Italian vacations are pricey, but for only slightly less money, you can have dinner at Stella. We’re joking (kind of), but you’ll easily drop several hundred dollars on dinner at this West Hollywood spot. At least the reward will be tremendous, regionally-specific Italian dishes you don’t often see on LA menus: octopus-stuffed tortellini en brodo, crab-topped cresc’tajat, pork neck seasoned with porchetta spices, and cassata siciliana, a Sicilian ricotta cake with chocolate and pistachio.

Oste in Beverly Grove is a great neighborhood spot for all kinds of occasions—a date, a double date, a post-gym carbapalooza (you get the point). But most of all, it’s an excellent Italian restaurant with a Roman-leaning menu that’ll impress anyone who appreciates some nice antipasto. A casual weeknight dinner should include their herb-loaded lamb chops, perfectly executed mushroom risotto with bone marrow, and beautiful, focaccia-like pinsas (Roman-style pizza).

Unlike many Old Hollywood restaurants in LA, a great meal at La Dolce Vita—which originally opened in 1966 with Frank Sinatra as an investor—doesn’t hinge on cutesy nostalgia. Instead, this revitalized Beverly Hills landmark offers excellent Italian American classics, elite service, and legit Hollywood history, all in a moody dining room that feels completely of the moment. We particularly love the juicy bone-in veal parm and spicy shrimp diavola appetizer.

Antico Nuovo is, in the most literal sense, new Antico—a refined version of the rustic Italian spot that opened between Larchmont and Koreatown in 2019. Sit at the bar and you’ll enjoy first-row seats to pasta twirling, scorching hot pizzas pulled out of the oven, and the chef carefully inspecting every plate with the concentration of a jewel appraiser. There’s not a bad dish here. If you don’t order ice cream at the end, return ASAP.

Cento's indoor/outdoor space in West Adams is the picture-perfect definition of a neighborhood wine and pasta bar. There’s a cozy front patio filled with string-lit trees and a bright interior with a communal table perfect for groups intent on drinking a lot of natural wine. Cento’s menu is well-stocked with excellent dishes like a savory chicken liver crostini and a banana pudding tiramisu, but at the end of the day, you’re here to eat some of the city's best (and most interesting) pasta.

They take pasta seriously at Felix. As in, they-built-a-climate-controlled-pasta-room-in-the-middle-of-the-restaurant serious. Yes, it’s over the top, but this Abbot Kinney spot has become a Very Important Pasta Place over the years, so it’s paid off. That rigatoni you watched being made arrives as a very good amatriciana, and the cacio e pepe is a Westside legend. And while the pasta is the main event here, you definitely need to get involved with the starters.

This neighborhood red sauce joint in Echo Park is working hard to channel retro glamour without necessarily being a special occasion destination. You'll see gold curtains in the entryway, gaudy wallpaper dotted with fruit trees, and pinwheel-shaped lasagna on practically every table. If those details sound a touch over the top for a Thursday night, that's kind of the point. But nothing about Donna's feels cheesy in practice.

Bestia almost single-handedly turned the Arts District into a dining destination, and after a decade of business, it's not slowing down anytime soon. The industrial dining room is buzzy and fun, the cocktails and wine list are stellar, and the food is gleefully rich, whether you go for the mussels with spicy 'nduja, roasted lamb neck and anchovies, or a simple plate of pasta or pizza.

When you think of the places in LA that have survived the test of time and more or less become integrated into the fabric of our city, Dan Tana’s is high on the list. You come here to eat classic, no-frills Italian dishes (like their glorious chicken parmesan), drink perfectly-made martinis that arrive in the blink of an eye and experience what’s probably the most authentic old-school Hollywood vibe in the city.

Chi Spacca is one of three restaurants anchoring Nancy Silverton’s Mozza empire at Melrose and Highland. While the Pizzeria and Osteria are more popular, Chi Spacca is the best of the bunch. Located in a small red dining room, feasting at this Italian steakhouse is like attending a dinner party inside a famous novelist’s wine cellar. It’s an upscale experience where one bottle of wine leads to three, and suddenly you’re staring at salumi platters, bone marrow pie, and a steak.