their breathe a little. Once things relax a bit, I can see this becoming a weekly favorite. Buona fortuna con il nuovo ristorante!
Went for lunch on Tuesday. I thought it was going to be like Noodles and Co. because of the vibe of other restaurants in the area such as Chipotle. However, it is sit-down and that is fine with me. The bread through me off as well, but it was good. I was not a fan of the dip, a cross between bean soup and hummus. I thought it was a lot of starch when I was planning on eating pasta but Hey, it’s free so can’t complain.
Everything on the menu sounds amazing!! I tried the butternut squash ravioli and it was pumpkin pie sweet. I didn’t want to complain because the actual noodle was very good and you could taste that it was homemade. The owner/manager came over to ask how it was and refused to let me leave without trying something else. He said the only rule is that you find something you love.
Great customer service and I hope that it continues because I would love to see this place here for a long time.
My wife and I had lunch there on Tuesday and we were very happy with the food and the service.
I also thought the bread was tasty, but not what I expected from an Italian place. More like bread from the Roanoker. The bean dip was good, but it seemed like a small bowl of soup. Good, but strange. We had the Fried Calamari and Zucchini appetizer and it was great. It was light and crispy, and the marinara sauce was lightly spicy and not sweet. The best I’ve had in town, easily.
My plate of pasta came out ( Papradelle with Amatriciana sauce and meatballs ) and it was delicious, but the pasta was all stuck together. The waitress stopped by to ask how everything was, I mentioned it just to let them know that it was something they needed to fix. I was happy enough with the flavor that I didn’t want to send it back. She sent the manager over right away and he had another plate made for me very quickly and took it off my bill. I certainly wasn’t expecting that level of service from a chain and was very happy. The next plate was absolutely perfect. I have been making my own homemade pasta for years since there was nowhere local that impressed me, but now I have an option.
Overall, I am really looking forward to returning.
Sounds great! Can’t wait to try it. What are the prices like and does a good salad come with every meal??
Chris, To get a better idea of all the options, click this link and scroll to the bottom of the location list, then click on the Roanoke menu: http://www.mirkopasta.com/locations
That lists prices but the menu doesn’t mention whether a side salad comes with meals. Those who have dined there already can probably answer that question.
We got take out from there last night and it was very good. To answer the salad question, no a salad does not come with the meal but bread does.
Thanks, OG.
Going for lunch today…I’m looking forward to it.
I had lunch there earlier this week. The service was excellent and so was the food.
We ordered the spinach artichoke dip for an appetizer. It tasted great, but was awkward to eat because it was a bowl of garlic alfredo sauce with big chunks of artichoke, along with clumps of spinach. It was almost more like a soup and was very awkward to eat without utensils. It was served with toast points, and not nearly enough to eat all the dip with. The manager came around to ask us how we enjoyed it since the bowl was still half full and when we mentioned that there wasn’t enough bread they brought us another plate immediately.
I had fettuccine with carbonara sauce and shrimp. The pasta was a bit gummy in texture, but the sauce was really good. The shrimp was served tail on, which can be hard to eat neatly when they are mixed in with the sauce.
Overall though, it was a great meal and we will definitely be back.
Tried it out last week and loved the homemade pasta. Tasted the meat sauce, which was good.
Also had the minestrone soup, which was loaded with vegetables and hearty. It was served in a giant bowl that looked bigger than the serving, but that was OK.
My disappointment was with the Caesar salad because the menu said it was served with house-made dressing. I love a tangy and garlicky Caesar and that’s what I was expecting. But alas, while the presentation was great (a small crisp head of romaine), the dressing was super mild. Like no garlic was used at all. And the croutons, which were small and looked like they came out of a box, didn’t match the care that went into the rest of the meal.
I would definitely go again, because I want to try the different sauces and pasta. I’m a fan of the rolls and service was great. Ambiance was nice, too. It felt upscale without pretense. I’ll not order the Caesar though.
We enjoyed it but Remini’s is way better and a much better value. You can’t beat their pasta for 2 special! And their bread and olive oil for dipping is delicious.
We went last week and was very happy with everything. My wife, who suffers from celiac, had the GF pasta and she was very pleased. All the sauces are GF, but only one of the pastas is offered GF. We will definitely return.
I got the seafood stew to go and it looked wonderful ,but I think someone in the kitchen is trying to ruin the place. This dish was extremely spicy.So stay away from this dish and be careful with to go orders . I took it back and got a refund but the owner didn’t seem to care.
After reading the other comments maybe I’ll try again.
Maybe not
We had family in town this past weekend and dined at Mirko Friday night. I can’t remember what everyone else had, but I chose the spinach tagliatelle with sorrentina sauce, which was wonderful. Our waiter loses a few points for completely forgetting to take our drinks order, but otherwise it was a great place that we hope to return to someday.
We have dined at Mirko Pasta twice. The lunch special was great and the man who took our order could not have done a better job. We went again recently for dinner, again the food was good (the tomato soup is excellent), however the server could use lots more training. The soup did not arrive until the pasta did. He did not bring the rolls and when I finally got his attention he brough two cold rolls without butter. Being early there were very few customers(I think one other couple with a different server)however he all but ignored us. What was to be a nice dinner was spoiled by this young man. We will certainly go back again if we are in the area at lunch time.
Weird, I was just here to comment on Mirko. We had lunch there for the second time today, and it was just horrid. I didn’t want to comment last time because it was newish, but a month or so on and I see no improvement. The service is sketchy, but I didn’t usually let that bother me. What DOES bother me is that the “housemade” pasta is gummy and chewy. The sauce was scant and not so flavorful.I had pappardelle vongole, and it was attractively presented, yes, but what I can kick out at home with a box of Barilla and a bottle of EVOO infinitely superior taste-wise. We also had the mushroom ravioli with mushroom cream parm sauce…how it had absolutely no taste, I do not understand.
The way they wander around with their demonstration box of pasta, I’m getting the feeling that it’s pasta for people who have no idea what pasta should taste like. I so wish Luigis would open for lunch. For my money, no Italian in town can touch them.
Went for lunch with some friends and all agreed it was great. Different in that it’s not like other Italian places. Lots of options that everybody found something they liked. I like the fact that the pasta is freshly made and there are so many combinations with the sauces and pastas. I have also been twice for dinner. Loved the Tilapia Piccata. Best dish ever. Can’t wait to go back and try the butternut squash ravioli.
Had dinner and a couple of lunches at Mirko Pasta and am well pleased with the dining as well as the customer service experience. The folks go out of their way to acknowledge and greet you and are attentive throughout the meals. The chicken marsala was excellent. Tender and moist chicken resting on a bed of perfectly cooked pasta and covered with a nicely spiced sauce. At a later luncheon I tried the Minestroni soup filled with plenty chunky and fresh veggies, again not overly seasoned (I don’t like one seasoning dominating over the others). The rolls went well with the soup for a filling meal that was also accompanied by a fresh, green salad. I’m thankful for the mild house dressing not reeking of garlic.
I normally don’t eat desert but wanted to try the Tiramasu as I heard good things about it. Outstanding – the best in town. Share a portion with your table mate – the portions are generous. Love the option of building your own pasta meal and the freshness of it.
My husband and I had lunch at Mirko’s on Saturday, Nov. 10 and were both blown away by the 2 different dishes we ordered. He had pappardelle pasta with Amatriciana sauce (Tomato sauce, pancetta,
red onions and hot pepper) and I had fusili pasta with Funghi sauce (Wild mushrooms, cream and parmesan). The staff is very attentive, professional, and friendly offering suggestions and follow-up to be sure you like what you order. If you don’t, they’ll exchange for another dish. Good Customer Service, in my opinion, and I hope patrons won’t take advantage of their generous offer. Rolls were fantastic, although we didn’t care for the bean dip served with them.
We are highly recommending Mirko’s to friends and family. We do not believe you’ll be disappointed!
Our family has visited Mirko’s on numerous occasions and have enjoyed each dish we ordered. A few dishes really stand out in my memory -the Granny Smith Apple & Sausage ravioli with the mushroom sauce and also the Pesto & chicken fussili. My son particularly enjoyed the penne with carbonara. We all love the yeast rolls with the white bean dip – it is a nice change from generic garlic breadsticks served by some of the large chains. The restaurant is nicely decorated and is very clean. The wait staff and owners work very hard to ensure that your visit is pleasant. We will be back to try more combinations.
Lunch on 12/1/12 for my husband’s B’day. Although the rolls were good, we would have preferred Italian Bread in an Italian Restaurant. The bean dip was flavorless. How about good bread with dipping oil w/herbs? Chicken Marsala-excellent, Eggplant Parmesan-very good, Enyoke-delicious, Pasta with the olive oil & dried tomatoes was watery and a disappointment. The Terimisu was absolutely delicious! We’d go again but can’t compare to Carabbas.
Sitting at the table in Mirko writing this review. Took a bit for the waitress to come to the table, she didn’t really offer any type of greeting. Ordered the Fritti appetizer and it was luke warm in the center. The bread came with some type of bean dip, no one at the table knew what it was and we had to ask the waitress what it was. I lived in New York for 25 years and have never experienced an Italian restaurant serving bean dip. My dining partner had the gnocchi with pomodoro which was tasty but slightly gummy. I had capellini with bolognese and it was passable. Don’t think I’ll be coming back. Sorry Mirko.
My first introduction to Mirko was lunch which was promptly served because we were the only ones in the restaurant at the time. I felt the portion of my friend’s sandwich greatly outweighed mine and wondered about why, but the taste was good and prompted a following visit for dinner. The second visit the restaurant was quite busy and we were seated quickly, but service was very slow taking our drink and dinner orders. We had the same waiter who regretfully did not remember us and seemed robotic in his movements including introducing us to the pasta tray for the second time despite having told him we had seen it already and new what pasta was. The food was cold, the service slow and extremely impersonal and I placed blame on a busy night. Our return to the restaurant last evening on a not-so busy hour prompted more concern. We had yet again the same waiter who still had no recollection that we had been to the restaurant before nor did it click that he had served us for now the third time. The pasta tray introduction was now a considerable annoyance. The bread was not cooked and cold, the pasta was not cooked and was returned to the kitchen and when it returned was still uncooked and had the wrong sauce placed back on it. We ordered Terimisu which was a disgusting Cool Whip style combination along with sponge cake with absolutely no flavor and a most vulgur consistancy that did not resemble anything like Tiramisu.
It was my last visit!
My recommendation is that they take some of the franchise robotics out fo their service and personalize it a little, train their wait staff to recognise returning partron and be a little less robotic and a little more friendly. If you like tastless chain food at high prices (for what you get) then this is the place to go.