Los Angeles has long been a hot spot for top-tier Italian food. From MICHELIN-starred fine-dining gems to laid-back al fresco wine bars, the 10 best Italian restaurants in Los Angeles are known for everything from wood-fired pizzas starring hyperlocal ingredients to silky handmade pastas and refined seafood with fancy extras.
Dig into coastal Italian favorites at a trendy rooftop in Santa Monica. Enjoy award-winning thin-crust pies from a famed pizzaiolo at a hotspot in Little Tokyo. Watch acclaimed pasta-making in action at a cozy mid-century dining room in Venice.
Skip the wait by reserving a table at one of the best Italian restaurants in Los Angeles on OpenTable.
Read on for a guide to the top Italian restaurants in Los Angeles.
For shareable Mediterranean dishes and peak Pacific Ocean views: Élephante (Santa Monica)
Trendy rooftop restaurant Élephante brings coastal Mediterranean vibes to Santa Monica. Impress your date with a table in the sunset room for prime ocean views, or spread out with your crew by the heated fireplace in the cactus room, complete with succulents and natural wood accents. Either way, expect a crowd-pleasing menu filled with coastal Italian hits like whipped eggplant, squid ink pasta, and pizzas. Keep the party going with a spritz punch bowl for sharing.
For Italian small plates at a chill neighborhood destination: Bacari Silverlake (Silver Lake)
Come to Bacari Silverlake for chef-owner Lior Hillel’s knockout Venetian-inspired small plates, best enjoyed on the restaurant’s tree-house-like outdoor patio dressed with twinkling string lights and fire pits. Start with the house-cured olives and cold plates like a red snapper ceviche with lentil chips before moving on to inventive hot dishes like an octopus-topped pizza. Bonus points for a stellar low-intervention wine list and lively weekend brunch with all-you-can-drink mimosas and more.
For modern California-meets-Italian fare at a DTLA favorite: Bestia (Downtown)
Open since 2012, this acclaimed restaurant from Ori and Genevieve Menashe put the Arts District on the map for its bold California-Italian cuisine. Settle in for a feast in the lively, industrial-chic space, with large tables for spreading out and colorful tile accents. Order one of the famed wood-fired pizzas—try the savory gorgonzola pie with heirloom Italian broccoli—and standout dishes like a slow-roasted lamb neck and squid ink spaghetti. You won’t be disappointed.
For standout Italian fare at an award-winning charmer and one of the best Italian restaurants in Los Angeles: Felix Trattoria (Venice)
A smash hit since opening in 2017, Felix Trattoria has racked up accolades from Eater, Esquire, Bon Appétit, and more for chef Evan Funke’s exquisite handmade pastas. The cozy restaurant with mid century design touches is still a neighborhood favorite. Watch the action in the “pasta lab” as you feast on signature dishes like cacio e pepe and rigatoni all’amatriciana with big chunks of guanciale. No meal here is complete without an order of sfincione, a Sicilian focaccia doused in olive oil.
For Mediterranean-forward dishes at one of LA’s most beautiful outdoor spaces: Casaléna (Woodland Hills)
One of LA’s best al fresco restaurants, Casaléna is an indoor-outdoor stunner that channels the Mediterranean coast. The sprawling space has several different dining rooms, from a lush garden patio to an enclosed terrace with dramatic floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Both are the perfect setting for a romantic evening splitting a wagyu tomahawk steak or eating your way through the menu, which spans everything from Greek salads to truffle pizzas and red sauce classics like eggplant parmesan.
For a refined MICHELIN-Starred destination from a renowned chef: Osteria Mozza (Hollywood)
James Beard Award-winning chef Nancy Silverton’s Osteria Mozza is a must-visit destination for Italian food in LA. The MICHELIN-Starred restaurant is a romantic, white tablecloth staple that’s a top choice for special occasions. Celebrate over a refined lineup of Italian food, starting with selections from the mozzarella bar—often plated by Silverton herself—followed by grilled octopus, crispy duck confit, and housemade pasta. An impressive Italian-leaning wine list rounds out the menu.
For rooftop dining at one of the best Italian restaurants in Los Angeles: Terra-Eataly (Century City)
Get top-notch Italian cuisine along with sweeping Hollywood Hills views at Terra, located on the third floor of Eataly Los Angeles. Whether seated at the lively outdoor bar or in low-slung chairs and sofas on the fire pit- and plant-decked terrace, prepare to feast on wood-fired Italian MVPs ranging from housemade sourdough to tender meat skewers and premium steaks. The extensive menu also includes classic pastas, plus a family-style tasting experience starring a whole roasted branzino.
For sophisticated Italian fare in a glamorous setting: Stella West Hollywood (West Hollywood)
Stella West Hollywood is the brainchild of industry pros Rob Gentile and Felix Trattoria’s Janet Zuccarini. The bright, multi-level Italian restaurant is a local and celebrity go-to for its glam, mid-century vibes and luxe Italian dishes—think punchy puntarelle salads, decadent pastas like pappardelle with sea urchin butter, and diver scallops fire-cooked in their shells and served with smoked trout caviar. Cap the evening with the showstopping Sicilian pistachio cake.
For award-winning pizza at one of the best Italian restaurants in Los Angeles: Pizzeria Bianco (Little Tokyo)
Get James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Bianco’s signature thin-crust pizzas at the DTLA outpost of Pizzeria Bianco, which was awarded MICHELIN Bib Gourmand status in 2022. Lines snake out the door for the standout pies like the red onion, rosemary, and Santa Barbara pistachio-topped Rosa, plus a tight menu of seasonal salads and sides. Enjoy them at one of the cozy window tables in the light-filled, industrial space for prime people watching.
For an Italian coastal oasis at one of the best Italian restaurants in Los Angeles: Fia (Santa Monica)
Come to Fia for coastal-inspired Italian fare and seriously cool vibes. The buzzy Santa Monica spot has one of the area’s best patios, complete with fire pits, string lights, and palm trees. It’s the perfect backdrop for the restaurant’s menu of wood-fired dishes like smoked burrata and wagyu meatballs, along with elegant crudos and housemade pastas. Don’t miss the lively weekend brunch, complete with bottomless cocktails and elevated breakfast favorites like a black truffle scramble.
Book a table at one of these great Italian restaurants in Los Angeles to feast on everything from wood-fired Mediterranean fare at a lush garden oasis to silky handmade pastas at an acclaimed destination in Venice. Don’t miss out on award-winning pizzas, caviar-topped seafood, red sauce classics, and more—book your seat as soon as possible at one of the best Italian restaurants in Los Angeles on OpenTable.
