Plenty of reviews already but adding my two cents. Stopped in for bite after visiting the Bradbury…read moreBuilding (bucket list ). Started with the Burratina and Insulata Arugula. Both were good but enjoyed the Burratina more. Then we shared a plate of Cacio Pollo Pappardelle. Yum! Creamy rich with perfectly cooked pasta. We finished with a battle of the desserts: flan vs flourless cake. The cake was light and slightly bitter in a good way but the clear winner was the flan. The texture and flavor were fantastic. Highly recommend for the quality and value!

LOVE LOVE LOVE Maccheroni Republic!!!…read more I've been going to this place since 5 years ago and it's still one of my absolute favorite places in LA. So worth going to downtown for. The service is impeccable and very friendly to you. They're really knowledgeable about their dishes too. The place just reeks of experience and professionalism. And I can't even start with the dishes. From the vongole down to the tiramisu, everything is delectable and perfect. The only downside is they raised their prices over the years I loved it when I used to get pasta for less than 20 bucks a few years ago. And the wait tends to be terrible so I would try to go earlier (opening) next time or just hop to a bar nearby while on the waitlist. Overall, I will forever love this place (unless they change the chef for worse) and so worth going every time.

I dined here for the first time on a Saturday evening and I am thoroughly pleased! The ambiance and…read morethe decor is amazing..... especially next door at the raw bar, it's like you're in a beautiful cave. Everyone was friendly and knowledgeable of the menu. Our waitress made some good recommendations so we decided to try a few items (family style). We ordered duck confit, spicy pomodoro, sweet corn agnolotti, branzino (highly recommended), charred octopus, steak tartare, cavatelli finocchio, hamachi crudo, date cake and banana pudding tiramisu. Everything was absolutely delicious! You really can't go wrong with any choices on the menu. Everything we cooked to perfection with a lot of flavor. Also, if you sit at the hightop bar, the kitchen is an open concept so you can watch the chefs cook and plate the food. As far as the drinks, I am not sure if they have a full bar but they do have a few selection of wine along with a small cocktail menu. I stuck with the cucumber basil (with tequila). Flavorful and refreshing. Street parking may be hard to find but they do have valet parking for $12. Overall, it's worth a visit. I look forward to dining here again.

My friend and I had a 9:30pm reservation and were seated at the bar after a short wait. The…read moreambiance was really cozy and intimate, and I loved that they have hooks underneath the bar for your bag. Sitting at the bar was definitely a plus because we got to watch the chefs cook throughout the night. We ordered the spicy pomodoro, squid ink mafaldine, and steak tartare, along with a sauvignon blanc and merlot to pair with the pasta. The steak tartare was good, but it was lacking a bit of flavor. The bread that came with it was perfectly toasted and honestly my favorite part of the dish. The spicy pomodoro was perfectly al dente and flavorful but it didn't really live up to the hype for me. I couldn't taste any truffle and it wasn't spicy at all. It was still a good pasta, just not life changing. The squid ink mafaldine was unfortunately pretty lackluster. The pasta tasted like al dente salt water, the prawns were overcooked, and it felt like they just threw a handful of raw basil on top and called it a day. The wines were good and paired well with the food but there wasn't anything particularly memorable about them. Service was great. Our server was super attentive and helpful. Overall, I enjoyed the experience. The atmosphere was great, service was on point, and even though some dishes fell short, I'd definitely come back to try their other dishes!

Still stands-up to the hype after all these years…read more If "Trendy" was a restaurant, Bestia would easily be in top contention, even after being around for more than a decade. That says a lot. Once upon a time (a few years ago), my CFP + banking institution wanted to thank me for being one of their top private clients. They expressed their gratitude with a very generous, all expense paid full-course meal at Bestia. To say that I was impressed would be an understatement. Fast forward to now, I knew that coming back here would be a good idea. Make no mistake, even if you try to book a reservation several weeks in-advance, don't be surprised if the only available seats are at the counter. Granted, I was in a spacey table during my past visit, the counter can be an enjoyable & unintentionally entertaining space. It's great for a more casual vibe, as you get to see some of the kitchen workers put together some of their signature dishes. In many ways, Bestia seems like a microcosm of the city that it rather humbly resides within. What always catches me off-guard, is that the surrounding simple area really doesn't reflect the happening, vibrant, night-life that resides within the building's walls. You feel like you're taken so a different, very social, very bustling world. WINE: Podere 72, Poderi San Lazzaro (Marche region, central Italy) - 8.7 / 10 A very robust blend of Montepulciano & Sangiovese grapes that results in a balanced, medium bodied red wine that stands-up to heartiness of a beef ribeye steak. FOOD: Roasted Bone Marrow - 9.4/ 10 I have several friends that go here just for this particular dish. Funny enough, one can almost always tell that one is at Bestia because of the rather peculiar manner in which this dish is served. Hot, melted bone marrow is appropriately scooped out of the bone & poured onto spinach gnocchetti. It's like eating beef flavored mouth pillows of potato + spinach. It's definitely a dish that will impress whoever you are with. I can never resist ordering this whenever I am here. Oxtail alla Vaccinara - 8.9 / 10 The deep, rich maroon color of the rigatoni (thanks to beets) is a sight to behold. The pasta is firm but not too hard. It's a humble yet complex pasta dish that complements any main course. 26oz Margaret River Wagyu Ribeye - 9.4 / 10 Anybody who knows me knows that I love my ribeye. Any decent fancy restaurant does a ribeye. But no one does a ribeye quite like Bestia. The fermented mushroom cream delivers a punch of pungence not unlike a delectable dijon mustard, but to the highest of levels. This dish also makes me a believer in well-cooked onions served alongside steak. I usually like to take a home a portion of ribeye for later, but this is one of the very few instances when the steak is so good, that I can't help but finish it here. Again, the portion is more than enough to be shared. Fromage Blanc Mousse - 9.1 / 10 This seasonal dish hits all the right notes. It's the fanciest of cheesecakes, so I recommend sharing this. With its decadence, a little truly goes a long way & that's perfectly fine. The richness of the cheese is offset perfectly by the right balance of candied kumquats. A great "bite" to end on. Huge shout-out & thanks to Radu for being the nicest & most enthusiastic of servers. It's little things like him being so down to take pics of you with your party that really make me want to come back here. It the owners / management is reading this, please recognize how pivotal he is to your team. If he was working under me, I would most definitely give him a raise. Also, shout-out to Dani at the hostess stand. She is one of the most personable people. For being the first person that patrons see upon entering, she is the perfect face, attitude, & welcoming personality that the hospitality industry is in dire need of. She's a rockstar of a hostess & a pleasure to talk with. Bestia is a better place because of valuable employees like Radu & Dani. As always, come for the food. Come back for the service. I would definitely come back because of how amazing Radu & Dani are. Years after the hype, the vibe is still very much happening at Bestia.

Bestia was unfortunately very overhyped. The restaurant encourages ordering shareable plates, but…read morethe portions were extremely small, and the food itself was just okay--not bad, but nothing memorable. The biggest disappointment was the service. Our server was unwilling to accommodate even simple requests. One friend in our group doesn't drink, and when we asked if her mocktail could be served in a cocktail glass so she could feel included, he simply said no. He also refused to make an espresso martini despite having the ingredients available. To make matters worse, one of our dishes never arrived. When we brought it up, the server responded, "I asked you if it came out and you said yes," instead of apologizing for the mistake. Afterward, he took the bill and appeared to be talking negatively about our table. For a restaurant with such a stellar reputation, I expected much better. Between the tiny portions, average food, and poor service, I won't be back

Loved dinner with my girlfriends here! It's such a charming space and the service and food were…read moreexcellent. The standouts for me were the squash blossoms and the potato pizza. Would love to come back and try more! Parking, as in most of LA, is tricky. They have valet.

Ambiance, service and food was amazing ! We cannot wait to…read morego back to the more items on the menu. Started off with a Caesar salad which was delicious as it was made with baby gem lettuce, and then we had the mushroom pizza, packed with so much flavor and the crust was airy and crispy! Then we split the seafood did ink pasta, the portions were perfect and so flavorful! Ended with the lemon olive oil cake. We enjoyed our meal and will definitely we making our way back here.

My first time coming visiting from out of state on a recommendation. Our server, Jillian provided a…read moregreat menu selection and offered great ideas on what we should order all throughout the evening she asked what our favorites were from dinner to dessert. Highly recommend as this is certainly a favorite for service , food and atmosphere. Look up menu and you will not be disappointed... reserve ahead as this place is busy for all the reasons mentioned. And ask for Jillian as your server.

Michael G. (server at Bacari Silverlake) is a dream. As soon as we walked in, he matched our groups…read morevibe and made us feel at home. He recommended drinks/dishes based on our parties taste and was very attentive. We will definitely be back and can only hope we get seated in his section.

Yummy. It is a Japanese Italian fusion place but the style of pasta dishes lean more Japanese…read more The ambiance of the place is also dark and a bit quaint, reminding me of some Japanese taverns. The pastas are spaghetti based and it comes with a side of salad and bread! I personally recommend the mentai pasta as it is flavorful and well balanced.

Loved it. Haven't been here in a while and it was just as good as always. Came in for dinner with…read morefriends. Simple interior with a decent amount of seating. Good for a couple or small group. The pastas are amazing! The uni and mentai cream are delicious. They have the perfect ratio of pasta and creamy sauce. Pour a little of the chili oil on them to spice them up. If you're looking for something a little more familiar then the Bolognese is a great choice. Service was good. Friendly staff. There's a pay lot in front. But you could also find street meter parking within a block or two.

We were visiting LA and this restaurant was recommended to us. Really glad we tried it. It was an…read moreamazing experience, from the ambiance to the food. The service was on point, and our wait staff: Beatrice was super helpful and understanding be qe had some dietary needs and she came through and was both patient and understanding. The food was aiming, we started with the charcuterie board and the pulpo, and if you've had that before u know it can be difficult to find it tender and fresh. I had the beef cheeks and it was excellent.Also the cocktails were on point. I would absolutle recommend this place to my family and friends.

This review is late, but my wife and I had dinner here a few months ago and it was such a treat…read more The food and the ambiance were incredible. Our server Diego was an absolute delight and was incredibly helpful. He was very attentive to our needs, and his customer service was the best. We can't wait too frequent this restaurant again. I give this restaurant and Diego 5 stars!!!

After several visits to Donna's, I can finally give it the full review it deserves. This place is a…read moregem. Everything we've tried has been excellent, and it's one of those rare restaurants where every dish feels like a hit. The Caesar salad is easily one of the best I've had. Every piece of lettuce is perfectly coated in dressing, the croutons are great, and the mountain of freshly grated cheese takes it over the top. The garlic bread is unreal. If you order the prawns, do yourself a favor and dip the bread into that buttery garlic sauce, spoon some extra sauce on top, and eat it while it's soaked. It's ridiculous. The Alla Vodka pasta is always a safe choice, rich and comforting without being too heavy. The lasagna came out with a beautifully crisp top straight from the oven and was packed with flavor. The potatoes were another surprise favorite--super crispy and served with a house-made aioli that made them impossible to stop eating. The chicken parm was excellent too: crispy, fresh, loaded with sauce, and exactly what you want from a classic Italian-American dish. The meal ended on a high note with complimentary limoncello shots from the house. For dessert, we had the tiramisu and panna cotta. The panna cotta had a subtle basil flavor that made it unique and memorable, while the tiramisu was honestly one of the best I've ever had--light, creamy, and perfectly balanced. Service was fantastic. The staff was friendly, funny, and genuinely welcoming. The funniest part of the night was that we accidentally booked a reservation at the Donna in New York instead of this restaurant. Even after our mistake, the host was incredibly kind and got us seated within about 15 minutes. One thing to note: pets are not allowed, except for service animals. Donna's has become one of my favorite spots. Great food, great service, and a fun atmosphere. I'll definitely keep coming back.

We were recommended to Donna's and everything seemed really yummy and good so we decided to stop in…read moreto celebrate my boyfriends birthday. We made a reservation for Thursday night just incase there was a wait. Upon arrival, we noticed they were very busy and the wait was pretty long so I do recommend making a reservation a least a few days before arrival. The hostess sat us after 5-10 min, the whole restaurant was BUZZING with people and dates. The restaurant overall was fairly small and intimate so it's understandable why the wait would be long. The server, Robert, was extremely friendly when he greeted us. He recommended a few cocktails to us and apps. We grabbed a few cocktails and got their garlic bread and cesar salad for the table. The garlic bread was good but honestly a pass for the future visit. The cesar salad was really good and refreshing so we will forsure get another. I, personally, got the Limoncello Drop (Their twist on a limoncello and lemon drop martini) which was delicious! I highly recommend getting one, it's extremely light, refreshing and zesty. For the mains, We decided on the chicken marsala, spaghetti & meatballs, and Fusilli alla vodka. The chicken marsala was extremely juicy and flavorful while it's smothered in onions and mushrooms. The spaghetti was decent, alittle bland and lacking flavor so we'd pass on it next time. The Fusilli alla vodka was our favorite though! The flavor is the chilis and vodka sauce work well together and the pasta was cooked very well. I got extra calabrian chilis for the pasta which complimented the pasta very well. We noted that the vodka is a MUST in the future. For dessert, since we were celebrating my boyfriend's birthday, we got the olive oil cake which was soooo delicious. They do NOT offer free or complimentary dessert for birthdays (which we didn't expect nor want) so just a heads up! The cake was really moist and flavorful yet did strongly taste like oil (kinda obvious). The did put a candle and whip creme on top for us to sing which was really cute. Overall, I recommend stopping in for a cute date night or to celebrate birthdays! The staff was really nice and funny. Most of the food was really yummy and flavorful. Plus all of the cocktails were a decent price point and full of flavor and ingredients. I will for sure be back soon to try more and grab another Limoncello drop martini!!

The best authentic Neapolitan pizza I've had in los Angeles. The crust was incredible, the cheese…read morewas perfect, and the arugula prosciutto pizza was outstanding. The Caesar salad was really good, and the branzino was honestly one of the best I've ever had - great presentation too. The kitchen staff in the back were some latino dudes but tbey clearly know what they're doing because the food tasted very authentic and well executed. I'm giving 3 stars for service because we waited way too long for our bottle of wine. When it finally came out, it wasn't the bottle I ordered, and our waitress Lauren insisted it was the same thing, which felt insulting because it was obviously not the same vintage - it was off by two years. At that point, I just wanted some wine already, so l let it go. That said, the ambiance was great, and the food alone makes this place worth visiting.

We came on a Saturday evening before a show at the Dolby, and it was already pretty busy at 5:30pm…read more We didn't have a reservation but we were able to sit at the bar. The manager was very friendly and accommodating. He brought us an extra chair at the bar because there two bar chairs next to each other. The bartender was also friendly. We shared n Arugula Prosciutto pizza which came out very fast. It was big enough for two people to share, yet not heavy. The crust was thin and a good representation of Neapolitan style pizza. My friend got the strawberry cocktail which was refreshing. We found street parking on Selma. Make sure to look for street parking signs. It's Hollywood, so parking can be a challenge but with patience you can usually find a spot. The majority of the restaurant is an open air patio. It's bright, airy, and had a busy upscale casual vibe. I'd go back to try the pasta dishes.

Tried a few dishes, and the standout was definitely the rigatoni--easily my favorite…read more Would come back again, especially to grab a seat at the bar and try more from the menu.

Mother Wolf has been on my list for quite some time. We decided to finally dine here on our…read moredaughter's last night before she returned to college. The experience did not disappoint -- it was beautiful from beginning to end. Our extraordinary server was James. He was engaging, attentive and unpretentious. His knowledge of the menu was impressive as he explained each section and item in a simplified way. After making our choices, he suggested changing one of our pasta selections since they all had heavy sauces. We accepted his recommendation of the Spaghetti Arrabbiata, which turned out to be everyone's favorite! The tomato-based sauce was light and perfectly spicy. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING was amazing. The focaccia, oxtail meatballs and burrata with ham were a great start, showcasing the quality of the ingredients and thoughtful preparations -- they set the tone for our entire meal. The taste and texture of the freshly made pastas were unmistakable and so, so good with the wonderful sauces. The lamb chops were well-seasoned and cooked to perfection. I especially enjoyed the bed of sliced snow peas, green beans and English peas set over mint sauce. After all that, we had just enough room for shared desserts -- Budino and Tiramisu. Both were the perfect finish to a delicious meal. If you like chocolate, the Budino is for you -- rich but not overly sweet. Each yummy bite with the crumble topping was nicely balanced by the sprinkled salt. Service was impeccable and well-coordinated. We especially appreciated that dishes and utensils were changed after each course. A couple things to keep in mind: *Reservations - Via Resy. The reservation window is open 14 days at a time. *Parking - Valet is right in front. We found street parking just around the corner on Sunset (metered but free after 7pm). *Price Point - Approximately $100 per person. Mother Wolf is a cashless establishment. A 5% wellness fee is added to all checks. We will absolutely be back!