If you're anywhere near Gardena and craving truly outstanding Italian food, do yourself a favor and…read morehead straight to Lomeli's. This place is the definition of a hidden gem. I've eaten fettuccine Alfredo at Italian restaurants all over, and I can say without hesitation that Lomeli's makes the best I've ever had. It's my go‑to dish everywhere I go, and nothing compares to the rich, creamy perfection they serve here. My wife ordered the spinach zucchini, and she absolutely loved it. Fresh, flavorful, and cooked just right--she couldn't stop talking about it. The service deserves its own spotlight. Nancy and Adam were outstanding--warm, attentive, and genuinely kind people who make you feel like family the moment you sit down. Restaurants can teach technique, but they can't teach heart, and Lomeli's has it in abundance. And then there's the ambience. If you enjoy the timeless voices of Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole, you're in for a treat. Their music fills the room and creates the perfect backdrop for an Italian meal. It's cozy, nostalgic, and effortlessly charming--exactly the kind of atmosphere that makes you want to linger a little longer. In short: Lomeli's is everything you want in a neighborhood Italian restaurant and more. Incredible food, wonderful people, and an ambience that feels like a warm embrace. You will not regret giving this place a try. Sorry, I couldn't wait to take a picture of the food. I ate it before I remembered that I needed to take a picture. It was so good.

Food (4/5): My first thought when I received my food was: HUUUGGEEEEE. The portions are ginormous!…read moreIs it the best Italian food I've had? No but it was really good! I had their Alfredo and I gobbled it up. They actually have a combo set where you get a free drink (which includes wine), salad, and a dessert. I did not like their ice cream but maybe it's because I got the wrong one. Ambiance (4/5): On the outside you're in Gardena, but once inside you're transported to little Italy with an American twist. I thought it was funny to see a little candy display in the front but if it works for them who am I to judge? The restaurant is intimate but it feels familial. Great place to grab a quick lunch, or have a casual family dinner. Service (4/5): On a busy night expect a wait. We had to wave over our waitress a couple times to get some items for our party. Price (5/5): For all the food I consumed, this was a GREAT DEAL! If you don't want to break the bank for some good Italian food, Lomeli's is the place.

Looks can be deceiving…read more As I was driving off of the Rosecrans exit of the 110 freeway to the restaurant, I startled to get a little nervous. Looking around area, a desolate industrial wasteland emerged. I thought to myself, "Am I in the right place? Where could there possibly be a restaurant? Did I send my friend the wrong address?" However as I continued down Grand I finally caught a glimpse of a sign that indicated additional parking in the rear. Nerves began to settle as I was able to easily find parking in the giant lot behind the store. I walked around the block, found the entrance and went inside. What awaited me inside had me in shock. A spacious area with a family friendly industrial tones with plenty of seating, a friendly staff that ushered me in and seamlessly guided me to my friend's table, and quaint bakery and grocery area to boot. The food was delicious, upon a cursory review of Yelp I went with the Gnocchi with pesto. My friend had chicken Scaloppina. Portions and price point were great. I had leftovers and did not feel ripped off. The cappuccino I ordered, not the best, but it wasn't bad. It's not like I was at a cafe or coffee shop. The waiter was attentive and the restaurant seemed to be at 70% capacity with families. Overall, I would say it was a positive experience and would recommend it as the best Italian option in this part of town. I regret not getting the House Cake as it looked delicious...I was just too full. Bonus* I did hear some people speaking Italian which also adds some street cred to this fine institution.

You wanna talk about the hardest thing to ever accomplish? That would be pulling off the service…read morefor a party of 16. Something always gets missed, something always lacks. Not this time, not this place. Aside from the amazing food, the service was so spot on. And on top of everything else they were able to figure out and divide all of our orders so we didn't get one big check. I was so blown away at the service of this place, but let's talk about the food. I had chicken Parmesan and it was great, my wife had the seafood mix with all the different things that go in that and she was really happy. Everything from the bread, to my sister-in-law's lemon chicken was amazing. And then we got to the desserts. You will never find a better restaurant than this for desserts. Their bakery is right on hand, and oh my God was their desserts incredible. I think we all sampled everything, I had a pastry puff that was covered in chocolate with a cream filling on the inside and I swear it was one of the best things that ever went in my mouth. The open air ambience was really interesting, and I swear I have never been in such a large party and had everybody as happy as we were at this restaurant. It was for my wife's birthday and I gotta say they nailed it!!! I can't wait to go back to LA and hit this place up again.

There is no better Deli in Los Angeles then Giulianos Deli the original in Gardena…read more Sandwiches are unmatched their entrées are like recipes from Italy They're cold cuts and cheese selection is amazing along with their imports from Italy Forget about it And last, but not least the service especially the guy that runs the show. I call him handsome Frankie. He's always got a big smile and he's always got time to talk, but nobody moves faster than this guy and when you talk great service his pictures in the dictionary. Do yourself a favor and head down to Gardena Boulevard and drop in on Giuliano's the original

Shrinkflation is hitting Giuliano's!…read more I've been coming here for over 20 years and have been very happy with their lunch sandwiches... until recently. I bought 6 large torpedos this last Saturday and noticed they felt lighter than before (I buy anywhere from 4 to 6 every week). When I unwrapped them I noticed that the amount of meats was much, much less than before. I had to cut them in half, then use the meats from one half to build up the other half. I am hoping that this was a one-time mistake on the part of the person who made them. I will go back next Saturday as usual and buy a couple just to make sure. If they continue to be skimpy, I will no longer buy them.

Spoon House is one of those rare places that completely lives up to the hype. Tucked away in…read moreGardena, this longtime local favorite serves some of the best Japanese-style pasta I've had anywhere. The menu is unique, blending Japanese flavors with perfectly cooked spaghetti, and every dish tastes like it's been refined over decades. We've been coming since day one and everything is still fabulous after all these years. The pasta is consistently cooked al dente, the sauces are rich and flavorful without being heavy, and the ingredients always taste fresh. Whether you're ordering a classic mentaiko pasta, a creamy uni dish, or one of their garlic-based specialties, every plate is packed with flavor. The house-made bread is outstanding and the famous $1 salad is a must-order. The restaurant itself is cozy and unpretentious, which adds to its charm. Service is friendly, efficient, and welcoming, even when the place is busy. It's easy to see why Spoon House has remained a South Bay institution for so many years. If you're a pasta lover or simply looking for something different from the usual Italian restaurant experience, this place is absolutely worth the visit. I'll definitely be back.

Legit japanese pasta spot in Gardena! If you come, do not miss out of the salad! It's so good and…read morefor the price, you'd be a fool to not get it!! I got the uni squid pasta, but be warned, it's not your typical version with cream as a base. It was definitely seafood forward and tasted pure to the ingredients. I recommend coming with someone to try different plates! The location isn't super big, but it's quaint and the servers are so friendly. Very little parking in the back lot or you can park on the street.

Great food and service,as well as the area. I am from Lakewood area and finding a new Italian place…read morewas really cool. We started off with a pizza and had a variety of plates and they all had great responses from my table. We never got a chance to take any pictures of the food

We were at Gaetano's to celebrate a birthday. We were a party of 4 with reservations and were…read moreseated right away. Reservations are a must here. We selected inside as it gets cool in the evening this time of year. The Mater De was from Hawaii so we had a nice conversation about the Islands on our way to our table. Our server Ben was also once a Hawaii resident. The noise level was higher than normal as it was a Friday night and Birthday week for several large groups which was fine and added to the dinner. We were served drinks and the awesome warm bread and delicious olive oil and spice dip. Our group ordered 2 Shrimp Mediterranean dishes, shrimp, bow tie pasta, sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts (A rating), one order of Penne Alla Vodka, comprised of penne pasta, spicey sausage, onion and red pepper all with a nice red sauce( A rating). Last, but not least the Dinner special pasta which was also A rated. The Garden salad and Caesar salad as a side are large enough to split and each was delicious as well. For dessert the flourless chocolate cake and the complementary spumoni ice cream topped off the meal. A thumbs up for the meal and our server Ben who was knowledgeable of the menu and super attentive. Thank you Ben.

Jame is one of those places where you start noticing the details--and then realize everything is…read moredialed in. First, the handmade pasta. This isn't just "al dente." There's a real chew here--a springy, structured bite that gives just enough resistance before yielding. It's deeply satisfying and makes every dish feel more intentional. The cappelloni shows it off best: that almost-famous sauce wraps around each piece, but the pasta holds its own, so you get that perfect balance of silky and structured. Same with the tangiello--the meat sauce tastes like it's been simmering for days, rich and layered, but the noodles never get lost because that chew carries through. The Caesar isn't an afterthought either. It's got a subtle spicy kick that wakes everything up, and if you add chicken, it's done right--well-seasoned, nicely grilled, juicy with a bit of char. It turns a classic into something you actually remember. Dinner is where things go a little heartier, and the pork chop delivers. Fall-off-the-bone tender, but still full of flavor--not just soft for the sake of it. Jame just gets the fundamentals right, then pushes a little further. Thoughtful, textured, and the kind of place where even the chew of the pasta becomes part of the experience.

It is always a pleasure to dine in downtown in El Segundo and I was excited to finally check out…read moreJame Enoteca, which is located right at the heart of area. I was impressed with the clean and modern look of Jane Enoteca from the moment I walked in. Their dishes consist of several handmade pastas, salads and Italian inspired comfort food. My friend and I chose to start our meals with the Meatballs and Brussels Sprouts. Being a Brussels Sprouts fan, I really enjoyed their roasted crispy Brussels sprouts that were tossed in schiaffoni dressing and finished with sesame. Equal in deliciousness were their Meatballs. The Meatballs were tender, rich and saucy. These starters were a great way to kick off our meal here. For our mains, we got their Paccheri Lisci and Tonnarelli. The Paccheri Lisci had a bit of a spicy kick to it. It has spicy pork sausage sugo, fennel, sage and pecorino. It was meaty and flavorful. The Tonnarelli or Cacio e Pepe contrasted nicely with the Paccheri Lisci. This pasta dish was simple, sharp and peppery. This was more bold versus saucy. Last but not least we had some cookies for dessert. I loved the fresh baked snickerdoodle and chocolate chip cookies. It was a sweet and perfect ending to the meal here. Overall, I really enjoyed dining at Jame Enoteca. I am now looking forward to trying out their sister restaurant Jame Taqueria down the street.

From start to finish every guest feels attended and welcomed. The menu is extensive with numerous…read morekey ingredients. Excellent!

UPDATE! We came…read moreback about a month later to celebrate Hubbers' birthday, but the experience wasn't the same. I'm guessing since they're coming to a permanent closure, it only makes sense that the quality of the experience (food and service) had began to going down. We were seated immediately, so we were off to a good start. It took a bit of time for Daniel (yep! We got the same server from the last time) to come around and get our orders. It wasn't too bad since the wait gave us the opp to decide on apps and mains, so we got to put all our orders in at once. CALAMARI: Battered thin and crispy. Dash of lemon juice made it better. Quality? Yes. Quantity? Not so much. I thought it was pricey for the amount we got. PEPPERCORN POLPETTINE: Meatballs in cream sauce. Even with the whole peppercorns, the sauce was good. The meatballs, however, didn't taste or look homemade at all. (I recently made frozen meatball soup at home and the meatball's flavor was pretty much similar.) So.. meh... BRUSCHETTA ALLA CHECCA: This was the best app out of the three. Crostini was perfect and the toppings were all perfectly balanced. SPAGHETTI AI NERO DI SEPPIA: Looked great, but lacked flavor. Asked for fresh grated cheese and added black pepper which helped a little, but still missing something... Hubbers got the linguine pesca mare which he loved (he emptied his plate!) So I guess that says a lot. And I'm really glad he liked it, being his birthday and all. He also chose crème brûlée to finish off his birthday treat. (No, they didn't comp it - which is fine, and I don't expect them - or any business - to, even more since they are shutting down. I understand they need all the profit they can get.) Overall a little less stellar than the first visit. I'll admit I was a teenee bit disappointed since we had an amazing experience the first time. All the same, I'm still glad of the experience and wish them well on their future endeavors!

This is the location that turned us into North Italia fanatics for as far back as I can remember…read more Food quality, servers, managers, the vibe, located in the Hawaii feeling outdoor mall "The Point", and general feeling of your on vacation makes this one of the best places to visit if you haven't already. Food here over the years have evolved with some changes my wife and I wasn't too happy with after Cheesecake Factory bought them out. This last visit has reversed everything I didn't like about the changes and it literally has returned to its previous glory. Food was absolutely amazing this run! I came with my wife and mom (her first visit) and we ordered so much. Food: Braised Short Rib Marsala - The meat melts in your mouth. There's no way to describe how tender is and how easy it is to pull a piece away with your fork one handed. The polenta and mushrooms the ribs sit on have a super inviting taste. My wife doesn't like truffle sauces and that be the only thing I would switch out. Other than that the vegetables were still crispy but easy to chew. Perfect dish all around. Wild Shrimp Scampi is a must order for me. The shrimps are jumbo sized with a mix of flavors that's been improved since a few months ago. It's no longer swimming in grease and a joy to eat with the generous slices of toasted garlic bread. Burrata - Sweet vinaigrette, large chunks of fresh ripped tomatoes, crunchy toast and arugula is a 100% must order. The burrata cheese melts in your mouth. Ambiance - very lively and celebratory loud, this place is perfect for a fun date, a family gathering or even just to feel energize and enjoy an amazing atmosphere Service - Service at over the years have had hits and misses but the last 3 visits have been straight up amazing. Our latest server was with James again which was the server that first waited on us and made us feel welcome many years before pandemic years. He hasn't changed a bit and remains charismatic giving benchmark setting service. This was my mom's first visit and he really impressed her that she is now ok with us traveling 25 miles to eat here again lol. Managers and the host Friday night "Treya" not sure on spelling was awesome taking care of us. It's been a joy to see the menu improve by so much and all around service being so good again. Previous visits, Gunner and Wyatt (welcome back) are at the top of my short lists in best of the best in service. The staff here is why I spent 80% of my north Italia visits here. The other 20% at the Irvine location. Have yet to try the Torrance one. I remember many years ago a manager I believe "Lisa" turned us into regulars here forever. Looking forward to my next visit! HIGHLY RECOMMEND this location. You won't be disappointed.

To say this was the worse North Italia location that I've been to is an understatement. We were in…read moreManhattan beach area on Sunday before Memorial Day and all the restaurants in the area were booked up. After checking Yelp, we noticed that there were a lot of available reservations for that night so I made it for 8:15pm. We arrived 10 min before our reservation time, checked in and the hostess mumbled something to me and just told me to wait, which I did for like 10min. I noticed that there were plenty of tables empty inside and decided to ask the hostess if my table is ready yet. Right away she realized it was ready and asked someone to walk me in. We walked up to a semi cleaned table that had clear leftover crumbs on it, which the hostess very quickly wiped it away with her hands.... We ignored all these issues and decided to enjoy dinner... as we sat there for 15 minutes waiting for a waiter, any waiter to come get us or even take our drink orders but no one came. My partner had to flag someone down and at the point we were already starving and ordered all the drinks, apps and entrees together. I got the pomegranate mule for drink. For food, we shared heirloom tomato burrata, black Mediterranean mussels, bolognese pasta and braised short rib marsala (we gotten the same entrees before at their other locations and they were some of our favs). Everything took forever to come out. We didn't eat until at least 45mjn i after ordering... * Heirloom tomato: basic, it was ok. Nothing to write home about * Black Mediterranean mussels: best dish of the night. Mussels were plump and juicy. Broth was very flavorful * bolognese pasta: lukewarm, tasted like it's been sitting out for awhile. portion size was smaller than other places. Some of the noodles were clumped together and undercooked * Braised Short Rib Marsala: it was sooo salty. The sweet peas were old and fibrous. I had to spit out. It was honest such a disappointing experience. I have loved all other North Italia locations I've dined at but this one was the worst. Service and kitchen is extremely slow. Kitchen looked overstaffed while front of the house looked unstaffed. Food is not up to par at all. I always take pictures of my food, but the food was so sad looking, I didn't bother.

I just happened to find this place by chance when I needed a quick bite while waiting for service…read moreat the Apple Store. I believe my bartender was Stan or Stanley, and he was absolutely fantastic. He provided some of the best suggestions and had a genuinely warm, friendly energy. I was hesitant about trying the Crudo on the menu since the ingredients didn't seem like a combination I would typically choose, but they are ingredients I enjoy. He described the flavor a bit, so I decided to order it and was truly happy with the experience. It was light, fresh, and nothing fishy about it. I'm glad to hear there's a new location in the Bay Area I can check out as well. I will definitely be visiting this place whenever I can. Clean, inviting establishment with very high ceilings.

Being a fan of North Italia, I was definitely looking forward to checking them out for brunch. I've…read moreonly dined at North Italia for lunch or dinner so getting breakfast here was definitely something different. My friend and I chose to get a variety of brunch dishes. Our order consisted of the Breakfast Carbonara Pasta, the Spicy Rosa Breakfast Pizza, the Cacio e Pepe Arancini and their seasonal Chicken Soup. The Chicken Soup and Cacio e Pepe Arancini came out first. The Chicken Soup was warm and soothing. It was simple, nourishing and satisfying. The Cacio e Pepe Arancini is one dish I've tried before. These were crispy on the outside and creamy and cheesy on the inside. I liked the cacio e pepe kick but I did find this starter to be a bit on the saltier side. I also remember these arancini balls being larger in the past. For the main dishes, I tried the Spicy Rosa Breakfast Pizza first. This pizza definitely had that spicy kick with the rich, spicy rosa sauce and the Italian sausage. I loved the runny egg topping. It made for a messy and delightful pizza! Last dish I tried was the Breakfast Carbonara Pasta. I am a Carbonara fan and so had high expectations for this pasta. Unfortunately, this was my least favorite of all the dishes we had for brunch. The creaminess was not there and it lacked in flavor. It was too bland for my taste. This was quite surprising as I've always enjoyed all the pastas I've gotten before at North Italia. Overall brunch here was not quite as great as my dinner outings here. It perhaps may have just been an off day but I maybe sticking to lunch and dinner dishes at North Italia in the near future.

Pooped back in today…read more Was going to do the early supper again but opted for a lunch special I got Chicken Picatta, my dining partner got chicken Alfredo with mushroom and chicken Both dishes were amazing and our server Maria was great

Great Italian place in the plaza next to Gaya tofu house. They have an extensive menu with all the…read moreItalian staples. Food is great, service is great and ambiance is good - would def come back. The bread is great too.