20 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles, California

With a buzzy indoor dining room and ample outdoor seating, this is one of L.A.'s most celebrated Italian restaurants. The keys are chef-owner Gino Angelini's consistently impressive dishes, like whole branzino, tagliolini al limone, veal chop alla Milanese, as well as lasagna oozing with besciamella (Italian béchamel sauce). An intelligent selection of mostly Italian wines complements the menu.

Though it’s a relative newcomer to the dining scene, Bacetti instantly established itself as one of L.A.’s best Italian restaurants, serving Roman-inspired dishes with a California twist in a stylish, sprawling, wood-framed dining room and patio. This farm-driven, Roman trattoria--inspired spot, tucked in Echo Park’s intimate commercial strip in the midst of a quiet residential neighborhood, is worth a trip, if only for the Focaccia Ebraica, which has gained a little cult following. Salads here are a revelation, as are the antipasti, pastas, and desserts. 

Legendary Italian chef Massimo Bottura opened this spot, his first L.A. eatery, to loads of fanfare and celebrity sightings. The restaurant mirrors the Florence, Italy, location of the same name with a menu filled with favorites like a mouthwatering tortellini with Parmigiano Reggiano crema. The locale sits atop the roof of the Gucci retail outlet on Rodeo Drive with prime positioning for watching the high-end shoppers and glitzy denizens of the neighborhood.

A trio of restaurants by star chef Nancy Silverton, MozzaPlex consists of Pizzeria Mozza, a casual pizza and wine spot; Osteria Mozza, an upscale Italian restaurant with incredible pastas; and chi SPACCA, an Italian steak house with succulent cuts of steak. The restaurant complex is one of the most beloved in the whole city and if you're craving any kind of Italian food, you'll want to get yourself inside.

There’s a Michelin-quality Italian restaurant hiding in plain sight in Pasadena. The small and homey space where Northern Italy meets California is typically filled to the brim as diners await heaven-sent local wild mushrooms with polenta or the squid-ink lumache (shell pasta) with Maine lobster. Make sure you come with a healthy appetite and a desire to drink—the wine list will not disappoint.

This reliably quick and easy bistro serves up fresh, classic pastas and pizzas in the Palisades Village. Savor baked goat cheese on the romantic, breezy patio as you watch the glitterati go by, or enjoy a more substantial dish like linguine and clams inside under old-world wooden beams.

One of the most exciting and popular Italian restaurants in L.A. is housed inside a converted warehouse in the Arts District Downtown. Exposed air ducts and brick dominate the enormous space as in-the-know eaters chow down on spicy lamb sausage pizza and spaghetti Rustichella with Dungeness crab. Thirtysomethings flock to this hot spot with an ever-bustling bar and patio. If you want to impress a date, bring them here—you may want to valet, as the area can feel a bit seedy, although it's not.

With antique wood hutches, copper moldings, and a fireplace, this establishment draws a diverse clientele in search of grilled octopus drizzled with a spicy limoncello vinaigrette, soulful spaghetti carbonara, pumpkin-filled mezzelune (half moon–shaped ravioli), and classic osso buco. The wine list is moderately priced and, weather permitting, you can sit on the walled patio that, despite its proximity to L.A. traffic, feels wonderfully escapist.

In a city full of adventurous restaurants touting innovation and all things new and gimmicky, Centanni Trattoria focuses on executing traditional, comforting fare to perfection. From lasagna and ravioli to tiramisu, this authentic dinner spot offers reasonably priced, delicious food.

If you're looking for an Italian vibe straight out of Goodfellas, your search ends here. Checkered tablecloths cover the tightly packed tables as Hollywood players dine on the city’s best chicken and veal Parm, and down Scotches by the finger. The elbow-room-only bar is loud and the wait times can be long—there’s a decent chance you’ll get bumped by an A-lister—but slipping the maître d' $20 might move things along more quickly.

Pasta is served here dalla forma, meaning it's cooked, then dipped into a cheese wheel and stirred up until it's coated with melted cheese before serving. Catering to a higher-end crowd, Forma specializes in cheeses, pastas, and pizzas. It also serves small plates like fresh mozzarella knots, arancini balls, and crispy artichokes prepared Roman style. A generous happy hour from 3 to 6 lets you discover many of the specialties without breaking the bank.

Just look for the swaying Italian flag at a strip mall on Hillhurst and Melbourne, and you’ll stumble into La Pergoletta, a cozy little space. Though the decor is decidedly frenzied, it still maintains a chic yet rustic quality that looks like it was cobbled together by an Italian nonna. More important, the food tastes like it was made by her, too.

With a vintage bar and dapper barkeep who mixes up seasonally inspired retro cocktails, an attached Italian deli where you can pick up a pizza kit to take back to your Airbnb or kitchenette, and a $25 Monday-night supper, it's not surprising that Little Dom's is a neighborhood gem. Cozy and inviting, with big leather booths you can sink into for the night, the restaurant puts a modern spin on classic Italian dishes such as rice balls, fish piccata, and spaghetti and meatballs.

Tucked away from the frenzy of Hollywood, this Los Angeles outpost of the famous Naples-based pizza spot (featured in Eat Pray Love) attracts patrons of all L.A. varieties, from industry folks looking for hearty Italian classics to tourists needing respite from the touristing. L'antica serves comforting yet elevated Neapolitan pie and pasta dishes in an expansive and relaxed classic Italian-meets-modern-Californian indoor-outdoor space accented with lush greenery. You're here for the century-old authentic-Italian pizzas cooked in the signature stone oven, but you should try the pastas, the slow-cooked short rib, and the Italian-style spritz menu. You might care that this is also one of the very few places in L.A. to enjoy zucchini flowers.

Chef Nancy Silverton, of Osteria Mozza, owns this upscale pizza and antipasto eatery. The pies—thin-crusted delights with golden, blistered edges—are more Campania than California and are served piping hot daily. Like the dishes, the wines on the Italian-only list are both interesting and affordable. Walk-ins are welcome at the bar.

Located in the historic lobby of the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, this old-world Italian steak house features a glamorous, Old Hollywood feel with mirrored columns, floor-to-ceiling windows, and Spanish Colonial Revival details alongside an open kitchen, comfortable banquettes, a wood-fire hearth, and a menu that showcases chef Nancy Silverton's flair for Californian-Italian flavors. The deconstructed steak tartare has obtained cult status as have the dry-aged steaks, pasta al forno, poultry cooked over a wood fire, and the Barish Farmhouse rolls, served warm with Rodolphe Le Meunier butter on the side. Don't skip on a glamorous end to your meal with the gelato and sorbetto offerings.

The homemade pasta here, kneaded from imported Italian flour, guarantees this place a spot on the "must eat" list. The large Arts District eatery is carved from a converted warehouse and is held up inside by towering pillars. Try the Ligurian Focaccina Tradizionale (basically a bread stuffed with cheese), or, treat your dinner date to handkerchief pasta dripping with almond basil pesto. The cannoli are arguably the best in town, and the coffee isn’t too shabby either.

This rustic trattoria along San Vicente has been a favorite celebrity haunt for decades. Expect elevated sensory offerings, from its cozy atmosphere to its mouthwatering Tuscan and Italian fare (including carpaccio and gnocchi primavera) and excellent wine list.

It's hard to fathom that the pasta inside this small counter restaurant is flown in weekly from Bologna. But once you take a bite of the perfect cacio e pepe, amatriciana, or tortellini with crema parmigiano, you'll become an instant believer. If you're in the mood for a midday treat between museum visits or want to close out your night with a steaming bowl of bucatini, you can't go wrong with Uovo.