When I first arrived in Santa Monica from New York in 1993, I always opted to eat at a natural…read morefoods café just next-door to Fritto Misto, and I unfortunately never gave them a chance. Last week, I was in the mood for "Italian", and I remembered Fritto Misto, and I looked at their menu. They had meals that sounded delicious, and I was delighted that they served whole wheat and gluten-free pasta options. I wound up having a fantastic meal there, and I ate there again this week. Everything is so fresh, flavorful, and delicious! The environment is very warm and friendly, and the staff is very accommodating and helpful. I didn't feel like I had to choose between health and flavor when I was there; I got both! Bravo, Fritto Misto! A big thank you to Robert, the owner, and the two waiters/servers who helped me; Kevin and Carlos. Though I don't drink, a big thank you to the bartenders who were very friendly and helpful when I walked in.

Ambiance: - Located in santa monica, so parking is a bit…read moredifficult - Lots of seating inside and on the patio - employees friendly and helpful Food: - Artichoke & Mascarpone Stuffed Gnocchi: crowd favorite, good chew in the gnocchi - Black and White Spaghettini with bolognese: standard bolognese sauce, and good texture of the black and white noodles

My boyfriend and I have been going Uovo for about a year now. I've always been a fan of white sauce…read morepasta, but then I discovered the Amatriciana. It's the best pasta I've ever had. We travel about an hour and a half to get to this place, but we consistently return to the Santa Monica location because of the exceptional customer service. Two employees, Alexis and Nunu, have consistently provided a great experience. Nunu is amazing and ensures that every customer is taken care of promptly. Alexis is great at elaborating and providing detailed information about the menu items. Overall, the food is delicious and the experience is memorable. I highly recommend Uovo to friends and family.

Ashley was amazing. Hadn't had upscale pasta before and she recommended some amazing options. Would…read morerecommend!

Last night my wife and I returned to Il Piccolo. We have been coming here quite a few times over…read morethe past 2 years and it didnt disappoint. Our server remembered us and his service was excellent. My wife had the gnocchi bolognese which was excellent and I had the home made pici with guancale and onions. fantastic. I wish the portions were larger but I understand restaurants have to make profit to stay open. as Ive said in review after review, a great meal requires wonderful food along with great service. and last night was wonderful in every way. thank you and we will return, sooner than later this next time.

What a splendid experience! Stopped by for dinner on Friday and I absolutely loved it. The dark,…read moreromantic, and quiet ambience outside is perfect for a date or girls night. Our server was so fun! The dirty martini was one of the best (frankly I normally compare to my own and this was very similar). The carbonara-esque pasta with guanciale was excellent as was the grilled calamari. We also got the duck ragu and prosciutto and burrata which were also great, but the former two were the stars along with the drinks. Might I also add that the bill was a pleasant surprise at the end of the night, so rare to find great food and drinks for a reasonable price these days. I loved it here, if I lived closer it would be j. my regular rotation for weekend dins.

This place definitely gets hyped up, but for good reason. The food is incredible, the atmosphere is…read moregreat, and the setting is hard to beat. It can get a little loud at times, but I'd highly recommend going around sunset when you can take in the views of the water. The whipped eggplant is an absolute must order - yes, it's really that good. Definitely get one of the pizzas as well. The cocktails are always great here too. Overall, a spot that lives up to the hype and is definitely worth a visit.

I'm not going to say anything about the food that you haven't already read in 30 previous posts!…read moreQuit scrolling and go order the whipped eggplant & vodka pasta. BTW. I'll think more highly of you if you add the Little Gem Caesar. And I may even respect you a little if you enjoy the luscious Passion Fruit Pavlova bathing in a decadent pool of ice cream! I said what I said. Vibes were high but turn down your hearing aids because it's loud as hell. Oh and JONATHAN is an absolute ALL STAR waiter! Tip him well or ..... well, I won't lay my threats out in public. Let's just say "or ELSE"

I decided to go for dineLA lunch deal here and wow! The service was impeccable from start to…read morefinish. Free parking with validation btw. To start, they gave me a basket of white bread which was amazing. It was fluffy inside and crunchy on the outside. For my appetizer, I got the burrata. This was so good. I do wish they gave me a full burrata rather than half but a fantastic deal and dish. It was super flavorful and I loved every bite. I ordered the capellini for my main since the waiter recommended it as light especially in this heat wave and I had to go back to work after. I'm usually not a fan of angel hair but this was delicious. I loved the fresh veggies in the dish. I only wish there were more shrimp rather than just the 3. For my dessert, I got the tiramisu. It was the perfect way to end this meal. They also have this power lunch deal that I will need to take advantage of next time!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars…read more Had the pleasure of dining here last night after making a reservation last week for DineLA. My girlfriend and I had always passed by the area and have been around the neighborhood, but had never been able to eat here. We got there a bit earlier than our reservation, about 10 minutes earlier than expected. The restaurant was extremely busy at 7:10 PM, with multiple family dinners and a huge birthday party happening all at once. After about 3-4 minutes of standing in front of the door, our waiter asked if we had made a reservation and immediately sat us down at a table right in front of the kitchen. The DineLA menu wasn't extensive but because of that, we were able to try both appetizers and both desserts. As for the entrees, we decided to get the Tagliolini and the Tagliata di Manzo alla Pizzaiola. The appetizers were both really food, especially the sauce that the Posillipo came with. It was so good that after we finished it, we got the bread and dipped it in the sauce! The entrees were okay; I think the Tagliolini could have used a bit more salt or some cheese, like Pecorino or Parmigiano but the scallops that came with the dish was impeccably seasoned. The Tagliata was also good, especially the sauce that came on top, but I just wished I had more of it. Even though it was supposed to be a filet, I couldn't tell if it was that or a skirt steak. Lastly, I was a bit happy when our waiter came to our table before our dessert and told us that they had ran out of the chocolate cake and that we had the option to choose from their regular menu (whatever they had that was available at the moment). When the waiter mentioned a hazelnut cake, we decided to get that. Again, so happy that there was no more chocolate vanilla cake because the hazelnut lemon cream cake was absolutely divine! I loved the lemon cheesecake-like filling and the hazelnut crumble on the bottom that was so light and compact that it felt like a hazelnut rice crispy treat. At the end of our meal, I attempted to get parking validation, as I was told that parking was free if our meal was under 2 hours. When I tried to get the validation, the machine wouldn't validate and was telling me to pay the entirety of parking. Glad to say that one of the staff members (I'm not sure if he was the owner or the manager or someone high up in the restaurant) saw that I was struggling and had told me that he would help me get the parking issue situated, and he actually followed through and did! There was also another server who offered to take our photos and had posed us inside the restaurant to take the shots. He did a really great job and both my girlfriend and I were so happy with how the photos came out. This place had gone above and beyond our expectation and I think its safe to say that we will definitely be back to try their regular menu!

It's been about 10 years since my wife and I last visited Forma. After this most recent experience,…read moreI have no idea why we waited so long! We happened to be in the area after dropping off some family at LAX and decided to stop by because we were starving. We didn't have reservations, but the staff welcomed us with open arms and were kind enough to squeeze us in. That hospitality alone made a great first impression. The food was fantastic from start to finish. We started with their bread, olive oil, and spread, along with the carbonara croquettes, which were absolutely delicious. Since they didn't have carbonara pasta that evening, I decided to give the croquettes a try instead, and I'm glad I did! We also ordered the grilled octopus served over a bed of lentils, which was excellent. For the main courses, we had the tortellini tossed in a cheese wheel and the braised beef short ribs with beef short rib ravioli. Both were outstanding ! Forma is a small, intimate restaurant with a wonderful atmosphere, delicious food, and genuinely great service. It's not often that you find a place where the food and hospitality come together so perfectly. It's a bit of a drive for us, but after this visit, we'll definitely have to make the trip back much sooner than another 10 years! Highly recommend!

tl;dr although most dishes are passable, the signature dalla forma pasta plates fail to dazzle, and…read moreyou'll need a magnifying glass to go with the two-bite cheese samplers Every Los Angeles wine bar has a charcuterie and cheese board. However, few restaurants revere cheese like Santa Monica's Forma. Short for "formaggio" (Italian for "cheese"), Forma prides itself on an entire menu dedicated to cheese. But pasta-holics come for Forma's unique "dalla forma" preparation method, finishing their pastas within a full wheel of cheese. This technique is far from traditional, but it certainly is intriguing enough to entice locals and tourists to routinely book out the dinner service. Forma shares a popular block of Montana with a Sweet Lady Jane and a Williams-Sonoma. The golden yellow logo pops against the deep grey awning and slate walls out front. Enter through the tiled patio into the moody space. Cool lighting shines down onto the white subway tile and grey faux-wood floors. To the left, cheese fridges and panettone stock the wooden shelves behind the marble bar. To the right, wooden tables are pressed up against a diamond-upholstered half booth. In the far back, full cheese wheels are lined up along a sturdy wooden table, ready for the dalla forma finish. Modern instrumental tunes play unobtrusively around the space. We arrived for an early weekend dinner, and we had our choice of tables. We ordered a wide variety of dishes to share. The best plate of the night was the Roasted Gnocchi. The melt-in-your-mouth pockets were smothered in taleggio fondue, cut with tart cherry tomatoes and lemon zest. I also enjoyed the creamy saffron Risotto (finished in a Grana Padano wheel); however, I thought the dish was a tad salty, and the accompanying ossobuco was a clash in flavor. The other dalla forma pastas were good-not-great. On both, I loved the perfectly al dente noodles. The Chitarra Cacio e Pepe (tossed in a wheel of romano) was rich and creamy, but otherwise one-dimensional (in need of more salt or pepper). Meanwhile, the Fettuccine Bolognese (paired with a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano) was overwhelmingly wine-forward. Other sharables were fine, but not overtly memorable. Crispy Artichokes salad was a mostly standard mix of arugula and goat cheese; the unique fried artichoke reminded me of fried onions. The Pizza Raspadura was topped with melt-in-your-mouth Grana cheese shavings; however, the undercooked, flavorless crust was a dud. The hearty Cheese Fondue Roasted Cauliflower au gratin was served in a piping hot skillet, but the bites never achieved a perfect crisp. A few dishes were inexcusable. The Camembert platter included two tiny bites of cheese, two not-quite-crispy crackers, and a smattering of dull accouterments -- I could craft a far superior board with ease. Further, the Eggplant Parmigiana was sad and soggy; a shameful protein to pair with an otherwise impeccable marinara. Lastly, the Green on Greens was a wildly expensive plate of simple steamed veggies with a vaguely lemony butter sauce. The service was mostly hands-off after we stopped placing orders; the dalla forma chefs, however, were eager to share their craft. Our bill approached $300 (after tax and tip), and, frankly, the food was underwhelming for the cost. Namely, the popular dalla forma pasta dishes didn't quite hit the mark, and the diminutive cheese board was laughable, and Forma's modern trattoria felt more aloof than inviting. While I wouldn't flat-out turn down an invitation back to Forma, I would focus my attention on a select few dishes to mitigate the restaurant's (surprisingly many) shortcomings.

Came here for dinner before a show and so glad I did! My group was lucky enough to get seated right…read moreaway with no reservation! That was awesome from the host to squeeze us in. The place is cozy with a lot of cool art on the walls. The staff is great and friendly. There's a bar area where you can sit and you have the chef/cooks cooking and the pizza oven in front of you. Things I tried: *Garlic Knot: it was out of this world! It was so delicious! I could go back just for this! 10/10 *Warm M+O Bread with Olive Oil: 10/10 *Little Gem Caesar Salad: I got it with a side of anchovies because it's a Caesar salad haha. The salad was fresh and crisp! 9/10 *Wild Mushroom Tagliatelle: 10/10 my favorite item of the night! Pasta was cooked perfectly and the mushrooms were just the cherry on top! *Rigatoni Bolognese: 6/10. Pasta was cooked perfectly but I wasn't a fan of the sauce. *Diavola Pizza: 8/10 it's not spicy but it's good lol. Crust is so airy and crispy! *Peach + Hot Honey: 10/10! What a special combination of peaches, Parmesan & Prosciutto! *Besito Drink: 10/10 *Tiramisu: 9/10 I'm a sucker for Tiramisu and this one is good! I couldn't fully enjoy it has I was super stuffed already.

There's an episode of "Conan Without Borders" in Israel where he complains to the Waze people about…read morethe directions they give to his family's favorite place to eat in Santa Monica, Milo and Olive. Being a Conan fanatic, I made a pilgrimage here. I came on a Friday around lunch without a reservation. There was only 1 person ahead of me in line and I was immediately seated at the counter. The decorations are casual with an eclectic mix of hand drawn art on the walls. The rest of the restaurant is contemporary and clean. One of the advantages of sitting at the counter is that you can watch them make pizzas right in front of you since it's an open kitchen. Instead of staring at my phone since I wanted to soak everything in, I watched someone stretch and round out a pizza and then stick it into a wood burning oven. As a vegetarian, I'm glad that there were dishes with V's next to them. There are also dishes you can ask to be made vegetarian. I ordered a garlic knot and a market veggie pizza. I had never seen a garlic knot like that before. The ones I've seen are a piece of bread folded to look like a knot. Over here, they fill dough with cloves of garlic then literally tie it up with a piece of string, like when I got home with some leftovers, I had to figure out how to untie it. At the restaurant, it came out steaming hot, crispy on the outside, and soft and juicy in the inside. My waiter was accommodating when I asked for some ingredients to be removed from my pizza. When it came out, it looked so colorful. The dough was thin and the ingredients were really flavorful. As I was eating it, I actually thought to myself "Oh, this is divine" and even when I was eating leftovers I thought to myself "This is so yummy." On the pizza box for leftovers, it instructs you to reheat it directly on the rack in the oven. It works, however, since the dough is thin, the pointed end of a pizza slice flopped down and dropped a few ingredients to the bottom of my oven. I was worried about parking, but easily found a metered spot on Harvard St. It was only when I was leaving that I realized if I had driven a little further down, I could've found spots in front of houses without meters. You can pay the meters by text which is convenient because you can add more time on your phone if you need to. It is a bit expensive since I paid around $50 with tip for the 2 items I ordered, but as long as I have leftovers, I don't feel too bad about it.

My friends and I went here for a girls night dinner and it was genuinely such a cute place to eat…read moregood food, great vibes, and cute pictures! The service is so sweet here and we felt very taken care of the entire night. The parking situation is either street parking if you're lucky or valet parking ($12 cash/$15 card). We ordered the Spicy Pomodoro and the Carbonara and I will say, the Spicy Pomodoro was so yummy and creamy and we really enjoyed it! The Carbonara was a bit salty for my taste but it was still very yummy. Overall, 10/10 experience!

Came here for dinner!…read more FLAVOR (4.3/5): 1. HAMACHI CRUDO: The hamachi crudo was just okay in my opinion. The elderflower came through really strong, so the dish ended up being floral and sweet forward, while I prefer a stronger citrus element in my crudo. 2. STEAK TARTARE: The steak tartare also didn't really impress me. I couldn't help but compare it to Bestia's tartare, which had a richer and more well-rounded flavor. 3. SPICY POMODORO: The spicy pomodoro was good! Pasta was cooked to perfection and it had the right amount of kick. 4. SWEET CORN AGNOLOTTI: The sweet corn agnolotti was the star of the show, undoubtedly. The balance of the corn and the creme fraiche was just so well done, keeping it both sweet and savory. Would definitely recommend this one. 5. GRILLED BRANZINO: I always try to get branzino whenever I see a restaurant has it on their menu, and this one was a fun one. My friend didn't like it, but I actually really enjoyed the delicate flavors. The skin was crispy and so delicious and the spices on it paired well with the cucumber salad underneath, as well as the filling inside the fish. Really well done in my opinion. 6. BANANA PUDDING TIRAMISU: The banana pudding tiramisu was absolutely delicous. SERVICE (5/5): Service was good! AMBIENCE (5/5): I chose to sat at the counter where you could take a peek into the inner workings of the kitchen, but they also have more intimate/romantic seating throughout the restaurant if you want something for date night. PARKING (3/5): Their valet is $12 cash or $14 card, so I opted for street parking. Not too difficult if you don't mind the walk. The area can be a little sketchy at night. TAKEAWAYS: While Cento's mains were good, I felt like their appetizers fell short. If I were to come back I'd definitely get the Sweet Corn Agnolotti, Grilled Branzino, and Banana Pudding Tiramisu again.

Were back again at Ospi! We ordered two salads, two pizzas, and a few pastas, and everything was…read moredelicious. The food definitely lived up to the hype! The atmosphere was amazing, and the service was excellent throughout the evening. We had such a great time, Highly recommend, and we're already looking forward to coming back!

Trendy doesn't always mean amazing food…read more We arrived about 15 minutes before our reservation. We easily found parking about 25 yards from the entrance. The restaurant was almost empty, our dining companions hadn't arrived yet. We ordered sparkling water, crispy provolone and the olives, almonds and fries appetizers. The provolone arrived warm, at best, the vodka sauce it was served with was delicious. This would have been fantastic if it arrived in a small cast iron skillet, instead it was a slab of cheese that would have been better had it not arrived at the table. The olives and almonds were small and forgettable. The fries were divine. Hot, salty and served with ketchup and a Chipotle mayo. The place began to fill and I began to think we may have ordered the wrong dishes. The server was challenged. Good thing I wasn't too hungry, I settled on a caesar salad that was...boring. My guy had the Tonnarelli, that was supposed to be cacio e pepe but it was drier than the Sahara and if there were a sprinkle of pepper it ran away, far away. Our friends enjoyed the Tagliatelle and they likely would have enjoyed a shower of Parmigiano Reggiano. There was none in sight. The bread and butter was super delicious. We should have ordered a boatload. At $14 for a slice of bread served with the same almonds and olives was silly...the garlic butter was super yummy. Serve the bread and butter. Ditch the olives and almonds and by all means, slather that gorgeous butter everywhere. The coffee arrived after the chocolate and pecan brownie and dessert spoons arrived after the cannoli was devoured. We learned our server loved our friendliness on what he described was his 1st night. A few missteps, but he was tipped a generous 35% because everyone has a first night. Ignacio was friendly, and will be a fantastic server in due time. He has hopes we'll visit again. I explained we would likely see him in Argentina sooner than that. No visit by a manager. Drinks and food were dropped by alternate staff whose robot demeanor felt like we were inconveniencing them. Best service of the night was the security guard posted outside the front door - he opened and held the door for us as we arrived and as we left and even bid us a good evening. Class act. If trendy is your thing, you might enjoy this place, it was a miss for me. Expensive too. I get it though. Wages, insurance, location, and prices are what they are.