Spumoni Italian
713 Montana Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90403 (310) 393-2944
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
27 reviews
Neighborhood: Encino
"Most accurate word to describe this place: Amazing! I'm very impressed. My boyfriend and I went here after reading all the Yelp…" read more »
28 Reviews for Spumoni Italian
This is a great staple in the area. I don't recommend coming from across town to go here. If you happen to live or be in the area, drop by. The dining is crowded without being too crowded. The portions are big and the service is always solid.
They have great lunch specials. The pizza is also delicious. They also have a decent wine list for a strip mall place.
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Let me say up front, this place is not particularly special, but I'm a fan of neighborhood joints and this place fits the bill. I went without reservations on a Sunday evening at prime dinner time but had no problem getting a seat for two. We had the spumoni appetizer platter -- decent, not great but at least they don't skimp on the prosciutto -- then had the linguine pescatore while my dining mate had the pesto gnocci. My dish was far better; in fact, I would not recommend the gnocci at all, at least not with the pesto sauce. Though as an FYI I'm a huge lover of garlic and my feeling is, if you're going to eat garlic, particularly in a pesto, I should have garlic oozing out of my pores. Nasty, but food is supposed to have flavor, no?
If it weren't in my general 'hood, I'd probably give it 3 stars but again, I'm a fan of good neighborhood finds so 4 stars it is.
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i am a fan! have always seen this place and wanted to try. finally went last night (on a sunday night) and per usual, it was super crowded. always a good sign. even though it was crowded, we got seated within 10 minutes, which was great.
we decided to share a pizza - the goat cheese/mushroom/sun-dried tomato one...but after eating about half of it we realized that there wasn't anything but cheese on it...they had misunderstood us and gave us the 4-cheese pizza...granted it definitely had that "gourmet" pizza taste, it was rather salty and...NOT what we ordered.
you are probably asking yourself, why the 4 stars then? well, the pizza was good. and if you were looking for the 4-cheese pizza, i think you would have been satisfied.
oh and the arnold palmer was tasty. that's always a plus (fresh, non-flavored iced tea!)
but i am a big believer, everyone's food looked so good and i cant WAIT until i get to go back and try their pastas, etc.! will update the review after my next trip. :)
Two girlfriends and I just stopped by here for dinner last night at a recommendation from a co-worker of ours and it was a great last minute pick!
I had tried to call in earlier for a reservation but they didn't take any. Fortunately, we didn't have any problems getting a table indoors (or outdoors if we wanted) at that time. The two of us who were into antipasti started with a plate of Spumoni appetizer which included salami, prosciutto, ham, 2-3 different kind of cheeses, roasted red peppers and olives. That in combination with the delicious bread (two different types and both yummy!) and the olive tapenade, it was a great start. The house red wines were also pretty good, we each separately had a chardonnay, pinot noir and chianti for $6-8 a glass.
Two of us ordered from the full page of gnocchi bar selection. All the dishes were named after great actors/entertainers which was fun. We both thought the gnocchi could have been a little 'softer'. We both preferred it to melt in our mouths and these didn't. The sauce was good and the gnocchi was still tasty but it had more of a physical presence than we both preferred. The one that says spicy sauce is definitely VERY spicy so watch out :-) So for the gnocchi, i'm knocking off 1/2 star... My other friend ordered the matteo salad and enjoyed it very much.
The other 1/2 star would come from the fact that they just hurriedly brought us the check and didn't even ask if we wanted dessert. For a place called 'Spumoni', I was actually looking forward to having some spumoni ice cream at the end but no luck. They must have been in a hurry to get us out of there cause there certainly was a line out the door by the time we left and we had spent some time chatting and enjoying each other's company.
I would definitely come back and try other things next time.
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Spumoni is a nice neighborhood restaurant, the food is solid although most dishes are forgettable. The pizza is the exception, good 'za. Reasonably priced, can be a little crazy if you go during busy times. All in all, not a bad little restaurant.
I just LOVE this place. It is my go-to restaurant when I want a good meal with friendly service. I pretty much go about 3 times a month for dinner with girlfriends since it is reasonable and delicious. Most of the staff have been there for a while, so they recognize me as a regular which is fun and rare in LA.
I think Spumoni pizza is the best ever...their sauce has the perfect amount of garlic!
Once they seat you for dinner, you also get yummy bread and olive tapenade, which I have to be careful not to eat too much of in case it spoils my dinner.
I recommend:
- Italian Salad (I order this every time)
- eggplant parm
- any pizza
- the pasta with seafood sauce (don't remember the name)
- meatballs
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Second Review:
Initially I reviewed this place on Monday 4/28/08 and wasn't that excited about this place but we tried it again yesterday and bravely brought friends to join and boy were we pleased.
Everything was amazing!
First Review:
With no reservation, my husband and I arrived a little after 5pm. We took our time, sat outside and watched all the nice cars drive by.
I gave this place 3 stars for the sheer fact that I don't like small eateries with vast menus. Granted pastas aren't difficult to make, but having to choose is oh so hard. So I went with the special, usually can't go wrong.
The olive tapanade and bread were only the beginning of our a fabulous meal. We each had the house vino (red and white) then we ordered the eggplant goat cheese salad, so yum. As for our main course, which they messed up, I had the grilled salmon and he the bow tie pasta with salmon.
Everything turned out to be so savory and filling. We didn't save room for dessert, but with all the kids walking by with their tcby yogurt, we made a pit stop next door.
This place gets packed even on Mondays. We walked by later in the evening and there was a line of people waiting for a table. I love being on vacation!
I've been here on two occasions and have had the linguine pescatore and the capellini alla checca. The linguine was ok, nothing special, but the capellini was absolutely inedible. I think Olive Garden could do a better capellini, which is a terrible thing to say, but sadly its true.
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First of all, I will start off by saying that this place is definitely not as classy as they'd like to be. Why? They have paper napkins, first of all, and second of all, you can barely even hear yourself think because the waiters and the cooks are talking and laughing so loudly. It's also kind of a lame that there seems to be no one there that is actually Italian...
HOWEVER, the food is marvelous! They have great salads, pizza and pasta. I ordered the chicken limone which was PERFECT. In fact, I am craving it right now. The service was attentive and the prices were reasonable. I will probably be back next time I am in the area. Hopefully, it's a little more quiet next time.
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TASTY, TASTY!!!
My second favorite Italian place, Alejos would be the first!
I love there lasangua, yummy!
Delicious is all I can say, I'm so ordering it in a hour!
Ok so it is small but they deliver!
$10 Corkage fee, but their bottles are relatively cheap!
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Small tables densely packed, busy and loud on a Sunday night. I guess the lively bustle gives the place a type of atmosphere.
I liked the bread, and the olive oil and vinegar at the tables. The service was very good, attentive and responsive. Due to the waiter's accent I could hardly understand him. I guess that too lends a type of atmosphere.
The lasagna was fine without being earthshaking.
I work across the street so I only know of service during lunch. My coworker friends and I recently went and I must say, my meal was just sooo yumm! Tasty meat lasagna with some bomb marinara sauce! Ceasar salad on the side, fresh and well prepared.
The waiters are always pleasant with good service. We walked back to work, tummies feeling satisfied!...
We'll see ya next week! ;-)
After 10 minutes of frantically looking for the menu (I knew it's in the kitchen somewhere), I dialed the number:
Me: Hello, Spumoni?
Woman: Can you please hold?
Woman: Hello?
Me: Yes, is this Spumoni?
Woman: Please hold.
Me: Do you even speak English?
Then the line went dead. WTF?! Irritated, I dialed the number again. Busy. Damn it. Dialed it again.
Man: Spumoni, can you hold?
Me: Man, I've been put on hold, twice!
Man: Sorry, we're really busy. Please hold.
Me: Do I have a choice?!
Man: Sorry, how can I help you?
Me: We want a large pizza, with eggplant, pepperoni and Italian sausage (yeah, we had a theme going there). Plus an order of your chopped salad. And we'll pick it up.
Friend and I drove to the place only to find out that they made a small pizza instead of the large one we ordered. Great.
But the guy behind the register said that he'll give us a discount and that the large pizza will be ready in a couple of minutes. My friend said that it's okay and later told me that that will give him more time to check him out since my friend thinks that the guy is as fresh as the pepperoni. In fairness, the guy was indeed fresh.
Anyhoo, after spending three weeks in Asia, any meal that didn't include rice, vermicelli, egg noodles, coconut milk, curry, lemongrass, chilies, fish sauce, fermented shrimp, cilantro, monosodium glutamate, fish heads, bull testicles, crickets and the occasional scorpion, is satistying.
And pizza was that meal. What? Me order from Pizza Hut or Domino's? Boys there don't deliver! (and you damn well know what I mean)
3.75 stars. Well, they did put me on hold 4 times, you know.
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Ive lived in this town my entire life, i have given this place more than one chance, especially after it seemed to have an even larger crowd than usual last couple of years, but its just bad. true i dont think ive had pizza here, but the last visit we were four people and no one liked their food, i had a ravioli, (i rate italian restaurants by them, and this place is second to last) my sister had a pasta dish hated, someone else had soup, couldnt get here to take more than a few spoonfuls and the last person had a salad. the service was good, which is the only reason its two stars and not one, but we walked out the door and have yet to return.
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Closest thing to a NY pizza is the pizza from Spumoni. (I've given it the 4 stars for that fact alone.)
Otherwise, food is consistantly good. Basic pasta and Italian dishes. But, go for the pizza if you are seeking a little piece of the east cost in Santa Monica.
I know this is going to sound stupid but be sure to order "cheese pizza" because I dont think that its on the menu.
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After the Bruins blew it in the Pac-10 tournament, I was in need of some serious comfort food. My bf lives in walking distance to this place, and we'd been meaning to check it out. The other reviewers are right, this place is teeny, but it's also very cozy. There's local artwork on the wall, and if you score a table by the window you can do some people-watching. We didn't have a reservation and we didn't have to wait at all (not bad for a small place on a Thursday night).
Their breadsticks and olive spread were delicious. I got the farfalle with vodka sauce, and my pasta was cooked perfectly. My man got the gnocchi with four-cheese sauce, and it was sooooo rich and delicious. (If you're a gnocchi fan, they have a whole selection of different types). We both had tons left over, and it was just as tasty the next day. Service was good, and I can't wait to come back and sit outside in the warm weather.
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Sometimes the service is spotty but I really miss this place. I used to live on 7th and would walk here for dinner often. The pasta, the meatballs, antipasto salad... all good!
I've only had the pizza here, but it was very good. The service was also top notch and the tables outside have a great vibe right on the Montana sidewalk.
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I haven't been back to Spumoni in a while, but I remember I enjoyd having their Spaghetti Scampi (something like that...) I like their pink sauce and the fact that they're very generous about their portion. I love shrimp, so I was so happy to see lots of shrimps on my plate =) ... unlike some places where they give you 3 or 4 pieces of shrimp.
I like their desserts too. =) fast-seating, casual, oh... I love their olive paste!
go go go!!
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This place is smaller than Mariah Carey's closet, but the food is great and it has a great atmosphere. Plus, after dinner you can go next door and get some fro yo at Golden Spoon. Just remember you'll be tempted to listen to other people's conversations since you're at elbows.
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CARB HEAVEN!! ally k. suggested this place for lunch one day cause she was jonsing for their caprese salad. i cant say i was super-excited when i saw her meal come out. but i went with the lunch deal : a mini spinach pizza and minestone soup. the spinach was fresh and the pizza was pretty good. But the bread and olive tapanade they bring out before your meal is YUM. Ally K. was watching her carb intake at the time so i pretty much had free range over the bread basket. im a cold, cold lady snarfing delicious bread in front of my friend.
service was pretty good. they pack the tables in here so when its busy be prepared to get cozy with ur neighbors.
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Despite the very cheesy exterior look in the gastronomically rich Montana Ave area, this place is a surprise winner. Good food. Very reasonable prices. Nice service. Walking distance to the ocean and promenade for one of my patented post-dinner strolls. Thumbs up.
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I've been eating at this joint for years off and on - both delivery and dine-in - and I have never been disappointed. Not fancy, not a place to impress a gold-digger date; but if you and your friends like good Italian food served in generous portions at reasonable prices, this is your place. The pastas, pizza, appetizers... it's all good. The dining room is tiny, and they set up table outside also.
Worth it if you can get a seat outside for dinner or go for the lunch menu. They did breakfasts for a bit, but I guess they weren't getting the business so they stopped. Service is usually good and the amount of food you get for the price is nice. Usually ends up being two meals for me. The food is nothing amazing, but consistently good. Nice to be able to walk off your meal afterwards, not to mention the frozen yogurt place next door for dessert!
Maybe among the best pizza in the neighborhood but i could live without the drama, 2 hours for delivery and if you pick up-- expect drama. The wait staff is very nice but the take out is a nightmare every time.
My dad and brother love this place, and there is often a wait, but I find the food disappointing every time. My husband said his puttanesca was the worst meal he'd ever had in his life, so now we stay away.
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this is the worst place to impress someone on a first date. maybe it's because i'm biased against chain restaurants (there is a location in stevenson ranch of all places!) maybe it's because the establishment is smaller than my bedroom. or maybe it's because i was more intrigued by the couples' conversations on either side of me than i was with my date. (both couples being two inches away from my elbow.)
we ordered the caprese and it was normal. (i mean, how hard is it to put tomatoes on mozzarella and pour balsamic vinegar on top?) then we shared the salmon pizza and it was both extremely cheesy and salty. i guess that's good if you like cheese. and salt.
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I preface this with the following qualifying information: I grew up in Howard Beach, NY a block away from Mafia headquarters; I have so many dietary restrictions that there are "Wanted" posters of me in 4 states for driving servers absolutely nuts; and my parents are the real life, walking-talking "Costanzas" from "Seinfeld." Now that you are familiar with my pedigree, I am comfortable saying that when I first moved to LA in September, 2005 I was content to rely upon "Spumonis" as my go-to local delivery place. After all, it is reasonably priced and the pita garlic bread is so good it would lure Vinny "The Chin" out of the witness protection program. But I started looking at the small, almost romantic outside seating and I thought, "Wow, I should take my parents here when they come to visit." Of course, taking my parents to any restaurant is like taking Mrs. Zaget to a "White Castle" burger joint --- it is the death knell. However, the Costanzas were so turned off by "The Ivy" and other LA tourist spots that I figured maybe some local flavor would make them feel at home. They were a little flustered by the unorganized wait but once we sat down they were intoxicated by this quaint but busy "joint" and the Manager sensed trouble the second my mother sneered at him (evidently she has her own Bounty Hunters to contend with) but the food was reliable and hot and the service was friendly. My Dad has eaten the same Italian meal for about 60 years so when they brought him his Veal Milanease with Marinara on the side --- just the way he ordered it --- he was actually quiet the entire meal. Seriously, I have found good and reliable Italian hard to find in LA but this joint delivers --- and they "get" that dining is an experience which in and of itself can make the food taste all that much better. Casual or Date place but try to sit outside.
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