Fera's in Denton Serves Tasty, Inexpensive Pasta

Located in Denton, near the campus of the University of North Texas, Fera's is a local dive that students and locals frequent for the good food and reasonable prices.

We went to Fera's after an event at the university and were surprised at how quiet the restaurant was early on a Saturday evening. No crowd was a little misleading because the place is busy during the week.

The small, free-standing restaurant has limited parking and isn't easily visible because of the many buildings around in a cluttered "university town" setting.

Kids Lasagna

We were immediately seated by a college-age waitstaffer in a large booth. The table was dirty and the menus were sticky and old, but the restaurant smelled good. We ordered and then the waiter brought out hot yeast rolls covered with Italian seasoning. Nice start.

Between the four of us, we ordered the kids' lasagna, the kids' ravioli, a house salad, and a chicken parmesan sandwich.

The salad came out first. The salad was composed of lettuce, two slices of tomato, a few olives, and a slice of bell pepper. The dressing was a house-made tomato basil vinaigrette, which was delicious. The salad lacked luster but was a nice size.

Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

The entrees came out very hot. They smelled delicious. The kids' meals were served in small crocks. The kids' lasagna was larger than we expected. The layered cheese, tomato sauce, and noodles were simple but delicious. The kids' ravioli seemed small but was filling. It lacked seasoning but was simple and tasty. The chicken parmesan sandwich smelled good but was not very pretty to look at. The roll had been heated with the chicken and cheese, so the bread was chewing—not easy to eat.

We decided to also try a piece of the turtle cheesecake—"just to put a sweet taste in my mouth," as my grandfather used to say. The four of us shared the cheesecake because we were already becoming full. The cheesecake was cold, probably a refrigerated cheesecake, with a drizzle of caramel added over the top to create a more authentic presentation. Two of us really enjoyed the cheesecake.

Turtle Cheesecake

Our bill with tip was $26—not bad for four of us to eat in a small, local establishment. The waitstaff was pleasant. The restaurant was a little too dark, as you can see from the photographs. We would have liked a little more lighting to be able to see our food and not feel like we were eating in a cave. (Ambiance is fine, but the restaurant could add some focused lighting—candles on the table or less use of the dimmer.) The bar was a little noisy, but the television was on back there. The facility could use a good cleaning, but it was not a health hazard.

All in all, we enjoyed our meal at Fera's and would go back if we were on campus. We gave Fera's 6 thumbs up.