Locanda Veneta

I met a friend here for lunch who works at Cedars Sinai. It's location right across from the West tower makes it convenient for people working at Cedars to get to. And for people like me that are driving up being across from the West Tower parking structure makes an easy place to park although it expensive place. I was there for just under 2 hours and it cost me $18 to park! There is street parking if you can find it but of course that's easier said than done.

The service is welcoming with friendly and attentive servers. They had a lunch time special for $20.95 you get to pick an appetizer/soup and an entree. I got the minestrone soup which was full of vegetables and a delicious broth that wasn't too acidic, not spicy at all, not too salty either. It was perfect for this chilly winter day. And for my entree I opted for the Rigatoni Bolognese because it was described as a lean meaty sauce. It was hearty and delicious and topped with Parmesan cheese, was amazing!

Ambiance: classic and family style Italian restaurant, which has been in business since 1988, valet parking in the rear, it's packed inside, not much room in-between tables, artistic decoration of ceilings lights and paintings on the walls

Service: super friendly, introduced their speciality, patient with questions and provided useful suggestions, attentively refilled water, served the dishes and cleaned the table

Food: variety choices on the regular menu, there's also seasonal specials and daily food available
Complimentary Bread - **** served warm with pesto sauce, recommend
Fagottini Melanzane - **** Eggplant Rolls, stuffed with Mozzarella and Fresh Basil, baked with our Famous Tomato Sauce, Vegetarian, chewy eggplant rolls, very cheesy topping, bold acid taste from tomato paste, recommend
Pappardelle al Filetto - ***** Fresh Made Larze Pasta with Strips of Beef Tenderloin, Wild Mushroom and a "Barolo" Sauce, bold taste of mushroom, soft beef slices and flavorful pasta, highly recommend
Abbacchio alla Veneziana - ***** Braised Lamb Shank in a Wonderful Mixed of Fresh Herbs and Minced Fresh Vegetables on a Bed of Polenta, the lamb meat is so tender and juicy, melting in your mouth, the polenta is so creamy and smooth, recommend
Tiramisu - **** made fresh daily, balanced sweetness and other flavors, melting texture, recommend

Price: medium to large portions of each dish, premium quality and totally worth the price, expect about $70 per person

I was craving authentic Italian and saw some promising words and pictures on here so I ventured out to try this place.

I ordered:
1. grilled calamari (for one person)
2. squid ink lobster ravioli
3. panna cotta with fresh berries

Bread was complimentary and came with a yummy pesto sauce.

Grilled calamari was juicy, grilled to perfection and tasted so fresh with lemon, and the squid ink lobster ravioli was the start of the show - the magic yellow sauce on top of the black ravioli filled with fresh lobster was delectable, each magic puff filled with a the perfect blend of umami.

Panna cotta with fresh berries was the best I have ever had - the panna cotta had specks of vanilla bean, not too sweet - it was light, refreshing and perfect tart/sweetness ratio in the housemade fruit compote that the panna cotta was basking in.

Service was delightful, friendly and very attentive. This special restaurant knows authentic Italian cuisine without being pretentious. I can't wait to go back during my next trip to LA.

DO NOT come here for: fancy service, celebrity sighting, molecularly correct cuisine, innovation, monster prices, or bragging rights. DO come here for: awesome food, friendly service, comfortable accommodation, a diverse menu, a full belly. This is comfort food at its best in a place where everybody quickly learns your name. It's a rock solid place to become a regular if you like tasty Italian eats.

Locanda Veneta (Italian for Venetian Inn) is an intimate, quaint, charming, romantic Italian restaurant that has been around since 1988 and for good reason. It's just such a treat to eat here. Prior to this visit, I had been here for dinner a few times over the years. The food has always been consistently good and I've even spotted some celebrities.

This time around, I came to Locanda Veneta to try the DineLA lunch menu. It was a wonderful deal for a three course gourmet meal. Another thing I really liked about the menu is that the vegetarian options were clearly marked. A vegetarian can order from every course of the Dinela menu.

The meal came with complimentary bread served warm and a side of pesto. A definite must-try. It's so, so good!!

For my appetizer I chose FAGOTTINI MELANZANE which had eggplant rolls stuffed with mozzarella and basil and baked in a delicious tomato sauce. The presentation of this appetizer was stunning.

It came baked in an individual cast iron baking dish and there was a fresh piece of basil over the top. The serving size was very generous as well. As an appetizer, you may want to consider taking some home as this definitely could be a meal in itself.

The soup of the day was also vegetarian (red pepper soup that had a vegetable broth base). So there is was another lighter vegetarian option to choose from on the menu. However, I went with the eggplant as I thought it was more unique.

For the main course I choose PESCE BLANCO AL CARTOCCIO which was white fish wrapped in parchment paper with julienne vegetables, capers and spices. It did take some time for this dish to come as they make it from scratch but it was 100% worth the wait. The fish tasted so fresh and melted in my mouth as I ate it. The julienne vegetables were also cooked just right. I would come here again just to eat this fish. It was so, so good and a pretty healthy option as well.

For dessert there was a choice between the BISCOTTI and SORBET. One of us ordered the sorbet and the other biscotti so that we could share them both.

I'm not usually a fan of biscotti but this biscotti was so special. The chocolate chips melted in my mouth and the texture was just right and not too hard. I see why they are called "famous" biscotti on the menu. This is a winning cookie!

The sorbet came with 2 scoops of your choice: mango, lemon, and raspberry. We chose lemon and raspberry and it was a delightful end to the meal.

Locanda Veneta has seating outside as well on the sidewalk but I prefer the inside of this establishment because it is just so cute and part of the fun of dining out for me is the atmosphere. There was a large party of 8 sitting across from me in the middle booth. This is a lovely place to have a small party. I also spotted some solo diners as well as parties of two. It did start clearing out around two o'clock and I believe they close at two instead of two thirty (as listed on Yelp) so I suggest going early for lunch.

Since it is a small place, our waiter was also the host, so it was a little bit of a wait to get our seats but once seated the whole experience was wonderful and first class. We felt very special and also loved where we were seated by the window in a comfy booth.

Parking can be a bit tough to find. There's metered parking on the street but it does fill up fast. We parked a few blocks away and walked. They do have a valet as well ($15).

Other cool facts:
The head chef and owner of the restaurant was honored as one of the culinary talents in Best Chefs America.

Won Opentable Diners Choice Award 15 years in a row.

Perfecto! Italian food at it's finest. Maximo was our server, and he was fantastic His jokes were hysterical, and he's quite the charmer.

My friend enjoyed the artichoke soup and I enjoyed the ahi tuna salad. The salad dressing complimented the tuna so well, and it was incredibly fresh. We ended our lovely evening with dessert with a panna cotta I cannot wait to come back for and our server Ciao!

I love this restaurant! Came here after hearing a rave review from a fellow foodie friend, and I'm so happy I did. It was a beautiful day out so my table was outside. My server, Massimo, was really attentive and kind. He was spunky and made jokes with us- he really added to the appeal of the restaurant.

On to the food... ordered their grilled calamari, mushroom ravioli w/ truffle, and the wild boar pappardelle special. All three were amazing and absolutely filled with so much flavor, however the standout dish was the ravioli tartufo. My goodness... I am still dreaming of the truffle mushroom ravioli. I would literally come here and order two orders just for myself tbh hahahahha

I prefer my calamari fried, but even when tasting the grilled squid, I could tell it was cooked extremely well and with expertise. It was perfectly chewy and the flavor was unique as the squid sat on a bed of garlic Swiss chard.

The wild boar pappardelle was yummy too. No complaints there but it didn't standout as much as the other dishes.

I will 500% be back!

Always a good spot for Italian. I had the short rib ravioli this time. That was tasty. Service was quick to bring our dishes as we indicated a time limit. The restaurant is small, intimate. We got our window booth spot for lunch as we usually do. Have never had a bad experience here, so will keep coming back.

Four of us went for dinner on a Monday night. Small dining room filled up during the time we were there. The food and service were excellent. Delicious tomato sauce on the eggplant roll appetizer my wife and I had. I had the branzino which was nicely seasoned. Everyone else thought their food was very good. Waiter/owner was friendly and helpful. Great way to end our trip to LA.

This is a hidden gem! I have traveled all over Italy and this by far is just as amazing! Our server,Marco, knew exactly what I would enjoy and had them create an item for me not on menu! Rigatoni with marinara and mozzarella! The sauce is amazing! Pasta melts in your mouth! The lasagna was just as great! The appetizer eggplant is delicious! The place is cozy and Devine! I can't believe I have never come here! I will be back very soon! My new favorite spot!