Best Contemporary Italian Restaurants in Pico Rivera

Everything was okay. Went to celebrate my birthday. Spent a lot of money. Didn’t love or hate anything.

The food and our server were superb. But the prices were steep. The kingfish carpaccio was bright and refreshing. The focaccia was fluffy, with just the right amount of salt and olive oil. Lemony tortelli reminded us of pasta on the Amalfi Coast. However, at $50 (or, possibly, even more), the delicious lamb shank came plated with nothing else. The fagiole e pane (beans and bread) were creamy good, but $15 for a side of beans? The ambiance is paradoxically rustic but elegant. The dining room calls to mind farm tables in a villa somewhere in the Tuscan countryside. Vintage pots and pans hang on the walls. Potted olive trees provide simple greenery. The sight of the wood-burning oven in the open kitchen warms the space if only by suggestion. The only wrong note is the background music, which seems unnecessary, especially when the house is full and the din makes conversation difficult. This was a celebratory meal, so we were prepared to pay more than we do on our usual dinners out. But just in case the restaurant reads these reviews, we hope it will consider this: If menu prices were a tad lower, we'd gladly dine at Antico Nuovo regularly instead of only on special occasions. In other words, more frequent visits could be a win-win situation.

After a movie, we decided to try the new North Italia at Los Cerritos. We had enjoyed dining at the Irvine location in the past. Our party of four had the opportunity to taste a number of menu items. Everything was very good. We started with the prosciutto pizza as an appetizer for the table. Delicious. My wife and I shared the Caesar salad next; very fresh and tasty. For entrees, she loved the tortelloni Al Pomodoro and I had the pork Milanese. It was very good. Our friends also enjoyed the salmon and bolognese. For dessert, we shared the brookie gelato sundae. It was more than enough for the four of us. We just dumped it all onto a plate and dug in. Our server Allison was amazing. She made excellent recommendations and checked in with us frequently. If you’re in the Cerritos area, try North Italia.

a special occasion dinner with family, Drago was the perfect place and well worth going out of our way for. The food, service, and ambiance were terrific, truly memorable. If you like fine Italian cuisine in a beautiful downtown location with welcoming, highly professional and elegant service, Drago is the place. (Highly recommend the seafood risotto and the lamb).

First time here and we came to celebrate my man’s birthday 🥰 As soon as we walked in we were greeted and seated . Our server was great and attentive (I forgot his name ) . We decided to get the braised short rib pasta made table side in the cheese wheel 🔥🔥 that was an amazing experience and Robi was our guy for that and he did an exceptional job with explaining the history as he whipped it all up . The braised short rib melts in your mouth and the taste is mouth watering. We also had the mozzarella sticks and the wings … finger licking good. The manager came over to greet us and he was so nice as well. Overall we had a great time and will definitely be back 😊Drinks were great as well