I spent months hearing people rave about Pasta Mia, I saw a line out the door nearly every evening, so I was just short of ecstatic when I found myself facing a mere 10 minute wait on a Friday night. Those 10 anticipatory minutes were perhaps the best I felt all night.
I'll start with the prices because they are by far the best feature. Everything on the menu is under $10. This, I quickly learned, is what all of the Pasta Mia hype is centered on. In fact, it's also the only area that it lives up to it's billing. You get a very large bowl of pasta with a choice of sauces/toppings for at most $9.
You also get to sit in VERY cramped quarters, enjoy the conversations of those diners sitting on either side of you, pay too much for drinks and select from a list of basic vegetable and meat sauces/toppings. Pasta Mia offers spotty service and what is often a 30-45 minute wait.
If you're looking for quantity food and have a lot of time to kill then Pasta Mia might be for you. Personally, I'd rather make my own pasta (and enjoy my own pasta) than endure the restaurant's crowds, noise and average fare - even if it is only $9.