Fishtown Pasta Is Serving Up Fresh, Healthy, And Homemade Italian Cuisine

PHILADELPHIA — Most people imagine South Philadelphia when they think of Italian food in the city. Sure, other neighborhoods offer Italian cuisine, but in Fishtown Hayden Loiseau is carving out his own space with his homemade pastas, sauces, soups, and more.

Fishtown Pasta opened in mid 2025 and operates out of a side window at Castellino's Italian Market, 1255 E. Palmer St. in Fishtown. The window at which customers find Loiseau slinging his hand rolled and cut tagliatelle, fresh baked focaccia, and more is right around the corner on Thompson Street.

While the 26-year-old's venture is new, his foray into making pasta is not.

"I started making pasta in high school, kind of as a hobby making pasta with friends," he said.

At the same time, he was a utility player at restaurants, working various front and back of house positions.

Already armed with a passion for making authentic Italian cuisine, it was a monthlong trip to Italy in spring 2024 that set him on the path to opening his own business.

"I traveled around to about seven different cities for a month, and I was at this restaurant in Rome," he said. The eatery, Colline Emiliane, came highly recommended and serves cuisine from Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, where handmade Italian pasta originated.

As he waited to be seated, he watched a woman hand rolling pasta in the window.

"I had never seen anyone do anything like that," he said.

In his previous pasta making experience, Loiseau was using a hand-cranked pasta rolling machine. But the pasta maker in Rome captivated and inspired him.

"There was something about the way she was doing it, there was a craft to it," he said. "She was honed in. It was a very hands-on method rather than using the machine."

After that experience, Loiseau learned about what puts handmade pasta on a higher pedestal than machine made pasta.

"It's the way the air bubbles are distributed through the dough," he said. "It keeps it lighter and airier. And the way the gluten forms in the way you mix it and let it rest are very important parts of the process."

In fact, he went as far as to have a mattarello, an Italian rolling pin specifically made for pasta rolling, custom-made by an artisan in Italy to further hone his craft.

And thanks to his connection working at Castellino's, which is known for its elevated Italian sandwiches, he took advantage of their food incubator space's vacancy. That space has hosted chefs serving Mexican street food, kebab, dairy-free ice cream, and more.

"I worked at Wm. Mulherin’s Sons for a couple of years, and would work at Castellino's in the morning making hoagies and got to know [owners Cara Jo Castellino Barrow and Matt Barrow] really well."

He saw space was up for lease and leaped at the offer in June. "It was perfect timing," he said.

It took Loiseau some time to get the space set up for his workflow, which includes mixing, rolling, and cutting pasta dough; proofing focaccia dough for several days; baking off homemade meatballs; and, his favorite, making classic bolognese sauce.

He redid the flooring, brought in some of his own equipment (such as a pasta extruder he got second hand in Virginia.

"Everything I had, I threw it all in."

And this was all happening as he dealt with a broken leg suffered in a skiing accident. He was serving tables at the highly-lauded Bastia in Fishtown at the time, but the injury sidelined him.

"I had a lot of time, so I put together a plan," he said. "As I began to be able to walk again, I was kind of getting all this set up."

Now, Loiseau is dedicating his time solely to Fishtown Pasta and is no longer serving at Bastia.

"I'm more of a morning person, so I like coming over first thing in the morning and getting as much done before the day starts."

And so far, Fishtown Pasta is a hit.

"Everyone in the neighborhood has been very supportive and has loved having some fresh pasta available," he said.

You can get fresh pastas to cook at home (and it only needs a few minutes in boiling water for a perfect al dente texture) all week, as well as meatballs, marinara, bolognese, and a rotating selection of other sauces and pastas, including filled pastas like tortellini and ravioli.

And Fishtown Pasta will offer up various soups, tomato pies and focaccia on Fridays, and meatball subs on Sundays.

Sourcing high quality ingredients is paramount for Loiseau, as well.

Farmer Jawn, Green Meadow Farm, and Pat LaFrieda have been providing Loiseau with vegetables and ground beef that he says make all the difference in elevating his offerings.

"I'm focused on sourcing the best quality stuff that tastes good and makes you feel good after," he said.

While these ingredients come at a slightly higher premium, the tradeoff is worth it, Loiseau said.

"People for the most part are willing, within reason, to pay whatever the price with for the best product," he said. "In thinking about how I can feed people good food, this seemed like a better avenue. For cost per meal, you're spending less than you would going out to eat, getting something of a better quality, and being able to eat it in the comfort of your own home."

One aspect of his sourcing that stands out is the flour, which comes from Italy and has been a godsend for customers who are gluten sensitive or intolerant.

"I've had a lot of people who have come by and said they stay away from gluten for the most part," he said. In some of those moments, he's given them a bag to try for themselves. "I've had a lot of people come back. They say, 'I haven't has pasta in a while, I had this and I feel good!'"

For now, Fishtown Pasta is open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Stay up to date on Fishtown Pasta offerings, specials, hours, and more on Instagram and online here.