My friend and I had a lovely Italian dining experience here. We noticed during our meal that quite a few diners appeared to be regulars, which is always a good sign. The restaurant is on the more upscale/old school side with white tablecloths and professional, attentive waiters. They also have an open kitchen where you can see the chefs hard at work. We split a pizza and a pasta and when paired with their wonderful complimentary bread to start, we ended up with a bit of leftovers. For the pizza, we ordered the Stracciatella Pizza off of their specials menu and it was so good. The bottom was nice and crispy and there was the perfect ratio of toppings to crust to sauce. Our other dish was the Penne Al Salmone, penne pasta tossed with diced ora king salmon, scallions, green beans, radicchio and diced tomatoes in a cream sauce. Again, each element of the dish perfectly complimented the other and we really enjoyed all of the flavors. read more

We chose La Vecchia Cucina for an early Saturday dinner based on recommendations. I found a parking space easily in the Santa Monica car park behind the restaurant. With a reservation, our table for four was ready when we arrived. The food was very good, as was the service. This is a classic bar restaurant layout with the bar extending about two-thirds of the side wall. The kitchen is open to the dining room. read more

What a nice place. Easy walk from Santa Monica hotel. Three people and theee great meals... 1 scampi shrimp 2 bolognese 3. Branzino Great server and awesome environment... read more

The food was delicious! I got the braised lamb pasta, and it was so yummy! The service was great and it is a cute place to have dinner. It is a little on the pricer side, but I think it is worth it for the portion size. read more

This is a great spot! We sat outside w a large group which was nice but I feel like sitting inside may be better bc of the area.. food was delish tho! Great Italian food read more

La Vecchia Cucina - Funghi e Prosciutto - Italian Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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A True Italian Gem on Main Street! I've driven past La Vecchia Cucina countless times, and on a special Saturday night, we finally made our way in for dinner--and wow, what a gem! This Santa Monica staple truly delivered a standout Italian dining experience. We had a reservation but noticed they were graciously accommodating walk-ins as well. The vibe? That perfect balance--romantic yet casual, dressy yet family-friendly, high-end yet completely unpretentious. My favorite kind of restaurant! From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed, seated right on time, and greeted immediately by our wonderful server. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the menu and expertly paired a red wine with my pasta that I still can't stop thinking about. A new favorite for sure! Let's talk bread--THE BREAD! Served warm with a heavenly house-made mix of olive oil, basil, and chopped garlic. That kind of thoughtful touch always wins me over. Our starter, the Fiore di Zucca Fritto, was light, crispy, and flavorful--such a delicious beginning. For entrées, I had the rigatoni bolognese, and my fiancé went with his Italian go-to, the Spaghetti Vecchio Mondo (which just so happens to echo his family surname--love that!). Both were absolutely divine--we shared bites, of course, and both plates were perfection. And just when we thought the night couldn't get any better--the desserts arrived. We shared two, and both were absolute standouts. The Molten Chocolate Cake à la Mode was warm, rich, and gooey in all the right ways, topped with a scoop of incredible vanilla bean gelato and finished with a drizzle of chocolate and caramel sauce. That gelato? Truly something special--creamy, flavorful, and unlike any we've had before. The Classic Tiramisu was just as divine, with espresso-soaked ladyfingers and that perfectly whipped mascarpone--light, balanced, and not overly sweet. Both desserts were beautifully plated, and I'll be honest--I usually pride myself on portion control, but we couldn't stop eating. Completely worth it! The ambiance is exactly what I love in an LA restaurant: upscale interiors with a laid-back, welcoming energy. Whether you're dressed to the nines or keeping it casual, you'll feel right at home here. But the real standout? The staff. Yes, the food, wine, and interiors were all top-notch--but the hospitality truly made our night. Our server was so warm and genuine, still chatting with us even as we wrapped up the check. That kind of care is rare and made the evening feel extra special. Thank you, La Vecchia Cucina! We'll absolutely be back--again and again. read more

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deluxe pizza + Linguine Pescatore Try it if you like seafood pasta. There is a parking lot near the restaurant. read more

Solid old world Italian neighborhood restaurant. Was in town on business found this spot on Yelp and went to check it out. Best seat in the house is the bar. The bartenders take care of their customers and make a great martini plus really help you understand the Italian wine choices. This place deserves 4 stars if all I experienced was the bar. The spaghetti and meatballs were solid (I added the burrata cheese from my starter and let it melt into the pasta and it took it to another level). The loss of a star was the burrata and tomato starter, I get small restaurants need to pre assemble dishes so when this plate came out it was straight from the fridge and too cold to actually enjoy. Slight miss-step but will NOT prevent me from returning on my next business trip. Like I said this place is ripe for 4 stars. Until next visit cheers read more

La Vecchia Cucina - Spaghetti Vecchio Mondo - Italian Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Absolutely delicious penne vodka with salmon! Their margherita pizza and calamari are spectacular as well! Amazing service and vibes! Way way better than fritto misto IMO read more

La Vecchia has been a reliable Italian restaurant on Main Street for decades. The bolognese is excellent, and so is the arrabiata and their pizzas. The bread is essentially pizza bread and always wonderful. For the first time, I tried the amatriciana, and was disappointed. It was more like a pomodoro into which some overcooked guanciale was tossed briefly. This may not be how they make it, but that's how it tasted. Amatriciana usually tastes a bit smoky because the guanciale has bathed in it long enough to infuse the tomato sauce with some of its flavor. Service was excellent as usual, and while it's lively, it's not too noisy to hear your table conversation. read more

Made reservations at 7:30pm last night. I arrived at 7:01 or so and was immediately seated and served. Service was great, food was delicious! I always order a Penne Arrabiata anywhere I go to Italian restaurants, but for some reason I decided to to give the Pasta Carbonara a try, and my goodness, it was so delicious. I did not regret ordering it! Place was a little overcrowded but that is a good sign, it means the food is great and so is the service. 10/10 read more

La Vecchia Cucina - Spaghetti Carbonara Wine - Italian Near Me - Santa Monica, California

We were grateful the host seated us after a tiring day of touring. We found the cozy restaurant on Yelp as we were returning to our hotel, and are glad we did. Wish we had this place at home. Laura was a friendly and attentive server. The chopped salad was good, not as great as others. The pastas were steaming hot. My son enjoyed his large portion of rigatoni bolognese, and my partner's linguine zingara was crafted well in a garlicky oil sauce. I liked the decadent eggplant rollatini with goat cheese in marinara sauce. Wish we could be pampered like this at home. Thanks! read more

La Vecchia Cucina - Rigatoni Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Fresh ingredients, lots of menu options, and good service, but it's definitely not the best Italian spot in LA. My favorite menu item was the branzino- just wish it were served with roasted potatoes instead of mashed potatoes. The vodka pasta and primavera pizza were also good. Salads were just fine, and were very simplistic in nature. Good spot to visit if you're in the area, and with a medium sized group. read more

We had such a great dinner at La Vecchia. The space feels warm and inviting, and the staff made us feel right at home without being overbearing. We started with the zucchini flower cheese appetizer, which was light, crispy, and perfectly stuffed--definitely one of the highlights. The calamari was fresh and tender, with just the right amount of crunch and flavor. For pasta, we tried the vodka penne and the linguine alla zingara. The vodka sauce was creamy and flavorful without feeling too heavy, and the pasta was cooked just right. The linguine was full of bold flavors that paired perfectly with our glasses of wine. Every dish tasted fresh and well thought out, and you could tell there's a lot of care in both the cooking and the presentation. The food even came out hot--a pleasant surprise since I'm so used to pasta dishes arriving just warm after sitting under a warmer. We left full, happy, and already planning our next visit. read more

La Vecchia Cucina - Italian Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Love this place! Can't believe I've never been here before until some friends from the East Coast suggested we meet here for dinner. The service is spot on... a little slow...but the food is fantastic and they are very accommodating. The best seafood pasta I've ever had. I switched it up a bit and asked them to make it with white wine sauce instead of their tomato and that perfected the dish for me! Will be back for sure! read more

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Elegant atmosphere yet relaxed and pleasant. Nice menu variety and attentive service. all the food was good, nothing overly memorable but consistent, nicely plated, appealing and appetizing. portions are definitely satisfying, prices are on median to higher side. Overall had a lovely time. metered parking all around. read more

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Excellent Italian restaurant in the Ocean Park section of Santa Monica. Came here with 2 other people and we started off with the great bread with olive oil and garlic chives--extremely tasty. Followed that up with a Caesar Salad that we all shared, also very good. We all stuck with pasta and went our own separate ways; I decided upon the Bucatini Amatriciana which was a very healthy serving and delicious. No room for dessert but I would come back here in a heartbeat. Indoor, outdoor and bar seating available. read more

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The food,service and ambiance make this one of the best Italian restaurants on the Westside. Chef/owner Mark Molina,his brother and the staff present Italian dishes that compare to some of the best restaurants in New York. read more

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Had a great time at a family party last night! Great atmosphere, great food, and some of the best wait staff I've ever had at a restaurant. Jason was an amazing waiter and catered with the staff in the most excellent way! Will def be looking forward to going back. Thanks for the great night! read more

The short of it: Excellent food meets fantastic service in an elegant setting that has a "no pretense" upscale neighborhood vibe. Worth the trip. The long of it: Wow. If you know my other reviews you know that ambiance/atmosphere is important to me. and food being equal I'd much rather be at a neighborhood place than a stuffy restaurant where everyone's goal is to make sure everyone else knows how important they are. La Vecchia looks like a a stuffy place, but is surprisingly comfortable -- like a really nice pair of shoes that are unexpectedly like walking on air. I judge finer restaurants by two criteria: the food and how much it feels like an upscale neighborhood place you'd find on the Upper East or Westside of Manhattan. La Vecchia checks both boxes. To start, Scott, the manager/maître d' greets people on the street or at the door. Many of the people he knows by name, the others he greets as if he knows their name. Either way, you feel at home. Sitting at my table I could have been in the 70s on Columbus or Third. Perfect for a first date, an anniversary, a birthday, or just a dinner for no reason, this is a casual place that can definitely dress up nicely. The bar is friendly and lively in a relaxed way, and is populated with both regulars and new comers. Each feels at home. Service is Goldilocks spot on: attentive, available, and not obtrusive. Ok, food: Pizza dough bread. I mean great pizza dough bread. (If you know what I mean, you know what I mean.) The house Pinot Noir is exemplary for the varietal. The special stuffed zucchini blossoms, sublime. The Casareccia All'Agnello and the Bucatini Al'Amatriciana are must haves on the menu (if you eat meat. If you don't eat meat don't fret -- the menu is full if vegetarian items for every palate). And, yes, they have vegan and gluten free choices. Tiramisu for dessert -- the marsala (or rum, but I think marsala) takes it's place on the stage as a background player -- which is to say it's well balanced. The accompanying whipped cream was too sweet and is merely a distraction. When the bill came I felt it was worth every penny. Not cheap, but definitely fairly priced. My only complaint, and don't judge me, the portions were too large and European instead of American portions would have served well. The pastas are so robust that they would have been better at 2/3 or 1/2 the size, if only to have room for another dish to try... or maybe that's just their way to get you to come back? I guess that's why I come back. read more

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This is our favorite place for happy hour. A line starts forming at about 4:45 PM. They let you in at 5 PM and you have to find a seat at the bar. Good Wine is $8, well cocktails are $10. I had spaghetti marinara with chicken for $12. (And I took some home.) My friends had the calamari fritti, with a slightly spicy marinara sauce, and a full pizza, and the rigatoni Bolognese. We are regulars here. read more

Went there on New Year's Eve so understandable that service was a little slower. The food was good but not memorable. We ordered from the special menu oysters, chicken dish and the Cavatelli. Unfortunately there was a piece of plastic in one of the dishes that we ordered. We did bring it to the waiter's attention and they did take it off the bill which we definitely appreciated. The restaurant was nicely decorated for the new year which was very festive. read more

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I went to La Vecchia Cucina in Santa Monica with some of my oldest friends from elementary school. The wine and food flowed with the stories of our mutual past, present, and always future. We started with an excellent Chianti. I ordered the shrimp la Vecchia scampi, which was excellent. The restaurant was cozy on a cold evening, and we had excellent service throughout the meal. My friends had rigatoni Bolognese and chicken marsala. Everyone enjoyed the meal, the conversation, and the friendship that has endured through time and distance from each other. La Vecchia provided the right space and ambience to make this reunion special. read more

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Best happy hour in town. But, beyond the happy hour, they have really good food. The bartender Omar, was so friendly and charming and tends to his patrons every request right away. Great service. read more

Back after an absence... mead the terrific bread with the garlic...olive oil. The appetizer was a cold seafood mix of shrimp and calamari and lobster ina lemon oil dressing. Delicious. Mopped up the sauce with the bread too! Penne Arabiata with shrimp was cooked perfectly Al dente. The sauce was creamy and the portion large. The seafood pasta with linguine and spicy marinara sauce as also a hit. A medley of fish and Cala and one shrimp... clams and mussels was terrific. Nice portion with a mix of spice and tomato garlic. Wines were the pinot Grigio to start and the Nebbiolo as the main dish accompanying wine. Both good value on the by the glass menu. Good to be back. I highly recommend this place. read more

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Horrible Food. They are NOT ITALIANS. All I can say is that this place is NOT authentic Italian cuisine. Spanish people run, this place and the food is not fresh and taste horrible also is over priced. No I don't recommend for anyone. I got food poisoning from this restaurant. read more

Fantastic Italian Food! My partner and I had the MARGHERITA pizza with Goat Cheese and Oregano added to it - it was so perfect! The Crust, Sauce, Cheese - everything was top-notch! This is the best Pizza I've had in Los Angeles (Santa Monica) since moving here. My sisters both had Pasta dishes and they loved them! They also offer soft warm bread with Olive Oil, Basil, and Fresh Garlic dipping sauce... so decadent!! I will definitely be going back! read more

Firstly, we've lived in the neighborhood for 25 years and somehow have never eaten here. Our loss. It was a friend from out of town wanting to treat us to dinner who took us here. We're grateful for the treat and the find. The food, atmosphere, interior design and service were great. Our waiter Mike was positively lovely. We have a cousin whom we take out to lunch or dinner every 3 weeks and brought him for our second visit. He enjoyed himself immensely. We're not Italian or consider ourselves food cognoscenti. We can't tell you what the lingering after-palate was on the sauce for the fish. We just like the place. read more

I have nothing terrible to say, but our meal was just not delicious. I'm not a snobby diner, but it all felt like wasted calories. The dishes just didn't come together to create something worth finishing, never mind returning for. Actually, the bread was delicious, although I would've preferred good butter to olive oil. The zucchini blossoms, which can be a fantastic appetizer, tasted more of the oil they were cooked in, than anything else. The gnocchi was filler and the pizza - with sausage - both of which I LOVE, were just not worth eating. I love most pizza I eat, but this pizza had very little flavor and what flavors were present were at odds with one another. Too bad. With a 9 month old baby at home getting out to dinner on our own is a treat and you want to make it worthwhile, but this was a missed opportunity. :-/ Luckily, my date was a 10 out of 10! read more

Great service and food was great. We will absolutely be returning I will be bringing more people with us next time. We also enjoyed the ambiance. read more

The food was served hot and we thought our dishes were good however our server wasn't friendly. She didn't give us her name but I felt like she ignored us most of the night. I'm usually good at remembering names so I know she didn't tell us her name We had to wait forever to order dessert, I order a coffee flavored gelato and got chocolate gelato. I mentioned to our server that it was incorrect and she blamed it on the kitchen getting it wrong . Then took over 10 mins to bring out the right gelato . I wouldn't come back. read more

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Great food and excellent service. Very busy, so be sure to have a reservation. Parking available in the city lots in the back. Love the bread and the garlic, oil and herb dipping mixture. Best Branzino in town!! Miss the outdoor tent seating. read more

Always a favorite this place does not disappoint. Great food (especially the pizza) and wonderful professional service. Daniel, the maitre d, keeps the place running smoothly. The only downside is the noise level can be high and conversation a little difficult. read more

Overall 2.4/10 experience. The lasagna was not good as it lacked any kind of flavor whatsoever and was undercooked. The branzeno was exceptional and fresh. As for the service, it suddenly became good once I asked for the check (I wonder why). read more

La Vecchia Cucina - Bronzino - Italian Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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I've walked by this spot 100+ times in the past year, but it has always been closed. I looked it up out of curiosity today and surprisingly it reopened tonight so I walked over to check it out. They've got a huge patio that I thought belonged to The Bird Cage next door. Plenty of outdoor seating. I walked up and was seated quickly. The bread is some of the best I've had in the west coast. Nice crunchy crust with a warm, fresh out of the often and soft inside. Served with some fresh basil in garlic olive oil. I ate way too much of it. Ordered the calamari and the bucatini al'amatriciana. Both were very good and on par with something you might find on the east coast. Decent size portions as well which wa since to see because it is definitely not the cheapest spot for Italian food. I will definitely be back to try some other things on the menu. read more

La Vecchia Cucina - al'amatriciana - Italian Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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I have been here several times now and make it a point to come here every time I'm in Santa Monica. I always get the penne arrabbiata and the last time I was here I was happy to see it on the menu still since it had been quite some time since I was here last. I love this pasta dish because the restaurant cooks the pasta to the perfect al dente and the sauce is super flavorful and has just the right amount of spice. Consistency is this restaurant's game because every time I have that dish, it's always the same. I also tried some of my boyfriend's salad, which was the mista salad and it was pretty good. Everything was fresh, though the portion size was a little small and for a $15 salad with basic ingredients, the portion size should be a little bigger in my opinion. I like the bread they give you at the beginning and like how consistent this business has been over the years. read more

Food was amazing. Zingara, Calabrese pizza and chopped salad. Restaurant was busy, server was polite and regularly checked in. We had a bottle of pink bubbly Vecchio. My children enjoyed and desserts was delicious. It is an open kitchen nice to watch, great ambiance. read more

Neighborhood gem. I've lived in Santa Monica 21 years and have dined here more than any other restaurant in the city. It feels like home. Every dish is delicious. Pastas are cooked to perfection. We had the squash blossom special tonight and they were the best I've ever had. Thanks La Vecchia for being consistent all these years. Five stars all around! read more

La Vecchia Cucina - Classic Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Good service and classy ambiance, but unfortunately the food was underwhelming. I got the pesto pasta dish. The waiter told me-- I hope you like pesto! So I was excited. However, the dish really lacked flavor. I am not someone who adds additional salt to restaurant food, but in this case I had to flag the waiter down for both salt and pepper. Cocktail was ok, nothing too interesting. read more

Service is impeccable and food is incredibly delicious. The best lamb ragu I've ever had and the burrata was spectacular.