One of our absolute favorite restaurants -- we honestly look forward to coming to LA just to eat at…read moreMaccheroni Republic. The Ravioli Di Zucca and Rigatoni Pom'Amore are phenomenal -- easily some of the best pasta we've ever had. The Lasagna di Carne is delicious too, although the rich meat sauce is so generous that you don't get to appreciate their incredible pasta quite as much. Small, quaint indoor dining + a cute patio that somehow doesn't feel like you're in the heart of LA. The restaurant is first come, first served, and there's often a wait. Come early or grab a cocktail across the street at Grayson while you wait. It's worth the wait. Every. Single. Time.

I've been so busy since we came back from LA that I'm just now getting around to leaving a…read morereview... Our annual visit to Maccheroni Republic. We always seem to end up ordering the same dishes and we've never been disappointed. Everything tasted great as usual. They also had the Italian Custard on the dessert menu this time. We had tried it once before and absolutely loved it, especially the caramel sauce that comes with it. We practically had to fight over the caramel sauce. LOL. It's that good! If you ever see it on the dessert menu, I highly recommend trying it. We enjoyed everything but the overall atmosphere felt a little different this time. We actually wondered if something had changed with the management or the restaurant itself. We used to have to wait quite a while for a table but this time we went on a Friday night and there was no line at all. The crowd also seemed very different from what we remembered. We also felt a little rushed by our server which was disappointing. One of the things we always liked about Maccheroni Republic was the relaxed, laid-back atmosphere and we had never felt rushed during our previous visits. I can't quite put my finger on it but something just felt different this time. Still, the food was great and overall, we had a good time.

Such an incredible spot! Cento has a wonderful, lively atmosphere that makes it the absolute cutest…read moreplace to meet up with friends or go on a date. ​The food and drinks are top-notch. I ordered the Branzino and the radicchio salad, and both were cooked and seasoned to perfection. To top it all off, their wine selection is fantastic, and they mix up some really great cocktails, too. The vibe, the service, and the flavors make this a must-visit in LA. I can't wait to go back!

This place is one half (pasta side) of the beautiful Cento dining hall. Absolutely stunning in…read morewhite with an open kitchen which allows us all a peek in the makings of each dish. Love pasta and just had to try this place. Good amount of bar seating and a few indoor long tables seatings for bigger groups. More seating also available in the patio just outside the glass wall. Very cute. The venue was whimsical, but a little underwhelming with the food in my opinion. A good number of options of interesting pasta flavors and beautifully plated, but unfortunately was only able to try two. 1. Sweet corn agnolotti: highly recommended by the server and wasn't wrong. Good corn flavoring with a slight sweetness and chewy pasta. Delicious! 2. Squid ink malfadine: had high expectations but this dish was underwhelming. The pasta was good but there really wasn't much more flavor to it. Tasted like chili flakes and not much more. Wouldn't recommend this pasta. Was also torn between the broccoli bucatini and beet spaghetti. Almost went for a third but thought it would be too much carbs for one night. Perhaps another night when we're in the area.

Tonight, my family and I came to this restaurant excited to try their pasta because we had heard…read moreabout this place for a long time. Everything was perfect at first, until a server wearing black-framed glasses came over and was extremely rude. When we asked him for a menu, he didn't even respond. He just shrugged and gave us a very strange look, then went to get another server to help us. I don't know what's wrong with him or if it was racial discrimination. We were smiling and polite to him the entire time, yet this was how we were treated. It completely ruined our lovely evening. I will definitely never come back. So disappointing!

My siblings and I came to visit my cousin and her husband from Chicago, and decided to dine in at…read moreBestia on Saturday night, September 6th! For all of us it was our first time at Bestia, they picked the restaurant and glad to say it was a great pick! Everyone enjoyed our time here together for the first time. The experience was amazing from the welcoming of our waitress and the detailed menu descriptions she gave to fun fact about the name of the restaurant! The restaurant was well lit and sounded like everyone was having a great time, laughing and catching up with one another! As well as the staff helping each other out and making sure everyone was satisfied! Angelica, our waitress, was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu, as well as the rest of the staff! She helped us pick our entrees and appetizers as well. Angelica made sure we had everything we needed to enjoy our meal from making sure our drinks were refilled or bringing another round of drinks, to bringing clean plates for every entree we received! The bone marrow and branzino was definitely a 100/10, my brother who hates fish actually tried it and loved it! The bone marrow left everyone at the table speechless! Thank you to everyone at Bestia, especially our waitress, Angelica, for a wonderful dinner!

Oste located at Beverly Grove is just great Italian food. We love their mussels. Their pizza is…read morejust great. Everything is great. The service is so nice. They are fast and will take very good care of you. They know the menu well and will help you with any specials they may have. The place is super pretty and always clean. It looks newer, I don't know when it opened. The bathroom are great. It is just a very comfortable place to be. We also love their Grilled prime NY steak 16oz which has arugula, Parmigiano with salsa verde. The Chicken Milanese is always a winner. Made with breaded chicken breast, roasted garlic potatoes, caper brown butter, lemon, arugula and a great Parmigiano salad. Get their Truffle Fries with Truffle Aioli on the side and some sauteed mushrooms as well. You will love it all.

I learned how important gut health is after almost dying many times from food allergies. The pinsa…read moreis delish. And, I do not get sick after eating it which is a plus because I do love pizza. Beautiful restaurant.

The service and food were 10 out of 10. Maggie was amazing throughout the whole process. Highly…read morerecommend for good vibes and yummy tapas

Great ambiance! Madeline went absolutely above and beyond to take care of our party and it was a…read moregreat midweek birthday dinner.

Love the pasta there! The restaurant was wonderful and they have great options of pasta. The menu…read morewas excellent and so many great quality of food to choose from. The Mentai Pasta and Squid Ink pasta were really good and so delicious. It was so creamy and nice quality of noodles. I really enjoyed the pasta with wines, it taste so fantastic. Lovely place with great ambiance.

I can't believe that there is such a nice little Japanese style pasta place like this in little…read moreTokyo. Situated in Honda Plaza, just across the street from the typical village. This restaurant is definitely a treat for anyone who want to try the Japanese style pasta. I had Japanese style pasta back in Japan before. And this little restaurant tastes exactly the same (if not better!!) We tried the uni pasta, mentai cream pasta and a tomato based pasta. All delicious. You cannot choose your own pasta style and cooking tenderness though. Portion is big and they come with salad and bread too. Price is reasonable. And our servers was super nice and make us felt so welcome all the time!

I'm from Italy and it was a fantastic experience! The pasta was incredible -- in my opinion, the…read morepasta menu is the absolute highlight. It was freshly made (you could definitely tell!) and served in great portions. The Fettuccine alla Nerano were amazing, with incredible flavor and texture. Back in Italy, pasta with clams is my favorite dish, so I was super excited to order it since it's not easy to find in the US. It was done just right -- really great! The seafood was fresh and high quality. The only minor detail is that the clams were fresh and local, likely Pacific clams, which have a less intense, briny flavor compared to the Mediterranean vongole veraci that give off that rich sea aroma. But hey, we're in Los Angeles, so you naturally adapt to local ingredients. The Caprese appetizer was good, though I wished the portion had been a bit larger. Dessert was delicious, especially the zuppa inglese gelato -- the flavor took me straight back to Italy! Exceptional staff, too: I was pregnant and needed a shaded or air-conditioned spot, and the hostess went out of her way to find a table that suited my needs. The waiter who served us was equally wonderful! We left full and super happy. Thank you!

The food was fantastic as was the service. The wait staff, Dalton, made a recommendation upon…read morerequest, and he was spot on which was the pomodoro entree & one other. The recommendation was a hit. I also ordered the prosciutto e melone as an appetizer, it was a magnificent meal. Dalton provided professional, courteous, and swift service without rushing; he made the experience all that much more enchanting. Dalton was an absolute delight! I highly recommend this restaurant, whether with your crew or date night!!

We went last night for the first time to celebrate my birthday as it's around the corner from our…read morefavorite pizza place Quartersheets. What a great small restaurant with a fantastic buzz. No detail is overlooked. Beautiful design -- reminds me of what your Italian grandma's dining room would look like if she had great taste. We took a Lyft since the parking situation is tough (but there is a paid lot down the street) and we were running late.I called and left message that we were running 15 minutes late and they got my voicemail and they were great about. Table was available right away. Cocktails were impressive - and we started with a dirty martini and a Negroni blanco. The garlic bread made with Bub & Grandma's bread is a clear winner. Our server Emerson was top notch and steered us through the menu and drinks and was informative and friendly as very professional. When he'd walk through dining room, he was scanning to see if anyone was trying to catch his eye. And when I did he came right over. None of this look straight ahead stuff I sometimes see when it's a busy night. You can get out of Donna's for a reasonable price if you stick to garlic bread, salad and one of their excellent pasta dishes (5 of the dishes are in the $25-$28 range). We splurged and got the scampi (from France) what a sauce, truffle gnocchi, amazing chicken Marsala with amazing mushroom sauce $32) and the Cesar salad was delicious and not mailed in. We ordered 1 dessert (panna cotta with pistachio brittle and fresh figs) and they brought a tiramisu and tiny glasses of their own limoncello out on the house. We also tried 1 glass of their special vermouth since we are vermouth lovers. A++++ experience all round and it was a high level of ingredients and food -- chef and his team are top notch. I now need to find out who's the chef in that kitchen because they've built an excellent team. Donna's slyly calls itself just a "red sauce Italian restaurant" but I'd say that's a real understatement...and I think it's a great date night or small group place because it's intimate and you can hear your table partners talk. I don't recall any music playing - just the warm brown background noise of fun conversation. We ate early (my preference these days) and if you don't see any openings for reservations, ask Resy to give you an alert -- you'll get notified when reservations open up. Emerson said they always hold some tables for walk ins. PS -- I normally don't leave such long reviews, but I have some friends who are chefs and who own restaurants - and when I see other Yelp reviews where someone leaves a one star because the hostess was allegedly rude when everything else is great -- I just hate to see how it can affect a restaurant. I have no relationship with this restaurant at all. I don't know any anyone who works in it or owns any part of it, but I just don't like to see people abuse the reviews -- the restaurant business is tough as it is. And as someone who has worked downtown and driven through Echo Park for 30 years - I think Donna's is a great addition to Echo Park.

Tomato Arancini - 9.5 Easily the best arancini we ever had…read more They put tomato sauce in the mixture, which keeps it really moist. It almost gave you the feeling you were eating a meatball. The outside was really crispy and good texture. These are must if you go here. Garlic Bread - 8.2 The bread contained slices from the top which did not go entirely through. The inside of the slices contained cheese, garlic and butter. It was good but not great. The execution and flavor could have been better. Caesar Salad - 8.3 The dressing was really good as was the amount of parm they put on the salad. The greens were fresh and the croutons were pretty good as well. Nothing bad about the salad however, nothing great or memorable either. Fusilli alla Vodka - 8.6 Had good flavor and the correct amount of spice. It was also a good consistency. Could have used a little more ricotta but who couldn't. The ricotta could have also been a little more creamy, it was a little more on the dryer side. I wouldn't say this is a top 5 vodka pasta we ever had. Chicken Marsala - 8.4 They use dark meat chicken instead of white meat. Which I liked and I appreciated the subtle difference and wanting to be different. The chicken had great texture and was crispy while being juicy on the inside. The guanciale within the mushroom marsala sauce was not cooked down and rendered nearly as well as it should have been. I appreciate how much guanciale was in the dish however, the way it was cooked almost gave the dish an unwanted flavor. The marsala sauce was also too dark if that makes sense. The flavors reached and surpassed the point of being bold and flavorful to almost bitter. Chocolate Torte - 8.8 The flavor and texture of the torte was really good. The hazelnut crust was fabulous. The way in which the crust got crispy and caramelized was a great addition to the chocolate. The blackberries on the side weren't great. The blackberries needed to be blended and strained. The sauce the blueberries were in also didn't add anything to the dish.

I went with my sons recently and there was a different vibe…read more Couldn't get seated in the courtyard but got a spot near the front door. They had a dj this time which made it a little loud for conversations. They had a fun drink and bite special which was good. The pizza was disappointing. The crust was soggy and advertised toppings were noticeably sparce. It may have been on off night. ‍

The pizza here (for me at least) is everything I ever dreamed of and more. It really does remind me…read moreof the Naples pizzeria. Obviously the decor here is very different, very L.A., awesome style! I love their outdoor seating and really love how the trees in the patio look. I wish I had remembered to take a picture of that! The food never disappoints; their in-house-made pasta is delicious and we love their Diavola pizza; it's our favorite, though the Marguerita is a close second lol. The ambiance and the food make for a great time whether with friends or on a date. Definitely a must-try!

Phenomenal service and every dish is a creation in of its own!!…read more The octopus salad was positively delectable! I didn't dare ask for bread, but it would've been sumptuous to drink the last of the dressing with a baguette!! The oxtail ragu was phenomenal! Thanks to my server James, we were all warned that they serve each dish as it is freshly prepared, family style! So, dine with friends who enjoy the process!! The atmosphere reminds me of London, but the food is truly a culinary masterpiece!!

I finally made it to Mother Wolf after all the hype went down, and it was a pretty good experience:…read more What I ordered: - margherita d'angeleno cocktail ($17) this had tequila, fresno chili, agave and lime so essentially an Italian spicy margarita, which was good - sfincione ($13) this focaccia bread was almost more like a dinner roll than a typical focaccia, but was still very light and pillowy - ruchetta salad ($18) aka arugula salad, with the appropriate amount of cheese (a cheese mountain on top) - fiori di zucca ($28) the infamous squash blossoms!! they came out piping HOT and were full of the ricotta filling. they were fried perfectly and were super crispy, but I kind of wanted a sauce to dip it in or have it drizzed over. for as much as everyone raves about them, they're good and I'd order again if I went back, but I wouldn't go back just for them - fusilli al cinghiale pasta ($39) wild boar ragu fusilli pasta: this was good but I couldn't tell it was boar. our server really recommended this but quite honestly I had forgotten we even ordered this.. - tonnarelli cacio e pepe ($26) I'd say this is one of the best cacio e pepe's I've had in LA, the pasta itself was perfectly al dente and the perfect size for this dish. very black pepper forward and a bit on the saucier side (vs more dry iterations), but I personally loved that - dessert: tiramisu, passionfruit gelato, and cookies & cream gelato the tiramisu was very solid, the passionfruit gelato had fresh passionfruit seeds and was well balanced in its tartness + sweetness, and you can't go wrong with cookies & cream We did have a nightcap + dessert at the hidden speakeasy, Bar Avoja - which was BEAUTIFUL. The decor, ambiance, vibes, all 10/10. The cocktails were pricier there but more elevated than the ones at the restaurant. Overall, while everything was pretty solid, I wouldn't say anything was exceptional or really stood out, especially given the $$$$ price. It's worth a visit once (for like a nice dinner/date night spot), and if I were to go back I'd try the pizza or larger entrees, but I'd more likely go back to the bar itself for just a drink (with apps/dessert).