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Pomodoro
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
7100 Santa Monica BlvdWest Hollywood, CA 90046
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
(323) 969-8000
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
74 reviews for Pomodoro
Review Highlights
"The butternut squash ravioli is the shizz--do it do it do..."
(in 5 reviews)
"...salsa verde (green pesto dipping sauce) - the salsa verde..."
(in 5 reviews)
"The happy hour is AWESOME."
(in 7 reviews)
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74 reviews in English
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Review from Kevin B.
11/22/2011
Friends and I were going to a small theater near by, we needed to eat first and decided on Pomodoro. My first time and it was good.
SERVICE: Was prompt, attentive and friendly. Our server did a good job of keeping on top of drinks and other requests.
FOOD: I decided to go lite and ordered the Tortellini Soup (chicken broth, beef & pork tortellini, braised beef & spinach) and the sautéed brussels sprouts (onion, garlic, sage). The soup was good, it was really nice to have the little cubes of beef along with the tortellini. The broth had an "odd-ness" to it, but I suspect it was due to the fresh spinach. As much as you are probably turning your nose up at the Brussels sprouts, they were actually pretty darn good!
My friends had the lasagna, Bolognese, butternut squash ravioli and others. I was able to taste the Bolognese and lasagna, and both were VERY good!
Overall Pomodoro was a nice surprise. A little nicer then I was expecting with good service and very good food!
I'll definitely need to go back! -
Review from Hillary C.
Los Angeles, CA
1/1/2012 4 Check-ins Here
I had written a review of this restaurant and then they changed the menu on me! DOH! My previous review was action-packed and glowing! Unfortunately, the new menu is less than impressive, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sad to be taking a whole star away from what was once a local lunch favorite of mine.
Call me unadventurous, but I'm a creature of habit. Call me old fashioned, but I believe that if people are ordering and paying for certain items, you should KEEP them.
The good news is that they haven't taken away the focaccia and pesto/oil dip. This is an excellent introduction to Pomodoro, and probably one of the most exciting parts! But that's where it starts to become a less than amazing experience. I once enjoyed brown rice risotto with zucchini and some bacony-type meat... a chicken panini deal on focaccia with soup, among other delicious things. Now, with the new menu, I'm not particularly inclined to keep this at the top of my list, or to suggest this place to friends.
One thing I will say, and I hope you've read this far: the service is always WAAAAAAY above what you should expect from a restaurant outside Target. The manager is always around, always smiling, and the servers are so cool. Not so laid back that they're lackadaisical. No; simply chill while maintaining a level of professionalism. PERFECT, in my opinion. -
Review from Stephanie M.
Los Angeles, CA
11/10/2011
We came here on a weeknight around 6pm to get dinner. The place was pretty empty, maybe because it was raining, but the service was good. There is a lot to choose from on the menu. I had a Caesar salad and pasta with eggplant and cheese, and my husband had a steak salad. They start you with free bread, which is always nice, and it was tasty. The meals themselves were good as well. The only real snafu was that the waiter must have misheard me when I ordered, and the food runner brought out something different that what I ordered. So I had to wait for my dinner to come out again, though thankfully it wasn't a long wait.
The prices are good, the service is good, and so was the food. Nothing special, and there are a ton of Italian places on LaBrea, so I will likely check some of those out before returning here. But if you are in the area and looking for food, I would definitely recommend Pomodoro. -
Review from Raye S.
Park La Brea, CA
1/4/2012
Love the Brussels sprouts and the service is always friendly. However sometimes they are skimpy on the portions or the order is wrong.
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Review from Robert C.
Updated - 11/29/2011
20% SAG discount Tuesdays and Thursdays! Boo-yah. Makes sure to bring your card because they don't advertise this one!!!
Listed in: LA/Cali Chains, Doggystyle
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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7/21/2009
Just ate on their outdoor patio with my friend who has a dog. They were accomodating to the whole… Read more »
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Review from Molly R.
Los Angeles, CA
10/16/2011
It's true what others are saying. The service here is beyond excellent. Our waiter showed the perfect level of attentiveness, and the manager even came over to see how we were enjoying the meal. But the place was fairly empty for a Saturday night...
Sadly, the great service is not matched by the food quality. I had the butternut squash drizzled with balsamic, which is one of their fall specials. It had way too much oil on it--and it didn't taste like olive oil. The other dishes we ordered--the margherita pizza and fettuccine alfredo--were very mediocre. They weren't so bad as to be offensive, but also not as good as you would expect for the price. The bread sticks and pesto dipping sauce were delicious, but that's not what I was paying $50 for. On a separate occasion, I had the butternut squash ravioli with sage, which actually tasted much better than the dishes I tried on my most recent visit.
We might try again since this place is so close to home. But as for now, I'd say that this place charges Olive Garden prices for food that's way lower in quality. -
Review from Jason M.
Los Angeles, CA
1/21/2012
First time in YEARS I've had to walk out of a restaurant without getting any food. I've been eating at Pomodoro for about 5 years now. Went in this afternoon to see two servers working and 7 tables seated. There were other tables uncleared with dirty dishes and glasses on them. Pleasant server comes to welcome us, takes our order and brings us our drinks. Asked us if we'd like some warm bread while we're waiting. We said yes. About 5 or 10 minutes go by and she comes back to us and asks if we'd like some warm bread while we're waiting - again we said yes. Another group comes in and sits at a table near us. About 10 minutes into their wait they ask for some break and its instantly brought over. Still nothing to our table only our drinks. After 25 minutes with not even a piece of bread to nibble on (or my soup?!!) I asked is there was any chance we could have some bread only to be told "Sorry, there's only one person in the kitchen - I'll keep looking for the bread". No explanation why tables seated after us were getting bread and salad / soups. When it hit 30 minutes we finally got up and left $5 on the table to cover both drinks. They apologized for the delay because there were short staffed...but of course no sign of comping us the two lemonades we had?!?! Very disappointing experience. It will be a long time before I go back there again.
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Review from Alex F.
Sherman Oaks, CA
9/20/2011
I'll never understand why when I come here alone, i have fantastic meals. Just amazing. But when i bring friends, the kitchen completely fucks things up.
I love the steak salad and salmon cannellini here. Love them. The chocolate souflee a la mode is amazing.
And the verde sauce with the foccacia bread - nom nom nom.
I love this place. Its an incredible value and the service is always great. Maybe its great because I'm such a nice guy (because i don't want my food animal style if you know what i mean), but either way I won't ever stop coming. -
Review from Liz B.
West Hollywood, CA
9/28/2011
I looooove Pomodoro! Delicious, quality food at a great price. The service won't disappoint either - very friendly and attentive staff. I have been coming here for years and have tried a lot of things on their menu, both for lunch and dinner...and all of their food keeps me coming back. My favorite is the lasagna - one of the best lasagnas I've tried!! I'm not a huge sausage fan so I ask for that to be taken out and YUM, it's amazing. My other favorites are: butternut squash ravioli, fettucine alfredo, pesto capellini pasta (I add chicken), and the 4 cheese pizza.
What I also like about Pomodoro is that they have a "lighter fare" menu, so if I haven't been to the gym that week I will try to make myself feel better by having their Healthy Chicken (whole wheat pasta w/chicken and zucchini), steak salad (the steak is cooked perfectly and I love the gorgonzola and balsamic), or some farro with chicken or veggies. What's great about these dishes is that they're tasty but won't break the belt. I'll also order from this part of the menu if I've had too many breadsticks with their salsa verde (green pesto dipping sauce) - the salsa verde is SO GOOD. I almost want to drink the bowl lol.
They have a nice wine selection too, and I like how you have 3 sizes to choose from depending on how much you want. Don't forget about their happy hour!! It's a great deal. OH and don't forget about dessert; if you have room you must try the Panna Cotta or the Tiramisu...mmmmmmmmmm. -
Review from Graham S.
11/14/2011 1 photo
Needed a quick pasta fix and had walked by this place a hundred times, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Ordered the capellini with pomodoro sauce and chicken, which came out to ~$15 and came with bread. The bread was actually really good, but the pasta dish tasted a bit like something you might find at Olive Garden or such. It was good, just not great. I'd recommend this place if you just want some quick, easy Italian--just don't expect to have your mind blown.
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Review from Matt B.
Oakwood, CA
6/11/2011
1. Service is great.
2. Bread sticks and Verde sauce(pesto oil) is great.
3. Marinara sauce tasted and looked like tomato soup only a tad thicker.
4. Gemeli with sundried tomatoes and chicken (chunked all white meat) is decent.
5. Asparagas risotto was tasty but rice was a bit too chewy for my taste.
6. Caesar was under dressed, chicken lacked seasoning, but lettuce was fresh.
All in all, we won't be returning. :( -
Review from Lauren Y.
Los Angeles, CA
11/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Love it!!!!
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Review from Aiko S.
Los Angeles, CA
7/18/2011
I tried this place just recently. I liked their food!
The restaurant is very small and can be very loud, but food and atmosphere is very enjoyable!
I ordered grilled veggie anti pesto and gnocchi in tomato sauce with veggies and cheese.
Both were great! The tomato sauce of the gnocchi had really nice taste.
I did not know why we had not tried this place until recently. Especially we sometimes go to the saffron ice place just next door.
Well, now we know Pomodoro is pretty good. We are definitely coming back:) -
Review from Joseph H.
Los Angeles, CA
11/6/2011
I live close by, and am accustomed to Pomodoro being the type of restaurant that tries a sort of understated chicness. Not trendy, but a stark alternative to "pizza & pasta" eateries, and enough panache to always attract a large crowd into every one of these dimly lit upscale noodle-houses I have eaten in.
It is probably because I know what I'm getting into that I haven't been to one in years. Also, the carbs.
But, as fate would have it, cruising the streets with my roommate, with both of us hungry, we settled on this place, seemingly out of random. Turns out it was also half bottle Wednesday, and we were very nicely "persuaded" into buying one. For some strange reason, we downed a whole bottle but ended up only paying half of a half. Not too shabby.
The strangest thing about the entire experience was that we entered the restaurant at 15 to 8, in one of the most densely populated cities in the United States (I read wikipedia more than the bible), and yet it was absolutely empty. Like, zombie apocalypse empty. It made me wonder if there was a terrorist alert I didn't get the memo for.
I was scared that there was something wrong with this place. And there was. It received a "B" rating by LA county. But it didn't matter -- the food was pleasantly surprisingly good, with a pleasantly surprisingly good waiter. I would expect to find the same type of quality at a place that would charge $15-$20 for my chicken parmigiana, when I got away with a small order and a side caesar for $14. Oh, and free warm bread with pesto by the plateful.
I just returned from there tonight, on a Saturday night. I was relieved that it wasn't ghost-town empty like the last time we were there, but it was still at 40-50% occupancy (maybe I'm a people person), so I don't know what the deal is (and they got their "A" health rating back). But maybe that's a good thing: easy free 1-hour parking with no hassle underrated Italian food. A rarity in Los Angeles. -
Review from Ariel M.
Huntington Park, CA
3/23/2011 3 Check-ins Here
I like Pomodoro. I go to the one in WeHo and I've been to the one in Burbank too. The waitresses are always attentive and I like their outfits.
They start out by serving a yummy warm bread with a side of green sauce (not pesto, but it takes like vinegar and oil and it's green).
I usually start with the caesar salad which is just the right size. It's a pretty simple salad, romaine lettuce, caesar dressing, shaved pecorino cheese, and garlic croutons.
My favorite dishes are the Gamberi (giant shrimp in a chunky, spicy tomato sauce served with toasted bread) and the Penne Portobello, which is penne pasta, mushrooms, grilled chicken, Italian sausage, in a creamy garlic sauce.
The parking at the West Hollywood Gateway can be pretty congested at times, but you get an hour free and the second hour is $1.50.
Try it out the next time you're in the area, I've never had to wait and the food is solid. -
Review from Michelle P.
Los Angeles, CA
6/16/2011
I just moved to the area and wanted to try a few of the spots in my new hood.
While the waiter was a bit cynical and sarcastic, it didn't phase me because i have worked in the service industry and judging by the lack of costumers I was guessing the tips weren't flowing for him. I can forgive okay service:) But it would have been nice if he understood we were there to have a good time.
My boyfriend and I split each had a cesar salad followed by a couple pasta dishes. I think when it comes to seafood pasta, its better to stick to one flavor. The taste was just okay. Just glad we were able to have unlimited bread to fill our bellies. -
Review from Jewel S.
Huntington Beach, CA
6/30/2011
I love Pomodoro! I had my first Pomodoro experience in San Jose, and I loved it. Luckily there are a few Pomodoro locations in Southern California so I don't have to drive up to the Bay area to get to Pomodoro :)
I went to all of the SoCal Pomodoro locations except Burbank - WeHo, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, and Irvine. And WeHo one is by far the BEST!
For the price you pay, this place offers an excellent food choice! I mean, it is cheaper than Olive Garden and it is MUCH better quality!!
The service here is really good! The waiter I had was very nice and he suggested us to take the chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert, which was excellent!
I love the spaghetti with meatballs and spicy tomato sauce. It is so yummy!
I will definitely go back to this WeHo location! -
Review from Michael R.
San Antonio, TX
9/10/2011
This was a favorite lunchtime spot for my daughter and I when I was off on Fridays and she'd sometimes stay home "sick". We'd go either before or after a run to theTarget or Bevmo in the same center. From the array of pastas, to pizzas and salads and sandwiches there's nothing bad on their menu. Their portion sizes aren't huge but you won't walk away hungry either. They do tend to vary the menu some seasonally which is keeping with their drive towards authenticity, but thereare some dishes that are perrenial.
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Review from Steven P.
7/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
I love Pomodoro. I've been to the one in West Hollywood more than the one in San Francisco and I've always loved their food. Portion sizes seem a little bit more "European" so don't expect large American sized plates like you would at other chains like Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill. The size is just right for me though. Recently I ate here for dinner and they're having a Summer 3 items prix fixe menu. I ordered the beets bruschetta, veal milanese and a dessert (which I'm blanking on at the moment). Everything tasted good. Nothing to complain about. The best part of the meal for me was the veal milanese. Loved the fresh and tangy salad it came with.
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Review from Paolo D.
Los Angeles, CA
7/4/2011
Fun place in a fun area, but is the pasta fun? nope, it's kind of ridiculous. Expensive prices and mediocrity make a very bad combo, and it's unfortunate given the neat locale and the good service. I suppose you can come here for a quick bite or as an alternate to an Olive Garden or if you want to stink your place up with garlic, but definitely don't come here if you're a pasta aficionado.
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Review from Zach B.
Camarillo, CA
11/26/2010
For classic Italian-American, I come to Pomodoros and never cease to be satisfied.
The restaurant is always clean and the service is great.
Their pesto sauce/bread combo is unbelievable and is one of the reasons why I come. Cheesy tortellini is always good as well. It's a good spot for groups or to bring a date and they actually have a legit wine selection. I go to this one or the one off the 405 in the Long Beach area.
Highly recommended. -
Review from Rj G.
Los Angeles, CA
7/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here for a quick lunch and was happy to have their tasty pasta in a rush. Nice, clean interior and fresh tasty pasta combined with fast service make this a place I'll stop into again!
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Review from Kristen F.
10/7/2006
Dear Cute Waiter at Pomodoro,
Thank you for letting me drool over you during lunch. Thanks for getting me those refills. Thanks for packing my leftovers. If you have time you should come over and pack MY leftovers ;)
Sincerely,
Tristen
Back to the review. Go here if you want food coma because after our luncheon here we could barely get out of our seats or walk. Yeah so it's a chain but they have good, cheap pasta dishes!! Did I mention the hot waiter? The garlic bread was oh so amazing! The penne portabello was delicious and my god the panni sandmiches are just drooly-ful good! -
Review from Phoenix A.
Los Angeles, CA
3/18/2009
There are so many pros and cons about this place that make me want to give it 2 stars, but the dog-friendliness does an Emeril and kicks it up a notch.
Basically, I've come to the obvious conclusion that Pomodoro is to Italian food what Chipotle is to Mexican food. But for some reason, I don't remember it tasting this funky the 1st time I had it in San Francisco over 10 years ago.
I had lunch here with a friend who has a toddler and they were as accommodating with the child as they were with the dog...spoken like a true dog lover, eh. They brought out a high chair and a bowl of water for the respective guests.
I ordered the misto salad, the ravioli with ricotta and spinach in the pomodoro sauce, and an iced tea. My friend ordered the chicken caesar salad. While we waited with our drinks, our waiter brought out a plate of focaccia bread and some kind of olive oil with lemon juice and spices, which was the best part of our meal. My friend, the toddler, myself, and Penguin all partook of the tasty focaccia. My friend liked his caesar salad noting that it had the right amount dressing, just enough, not drowning in a saucy mess.
My meal, on the other hand, was not what I expected. The sauce tasted like a salty tomato paste with some basil tossed in and I wished now, in hindsight, that I would have sent it back for the gorgonzola one. But being a non-waster of food, I cleaned off my plate. Thank goddess I ordered the appetizer portion.
Since this was the first visit in a long while, I won't totally discount this place as serving crap. I would come here again simply for the fact that I can have an 'okay' meal and 'okay' service while Penguin hangs out. She kept sticking her snout at the edge of the table, too. That's gotta count for something. If she hadn't been, I would say that Pomodoro has a problem. -
Review from Cat W.
Los Angeles, CA
10/21/2008
Infinitely better than Olive Garden at a similar price point. The tiramisu is creamalicious and I can't get enough of the ravioli de zucca.
If you want the comfort of Italian food and are strapped for cash, come here. The atmosphere is pretty nice, considering. -
Review from Ken H.
1/17/2009
I would give 1 star for this place if the service weren't good.
The Goods: Parking is easy, Price is reasonable, the staffs and servers were very attentive and friendly (and fast).
The Bad: I went there on a Friday night around 8pm. Wow, only 7 tables in the entire restaurant were filled. I went there b/c my friend suggested the foods in the same chain restaurant in SF were GOOD! So with some suspections, I decided to sit down and try.
Wow, this must be one of the worst foods I haven't had in YEARS!
The Breads - warm and comes with the olive oil but it was too hard n dry.
Appetizer - We ordered the shrimp with tomato sauce - man, that was soooo sour!! the sauce was nothing but sour.. Bleh it boosted my stomach acid level up.
Main course - we ordered Penne Portobello - Its certainly dry and lack of taste. But its better of than this Rosemary chicken that we ordered. Its DRY, Hard, lack of taste and I have to say, I have never put so much salt in my dishes. I wish I can came up with a better word for this plate but yea, I guess my broccoli tastes OK. Thats about it.
I think for an Italian restaurant to survive, they must have some sort of special sauce or something to attract its customers .
I have also learned a lesson that if the restaurant is empty or 80%+ empty during peak dinner / lunch time, THINK TWICE BEFORE U GO IN. -
Review from Michelle F.
Los Angeles, CA
3/27/2007
I'm ending my Yelp hibernation to yelp about... a chain pasta place. It's true that from when i was 8 to 14 I demanded my birthday family dinners be held at Olive Garden, so I guess I could say I have a penchant for middle-of-the-road Italian food, but Pomodoro has some delicious and creative dishes I think might surprise the discriminating palettes among us.
One of my favorite dishes here is the ravioli di zucca appetizer that comes in half and full portions (so, I'm not even really sure why it's an appetizer). It's a butternut squash ravioli with sage, brown butter, parmesan, and other sweet deliciousness. Amazing. The tortellini alla panna is a pork/beef/prosciutto deal in a creamy sage sauce... I don't usually like pork, beef, OR prosciutto, but I crave this dish.
I was thinking about taking a star off for being a chain, but that's lame. If a place is good, there should be a lot of them, right? Pomodoro might not be remarkable but it's totally solid. -
Review from Camille K.
Alameda, CA
8/4/2006
A review of the Pomodoro at West Hollywood Gateway:
I love the Mafaldine (pasta with shrimp, asparagus, cream and tomato) at Pomodoro. I would eat this all day or night, if possible. Also of interest are the side salads and the desserts. The [nut free!] chocolate brownies are heaven, as are...Oh dear! I can't recall what it was exactly. Okay, it was chocolate....
Bring at least twenty dollars to enjoy a plate of pasta, a side salad, a non-alcoholic beverage and dessert. I also understand Pomodoro's caters! -
Review from Anna P.
Los Angeles, CA
6/6/2010
I have no clue how I didnt know about this placed before! Its really good. Not just good.. but really good.
One of the best things about the place is the staff. Kind, friendly, and just all around wonderful!
The food was good.. and my boyfriend and I have gone back already about 4 times in the past.. every time.... the food is great.... full of flavor and goodness! :)
I love it! Do yourself a favor... and GO HERE! -
Review from Frangelo A.
West Hollywood, CA
3/21/2007 5 Check-ins Here
This place reminds me of my time in SF spent at Pasta Pomodoro, it's NorCal incarnation. Having dated a supervisor from this pasta joint I got to memorize and taste everything off of the menu...yeah that got kinda old after a while. After a while I started to make my own entrees and specialty dishes, like it was a Starbucks!
But I digress.
This location is perfect because it's close to Target! And if it's that close to Target you know it's gotta be good! Parking is a cinch and it's close to the other corporate branded stores like the aforementioned Starbucks, a Jamba Juice, and a BevMo. Score!
The menu hasn't changed much and the look and feel is still comfy casual without the pretense of it posing as a ultra hip cool place.
Take it for what it is, a laid back attempt at giving you "authentic" Italian flavors. People are friendly and the bread keeps on coming. What more could you ask for? -
Review from M D.
Los Angeles, CA
12/8/2007
It's a great deal and therefore actually a 3.5 or a 3.8. There's better Italian food, but this is a steal as far as bang for your buck. The butternut squash ravioli is the shizz--do it do it do it, and thank me later. They also have a brunch and are almost always empty which is a plus on the weekends cuz I'm SO over lines.
It's no frills, and the ambiance is lacking, but quality food on the cheap. Think olive garden with a real Italian kitchen.
(Oh yeah--Bev Mo is next door!!!) -
Review from Ryan M.
Los Angeles, CA
9/23/2008
Thumbs down.
I vouch that Pomodoro belongs in the West Hollywood Gateway food court. -
Review from Brenda D.
3/3/2010
Very nice place. Totally casual. Good food. Good Service. Inexpensive.
Went here last week for "Go Eat. Go Drink. Go Out. Make a Difference". Pomodoro was one of the restaurants participating and was donating 20% of their sales that day to the cause.
My friends and I had a variety of food and wine and both were very good. The bill was also surprisingly low.
Overall, it does not compare to some of my favorite Italian places. But, for a local inexpensive spot, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will probably go back. Maybe to try one of their happy hours... -
Review from Andrew S.
Los Angeles, CA
5/29/2011
Nice service and great bread. Why did I give it one star?
I gave it one star because food was SO BAD it is astounding. The Caesar salad was dry and tasteless. And the skirt steak? It was an oily, greasy, disgusting piece of meat served with dry bland beans.
OMG are they kidding? I feel ILL now after having eaten this crud. We should have walked out, and had a far better meal across the street at Carls Jr, LOL.
Yuk. Big mistake eating here. If they stay in business for more than a few months, I'll be shocked. -
Review from Charles K.
Los Angeles, CA
10/13/2007
If you like the food here, you've never had real Italian, seriously.
Service is good, so is the decor, location, and salads. That deserves one star, at least.
Everything else, sucks ass. If you want a notch above Chef Boy R Dee, then come here. I'd give Chef Boy R Dee a 2 out of 10. I'd give this place a 4.
I used to eat here in SF, and then I tried this one. BOY have they CHANGED! It's not longer tasty anymore, and they have changed their menu, for a more disgusting one!
I think it's the lack of flavor in the sauce, and perhaps the corporate feel. Not sure, but this place doesn't serve love in the food anymore.Listed in: Places Charles hates
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Review from Steve L.
Los Angeles, CA
12/9/2009
My wife and I have driven by this place so many times... Have always thought we should try it, especially after having had it up in SF, and actually enjoyed it. Since we had to make a stop at Target, we figured we'd give it a shot.
After sitting down, couple of gross things were that both of us had to peel the menus off of the sticky tables. If that weren't enough, my wife actually had to peel the sticky menu apart. Then the 5 minute wait before we were finally even acknowledged. Then a few more minutes before we got our drinks, our bread etc... All I can say was that it looked like there was only 1 waitress working the whole area, along with the help of the hostess. Maybe someone called out sick?
Food wasn't too bad. Small servings, especially for someone who got done running 7 miles a bit earlier. I wasn't looking to stuff myself, but I'm not necessarily on a diet either.
The waitress, while a bit slower to get things for us, was actually very nice, and made sure everything was attended to. Hopefully they have enough staff, and clean off their tables and menus next time. -
Review from Gina G.
Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, CA
Awww Pomodoro. Brings back memories of living in San Francisco. Yeah it's pretty much a chain restaurant marked by stark cleanliness, standard bread and pesto, and always cute and friendly waitstaff.
My friend had the lasagna. It was good but a little greasy. The half order was a perfect size as it filled her up completely. My other friend had the ravioli, the basil was cooked to perfection. And the butternut squash was very delicious. I had the capellini pomodoro. As always the chicken was tender yet juicy a perfect complement to the the tomato sauce. All in all, pomodoro never fails to disappoint. -
Review from Marlin E.
Inglewood, CA
2/27/2010
Pretty good...no really!
While shopping for home electronics, I randomly decided to stop by for a quick bite to eat. I noticed that there is no host/ hostess to seat me. A young waitress was very helpful in directing me to seat myself.
Upon seating myself, they were prompt to clean the table,take my drink order, and get me fresh bread...superstars!
I decided to order the sausage penne pasta, and minestrone soup. Everythig was served promptly. The soup was fresh, light, and satisfying. The Pasta was cooked perfectly al dente', with just enough fresh spinach, sausage, and sauce to make this meal sing to my senses. -
Review from Megan N.
Los Angeles, CA
5/8/2008
I thought this location had a nice ambiance for being a chain restaurant. The service was friendly and fast, and despite what my friend thought, I kinda liked the polenta. (But what do I know, it was the first time I'd had it!)
It was kind of weird though, half way through our meal a mute came in on his powerchair and started rolling around asking for money. They shoo'd him out after a few minutes though.
I think I'd go back -this is the type of place I'd feel comfortable going for a quiet, cheap meal by myself after I'd done some shopping at the nearby stores. -
Review from J B.
Harbor City, CA
4/7/2008
One of the better Italian food chains. The food isn't the best, but it's good.
Noodles are cooked well and the sauces are good. I like the Bolognese, but a few other things i've tried here were good. i'm not a big fan of their soups and sandwiches however...
The bread and pesto sauce they serve is very tasty!
