Health & Fitness
Shop Port, Think Local: The Pasta Shoppe
Shop Port, Think Local is an initiative started by Port business owners to support the city's economy. This week, learn more about The Pasta Shoppe's beginnings.
For the next several weeks the Shop Port, Think Local blog wants to introduce you to some of our local businesses. We want to spotlight a new business each week and show you something that makes them special.
The Pasta Shoppe has been a staple in downtown Port Washington since 1973, almost 40 years. Owners Jim and Maria Kiesow both come from restaurant backgrounds. Maria grew up in a restaurant, Beyond the Sea on Brady Street in Milwaukee.
It belonged to her grandmother, Nettie Tarantino. She was breading calamari in the restaurant before she could even reach the sink and had to stand on a stepstool to clean out the calamari. She learned the recipes of the family that had been passed down for generations.
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The Italian Style Cod and the signature Italian dressing are both family recipes that she learned early on and continues to prepare at The Pasta Shoppe.
Jim, on the other hand, worked at another Italian restaurant in Milwaukee, where the two met.
Find out what's happening in Port Washington-Saukvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
After they were married, they decided they could run a restaurant together and came across Sam’s Pizza in Port Washington (while Jim was on a fishing trip) and they fell in love with the tiny, hole-in-the-wall, checkered-tablecloth Italian pizzeria. When purchased in 1973, the restaurant had a mere 8 tables on the first floor and a kitchen big enough for a pizza oven and a stove top. Although The Pasta Shoppe has gone through numerous renovations throughout the years and now features both upstairs and downstairs dining with 25 tables, a full bar and even outside dining in the summer months, the main attraction remains the incredible food.
The large menu at The Pasta Shoppe boasts delicious items such the customary spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna or chicken parmesan as well as the not-so-traditional calamari, chicken Alfredo pizza, open-faced meatball sandwich or the amazing Chocolate Beyond Reason Cheesecake. The menu consists of appetizers, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, dinners and lots of daily specials — especially Maria’s homemade special that’s new and exciting every Saturday evening! Three things you absolutely cannot miss when visiting The Pasta Shoppe? Antipasto Salad, meatballs and garlic bread.
The Pasta Shoppe prides itself in the exceptional quality of service and food provided. Customers feel like family and visit several times a month, often more than once a week. Many come in to see Jim and Maria tending bar and seating guests. It’s not uncommon to see Maria walking through the dining room holding a baby so that the hungry parents are able to eat undisturbed while the child is entertained visiting tables and checking out the kitchen.
Since The Pasta Shoppe pizzas have become so popular, they are now available at Sanfilippo’s Sentry in the frozen pizza section. There are a number of varieties available including: Cheese; Cheese and Pepperoni; Cheese and Sausage; Cheese, Sausage, Mushroom and Onion; and Vegetable Pizzas.
The Pasta Shoppe and owners Jim and Maria are an integral part to the Shop Port, Think Local program, which brings together local business owners to promote the economy in this city.
