Lots of character and history, the hostess was lovely, so we were happy to be there. Unfortunately the food was surprisingly mediocre for a place with such good reviews. From the oily, lackluster salad, to the pizza crust that tasted like wonder bread, to the gelato that was grainy from having melted and been refrozen, it was a disappointing meal. But the live music was lots of fun, and at least we weren’t tempted to overeat!

does it get better... nope. some of the best food in LA.

Waited an hour for a table with a 6:30 reservation.
Service was extremely chaotic throughout the evening.

Busy but organized is fine but this was chaos.
Our table was physically moved while we were eating to allow an extra person next to us.
We ordered a 2nd drink as our pizza was brought to the table but didn’t receive those drinks until we were both done eating.

The couple next to us asked for a basket of bread but they were told “sorry, we’re out of bread”.

Food was completely fine but the vibe tonight was not enjoyable.

Lisa and her team are always welcoming. The food quality and amount is well worth the reasonable price.

not quite sure how the bill got to be so high, I think it was 275ish, we had 3 bottles of wine, one fettuccine alfredo, one angel hair pasta, two stuffed shells, large antipasta and one spumoni...seems like the food couldn't have added up to more than 150, so 125 for 3 bottles of wine?

We enjoyed our meal and the server, while old school, had a lot of character, as did the ambiance.
We will be going back.

As always this place is always magical to us. It was a pleasure spending our Valentines Day at our special place. The food is always excellent as is the service. We highly recommend this quirky but romantic place.

First time dinning at this establishment. I was not impressed with taste of food or service. I had the Ribeye and my husband had Lasagna. Steak lack seasoning and lasagna was not what I would expect from an Italian restaurant. A little salt can fix taste. However, we only saw our server when he took order and brought check. Perhaps it was the busy Valentine's Day that threw everyone off.

This is my husband's favorite Italian Restaurant. Were there to celebrate his birthday with our 3 young adult children. Food is great and service is outstanding. Love the decor. Truly a neighborhood gem. Very reasonably priced for what you get. Highly recommend.

This is one of our go to spots, food is always great and service is wonderful

Rogelio is am amazing server! The food is delicious, the neighborhood super-fun beachy ... a fun night.

What a gem! We were on a trip to LA and wanted a REAL experience and my travel buddy chose Cantalini's in Playa del Rey. Wow, authentic family Italian... nice people, great wine and fabulous old fashioned Italian cuisine. Great atmosphere, especially after the overdone crap at the beach!!! Would HIGHLY recommend!

Food was fantastic, service amazing as usual!

Sunday evenings are the best at this place with live music to add to an already great ambiance.

Cantalini's is a gem. It has been around over 30 years. The staff are great and the bonus of live music on a Sunday night makes it a fun place for a party.

Fantastic Place to Dine! the folks there treat you like family!!!

Just outside the trendy garbage of Santa Monica and Venice is an oasis of quality and class. Food is great people running it are great as well. And the little secret next door? Find it yourself.

This is one of those places I REALLY wanted to love. Mainly because of all of the times we've attempted to go, and didn't make it. The good reviews and pictures of food weren't always a match BUT friends also said it was good.

The stars lined up ... or so we thought. It started with having to wait for the hostess, who then sat us in the far corner. The alternative was to wait 30 to 40 minutes because of the lack of a reservation. There were no openings. After a few people coming in and out of the restroom and staring at the back of a fridge I decided to check open table, where plenty of options appeared.

By this point we had been asked about drinks and appetizers by our server at which time we pointed out we were never given menus. He promptly put some in our hands.

I went to the hostess to see if we could change our table based on the reservation I made on opentable and the table tops that were open far from the restroom. She denied my reservation with some "I'm a person in front of you telling you what it is" nonsense. I call it nonsense because the argument itself is ridiculous given she would not give me a tabletop on the other side of the room even though I too was a person in front of her with a reservation.

At this point she was trying to argue her point further but I told her to stop not wanting to ruin my dinner and trying to make the best of the situation. We ordered our food because I was determined to find out what this place was all about.

Our server was great, the busboys 5 stars BUT the food was just as nasty as the hostess. This says a lot given I am a good person and really it takes a lot for me to go to this stretch. It was what I call Italian Cafeteria food. I tried to love it and even go through the bad service of the hostess to try it; only to find out I could have skipped this place from day one.

The live music was nice but not worth the cafeteria style ravioli and lasagna, and the rude hostess. Pass it up and say NEXT!

This is our second visit. We absolutely love the food here. We drove an hour each way to get here, and it is worth it.

Much better than average food. But not haut cuisine. Very nice old fashioned beach restaurant feel. Old time style service.

Flat out the BEST authentic Italian restaurant in Playa del Rey/Westchester!

Stuffed shells were amazing, live music was a nice touch. Great Italian food!

Great food and great service! Must dine there again.

I love this place! It feels like it could be in Greenwich Village, not blocks away from a Southern California beach. Huge menu, food ALWAYS prepared well and served piping hot by their excellent servers. Water glasses are perpetually filled, and the bread keeps coming. It’s cozy in the winter, a party in the summer and the playlists are fabulous too.

Our favorite go-to for great Italian food, wine and music! Love, love, love it!!

I rarely write reviews but have no make an exception for this place. I travel to LA several times a year from Toronto and Cantalini's Salerno Beach is the first restaurant I visit during every Playa del Rey stay.

Their portobello ravioli with porcini sauce is my favourite dish. Period. Never disappoints.

The service is always friendly and attentive. Already can't wait to be back.

I discovered this place when I rented an Air BnB nearby. What a wonderful and cool vibe old Italian restaurant. It’s like stepping back in time to the late 1950’s! During the week I spent in Playa Del Rey I visited twice. Once to dine in and once for take out. Both times everything was perfect! They are friendly and have fantastic food! Best food in Playa Del Rey!

Really cool spot. Great food and love the conjoined bar.

I love this place. Great food quality and still family owned and operated = much better service and food than most places.

Food was pretty good as usual, but the atmosphere was just awful.
The lighting was terrible...very dark inside and very hard to read the menu or see your food! Why not turn the lamp/lights on above the table? saving money? who knows?
Secondly, there was an obnoxious party of 4 who must have rc'd 10 phone calls with a very loud "old style rotary phone" ring tone. The entire restaurant could hear their phone ringing and the constant yapping. I asked the staff to at least ask them to silent their phone, but nothing was done. Very sad! I'm guessing this party of 4 was related to someone in the restaurant which was why it was allowed.
Newsflash- folks come to your restaurant to enjoy your food...not have to listen to phones ringing!

pretty much done with this restaurant.

The food is always excellent, a great value and attentive service.

Great ambience with live music on Sunday night + delicious house made raviolis.

Plus, you can’t beat the salty attached bar (Harbor Room) for a pre-dinner drink.

This is a great what I call a red and white table cloth Italian restaurant. Great for causal eating.

Excellent Food and Service, Always try to go there when heading from or to LAX.

We had the calamari, chicken parm and the mushroom ravioli - all was very good with the ravioli being the best.

Another wonderful experience! We got the daily specials and we’re not disappointed!

We always love Cantalini for their great food, wonderful service, and positive welcoming energy..

This restaurant is truly a gem! First, Rojelio is an amazing server! We have had him as our server before, and I was delighted he was assigned to our table again this time. He is professional, knowledgeable, humorous, engaging, simply fun!

The food is delicious! I have an allergy to garlic, no small thing for an Italian restaurant to accommodate. The veal piccata and the fettuccine Alfredo were some of the very best I have ever had in my life. The Chianti was great. The tiramisu fantastic. My husband and I could not have asked for a more perfect date night. Thank you!

Food is excellent! My husband and I always share a meal since servings are so large.

Atmosphere and ambiance were great. Parking is tough! Food was okay. Service was excellent.