La Stella Pasta Pastry - Norwich

I love that their vegan and vegetarian friendly foods don’t feel like an afterthought. Pastas, sauces, soups, all available fresh or take and bake. Their banh mi is divine!

As of May 2023, I still love this place and highly recommend trying the vegan banh mi or a meatless grinder because all the veggies are fresh and tasty, and the bread is fantastic. However, during my last 8-9 visits, they have not had any grab-and-go pastas, meats, or cheeses like they did before. Maybe they are just out of stock whenever I visit? I wanted to mention this since my original review focused on those items. A friend shared a Facebook post from La Stella advertising their vegan options, so I stopped by after work to check it out. The space is cozy and adorable, with a display case of desserts and a few small tables for dining in the front room, while the market is in the back. I found vegan options like mozzarella cheese, meatballs, sausage, and dairy-free cream cheese. They also had vegan ravioli, but it was sold out when I went. I purchased one of each item, plus a mini chocolate cake (they also offer vegan carrot cake). The staff was friendly, and the owner mentioned having many vegan family members. I inquired about their fresh-baked breads, but most contained butter and eggs. When I got home, I made pasta with the meatballs and sausage, along with cheesy garlic bread. The vegan mozzarella was delicious, melted well, and had great flavor. The meatballs and sausage were a bit too realistic for my taste, but my partner loved them.

Today, we grabbed vegan meatballs and vegan spinach-mushroom ravioli from the freezer section of the restaurant on our way home. We also picked up a delicious kalamata olive bread. All three dishes were fantastic, but the filling in the ravioli was the standout for me. Definitely worth the visit.

I love that this restaurant offers vegan and vegetarian friendly options that are not only delicious, but also convenient. Their pastas, sauces, and soups can be enjoyed fresh or taken home to bake. The banh mi sandwich is absolutely divine!

My friend and I, both vegan, were excited to try La Stella's Italian Restaurant in Norwich after hearing rave reviews about their vegan options. Unfortunately, when we arrived, there were no vegan dishes available, despite Happy Cow listing several options. After reading other reviews, it became clear that the restaurant consistently lacked vegan choices. One staff member mentioned that they had to discard unsold vegan items, but without proper promotion, customers may not be aware of these options. It's important for the restaurant to be consistent in offering vegan dishes if they advertise them. I hope that La Stella's can improve in the future to cater to both vegan and non-vegan customers. I plan to give them another chance, but will call ahead next time.