Sapori Ristorante
13723 Fiji Way
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 (310) 821-1740
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
39 reviews
Neighborhood: Hermosa Beach
"Went there on a Friday night instead of Fleming's and I was sooo glad. It took me three tries to find the place since I was looking on the…" read more »
14 Reviews for Sapori Ristorante
Excellent! The food is always amazing (try the antipasto plate and the Tegamino) , the staff is always excellent and friendly, the ambiance is awesome (where else can you sit outside and NOT have car traffic within earshot?)...this place is the best!!! Parking is easy, rarely any wait for a table. Dining at this restaurant makes you forget you're in LA.
Hidden gem. A little more expensive than C and O's but way better food. The owner is present and really personable. All the food was rustic and excellent.
Cool environment right on the water. It's small and intimate. Should probably make reservations.
I had the pleasure of visiting Sapori for lunch today. I was a little surprised that there were only 2 people dining at 12:30 on a Saturday but decided to try them anyway (before seeing any Yelp reviews).
The service was great, our waiter was attentive. The food was sooooooo yummy! I had the Farfalle alla Carrettiera, $14.50, which was bowtie pasta with a triple cheese roasted garlic cream sauce, chicken, prosciutto, mushrooms and peas (although mine was minus the prosciutto). My boy-toy had the Salmone Pepato, $19.50, which was
grilled fresh Pepper crusted Salmon with a basil lemon sauce served with vegetable skewer and rosemary roasted Potatoes. He really enjoyed his dish also.
What was nice is that with my dish having chicken, they definitely did not skimp out on the meat. Most Italian places I've gone to put way more vegetables than meat but not here. Equal amounts which was nice & made me feel like I got my money's worth. I always feel jipped if I order a pasta with chicken & I only get a couple tiny pieces but get loaded with the veggies. So that was nice surprise.
The view was great too. We had a window seat & it was just perfect out!
While we were hesitant, at first, about dining here due to the lack of customers at the time...as we began to eat, the place got pretty full. Sapori was a great surprise & I will definitely be coming back!!!!
Question for the Yelp Advisory Board: How much should one's rating for a restaurant be influenced by the experiences of your dining companions?
The reason I raise the above question is that my dinner last night at Sapori was a study in contrasts. I found the setting charming, the staff attentive and knowledgeable, and the food very good (though not superb). My dining companions, however, had a very different appraisal. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, although the other positive reviews give me encouragement that my sense has not suddenly abandoned me in some perverse gastronomical atrophy.
If you trust me, you'll have the Sapori salad and crab cakes for starters, followed by Tonnarelli Pescatora, and the warm chocolate molded cake for dessert. If you trust my dining compatriots, you'll steer clear of the salmon, scampi and beef tenderloin (the scampi made my wife quite sick, which is either a very bad sign or one of those "correlation implies causation" errors).
Note: more than half the tables were empty at 7:30pm on a Saturday night, so this might not be the place to go for those looking for a bustling room of energy.
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I grew up in Milan and I have been living in the U.S. for about 10 years. I long for good Italian food and I am always looking for restaurants to add to my list.
Sapori is now solidly on that list. Really friendly service, good food and wine. We are both looking forward to the next time...
Went there for dinner on the recommendation of a friend coz he knew I am fond of good Italian food. We ordered two appetizers - bruschetta and a shrimp baked in Parmesan. The bruschetta was good but I prefer the bread to be toasted a little more. The shrimp was EXCELLENT. Both the quality of the ingradients and preparation. Outside of the shrimp is a little crispy but not burnt. Sits on a bed of argula which I appreciate. The presentation was a cut above your norm too.
I had their special which was stuffed pork tenderloin - very well executed. Pork was juicy, stuffing was flavorful but not over seasoned. The sauce was the best part. I think it has Marsala wine in it. The portions was more than I can finish.
The service was very good too. Others have commented about the view and parking already.
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The food and atmosphere are both really good here. The wine list was fantastic. The staff was friendly and the prices were decent for what you get. I recommend a visit for a special occasion or to treat yourself to a nice dinner, just cause you're you!
The food was good, but the wine was best.
I ordered water ( as in, tap water,) but the waiter brought me sparkling water. This was a problem, because I don't like sparkling water. But I liked THEIR sparkling water. It was really really good, not harsh like pellegrinos or other carbonated water.
I am a regular at this restaurant and so is my father. I absolutely find this place charming. Great view, great service and of course great food. They have a great wine list. I discovered my first favorite wine here, Vina Robles, Syrah.... Delicious! I will just keep it short and simple.....Fabulous Place!
Here was my initial perception of the Marina:
* Middle aged boat people who have seen too much sun
* Men sporting topsiders and really bad Hawaiian print shirts (beer gut was sometimes apparent)
* Serious cougars sporting short white shorts with overly botoxed lips and orange fake & bake
* Shanghai Reds, evil
* Warehouse Restaurant, evil
(And I feel extremely bad saying all this... remember, it was a mere initial perception, cuz once I got to know the locals, I found the people in the Marina to be extremely warm, relaxed and friendly)
I still ran for the hills. In fact, I pretty much catapulted myself on to an airplane and relocated when I had the opportunity to the antithesis of this place. Bohemian San Francisco. (And my style isn't exactly boho chic)
But, I returned back into the Marina at the beginning of 2007 and along with the rest of LA, it braced a mini face lift. Chic high rises, new restaurants, renovated apartment complexes... almost had a different air about this place. However, I am still waiting for what they do to the still tired, tourist trap of Fisherman's Village. (Makes me sad cuz it has so much potential) We visited Sapori the other night, a gem in the Fisherman's Village. Loved the casual ambiance and waterfront view.
The service was excellent. They gave us a comp plate of this delicious crostini made with delicious roasted red pepper tomato paste and tapenade. Since we were a group of 8, I had the opportunity to sample many items. I would highly recommend the bruschetta... excellent. Not only did it come with the traditional tomato, garlic and basil, but also came topped with fresh chopped asparagus, zucchini and artichoke. To die for. Also personally recommend the crabcake risotto and fettuccine with asparagus, pancetta and tomato, tossed in a light garlic & olive oil sauce. So aromatic and completely carbalicious.
We had a table inside, but I couldn't take my eyes off the quaint waterfront patio. When I come back, I will for sure get a table outside, which will be perfect for a mid-summer evening.
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I found this restaurant through Yelp and saw the good reviews so decided to check it out. We had a window table and so had a great view of the boats and the marina. The owner was definitely there and actively involved with all his guests- I even saw him sharing in a wine tasting with one table. I was a first timer so I didn't expect such congeniality, but he was very friendly and attentive nonetheless. The rest of the wait staff was friendly and efficient as well. As far as decor and overall ambiance goes there isn't much more to the place than the view and outside dining patio. While I didn't sit outside because of the temperature, the heat lamps were on and some people seemed quite content under the starts.
The food here was solid. I had a Caesar salad for appetizer and fillet for my main course. Both courses were tasty, well presented and appropriately portioned, but they didn't have that little extra creativity or "wow" factor that would make me reach for four or five stars.
Overall though it was a very pleasant experience with good food, and I would recommend this place to others looking to try something new in the Marina Del Rey area.
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It's always nice being hugged by a handsome Italian man.. :) That's what happens when you walk into Sapori. Stefano, the owner, is usually in the front to hug, greet and seat you. Of course, he may not hug you the first time you come in, but ... just wait!
I've enjoyed this intimate Italian restaurant, tucked into Fisherman's Village on Fiji Way in Marina del Rey, since it first opened. Besides looking out over the channel, the food is always yummsters and the ambience is very nice. During the daytime and evenings, the tables are always covered with tablecloths and there are always fresh flowers on each table.
I like to start with the Sapori salad, at a reasonable $5.50. It's a baby mixed salad with roasted red beets, goat cheese and seasoned toasted walnuts. I, personally, love healthy beets in a salad and these are not from a can. For my entree, I usually order Farfalle alla Carrettiera, which is bowtie pasta with a triple cheese roasted garlic cream sauce, chicken, prosciutto, mushrooms and peas, priced at $14.50. Very rich and always cooked al dente! Another delicious entree is the Rollatino di Pollo, at $15.50. Sauted chicken breast stuffed with roasted artichokes, spinach and mozzarella, wrapped with Prosciutto served with mashed potatoes stuffed in a red bell pepper. This is probably the prettiest dinner I've ever ordered! Lots of color.
If you live near the Marina and read the "Argonaut", which is our local rag, Sapori usually has a "toofer one" special during the week on their pasta dishes. Great deal! Another thing, don't forget to order their Tiramisu if you have a hankering for something sweet. You won't be disappointed.
They also have a patio and it's fun to sit outside and have a glass of wine and lunch during the weekends when Fisherman's Village offers free live music in the afternoons. Now, that's another review just waiting to be written.
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Right on the marina, this restaurant was a great find!
Pretty simple: great food, great service, great view, great prices... it was just great!
A few minutes after being seated, the waiter brought out a basket of bread followed with a plate of bread w/ olive and tomato spreads - on the house! Lemme tell you what we ordered: the waiter recommended the Barbetta wine which we both ordered - I had to send mine back cuz I didn't like the taste but the waiter replaced it with a pinot and that was better. I had the Napoleon Caprese as my starter (which was so pretty - it was a 3-tier piece of art that had paper bread on the bottom, a beefsteak tomato slice, topped with fresh mozzarella, repeated 3x, with a sweet glaze and pesto) and the Filetto al Portobello as my main dish (buttery mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus and the tenderloin was tasty topped with gorgonzola and chianti sauce. YUM! It would have been a perfect portion if I hadn't had any of their yummy bread to start with, so I ended up taking half of my meal home. K ordered the Carpaccio Scottato di Bue (Beef carpaccio) to start and the Vitella alla Principessa (Veal Scalopine) as her main dish... the latter was super yummy with cream sauce and mushrooms!
We were too stuffed to have dessert, but I'd definitely come back.
Parking is validated for 2 hours.
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Authentic Italian food, cute Italian waiters, nice view of the harbor. Can sit outside. Just get there early on a Saturday because the loud music starts at about 1pm.
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