When I first arrived in Santa Monica from New York in 1993, I always opted to eat at a natural…read morefoods café just next-door to Fritto Misto, and I unfortunately never gave them a chance. Last week, I was in the mood for "Italian", and I remembered Fritto Misto, and I looked at their menu. They had meals that sounded delicious, and I was delighted that they served whole wheat and gluten-free pasta options. I wound up having a fantastic meal there, and I ate there again this week. Everything is so fresh, flavorful, and delicious! The environment is very warm and friendly, and the staff is very accommodating and helpful. I didn't feel like I had to choose between health and flavor when I was there; I got both! Bravo, Fritto Misto! A big thank you to Robert, the owner, and the two waiters/servers who helped me; Kevin and Carlos. Though I don't drink, a big thank you to the bartenders who were very friendly and helpful when I walked in.

Ambiance: - Located in santa monica, so parking is a bit…read moredifficult - Lots of seating inside and on the patio - employees friendly and helpful Food: - Artichoke & Mascarpone Stuffed Gnocchi: crowd favorite, good chew in the gnocchi - Black and White Spaghettini with bolognese: standard bolognese sauce, and good texture of the black and white noodles

Ashley was just the most wonderful server! Absolutely made my night with her service and wonderful…read moresmile. I'll be back soon!

The food was top notch all around but wanted to give a shout out to the host and waitress - they…read morewere very warm and friendly, which is a nice luxury in today's world. I appreciate their human energy, beyond just being polite. We had an office lunch and did the tasting menu and were glad that we did. It was a bonus to be able to try a plethora of dishes, and this kind of quality restaurant is the place you want to do this. I loved the various flavors and I'm no master chef but the dishes were high level.

Everything was fabulous. The pasta was incredible and may be my favorite pasta in LA! We tried the…read morePici Guanciale and Tortelli Patate. Special shout out to the espresso martini! It was A+ you will not be disappointed. Can't wait to come back. This is such an intimate restaurant for date night!

The food was good. Portions were a bit small, but even after…read morefinishing dessert, I still felt like I could eat a little more. The pasta was just my style, and the steak... well, it was just steak. The dessert was nothing special, but overall, it was a solid meal. Next time, I'd probably skip dessert and order four dishes instead.

This is my go-to spot for a sunset drink in Santa Monica. Besides the amazing view of the ocean, my…read morefavorite part is the friendly and kind staff. Alex, Alicia, and Naomi at the bar always are so friendly and welcoming. Not to mention they make delicious espresso martini's. If you want a romantic spot to grab a drink, can't recommend Elephante enough.

Jenny and Candelaria were attentive and warm. Stellar ocean views, food and drinks were full of…read moreflavor. Summer vibe. 5/5

My boyfriend & I come here all the time, & it's honestly one of my favorite Italian restaurants!…read moreThe food is consistently amazing, & the staff & waiters are incredible. They're always very attentive, friendly, & make sure you're taken care of throughout the entire meal. If you're planning to come on a weekend, I definitely recommend making a reservation because it can get busy. That being said, even later on a Sunday evening, it's usually pretty easy to get in. Overall, this is definitely one of my favorite Italian spots to come to. Great food, great service, & a really nice atmosphere. I'll definitely keep coming back!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars…read more Had the pleasure of dining here last night after making a reservation last week for DineLA. My girlfriend and I had always passed by the area and have been around the neighborhood, but had never been able to eat here. We got there a bit earlier than our reservation, about 10 minutes earlier than expected. The restaurant was extremely busy at 7:10 PM, with multiple family dinners and a huge birthday party happening all at once. After about 3-4 minutes of standing in front of the door, our waiter asked if we had made a reservation and immediately sat us down at a table right in front of the kitchen. The DineLA menu wasn't extensive but because of that, we were able to try both appetizers and both desserts. As for the entrees, we decided to get the Tagliolini and the Tagliata di Manzo alla Pizzaiola. The appetizers were both really food, especially the sauce that the Posillipo came with. It was so good that after we finished it, we got the bread and dipped it in the sauce! The entrees were okay; I think the Tagliolini could have used a bit more salt or some cheese, like Pecorino or Parmigiano but the scallops that came with the dish was impeccably seasoned. The Tagliata was also good, especially the sauce that came on top, but I just wished I had more of it. Even though it was supposed to be a filet, I couldn't tell if it was that or a skirt steak. Lastly, I was a bit happy when our waiter came to our table before our dessert and told us that they had ran out of the chocolate cake and that we had the option to choose from their regular menu (whatever they had that was available at the moment). When the waiter mentioned a hazelnut cake, we decided to get that. Again, so happy that there was no more chocolate vanilla cake because the hazelnut lemon cream cake was absolutely divine! I loved the lemon cheesecake-like filling and the hazelnut crumble on the bottom that was so light and compact that it felt like a hazelnut rice crispy treat. At the end of our meal, I attempted to get parking validation, as I was told that parking was free if our meal was under 2 hours. When I tried to get the validation, the machine wouldn't validate and was telling me to pay the entirety of parking. Glad to say that one of the staff members (I'm not sure if he was the owner or the manager or someone high up in the restaurant) saw that I was struggling and had told me that he would help me get the parking issue situated, and he actually followed through and did! There was also another server who offered to take our photos and had posed us inside the restaurant to take the shots. He did a really great job and both my girlfriend and I were so happy with how the photos came out. This place had gone above and beyond our expectation and I think its safe to say that we will definitely be back to try their regular menu!

If you love cheese and carbs, Forma is the place to go! We came during happy hour on a Sunday with…read morea group of friends and had a wonderful time. The restaurant was pretty empty when we first arrived at 2pm but quickly filled up within the hour. The servers were very attentive the whole time, even when the place got packed they knew when our drinks were empty without us having to say a word. The only thing was you had to ask for the happy hour menu, they didn't just automatically give it to you upon arrival. We started with a round of drinks, and everyone seemed to have enjoyed their drink. I got a peach bellini that was lightly sweet and very refreshing, it paired well with the heavier food we ordered. Since it was our first time we went a little crazy and ordered a variety of appetizers, flatbreads and pasta. We got 11 dishes to share and there wasn't a single dish that disappointed. I love how well they timed the pacing of serving each dish, making sure we can try everything as it's freshly cooked. They also started from the lighter appetizers then progressed to more flavourful and filling dishes, taking us on a nice food journey. The highlights were the Gnocco Fritto, Mushroom Flatbread and Trofie Al Pesto. Honestly all their pasta were sooo good it's hard to pick a favourite. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce coated every bite beautifully. Each bite was creamy, savoury and packed full of flavour! The Gnocco Fritto was fried to perfection. It was light, fluffy and not greasy at all, the crispy exterior with the airy chewy interior made for a great bite. My only complaint is the sauce container is too small to drunk the gnocco in, making it hard to get the sauce on it for the perfect bite. All their mushroom dishes had wonderful umami truffle flavour and creamy delicious cheese. I personally love fresh baked bread so the flatbread made for a wonderful vessel for the mushroom topping. I'm getting hungry just reminiscing about the scrumptious meal. Highly recommend stopping by if you're on the west side and craving Italian food.

We had a work dinner for 20 people and I must start with that as it plays into a lot of my review…read morecomments. 1) thank you forma for accommodating such a large group and handling it masterfully. 2) all of the food, good or bad, came out correct over the course of a three hour dinner. And by bad it wasn't that anything was wrong some folks just didn't like their dishes. 3) my wish is that we had the ability to be seated inside With such a large party we were sat in the back patio. Which would not have been bad except: 1) it was in an alley 2) you had to walk past multiple dumpsters to get to it 3) if you had to use the restroom you had to walk past those dumpsters twice in each trip 4) it was a hot day and the sun had us sweating until it went behind the buildings I would like to experience the restaurant from inside and get to see the pasta being spun on the cheese wheel instead of hearing about it. But for outside Forma did the best they can to make it feel homie. The food was all very enjoyable. The chicken meatballs. The burrata. The arancini. I had the branzino for my main. It was good not great but I was full off of the appetizers. We all shared the Cacio E Pepe and it was enjoyed. The short ribs was ordered a lot and not loved but the pastas seemed to be the stars of the night. The desserts were good. The gelatos were refreshing specially with the heat. The apple cake a nice twist. For drinks they have an abundance of spritz options. No real cocktails could be made as all their drinks are prebatched. That was disappointing. Prices were reasonable across the board and a good time had by all. Our server was Anso and he and team did a good job. If I was scoring off the alley seating it would be a one or a two star. But some folks like it out there. It's less noisy than inside. So my rating is a benefit of the doubt four star. Next time I have to sit inside.

Came here for dinner before a show and so glad I did! My group was lucky enough to get seated right…read moreaway with no reservation! That was awesome from the host to squeeze us in. The place is cozy with a lot of cool art on the walls. The staff is great and friendly. There's a bar area where you can sit and you have the chef/cooks cooking and the pizza oven in front of you. Things I tried: *Garlic Knot: it was out of this world! It was so delicious! I could go back just for this! 10/10 *Warm M+O Bread with Olive Oil: 10/10 *Little Gem Caesar Salad: I got it with a side of anchovies because it's a Caesar salad haha. The salad was fresh and crisp! 9/10 *Wild Mushroom Tagliatelle: 10/10 my favorite item of the night! Pasta was cooked perfectly and the mushrooms were just the cherry on top! *Rigatoni Bolognese: 6/10. Pasta was cooked perfectly but I wasn't a fan of the sauce. *Diavola Pizza: 8/10 it's not spicy but it's good lol. Crust is so airy and crispy! *Peach + Hot Honey: 10/10! What a special combination of peaches, Parmesan & Prosciutto! *Besito Drink: 10/10 *Tiramisu: 9/10 I'm a sucker for Tiramisu and this one is good! I couldn't fully enjoy it has I was super stuffed already.

This place was amazing! I was so incredibly impressed. We came here with my kids, and this place is…read moredefinitely kid friendly. We sat in the backyard patio, and loved it. They have heat lamps and twinkle lights. They have paper and crayons for the kids. Victor was our waiter and he was awesome! So friendly and kind and gave great recommendations Parking: Parking was not bad! Metered parking for 2 hours and ample on a Saturday. Food: We got the chicken meatballs, Arancini, the salad with the fried capers and shrimp, and tagliatelle mushroom dish, corn, margherita pizza. My favorites were the Arancini, anchovy caper salad, and the tagliatelle. The dish that stole the show was the tagliatelle! It was AMAZING! the pasta was honestly the best I've had and I've had some amazing pasta. I will hands down be back!

Margaret was amazing! She took such great care of our group for a birthday and gave excellent…read moreservice. Thanks for making the night feel special for our friend who flew in from NYC!

What a fun little spot! The vibe of the place is super cute. I'm super happy they accommodated us…read moreas a walk in, since seating is limited. We started with some cocktails and a Caesar salad. Caesar was fresh and yummy. Next, we ordered the sweet corn agnolotti which is a MUST TRY. It's a smaller portion but soooo flavorful, we had to stop ourselves from ordering another round. We also tried the broccolini bucatini, which was different! It was good but I also felt that it was missing that punch of flavor, it's more of a subtle taste. And lastly, the spicy pomodoro was creamy with a hint of spice. I almost wanted it to be a bit more spicy but flavors were definitely there. For dessert we ordered the famous tiramisu and it was amazing. Service was great.

We hosted my girlfriend's birthday party in the private room upstairs and everything went great…read more The manager Josh was a huge help/great host. Both the food and service were unbeatable. Ospi never misses!

I love Ospi! Such a treat every time I go! For appetizers…read morehad the Caesar salad and meatballs which were both smothered in Parmesan, so good. For dinner we got the spicy rigatoni and the tonnarelli, the waiter let me swap the pasta shape of the Cacio e Pepe from tonnarelli to tagliatelle and it was a game changer, felt like it was melting in my mouth. Only downside is we were sat next to the wait staff station so it felt like they were constantly walking by/next to us constantly which was a bit annoying.

Food was very good. I had the margarita pizza, which was very flavorful and garnished nicely. The…read moreambiance is the best part. Very cool place overall. Definitely recommend.

Had such a great experience. It was my first time there and it couldn't have gone better. We got…read morethe beef carpaccio, Hot Honey & Smoked Prosciutto, and Trottole Chicken Pesto. Usually not a big fan of pesto but everything was tasty including the pesto. Big shoutout to our server, Matthew, he was very friendly and had great suggestions for next time!