Good, Hearty, Authentic Italian Restaurant on the Westside?

[goldiebean]

Bored with the usual places around here- anyone have a good suggestion for a small authentic italian restaurant in the Beverly Hills/West LA/ Culver City area?

[Marvin]

Rather liked Sor Tino in Brentwood when I went recently. Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills is always really good too, as is Ugo in Culver City. I'm not Italian and never been to Italy, so couldn't tell you authentic Italian from Chef Boyardee, but these places are all good.

[ipsedixit]

Would Firtto Misto count?

[yogachik]

What do you mean by "usual" places? Great Italian places on the westside are on just about every block (especially San Vicente in Brentwood).

[dinami]

I like Vito Restaurant on Ocean Park Blvd in Santa Monica. They have an incredibly delicious chopped shrimp in pink sauce over linguine dish and their tiramisu is incredible. Having a 30% discount card also doesn't hurt. :) You'd have to ask for it when you get there and you can use it on future meals.

[noahbites]

If you go to Culver City, in my opinion, you're far better off going to Brunello Trattoria than Ugo. The owners are from Naples, the food is affordable, and it's great for low-key dining.

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Brunello Trattoria
6001 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

[bad nono]

2nd Brunello Trattoria. Very good, and homey.

and, I haven't been in a few years but I used to really love Da Pasquale in BH.

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Brunello Trattoria
6001 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

[hrhboo]

Cafe Bella Roma SPQR on Robertson is excellent.

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Cafe Bella Roma
1513 S Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035

[goldiebean]

Just went to Bella Roma-- had an AMAZING handmade gnocci, but the eggplant parm was undercooked and the bread was terrible.

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Bella Roma
9101 Atlanta Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92646

[J.L.]

Cafe Angelino, by Cedars Sinai. Pizze margherita is the best in L.A.

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Cafe Angelino
8735 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048

[cls]

Yes, but everything else at Angelino is suspect.

[J.L.]

Um, the rigatoni con ragu is spot on, the antipasti is fantastic, and the pasta is all made in-house by Antonio, the owner/proprietor.

I've never encountered a "suspect" dish in my 50+ visits there. What dishes did you find "suspect" there?

[goldiebean]

Thanks all- keep em coming :)

Our usuals are right around here- il fornaio, il buco, il cielo (hmm, sensing a pattern there). But nothing that blows me away. Osteria Mozza makes me outrageously happy, just can't afford frequent visits.

Brunello Trattoria and Cafe Bella Roma look interesting, as well as Fritto Misto, Sor Tino and Vito-- although I may be too lazy to go in that direction..Not a fan of Ugo or Angelino...I keep meaning to go to Il Pastaio (there goes my "IL" fetish again) since it is so close.

[cls]

If you like Il Buco, then why not Osteria Mamma?

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Osteria Mamma
5730 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

[noahbites]

I like Il Pastaio too, but haven't eaten there too much. Usually pretty happy with their pastas though. I'm also pretty impressed by how consistently busy they seem for weekday lunches.

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Il Pastaio Restaurant
400 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

[Servorg]

Give Sprazzo on Westwood Blvd. just south of Wilshire a try sometime and see what you think.

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Sprazzo Cucina Italiana
1389 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024

[Jwsel]

I'm a big Sprazzo fan. It's a nice neighborhood place and good value for the price.

I also like Il Pastaio, but their service can get very slow at times. I used to go for business lunches, but had to stop because we rarely could get out of there is under two hours (and that was just appetizer and entree, without coffee or dessert).

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Il Pastaio Restaurant
400 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210