Pastosa Bensonhurst Fresh Pasta Shop: $11.49 Ravioli Boxes

Pastosa Ravioli Bensonhurst, at 7425 New Utrecht Avenue in Brooklyn, is not just one branch of a local chain. It is the manufacturing facility and the primary supplier to the other Pastosa Ravioli locations, so the ravioli in the freezer case here were made on site. If you want a fresh pasta shop that feels like old Italian Brooklyn, with the D train rattling overhead and boxes of ravioli stacked by the register, this is the address.

Pastosa describes itself as a Brooklyn tradition since 1966, and its order forms still carry an EST. 1966 stamp. A 2024 local history piece credits Anthony G. Ajello, the original owner, with opening the first shop on Avenue N and East 53rd Street in Old Mill Basin that year. The business grew into a family of stores across Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx, Long Island and New Jersey.

Bensonhurst is where it all comes together today. Pastosa's location page calls this store the manufacturing facility and the primary supplier to the twelve other Pastosa Ravioli locations. That matters for a shopper. When the Staten Island or New Jersey stores run short of a filling, they are waiting on this kitchen, so the Bensonhurst counter tends to see new batches first.

Ravioli are the reason to come. The large round cheese ravioli are sold in a 12-count box of 15 ounces, priced at $11.49 on Pastosa's online shop. The large round lobster ravioli, loaded with chunky Canadian lobster, creamy ricotta and a pinch of Parmesan, are $18.99, and the crab version is $16.99. A single box of the large rounds is enough for two hungry people with a salad.

If you are choosing between fillings for a first visit, buy one box of cheese and one of a seafood ravioli and cook them side by side. The cheese rounds show off the ricotta and the thin, even dough that the factory is known for, while lobster or crab gives you a richer plate for the same pot of water. It is an inexpensive way to learn which style your household prefers before ordering a full catering tray.

Pastosa makes its own sauces to go with all of this. The marinara, slow-cooked with hand-picked imported San Marzano Italian plum tomatoes, is $6.99 a container online, and vodka sauce is $7.49. Homemade mozzarella is sold as a ball of about one pound for $12.99. Pair the lobster ravioli with vodka sauce, or keep the cheese ravioli simple with marinara and torn mozzarella melted over the top.

This is also a full Italian grocery. The location page lists prepared foods, Boar's Head cold cuts, specialty cheeses, cured provisions and a butcher department alongside the pasta. That makes it a one-stop shop for a Sunday dinner: ravioli for the first course, sausage or braciole from the butcher for the second, and a wedge of cheese for the table.

Pastosa Ravioli Bensonhurst is closed on Tuesday. On Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday it opens 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Saturday hours are 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday hours are 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. The phone is (718) 236-9615, option 2. Weekend mornings bring the biggest crowds of families stocking up, so a weekday visit usually means a shorter wait at the counter.

The store builds a cash discount into all pricing, and the Brooklyn order form notes that credit card sales incur a non-cash adjustment, while debit sales do not. Amex, Visa, Mastercard and Discover are accepted. For holidays and parties, the catering form takes a deposit with the balance due upon pickup. Printed tray prices include cheese ravioli at $40, penne alla vodka at $55, meat lasagna at $75 and a dozen rice balls at $40.

Frozen ravioli go straight into the pot. Do not thaw them first, which makes the dough sticky and the edges weak. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add the ravioli a few at a time so the water stays hot, then lower it to a steady simmer. Large rounds are ready a few minutes after they float to the surface.

Use a spider or slotted spoon to lift them out, and slide them straight into a pan of warm sauce with a splash of the cooking water. Toss gently. Lobster and crab ravioli are better with a lighter sauce, such as butter and a little of the vodka sauce, so the seafood filling still comes through.

The store sits under the elevated West End line, a short walk from the 79th Street station on the D train, at 79th Street and New Utrecht Avenue. The 71st Street station is also close if you are coming from the north. New Utrecht Avenue is a long commercial strip running under the tracks, so it is easy to fold a bakery or produce stop into the same trip before heading back to the platform.

For a short walk, New Utrecht High School at 1601 80th Street is a few blocks away, its long brick facade a fixture of the neighborhood since the last century. Lt. Joseph Petrosino Park, near 71st Street and New Utrecht Avenue, is a small triangle with benches if you want to sit before the ride home. Keep the walk short when carrying frozen ravioli, or bring an insulated bag.

Pastosa Ravioli Bensonhurst is at 7425 New Utrecht Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11204. Plan around the Tuesday closure and the early Sunday close. Bring cash or a debit card to avoid the card adjustment. If you live far from Bensonhurst, the online shop at shop.pastosa.com carries the same ravioli and sauces at the prices quoted here.

Ask Karpo in the Karpo APP to line up a bakery or espresso bar along New Utrecht Avenue after your Pastosa stop, so the whole Bensonhurst trip runs in one loop.