Get the free Morris County Fall Bucket List
60+ of the best things to do across Morris County this fall. Apple picking, corn mazes, hayrides, fall festivals, haunted attractions and cider donuts. Straight to your inbox, free.
The Pasta Shop at 13 First Avenue in Denville has been named the No. 1 pasta place in the United States on Yelp’s first-ever Top 100 Pasta Places list, released this week ahead of National Pasta Day on Saturday, October 17, 2026. The Morris County restaurant finished first out of 100 trattorias, pasta shops and markets nationwide, ahead of Eataliana Homemade Pasta in Shelby Township, Michigan, Forma Pasta Factory in Brooklyn, Albano’s Pasta Shop in Valparaiso, Indiana, and Pasta Fresca in Reno, Nevada, which rounded out the top five.
Yelp built the ranking from its platform data and community reviews. The company said searches for “pasta shops” on Yelp rose more than 50 percent this year compared to the prior 12 months, and its data showed diners are increasingly drawn to spots that combine a restaurant with a place to buy fresh pasta and watch it being made.
The Pasta Shop describes itself as a fine casual neighborhood eatery featuring handmade pastas and wood fired Italian American classics. On Yelp, the restaurant holds a 4.6 star rating across more than 800 reviews, and one reviewer summed up the regulars’ order: “The rigatoni vodka, chicken parm and carbonara are must get entrees.”
It is a true hometown story. Executive chef and co-owner Tommy Pollio was born and raised in Denville and got his start cooking as a teenager at Sergio & Co. He went on to the culinary arts program at Morris County Vo-Tech, then spent more than 15 years in kitchens in North Carolina, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago before coming home to open The Pasta Shop. Co-owner Sergio Sciancalepore, who grew up making mozzarella in his Italian immigrant parents’ specialty stores, opened Sergio & Co. in Denville in 1999 and became known for his fresh mozzarella and oversized sandwiches.
Think your favorite spot deserves a title too?
Voting is open for the Best of Morris County 2026. Pick your favorites in 12 categories before November 30, and every winner gets featured on ShopMorrisCounty.com in December. Cast your vote here.
The Pasta Shop was not the only New Jersey spot to make the cut. Pasta Volo in Asbury Park landed at No. 8, and L&D Sapore Ravioli & Cheese in Middlesex and Mavi’s Pizza and Pasta in Fort Lee also made the Top 100.
If you are planning a visit, The Pasta Shop is open Tuesday through Friday from 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 9 p.m., and is closed Sunday and Monday. Tables are first come, first served, and the restaurant does not take reservations, so expect a wait, especially around National Pasta Day. Pickup orders can be placed through The Pasta Shop’s website or by calling 973-253-4143.
Our guide to things to do in Denville has more to see and eat in town, and our roundup of the best Italian restaurants in Morris County has more red sauce spots worth the drive.
Have a Morris County event coming up?
Share it with Morris County.
Festivals, fundraisers, 5Ks, school nights, grand openings. Send us the date, time, place and a flyer, and our team will reach out about getting it in front of Morris County.
Enjoying our Morris County coverage?
Add us as a preferred source and our stories show up higher in your Google results.
Add as a preferred source
