Felix Reviews

Been again with German friends from the culinary business yesterday. We did not have a reservation but were still seated within minutes - a huge plus, after all it was a busy Friday night (must admit we were early though). We ordered "family style" - so we shared different starters and entrees - generally highly recommended if you want to explore new dishes and are not sure you like it enough to eat a whole portion of it. The food was as delicious as expected for a place like this (and we had been a few times before), BUT - I would have expected that the portions of the pasta were somewhat consistent. While two pasta portions were perfect to get everyone a spoon just big enough to have more than one bite, two were on the - politefully said - "small side". Since the service knew we were going to share, she should have suggested either another dish, or asked us to order two of these small ones. - the service was nice, but she tried to upsell in a way that I was tempted to ask if she worked on commission only. And man, she did upsell on us: she recommended two pasta dishes with white truffel. We do of course know that Truffle is expensive, and even more so white truffel. They did have truffel dishes on the menu - in the region of $50, so when we picked one, I expected this one to run a little more, maybe $75. It did end up with $150 - more than the four other pasta dishes we had together, INCLUDING another truffle pasta dish from the regular menu. Sorry, but I would have expected some "advance" notice on this. Apart from that the place was a tad to loud for a comfortable conversation the food was really really good - but our waitress really talked a lot, a bit too much for me. There was "room" to add this little information, too ;-) It is important to me that one understands: I am perfectly willing to pay top dollar, as a matter of fact I am taking my German friends to the Spago tonight for the Chef's tasting menu - highly recommended, by the way! - but in this case I was put a bit off - so off that I am not sure if I will go again, which reduces my rating from five to mere three stars.

A trendy restaurant, having earned its reputation over the years, and even though it's on the pricey side, we have been many times. The service on our arrival was immaculate as always. This time, however, the waiter had a tad too much school-teacher-esque attitude by our waiter celebrating himself and the fact that we could not receive our meals as ordered but they would bring them out "family style" whenever they had them ready. Please do not get me wrong: we loved the family style. The way it was presented to us: not so much. As I said: I've been a dozen or more times, never with a party of six though. The six of us loved our entrées pizza and pasta (and when I say we loved we really really loved them) - however, our starters were rather meh - the BURRATA E PESCHE was not creamy at all and the POLIPO ALLA BRACE was more of a black bean salad with two small pieces of "grilled octopus" that was underwhelmingly "un-crisp" - we did not eat it, and no one cared. We will sure go again and hope they will do better next time.

Without a doubt, Felix is the best Italian restaurant in the Los Angeles area. Homemade pastas are extraordinary, appetizers are fantastic, and the service is superb (trust your server’s suggestions). My wife and I drive 45 minutes each way to enjoy a meal that is as good as any you would enjoy in Rome. Reservations typically need to be made a month in advance but the wait is worth it.

First the good news- the food is excellent. Can’t wait to go back with a table reservation to enjoy the full experience. Now the bad news- we only rec’d one of the two meals we ordered. After my wife finished hers and mine still had not come I asked the check minus my meal that was not served. There was no apology, had to talk to the manager for any type of consideration for the faux pas. One goes to a restaurant for service and a meal- when that is not provided then the restaurant is not doing their job. We have experienced huge attitude up and down Abbott Kinney at every restaurant we have dined in or tried to dine in. Is it systemic to the street? It isn’t the only place in Santa Monica/Venice/Marina to get a good meal. Will give it another try but with a 28 day advance reservation so I can get a table and a server and not a bartender trying to double as a server.

Certainly one of the best meals I've had the pleasure of eating anywhere. Reservations were a month away; so we queued up about 20 minutes before the restaurant opened, and there were already 10 people ahead of us in line to snag one of the bar-lounge area seats. We began the meal with some delicately coated squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta, followed by one of their homemade breads served with whipped lardo, olive oil and rosemary. I can't even begin to describe the absolute perfection of these first two dishes. Each element was simply executed with respect for the quality of the ingredients. For the main part of our meal we decided to split 3 pastas. One dish actually would have sufficed but we were so impressed with the kitchen's talents that we wanted to sample as much as possible. We began with a hand rolled troife glazed with a slightly minty pesto, followed by a cacio pepe and a rigatoni ala amatriciana that was smoky with a deep pork flavor. Service was flawless. Warm and attentive without being overbearing. You can see the front of the house is run with as much care and attention as the kitchen. The restaurant was packed on a Tuesday night so if you want to go be sure to make a reservation. HIghly recommended.

Felix is amazing: the restaurant itself is beautiful and the glass box they have, where they make pasta live, is outstanding. The food is glorious, we are Italian so very picky when it comes to Italian food, but this restaurant is over the top. Even the pizza was very good, the pasta, the meatballs. Everything. We booked a month in advance and will go again next time we're in LA. Amazing

We were looking for somewhere special to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, and had heard great things about Felix in Venice Beach, CA. We watched the reservations closely, as you have to book a month in advance, and the spots go quickly. It was well worth the planning. The location, food and service were impeccable, and we are both craving the pasta dishes we had ordered. I'm sure if we lived in LA, we'd be there regularly.

You need to make a reservation well in advance, but if you do you'll be rewarded. The service is lovely and friendly, and the food is just WOW. Their pasta is fresh and fantastic and their pizza is delicious as well. If you're looking for a fantastic Italian meal option in LA - this place is it!

Felix is the most hyped Italian restaurant in LA and is incredibly difficult to get a reservation as a result. If you are looking for a particular date count back 28 days & go online at midnight to get a table. My friends and I went to celebrate my birthday and basically ordered most of the menu. Each dish was good but not particularly memorable. The focaccia, squash blossoms and bolognese were the highlights. Service was acceptable but definitely not attentive. For the hoops we had to jump through to secure the reservation, there are better choices for Italian food in LA. Mozza is still my fave.

I've been to a four Michelin star restaurants around the world. I know what a Michelin rated restaurant looks and feels like. That said, I can say,.... with great confidence that Felix is worthy of a star. The food was simply amazing!! You could taste the quality and attention to detail in every bite. The pasta, breads and pizzas were INSANE! So light, so flavorful, just amazing. This restaurant is managed as if they are already sitting on a star. Every movement, client interaction and menu explanation were handled with precision, passion and again......attention to detail. It took me a couple months to get a reservation at Felix, and it was well worth the wait. Well done Felix team!

Visited with two dear girlfriends and while we couldn’t get a great time (5pm) because you can only reserve within 7 days of the date you want, it was a very pleasant experience. We had two salads and three pasta dishes to share. Note- for 3 people that was quite alot of food. Add the famous olive oil and herbed bread as a starter and you’ll be full for days. The service was great. The servers are all very well trained and recite the menu like pros. I must point out one exceptional staff member and that is Megan the bar manager/director. She was incredibly knowledgeable about the wine list, which is crazy extensive and expensive, but when you pay $32 for a bowl of pasta what’s a $74 bottle of excellent Pinot noir? My one slightly negative comment would be Felix’s rigidity. You must put in your entire order at once and they don’t do any substitutions. They also limit your dining time. My party of 3 had two hours to eat and drink and when we were over by about 20 minutes we were given our check and gently told there was another reservation waiting. Felix has become a Venice staple and if you want excellent pasta from an excellent chef, go and check it out. Just be prepared to eat within a time limit.

Our group visits LA restaurants that are highlighted in critics reviews and articles. Although we don’t always totally agree, mostly they are valuable and on the mark. We were excited to try out Felix given its high ratings. Maybe this was an aberration but it was not at all impressive and in fact quite disappointing in many respects. We all at first gave it good, but I think it was because it was pricey and we hated to say otherwise as we would feel a little foolish. But as the evening went on, each of us had some negative comments. First, the food took awhile to come out and it did sporadically with our mains separated by 10 minutes or so, to a point where we encouraged each other to eat before it got cold. A few orders were forgotten all together with apologies by the waitress. Now to the food. The focaccia was warm, fragrant, chewy and delicious, although a little less olive oil on top would be better. The zucchini blossoms were the highlight of the meal. The meatballs were recommended but there were so salty to a point that the meat was hard to taste. My ragu bolognes was so salty that I could only eat half. Again the pesto on my wife’s dish was lip puckering. The porcini pasta dish was “ good” according to my friend and the other pastas were given very good marks. The desserts were again good but not memorable. The other unusual aspect is they do not allow you to bring wine and when you review the extensive Italian wine list, you will be hard pressed to find any bottle under $100. When checked with the Delectable app on my phone, the markup on their wines are around 3 times retail, again a little pricey. Which leads me to my objection which is overall the prices are just very high. You will find the average pasta dish is around $33 and although hand made. We have been to many of the highly rated Italian restaurants in many cities and for the money as well as the food, I can not recommend dining here. I feel badly saying that, but I do feel it’s justified at least with our experience tonight. Again, maybe it was an aberration but I feel salt is put heavily on food to mask a weakness.

Obviously this restaurant is becoming a little taken with themselves. At 5:50 we stood in line for five minutes waiting for the hostess. When it came our turn, we were rudely informed that we were now 10 minutes late for our 5:45 reservation. We were then rudely again informed that we must vacate the restaurant by 7:15 as their next reservation for our table was at 7:30. This I assume was to allow them to prepare for the next reservation. Not sure why that would take 15 minutes, because there wasn’t even a tablecloth on our little table. Our service was fine. The wine steward picked out a very agreeable bottle of wine for us. The food was OK. We had eaten there several times before and frankly the previous meals have been better. The steak was just average. Obviously living in LA gives us lots of choices. If I am to shell out $350 for two people for dinner plus wine I don’t expect this hostess to act like she’s doing us a favor and rudely lecture us about giving up the table. If this was Italy we would have the table for the entire evening and it wouldn’t be a problem. Lots of other very very nice Italian restaurants in Brentwood. I would check them out over this place. Not sure if I’m not going back there.

Delicious! Four of us went to Felix for dinner on the recommendation of friends. We were not disappointed, although we were a bit shell-shocked by the bill. We shared the sfincione (focaccia), panzanella salad, fiori de zucca (squash blossoms), diavola pizza (sausage), four orders of the pappardelle with a bolognese sauce, and Nonna's olive cake for dessert. Focaccia: Possibly the best I've ever eaten. It's not flat, but round and cake-like, oozing butter. Panzanella salad: Delicious greens and fresh burrata in a divine dressing. Squash blossoms: Again, possibly the best I've ever eaten. Light, crisp, with a delicious creamy ricotta stuffing. Diavola pizza: The sausages were spicy and crispy. I would have preferred the crust to have been cooked a bit more, but it was chewy, yet airy. Pappardelle: Delicious! Perfectly cooked. The sauce was great. Nonna's olive cake: Wonderful. Served with blackberries and lemon gelato. We opted to bring our own wine and pay the $40 corkage. A similar bottle of 2005 Brunello on their would have been about $300. The service was great. Felix is great for special occasions, but I couldn't afford to dine here often.

Great atmosphere, excellent service. VERY ATTENTIVE SERVICE. We had apps, and two entrees and were literally done in less than an hour. Expect your food to be delivered immediately, they clearly want you in and out. Disappointing we could only get a 530 reservation, and dining room was half empty when we left at 630. Pasta was great, bread even better.disappointed valet parking was $12…..

Amazing restaurant. Everything that I heard about it is true. Best Italian and as good as being in Italy. The highlight is the pasta dishes. The pesto pasta was the best. Cacio e Pepe was better than in Italy. The stuffed zucchini flowers was amazing. Focaccia, dessert, macchiato, the drinks all were super tasty.

Visiting Los Angeles recently, my Son and his Wife were thrilled to be able to get a reservation and take me to their favorite restaurants, Felix. I am always skeptical when I hear of highly "hyped" restaurants - they rarely live up to their reputations. FELIX is different - it EXCEEDED it! From the amazing and unique (and delicious!) Italian dished conceptualized by Chef Felix, to outstand service drinks and wine list. What a great evening! Their stellar reputation is well-deserved!

Joe's was always over rated and never really that good, but Chef Funke has turned this old Joe's into the new Felix and it is just GREAT! Wait staff are experienced, knowledgeable and very interested in everything you want. We started with the best cozze I have had in ages followed by pork meatballs that were to die for and a mixed salad and a fried cauliflower that were both just delicious. Then onto the pastas, and here we get very serious indeed. One guest had the pappardelle which was as good as it gets and I had the busiate, a spiral pasta in a nutty pesto sauce that I could have eaten all night. These folks understand a couple of things, 1) regional cooking as their pastas and their wines are all defined by region so you can order based on your preference for southern or northern Italian cuisine and 2) Secondi that follows a well cooked pasta. We were too full to try any of the main courses but saved that for next time, and there will be a next time. Deserts were a bit on the stingy side, but that's probably because they need a pastry chef that can compare to both the pasta dishes and the appetizers. This is a real gem in a very crowded Abbott Kinney area, but this will certainly succeed!

The positives. Food was as ridiculously good as we hoped after watching the Chefs Table episode with Evan Funke. His passion for pasta comes through in the food. We ordered 5 pastas and arancini. We knew we would have some leftovers, but they suggested 5-7 plates for three of us which would have been ridiculous. The only complaint I have is that it was a little bit rushed. The chef wanted the whole order at once, which is fine. However, T he pace of the food coming out was a bit too fast, which made it feel mildly rushed. Other than that the service was great. And the pasta!!!!!

We were super excited to get in after we heard they were opening. Had a terrific night with a couple of friends but the food was not great. Note to the chef- let the homemade pasta come through. Each dish was over seasoned and all you have to do is cut it back a little. Could be outstanding. Also- the woman working the bar needs to lighten up a little. We are all there to have a good time. No need for the sourpuss. Really overpriced so maybe come for the hang and a couple small dishes.

Service was superb. You must get the focaccia siciliana, rosemary, salt, & olive oil. The squash blossoms and chicory salad were also amazing. Also recommend the orecchiette. Now I am getting hungry. Enjoy!

Great food! The fiori di zucca was crispy, & the ricotta filling better than the usual mozzarella. The pastas were dense & delicious. One odd thing about service: We ordered a $100 bottle of Super Tuscan wine. Granted, it was one of the cheaper bottles on their menu. The waitress referred to our choice as "entry level", which I found to be shockingly condescending for a server. Otherwise, service was excellent.

So, first off, if you want a classy joint, then that should be the first impression people get. The hostesses were young and didn't exude a high scale restaurant. Then we were marched through very tight quarters to a table that was very tightly wedged between a table showing off wines and other tables. Then we were given a menu and told of specials (had to ask pricing) that almost made our eyeballs bug out. I mean, really, the price we paid for a pizza because it had truffles that had just been flown in was enough to make me question my sanity. Having said that, I guess you know going in that you are going to overpay for food - and we know good, even superb food and restaurants. Still, our waiter was a charming college student that was suave enough to sell us on overpaying for pizza and wine, in addition to other foods. Without question, they were all very yummy, they just were overpiced for what they were - with or without truffles. In life, you sometimes like to say you've been there and done that............... precisely our feeling about this experience!

Hugely disappointing - rushed through the meal- pizza had a soggy crust -!waiter was arrogant - pasta came in with a cold plate And was cold- also had little flavour so we asked for black pepper- took about five minutes and was served in a bowl - by that time the pasta was again cold- do they not have basic pepper shakers?? We asked to change a cheese to an alternative ( maybe Parmesan ) and was told that the chef refuses to change anything!! Wow - what arrogance - this place is good for young people who want yo be seen and spend money- oh well-

Excited to try Felix and was disappointed. The bread is amazing. The panzella salad yummy. Everything else too salty I had to ask the server if it was supposed to be that way. Very expensive for the ordinary food.

I am Italian and I was lucky enough to visit some of the best restaurant beside my home, in Italy and around the world. I am from the region where the chef of Felix was trained at least on the home-making pasta. A friend of mine wanted me to try this one and here are my comments: Ambiance: I didn’t see the inside as we had the reservation outside in the patio. The patio though was pretty basic (simple wood table and simple light bulbs across the ceiling). I don’t know if this was done in a hurry to accommodate customers while in the middle of the Covid crisis. Food: we had 3 flutes of champagne, 3 appetizers (antipasti), 2 pizzas and 3 pastas (primi). The highlight were the Zucchini Ripieni, lightly fried almost tempura style. Then it went downhill pretty fast from there. The Polpette were salty (mortadella e parmigiano overpowering) and the fincione was more like a maritozzo romano (sweet) than a real fincione. What is the hype about this bread is beyond me. It shouldn’t be sweet. Appetizers didn’t arrive at the same time, my Polpette landed when the other antipasti were finished. Not good! The pizzas arrived warm and the outside (cornicione) was chewy while the inside mushy. It sounded like rewarmed. Not good at all. I Primi: i Rigatoni all’amatriciana were undercooked and I know what al-dente should be like. They are missing 2 minutes in the water. The rest, a Cacio e Pepe and the Pappardelle al Ragu’ pretty normal (Everybody knows how to cook Italian could do the same – read the Artusi book). 3 glass of wine at the price of gold, a Tiramisu too sweet and another desert that my wife had with an ice-cream uneventful (she didn’t finish it). I think it was a tart. Man oh man it was low. The service: too many servers stepping on each other toes. We had probably 5-6 people working our table. Really! The timing: you feel that the whole menu is built around fast and easy to make or pre-prepared dishes to get people out of the door within the allotted time and for the price they are asking it is just shameful. Had I spent $120 for the whole meal it would have been a non-event, flat meal but still a nonevent, but for $600 hell no. I would have had no problem to spend that kind of money for an excellent quality meal but not for this. I can do way better myself at home and that was the most disappointing things. There was nothing special about this meal. Any trattoria in Emilia-Romagna and maybe a bunch of Italian restaurants in LA would do the same if not better for a fifth of the price. People giving 5 stars to this restaurant, I guess, either were eating Italian for the first time or they were there more for the hype of the restaurant and/or had money to waste. Of course there is no point in going back.

Total package. Must have the bread, pizza, pasta and salad. Book reservations early OR get there by 5p and share a table when they open at 5:30.

The food and cocktails here are truly outstanding. It was their Pizza Diavola that stole the show – a culinary masterpiece that's simply to die for!

We spent part of our vacation this year in Santa Monica and were lucky enough to be called from the waitlist for a lovely dinner at Felix. The food was incredible and the service was excellent. Highly recommend this spot, but remember to book well in advance as it is quite popular. The pasta dishes were terrific - one better than the next.

I was happy to finally try Felix Trattoria; a very appropriate emotion since Felix means "happy" or "lucky" in Latin:) There is a huge window in the dining area so that you can see the handiwork being done to prepare your meal. Whether you have tasted handmade pasta and loved it, or always wanted to try traditionally made pasta, Felix will make you happy if you are lucky enough to get a reservation. Delicate squash blossoms filled with ricotta and green garlic for $15 were light crisp bites filled with creamy goodness, a great way to start off a meal. They had a lemon spaghetti with sea urchin on the menu, served with a portion that could have been eaten separately, but I preferred to mix it in to enhance pasta with more of the flavor of the sea. This was a rich dish, so the small portion was plenty considering the satisfying umami on the plate. The hit of the evening was the oxtail ragu with DOP Pecorino Romano for $26. Meltingly tender meat coated the hearty pasta accented with the sharp salty sheep's milk cheese. It was perfect and if you only order one pasta, I highly recommend this one! We chose a wine from Sardinia based on the waiter's suggestions. Gostalai Nepente di Oliena 2012. It was my first taste of Sardinian wine and I look forward to trying others :) They have a small bar area and valet parking for $10, which is highly recommended unless you can find parking on Abbot Kinney.

We had heard so many things about this place, and since I had never been i was looking forward to a great experience. The thing that stood out was that I asked for a bit more chimichurri sauce, and the waiter came back and said the chef said no! I mean really, I wasn't going to slather it with ketchup, but whatever, he has the right to say no, and I have the right to never go back and write a mediocre review.

why do these Hipster places find it necessary to be rude , not interested in paying 350 dollars for dinner and getting attitude from some teenager hostess, , too many choices in LA for this , ps the food is very average italian food anybody can make

Amazing food, Great service … but … if you have allergies they refuse to make modifications. Can we have a pizza with no cheese? Nope! Shame. It’s 2025 guys, To be fair the menu says they will refuse to make modifications so they are pretty upfront with their inflexible, luddite views. If you don’t have allergies it’s great and they do have some options for those with allergies … but refusing to remove cheese? Oh dear….

And that was just the bread. The pasta dish Strangolapetri was a new encounter for me and it was as delicious as the menu promised. A crowded place but effecient kitchen and staff made it all work out well

We reserved online, precisely 28 days in advance, and then waited nearly a month to enjoy. Dinner was as wonderful as anticipated. We began with drinks at the lively bar, but were actually seated promptly and carried our glasses to a relatively quiet table in a colorfully decorated back room. Dinner started with two breads: the Sfincione came steaming and almost melted in our mouths; the Pizza Bianca, which is listed under bread and not pizza because it is actually an entire baked pizza crust with a ball of burrata in the center, was crunchy and ultimately creamy at the same time. Stuffed squash blossoms were tender and tasty. Pappardelle had a rich Bolognese sauce, and Tonnarelli cacio e pepe was tossed with flavorful pecorino. After that, there was only room for coffee, but we lingered and enjoyed the ambiance.

First off, there is a lot of hype about this restaurant so it's very tough to get a reservation. It was busy when we arrived and they seated us promptly which is always a relief. The food and service were great. We had their famous bread- didn't blow me away. But the Calamari might have been the lightest and most interesting I have ever had. The squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta melted in your mouth and the two pastas we had were really special one in texture with a great pesto sauce and the Rigatoni in flavor. The salted butterscotch desert was a nice ending. Corkage is too high-$40, but there was a good wine list, I just prefer big buttery Chards and Italian wines don't usually fit that bill. The space is warm and bigger than it looks at the front. I would return if I could get another reservation. I don't usually like to work that hard for a reservation but I had to try it, at least once! Dinner for two was $185.00.

We (party of 4) went to a dinner on a Friday evening here. The restaurant and bar were packed to the gills and, with many hard surfaces, the place was quite noisy. We were diverted to stand in a hallway (although we could and did order drinks served there while waiting for our table). We had several different dishes and enjoyed each. However, the noise and crowd detracted somewhat; hence less than a perfect rating. (They would do well to subtract some seating to provide a nicer and saner dining environment for their terrific food.)

The squash blossoms were delicious and light! The two pasta dishes we ordered were cooked perfectly and had great flavor! Our waiter was so awesome! Knew how to pair the wines and gave great descriptions of the food!

Had one of the best pasta and pizza ever!! There's a long wait despite having a booking. Make sure you reserve online a month ahead! Every dish is sooooooooooo delicious!!! I can't wait to go back!

Felix is an absolute highlight for Italian cuisine in LA! From the moment you walk in, you feel the warm and welcoming atmosphere that perfectly matches the authentic dishes. The pasta is freshly made with passion – you can taste the quality in every bite. The pizzas are outstanding too, giving you the feeling of a quick trip to Italy. The staff is attentive, friendly, and makes the whole experience even better. Highly recommended – I would absolutely come back anytime! Not only because of the fantastic food, but also because Felix brings a true taste of Italy to Los Angeles. It’s a place you won’t forget and one you’ll definitely want to share with friends and family.

Food, service, ambiance and "vibe" are all great here. Great menu; great food; great staff and unfortunately a great pain in the butt to get there for a timely dinner if you're from anywhere else other than Venice. There are so many wonderful Italian and pasta places in L.A. now that while Felix was fun, I'm not running back only because of the location as I don't live in Venice and don't need the aggravation of the traffice, crowd and Venice attitudes! However, place IS good!

I had high expectations. I don't get all the hype!!! Boring menu. Pasta was good to fair, Pasta choices we're pretty repetitive--mainly variations on pesto. The secondi piatti (main courses) were not very exciting and also not much choice. Focaccia was greasy. Noisy. You can see the kitchen which is cramped, dark and chaotic, which does not add to the experience. (I did not try the pizza so maybe that is worth the trip?) One exception though: the desert: a chocolate tart was simply out of this world!!! but I don't think that is what's bringing people. At the same time, delighted to see it is always full, and something besides Med Men is getting good business on Abbott Kinney. The exterior is cute and inviting, and it seems to be doing well, so what do I know?! Go try it.

This restaurant is in the space that used to be occupied by Joe's, a really great restaurant that served the best lunch in town. There has been a complete makeover of the place, adding lots of new table spaces. When we opened the door the blast of noise about bowled us over, but we forged on. I started with a martini, served in a tiny dessert glass, about half of a martini for $15. The food: Squash blossoms with ricotta was really excellent, and the Pappardelle with bolognese and the Gnocchi with Chanterelle mushrooms were both very tasty, but nothing out of the ordinary. This is a "hot" restaurant, meaning that it's full of yuppies screaming at each other. The food was good but overpriced and I couldn't wait to get out of there and give my ears a break.

This place is so so good. definitely lives up to the hype and worth the wait for a reservation. All the flavors in every dish blend so well together and every dish we had was incredible. The quality is amazing and taste even better. I can’t wait to come back here and try more. I got to try the foccacia (best I’ve ever had), Margherita pizza (slightly sweet and delicious), broccoli (lemony and yummy), persimmon burrata (incredible), duck ragu (great), white truffle tagliatelle (buttery and amazing), tiramisu (don’t like tiramisu hut was actually good), and blackberry crostata (warm like a pie I loved it) I recommend everything!

Surpassingly popular, it is obviously a place where Angelenos feel at home. Decor is quirky and presumably humorous. Prices are reasonable/standard. While the pastas have gotten huge press, they are rustic in nature and similar in quality to the big Italian spaces downtown. Good, not great, at least as compared to the sophisticated dishes available at fine restaurants in Italy. Grilled shrimp lacked flavor and were overwhelmed by the sauce. The service was excellent, with prompt water and plate changes. Corkage is way out of line at $40.

I used to live around the corner in the 1980s. When the neighborhood rang with gunshots most nights and Abbot Kinney (then West Washington) was vacant after dark. Now it’s a tourist Mecca filled with amazing cafes like this. Hard to get reservations and expensive but so very delicious. Perhaps a bit of s special occasion place but if you are in LA go!

I am Italian and I love eating good quality food, discovering new mixes of ingredients and simply enjoying the pleasure of eating delicious dishes. Felix has been a wonderful surprise during our visit to Los Angeles, so wonderful that whenever I will be back in L.A., Felix will be at the top of my “must do” list! The quality of the ingredients goes beyond perfection. The recipe are truly Italian but they are even better that those proposed in the best Italian restaurants in Italy! Every dish proposed on the menu is genuinely delicious. We took the bis of almost everything! What is amazing in this place is that not only the quality of the food is top, the quality of the service is too!!! (No comparison with other famous restaurants in Abbot Kenney, i.e. Gjelina… Felix outranks them all!). Thank you for the wonderful memories you gave us, we are so much looking forward to coming back!

Felix is fabulous. The service is A++. They have a beautiful outdoor dining area ... one of the best in town. And the food is incredible! The pizza is wonderful. We also loved the burrata. And the desserts are amazing!

This place came highly recommended. The squash blossoms are what we came for and they did not disappoint! We also had pizza, the bolognese and lemon asparagus pastas, and the pork with onion and black currant jam. It was all so amazing. My only complaint is that we sent our leftover pork and bolognese pasta to be boxed up as leftovers and they never returned. 🥲 The food was too expensive and too good to be tossed, but yet it was.

We didn't have a reservation but walked in right at open (5:30pm). The restaurant is in a comfortable, beautiful home with a welcoming staff. We sat at a table by the glass room and watched Chef Funke make fresh pasta while we enjoyed dinner! Our server, Kate, was perhaps one of the best servers I've encountered in LA. She was friendly, approachable, knowledgable, and completely in control of our dining experience. We shared a few antipasti, pane, pastas, and contorni. Highlights were the focaccia (like nothing you've had--more like a savory doughnut!!) and the rigatoni with pork cheek. FANTASTIC. The place filled up with a nice, buzzing atomosphere as expected for such a hotspot in Venice. Definitely recommend to anyone wanting fresh pastas as a nice, efficient, delicious meal!!!

Perennially popular Italian restaurant on Abbot Kinney known for handmade pastas. This is a good spot for special occasions or a date night. They’re currently open during covid for outdoor dining on their patio; reservations can be made up to 7 days in advance, and for a party of four, are available in 2 hour increments. Cards are accepted, masks are required, and parking will suck because it’s in Venice, but you might get lucky and find a residential parking spot if you’re there early enough. Food wise, everything is delicious. The servers will recommend you get 6-8 dishes for a party of four, but I think those with lighter appetites could easily do with 4-5 dishes. The plates may look small, but the food is super filling. Here’s the lowdown on what we got: Sfcionne: round bread baked with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh herbs. A lot of people on Yelp seemed to recommend it; glad I tried it for the first time, but it’s not necessary. Pizze Calabrese: there’s quite a few pizza options, and no one can ever say no. They cut the pizza into quarters and the dough was delicious. The ‘nduja was spicy and the cheese was slightly sweet. Tagliatelle: a must-get and one of the most popular pastas. The pasta was chewy and covered in a silky ragu - hands down the table’s favorite Rigatoni: large and al dente, the guanciale seemed a bit clumped together but it was a solid pasta. Busiate: personally my second favorite; it had crushed almonds and I really enjoyed the fatness of the pasta. The cherry tomatoes were fresh and burst into bright flavors in your mouth. Orecchiette: good to get for meat lovers, as it comes with plenty of sausage. Budino: creamy and only slightly sweet - it’s comes with a cloud of whipped cream on top that’s almost like a marscapone cheese Overall, a really delicious meal - it’s easy to see why this is a super popular restaurant on the West Side.

Started with focaccia bread with sea salt and rosemary and squash blossom with cheese (sooooo good) and followed by pappardelle and tonnarelli with black peppered. The pasta was super al dented and the flavors were so simple, so delicious. We would definitely come back here! Make reservations early - it’s only available one month in advance.

We were recommended this restaurant and the reviews were good. Lucky to get a table for 2 at short notice. Ordered the Calabrese pizza and a pesto pasta. The pizza melted in your mouth, and had a beautiful smoky flavour, and obviously homemade tomato sauce. Possibly the best pizza I’ve ever eaten. The homemade pesto pasta was good, but a small serve. A glass of wine started at 17USD which I found outrageous. Professional service and lovely decor and ambience.

Noisy, great pasta and good wine list. Burratta was good but I'm not buying that it was made with heirloom tomatoes - more like grape tomatoes.

Perfect plates of exquisite food. The room is warm and buzzy, and service is attentive and helpful. We had two pastas (bolognese and cacio e pepe) one pizza diavola, and the gnocchi. Each was perfectly done and brilliantly presented. The meal and the experience rank as one of my all-time most enjoyable dinners. Highly recommended.

We loved it. Yes, it's a hard reservation to get, but we were not disappointed with our experience. Sat in the lovely middle room (the farthest room looked a bit dark and isolated to us). Server was excellent - professional, knowledgeable, helpful. Focaccia was one of the best breads I've ever eaten. Squash blossoms were delicious. Loved our pasta with Bolognese. Intense and unctuous. And the bodino for dessert was yummy. Wine by the glass very pricey (first time I've paid over $20 for one glass of wine). Tables are close together and restaurant is noisy but we liked the lively atmosphere. Overall very high marks and I'm looking forward to going back.

It felt like being in Italy, especially thanks to a wonderful wine list and the sommelier DAVIDE who gave us excellent advice. Ps. Forza Inter

NOT WORTH IT. Read all of the crappy reviews of this place. THEY ARE ALL TRUE. The manager and leadership team of the restaurant is the worst - they don’t care about customer experience - or any sort of experience. We waited forever to come here - and were so excited. It was a COMPLETE and TOTAL let down. We sat down at the table and our (very odd) waiter explained the entire menu. He disappeared for 15 minutes and returned to take the order. He announced that everything he had described was now not available. There were no pizzas and nothing from the top section of the menu - essentially 7 items eviscerated from the menu. They were also out of two pastas. At an Italian restaurant that is largely pizza and pasta - how do you run out of 50 percent of the menu??? I know - terrible planning and equally awful customer service. The manager is rude - he does not care. The wait staff is odd - 3 people came back to ask about the lackluster overcooked tagliatelle. If you want to wait forever of terrible service, 1/2 of a menu, rude management, and mediocre food - head here. Again NOT WORTH IT. Felix how unbelievably disappointing. Try Gjelina - they will actually serve you a pizza. Better yet head to Bestia where you can get both!

One of the best meals that I have had. Started with Focaccia, Gamberi(shrimp), and peaches with burrata. All were perfect. I have had similar dishes at other restaurants, but the sheer perfection of these was something else. We had three pastas, the Tagliatelle Bolognese, Orchiette with Sausage, and Pesto Trapanese. All were better than the next. Bolognese stood out for me (it was so good that I didn’t have a chance to take a photo until halfway through) but they were all fantastic, . We finished with Tiramisu which was also great. Each thing was consistently so good that it’s hard to pick out the best dishes but this place has to be tried. The level of cooking is insane.

In celebration of completing AP exams had a delicious dinner here with a friend and our teenage sons. Boys all ‘birded’ here we used convenient valet. Good was great - although portions small for hungry teenage boys. Meatballs as a starter were the favourite dish. Good service and really fabulous decor. Want to come back.

Wow! I consider myself somewhat of a foodie. I’ve eaten in a lot of fancy restaurants in various cities around the globe in my 53 years on this planet. However - I can honestly say that I’ve never eaten pasta like this (even in Italy). It’s the Texture! This is much more than a question of the correct al dente cooking time. Something more is going on here. That aside, the accompanying sauce and ingredients were mouth wateringly delicious 😋 I actually feel like I’ve just properly experienced great pasta for the very first time! We started our meal with a swordfish kebab. This was expertly cooked, succulent and very tasty. I could’ve eaten another plate, it was so good! There was not a free table in the house. As soon as one group of diners left, they were quickly replaced by another lot. I’m not surprised. This place is a little gem just minutes away from Venice Beach. Great vibe, cool interior and great service. What a find on our trip to LA! Amazing 🤩

My wife and I came here with no reservation. We waited in the bar area for about 20 mins , cocktail in hand of course, and then a couple left and we sat in front of the bartender in a sunken area. This place gets hot, but whatever. Very crowded and popular, Chef Evan Funke seems to have really found his space to do what he wants. Each pasta is prepared with it's own traditional makings, the right flour, sourced from the place where the pasta originates. A multitude of techniques are happening all at once and must be exceptionally labor intensive. I found the dishes cleaner and less gut-busting, than the first wave of Italian food that still graces Abbott Kinney. Not a great place for groups bigger than 6 in my opinion as the place is so dense but I'm sure they can accommodate whatever you may desire. For couples it's fantastic. Great wine and cocktail selection, and their bar seems to be quite passionate about making their libations. Go for it, but make a reservation if waiting isn't your thing.

Been to many Italian restaurants all over the world and believe me this is one of the best! Food is wonderful and I can’t wait to return when I next visit LA everyone was wowed by the quality and flavours, also the service was fabulous. Highly recommended if you are travelling to LA, book before you visit or you can queue early (before 5 pm they open at 5.30) and hope to get a table.

I am a bit taken aback at the relatively low rank of this restaurant. I would go to the extent of saying that if you are visitng/living in the area around Venice beach and have time for just 1 meal, then this is the restaurnt to go to. Superb food and cocktails, but the surprise package was the Pizza. I almost never order a Pizza in a fine dining restaurant but I was tempted by what was being served on the next table and oh boy....it was simple the best Pizza I have ever had. It was so good that I am going to upload a photo for the first time. This was the Pizza Diavola....one to die for.

Lots of hype about this restaurant some deserved some maybe not. The focaccia bread is amazing, melts in your mouth, crispy on the outside. Perfection. The squash blossoms were cooked perfectly but were a bit bland. The Margherita pizza was very good but nothing special. The best dish was the pasta burro fuso with sage. Excellent.

The restaurant has little charm or atmosphere except loud music. The patio is a little quieter. Radicchio salad was overwhelmed by tangy dressing. Pizza was well composed but thick bready crust which was surprising. Two pastas were leaden with heavy cheese and cream. The one with guanciale (like bacon) was not eaten. Prices high though portions large. If I ever go back, would switch to tomato sauces. Service merely basic. Corkage is very high $75. No ethereal, elegant pastas here.

Felix is the "hot" restaurant of the moment, and our reservation was made a month in advance. Our table was ready a few minutes later than our reservation, which was not what we expected. Saturday night Abbot Kinney is buzzing and lines are normal everywhere. We had a nice corner table and exceptional service and attention. Wine took rather a long time to arrive, but once this was pointed out, the rest of our orders came efficiently. We had several delicious pastas, one delicious pizza, and an average salmon. This is a very nosy busy high energy place, and not for serious conversation so luckily we were all relaxed and enjoyed the dining room and our meal.

OMG! Best Italian food I have had in a while…maybe since Italy! Heirloom Tomato Salad to start(sorry they call it something else) but wow. The tomatoes were amazing, the burrata cheese was fresh! Had a Diovola pizza for appetizer-yum Wife and I shared two pasta dishes. We will be back.

Had an excellent dinner here that took us back to Emilia Romania. The stuffed squash blossoms and octopus to were a great way to start. For the pasta course we had a hard time choosing, but went with the pappardelli and bolongese sauce, and mezzemanche alla tricia, both of which were amazing, especially sitting by the pasta showroom. For the secondi we split the slice of pork shoulder but can't describe how amazing it was. And the focaccia was just out of this world, so fresh, delicate and had such a wonderful flavor. The wine recommended, one of the less expensive bottles, matched everything remarkable well. The entire staff could not be better. From the valet parking attendant to hostess, waitress, server, busboy and everyone else we interacted with treated us like royalty. There wasn't a thing that could be improved. I can't recommend this restaurant too highly. We even were able to get last reservations the night before, but it can be hard to get in without a month's notice.

Excellent, food, service and wine, everything was superb!! Pasta is home made, staff is very knowledgeable and service is excellent. Many different pasta options. The wine pairing they suggested was perfect.

How far the mighty have fallen. So sad to experience this restaurant in decline. The lemon pasta was so tart and lemony it was not edible. The pancetta pasta was so salty I couldn't swallow it. And the salami pasta so spicy it made me sweet. Incredibly noisy and tell me Evan why do you have to charge 75 dollars for corkage. Since you are sold out around the clock do you have to make 75 dollars pure profit to cork a bottle. I think Evan is very busy with his other new stores and hasn't bothered to taste the food here in quite some time. And the prices are just outrageous and not worth it.

The food is really great. I go to Italy almost every summer and Felix delivers better food and ambience than most Italian trattorias. I can't say enough about the food- flavorful, well presented, great variety. It's set up for sharing, which is a really good thing, as it's fun to try the terrific food that comes to the table. Felix is all about pasta. I suggest ordering a appetisers and pasta. The mains seemed less interesting. The pastas had great taste and texture and were perfectly cooked. We had the pulpo with chick peas and the polpette (both great). The pasta with clams and the boglenese as different as can be, and both really good. I am generally not a big fan of tiramisu, but Felix's was delicious and a portion big enough to share. By the way, the breads a also very good. The only problem with Felix is that it's hard to get a reservation. You have to go online as close to midnight as they become available- a pain, but with it.

Best meal we had on our entire LA trip. Great ambiance, great food - we sat at the bar and had great service! Place was packed on a Sunday night - we had a great time. Highly recommend - and a local who lives in Venice brought us there - so locals must love it as well.

Hands down the greatest Italian meal I’ve had domestically! The meatball starter is a culinary marvel, the focaccia romagna is divine, and the papardelle bolognese is insanely delicious. You can’t find better pasta from sea to shining sea. My boyfriend and I purchased Evan’s cookbook in the hopes that we can acquire a tip or two from his bag of tricks. This is an absolute must if you have a chance!!! Ps- the service was a perfect balance of helpful, but non intrusive! Everyone went out of their way to answer questions we asked about the meal. And they properly include a 3% surcharge to provide medical insurance for their staff! A classy move that I love!

Second visit and we loved it. We sat at a table close to the bar. Although we couldn’t see the kitchen, it was a good spot. The place was buzzy and the waiter was informative and friendly. We had panzanella, and the trofie and the tagliatelle. Can’t wait to return as the food was simply elevated and delicious.

It bills itself as authentic Italian but simply making the pasta from scratch doesn’t make it authentic. I stay in Italy a couple months a year every year, from Como to Sicily and everywhere in between - this is not authentic Italian. And if you aren’t a HUGE carnivore there won’t be much for you to eat. Just about everything on the menu is beef or pork, and what isn’t is cooked in pork lard, even the veggies. They only item that wasn’t was the tuna crudo. It was good, but they refused to make me a double portion of it (I’m guessing they probably plate a bunch of them at the beginning of the night and just shove them in a fridge?) and refused to serve the octopus without the pork bits on top (I’m guessing for similar reason 😝 ick). The carrots were warm but as hard as rocks - we couldn’t get out forks into them even, and my husband accidentally sent several flying across the table in an attempt to eat them. Dessert was good. The service was hovering yet unaccommodating. Our server stood about 2 feet behind our table and stared at it the entire time, yet we had to ask several times for basic things like our wine. I wouldn’t go back or recommend to a friend - shame because I was really looking forward to it 😞

Felix Trattoria is incredibly delicious, and has become one of our favorite places for the pasta creations of Chef Evan Funke. We had read a recent article in the Pasta Issue of Saveur, along with the cover photo of Tuscan potato and cheese filled tortelli and another of ricotta filled Cazini with a chile of lamb ragu, and knew we had to try Felix since it was in our backdoor. Felix in Latin means "happy" or "lucky", and we experienced both of these on our Tuesday night visit. I made (or thought I made) a reservation for 5:30 that evening on a new reservation system called "Resy". When we arrived, there were already patrons awaiting the opening. I overheard conversations that one had to book a month in advance, so we felt extremely "lucky". When we checked in, our reservation was not on their books, but the staff was very empathetic and helpful. It turns out the new Resy system give you the first available which was on Tue 10/24 in 3 weeks. They apologized saying this has occurred on several occasions, and best of all, they would accommodate us ~ "happy". The setting and atmosphere is a credit to the detail of Janet Zuccarini a creative and well known restauranteur in Canada who partnered with Chef Evan. It was a foreshadowing of the detail in every dish. Of the creative cocktails, we both had the Beekeeper which was a blend of gin and Islay scotch with a hint of honey ~ very imaginative and good. To say the Sfincione is the best focaccia would be an understatement. Flakey, layered and infused with olive oil and a light amount of Rosemary, it was magnificent. The Rucola salad had a nice balance of goat cheese, beets and nuts. The pork Polpette was on a small bed of pesto which belied its concentration of flavors. Our server Katie from Rhode Island was excellent, and the staff were perfectly coordinated throughout the meal.Unfortunately there were no stuffed pastas that night, but we decided on two including Rigatoni Ameritriciana which had crispy and flavorful guanciale. The delicate tomato sauce infused perfectly into the pasta, making an amazing flavor and feel. The second dish was a gnocchi with shaved mushrooms and truffle which melted in your mouth. They have a very nice wine list, and we enjoyed the Barbera which went perfectly with the pasta dishes. We are not dessert people, but could not pass on the seasonal huckleberry torta della Nona with pine nuts. The dinner and service was perfect. We cannot wait for a return meal at Felix.

If you are near or around Venice beach you must try this place. The only hard part is getting a reservation. This place books 28 days in advance and you have to use a Resy app. BUT once you are thee you are in for an amazing treat. The Foccia is to die for. The pizzas are incredible and taste just like Europe. The homemade hand rolled pastas are one of the best ever tried! Last and by least the desserts are incredible. This place is a must try!

Perfectly cooked cacio e pepe - so happy since the last time they over cooked my pasta. We walked in and were able to get a table. The weather was rainy Tuesday and there was still a line out the door of hopeful people eating for a free spot or cancellation. We had the squash blossoms and a salad, pasta and the to die for focaccia. Barely had room for our entree. So hard not to over eat here!

I'd heard a lot of good things about Felix, and the food was indeed good, but when we showed up (no more than 10 minutes late for our reservation) we were informed that we had a maximum of 2 hours at the table. The service was very slow (not our fault), and when it was finally time for dessert my wife was worried being "kicked out" so she mentioned the time to the server (because she didn't want the server to get in trouble). So the server checked and indeed we were told our "time was up". Seriously! I have a lot of trouble with a restaurant with policies like this. Won't go back.

Fabulous experience, outstanding food, service and atmosphere. Interesting cocktail menu. Handmade pasta you can watch being made and the grilled prawns are mouthwatering.

We went 3 couples. The hostess was horrific, rude and condescending, to the point that I thought we would never want to go back. After we were seated the waiters were fantastic. That for sure made up for the hostess. The food was superb, we had 3 pizzas and 3 pasta dishes for appetizer and the big bone inn steak for all. We loved it. I hope they can do something about the hostess because it really ruins part of the great experience. We would love to be back.

Well I'm the type of man who likes to dress for dinner, lucky for me all the customers here like to do the same. I love this place, it's always busy and they have a lovely selection of wines.

The food is just delicious! We couldn't get a table because we forgot to make a reservation but we sat at the bar. The pizza is just great, we shared one. The pasta is perfectly al-dente and just so tasty. Yes this place is a little more expansive than others but the food was worth every penny (the water is free, even sparkling). We would definitely come back here. Just great!

Yay! In a clear sign of the restaurant experience to come from now on, at Felix you pay full restaurant prices for their factory kitchen to push out volume orders of their menu but in a cold, soggy, mushy mess that is delivered to your door. In a bag. Ingredient kits? At prices the very same as if you sat in their restaurant and they prepared you a hot meal, served it to you and it had the ambiance and entertainment experience that comes with it. Now you merely get sent hugely overpriced ingredients. Much like Amazon fresh would, but at many multiples of its market value. In this latest installment of 'support us during this time' arrogance, today Felix have 'blessed us' with a pork sandwich and have decided they will 'release' these sandwiches at noon, with no advanced ordering, no place to eat and no service. At their convenience, it seems. Yet again, retaining their full restaurant prices. Except in this case they have you standing in line outside their door for an hr in the sun while the increasingly violent Venice homeless that circle their restaurant hit you up and make the experience noteworthy. Felix even have the meatballs to then mandate you provide their staff a minimum 'service' tip %, for crying out loud. How lucky we all are to 'support' Felix during this time..... In consideration of Felix's nauseating arrogance during COVID, I only have one word of comment: Goodbye.

I think that for eating in three ppl 3 pastas one appetizer , a focaccia and a bottle of wine. For a pasta that’s good but not awesome. Isn’t possible to pay so much. I’m Italian and of course I’m not pretending to pay 8us$ for a pasta as in Italy but neither 30$. Pasta is cheap to make also if you use the best ingredients. Location nice employees friendly.

Worst Birthday Dinner Ever! Made reservations and let them know was a birthday and requested a booth for 5pm. Arrived on time, well dressed, hostess seemed miserable and unfriendly. Was seated in worst tiny two top with horribly uncomfortable chairs next to the bar and under the loudspeaker playing obnoxious music. But even worse there was a window into the office next to our table with someone doing paperwork with their desk right up against our table. I wasn’t sure if they were joining us for dinner or I was about to be asked to help with a spreadsheet. On the window ledge was a stuffed rat, gave me the creeps, had other dusty trinkets. What else do they not clean? Ordered a drinks, were served in champagne glasses, drinks were literally half foam. Steak good, potatoes salty, didn’t care for the pasta. Left with a headache! Hated this place.

The six of us were excited to get reservations at Felix for a Saturday night. We arrived on time and found the place was packed. Very popular. We were seated on time and our waitress was friendly and helpful. We started with an order of the focaccia bread. The best we have ever had. We ordered the stuffed squash flowers as an appetizer. They were very delicious. The restaurant is known for its excellent pasta. We decided to order family style so we could have many choices - good idea since their pasta dishes are so varied and special. The knock on the restaurant is their wine list which is full of $200 plus wines, with very few reasonably priced wines to choose from. They do not allow diners to bring in their own wines which is unfortunate. They have a very nice bar with great drinks for those who want a Manhattan cocktail or something very special. The noise level is high so don't come expecting to have a decent conversation at your table. The lighting is very low and the print on the menu is small so bring a flashlight. Valet parking is $10. All in all the restaurant is very good, expensive, and a little pretentious with its overpriced wine list.

I can’t say enough, beyond noting this was my fourth visit, how consistently good this place is. We shared the papardelle, the ala gricia, and the foglie di olive. Each was distinct in its taste and texture profiles and each was simply outstanding. The lines are still long and reservations hard to get, but it is worth the fuss.

We made a reservation on the first day that we could. My wife got up in the middle of the night since reservations start at midnight. We were able to get a reservation but not for the time we wanted. The restaurant is located in a place with little parking so you must valet or come by foot or Uber. When you get there, it is quite noisy but bearable. Don't be late or you will lose the reservation. All that said, the food is amazing. The salads are all good but the dama blanca with apples and fennel was particularly tasty. We shared two pastas, a tagliatelle Bolognese and a rigatoni Amatriciana, both home made as are all the pastas. If you sit close to the pasta kitchen, you can see it being made, even in the evening. We tasted some other pasta dishes, all first rate. The restaurant is only open for dinner, because it is small and they make the pasta fresh everyday. However, it is a great experience and worth the hassle of making a reservation and tolerating some noise. The service is terrific and the staff are very friendly and accommodating. We will definitely return.

We had a "date night" at Felix on a Wednesday night since it is nigh on impossible to get a weekend reservation. The Nonna's room is casual and attractive. Service was attentive, almost overbearingly so as they nearly whisked away our plates before we were done. We ordered: 1) focaccia - pillowy and delicious 2) citrus salad - refreshing 3) a gnocchi-like spinach pasta - mushy 4) cacio e pepe - delicious 5) raspberry crostata - nothing special - crust portion not flaky at all 6) and I had a Negroni - negligible alcoholic content The total bill was $110 plus tip, bringing the cost to $130. While this is certainly not unreasonable for a date night, the portion size, quality, and experience was not worthy of the hype this establishment has engendered.

The food is fantastic and the people overall are nice and accommodating...yet we did feel rushed despite the higher prices being charged for pizza and pasta. I am glad we went, but none of us are in a rush to go back.

We visited as 2 couples and had a really fun night. Good food, good service, cute place on hipster Abbott Kinney Blvd. so I really hate to leave a not so glowing review but, the next day I realized how outrageous the whole concept actually was and I fell for it! There are many hoops to jump through to get a table here (like staying up til midnight to get a reservation 28 days in advance), or you can wait for them to open but there is a line already way early, and the bar area is tiny if you happen to get a teeny table there among all the people standing around you waiting. The prices are really high - $20-$30 for pasta, $20-$36 for an individual sized wood fired pizza and up for main courses. The pastas are smallish and meant to be a first course unless you are light eater. The wine (red) averages $20/glass. We got a bottle of Morrolo for $77 and that was one of the cheaper ones - there are a smattering under $100, most are $115-$350. The mark up on their food is tremendous (pasta, even "homemade" just does NOT cost a lot to make) and then this is the part that really galled me, they charge the customer a HEALTH fee. It's added into the bill (ours was $6.08)but if you ask, you can deduct it so you aren't forced to pay. This goes to pay for health insurance for employees. WHAT???? If you don't pay it you are the terrible person taking health insurance away from hard working employees? I am sure Felix which is booked at capacity every night and charges a lot can eek out health insurance for employees. The waiters don't do so shabby either, with min. wage being $13.25 in LA now and the tips (our table of 4 left $50 and we were there about 1.5 hours). They may purchase health insurance on their own like many other people have to. It's not the amount of $6 I protest it's the concept. All said, I feel ripped off. There are many many many other places to get a great Italian meal for way less money and no extra fees.

We used to love the owner's restaurant in Culver City. His new venue has absolutely nothing to offer to foodies such as ourselves. The food is average, the service is good, much better in fact than the food. The worst was a visit from the Maitre d' who has to return to school and find out how to do his job correctly. Clearly, he has never learned lesson # 1: the customer is always right! He has the nerve to argue with the customer about things he knows nothing about. What a disappointment to think that people don't have the sophistication and knowledge to make the difference from bad to good and are abused in the thinking that this is a good restaurant. Oh, and one more thing the noise is appalling.

Went to Felix off of a recommendation from a friend. Food was great; ordered three pasta dishes and the focaccia. To be honest, food/drinks were too aggressively priced. You can't find a glass of wine for less than $15 and the bolognese was $30 but a small portion. Not to mention, we were told they had a small kitchen and all our plates would come out at different times? Weird thing to say, and proved untrue. For that much money, that shouldn't be a concern. Also, too many workers standing around and pounding on every plate that was empty. Nice gesture but sometimes overwhelming, they were everywhere. Service was good. Also, on the menu it says 3% is added to the total for the workers health benefits, kind of absurd and definitely does not need to be on the menu, with the prices so high. Overall, nice setting and excellent food, just overpriced and things didn't line up with the expected high-end dining.

I am really hard to please when it comes to Roman cuisine, probably because i was born and raised in Rome. We just moved to the LA area and i could not be happier knowing this place is here. I would describe Felix food as authentic as it is back home, maybe even better on some items. We also went twice just to see if we just got lucky the first time, nope, it's just amazing. Everything we had starting from, Fiori di zucca, sfincione, panzanella, burratina e focaccia to Pappardelle, simply perfect. One to Ten rating this place is a 10. See you soon Felix.

Felix is an interesting twist on traditional Italian. Very much a trend setter. Their pizza is absolutely wonderful. Very much like what you would find in Italy. The pasta dishes while very yummy are only so if you are not a stickler for traditional Italian. Pasta while homemade is very different from the homemade pasta my family and paesani have made for generations both here and in Italy. But i think that could be because of the current trend toward a very al dente texture which would have been unheard of in homemade pasta, either here or in Italy, years ago. Desserts were amazing as well. Service, typical of fine restaurants today, is very solicitous. All in all a nice experience.

Love this place that serves up some awesome pasta and Italian cuisine. Loved the Focaccia and the fresh salads, my favorite pasta here was the rigatoni allámatriciana.

A cozy restaurant...the salads were remarkable, and the pasta was out of this world with intense flavors! Homemeade pastas from different regions of Italy. Service was excellent.

Wow on every level! The best pasta in Los Angeles hands down. Atmosphere and service perfect. We loved the squash blossoms and meatball starters. The tagliatelle and Busiati pesto pasta superb. Save room for the tiramisu for desert which is unusual and not too sweet. Loved everything about this place if you are lucky enough to book a table! And shout out to the GM Mathew who was very helpful and professional!

I've been to Felix many times in the past few years and though it was one of the better Italian restaurants in Los Angeles. Unfortunately last night's visit was disappointing. Perhaps things are different since COVID but the quality of the food was just not there. The stuffed squash blossoms are still a perfect appetizer, but I thought they were over-salted. The wonderful pizzas, from what I remember in the past, this time had a gooey-like consistency to the dough and also tasted soggy. Our pastas fared better though I thought the tagliatelle was overcooked and the orchiette dish is much better at Mozza. I also think the new prices on the menu are very steep. $30+ for a pizza or pasta dish is just very steep. Overall, the service was very good and the patio was a nice option for pleasant summer evening but the noise level was quite loud and it really wasn't necessary to also have the music on at the same time. It was difficult to hear my dinner colleagues across the table. I've had some really wonderful meals at Felix in the past. Maybe it was a rough night in the kitchen, but I probably won't be back.

We jumped at the opportunity to go for dinner when a reservation popped up. The service from the hostesses was not great and waiting for our table was rather awkward as it was busy and is smaller place. However, it felt weird when the host asked us to stand by the kitchen to wait for the table- where we were consistently almost bumped into by waiters and other staff and had to shift around a lot. We would have preferred to stand outside, but since we had a reservation we figured we wouldn't wait long (we were wrong). The hosts also weren't communicating well to others when tables were ready, so we felt the need to stay close. Hopefully they can get more organized with respect to this because once we sat down the rest of the experience was great. Our waitress was knowledgable and really friendly and the food was excellent. The house made pasta and wood fired pizza were especially good. However, I don't think there was much that set it apart from other Italian restaurants in the area, so while it was fantastic food, I'm not sure it is the best value in the area.

book your reservation in advance and don't be surprised to see a packed house every night. Homemade pasta small plates/ sharing style so order a few dishes and share the experience felt very welcome and would love to go and try a few more dishes the bread basket is awesome and a good selection of wineEvan Funke was in the house the night we dined and he was nice enough to chat and take a few pictures

First, there's the reservation. It's a month out. C'mon! This is Venice Beach. Tons of cool restaurants. A month out? You relent and book it. Innately curious. Can Felix be worth the wait? You arrive. It's packed. You're seated by the glassed-in pasta making cube. As you watch the female pasta goddess perform her magic, you learn it's the first night the owner Evan is not present. Uh-oh. Will it be less than stellar? You order the focaccia as a test. $7 for focaccia? A month wait for a reservation? The Focaccia arrives unassuming to the table. A big muffin of Focaccia. Covered in Rosemary and salt,. You break it open. The steam hits your face like a wake up call for your palate. You take a bite. Focaccia has now been redefined as an airy, yeasty delight. It is gone. You order fried Zucchini blossoms. They arrive stuffed with Cheese, stalks attached. Rustic, light, perfecto. Then the pasta arrives. After a few bites, you're transformed. Your daughter remarks that this pasta is better than what we had in Rome. You are impressed that a new restaurant, with no owner present, has delivered excellence. A deep sense of satisfaction washes over us. This isn't Rome, it's Venice, California. Our hometown. We can come here any time we want. If we make a reservation a month in advance!

I remember having Evan Funke's food at a pop up at Square One called "This Is not a Pop Up" by two forward looking harbingers of chefs, Helen Springgut & Helena Brown around 2012-2014. These chefs would go on to having their own noted restauarants such as Bruce Kalman of Union, CJ Jacobson of Girasol, Phillip Frankland Lee of Scratch Bar, etc. Even Mark Peel of Campanile, which was already an LA landmark restaurant, was in on the act. Only thing I remember about Chef Funke was that he was the only visiting chef who brought his own entourage of waiters and looked very serious & business-like. I suppose this was like a dress rehearsal to the opening of Bucato in Culver City. Bucato is now closed, and Felix from the word happiness in Latin has risen like a phoenix from the ashes of the former restaurant. Felix has a glassed in room that features Chef Funke handmaking paste. Although on our night, he was out of the restaurant due to a charity event w/ other noted LA chefs. The place was packed on a Wednesday w/ hyped up press from LA Weekly & for me, a personal recommendation from Chef Austin Cobb of Strand House where I did a vertical wine tasting featuring Opus One wines 2011-2013. The Felix menu emphasizes the paste making abilities of the chef & so there are only 4 secondi/main dishes. 1) Cavolfiori Fritti: big flowerettes of steamed cauliflower that seem dipped in yogurt, covered with salty, herbed finely powdered flour then fried. The flour gets mildly crispy while the cauliflower is soft & creamy. Taste of the frying oil is fresh & sweet. 2) Rigatoni all'Amatriciana: big, hollow, chewy, al dente pasta w/ longitudinal micro-ridges to soak up more of the fatty, porky, bacony Guanciale (goo ahn chee ah leh) with a light glazing of acidic Pomodoro/tomato and milky, gamy Pecorino Romano cheese. 3) Pappardelle: extra wide ribbons of thick pasta which is chewy yet pillowy. Ragu Bolognese "Vecchia Scuola/old school" which has rough ground beef which really tastes meaty in a mostly brown meat sauce. Scattering of Parmigiano Reggiano from Parma aged 48 months added that slight funky, creamy, fermented cheesiness. Such an appropriate combination considering Parma & Bologna are both in Emilia-Romagna (roh mahn yah) region of central Italy. Sampled a soupcon of table mate's: 4) Orecchiette which means small ears due to their shape. They were soft, velvety, not so al dente in a porky sausage, tomato-meat sauce w/ touch of Broccoli di Cicco/standard supermarket broccoli, Pepperoncino/chile peppers, translucent thin slices of Canestrato/hard sheep & goat Southern Italian Pecorino cheese. 5) Busiati: thick spiral pasta in Sicilian Pesto Trapanese (trah pah neh zeh) which is made of tomato, basil, capers, almonds, garlic, chile, olive oil. The spiral pasta holds on to the pesto for a bracing fresh green herbal basil predominating. Shreds of Pecorino Siciliano (see chee lee ah noh) adds the dairy aromatics. 1-5a) Burlotto Pelaverga, 2016 Piedmonte is from a Pelaverga, a varietal I have never heard of in the land of mostly Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto. Light garnet red. Scents of Black pepper, black fruit, green bell pepper. Tastes of light cherry, acidic, touch peppery, woody, green stick. Finish is refreshingly tart, tongue tingly, black fruit 6) Budino di Nocino (noh chee noh) which "Nocino is a sticky dark brown liqueur from the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is made from unripe green walnuts. After steeping in spirit, the walnuts are removed and the now-black alcohol is mixed with simple syrup. Nocino has an aromatic, but bittersweet, flavor." Nocino is used in the Pot de Crème/pudding, some salt is added as a contrast to the creamy sweetness. Big dollop of Crème Chantilly. Candied, roasted crunchy walnuts is a good textural contrast. 6a) Espresso was a good bitter foil to the creamy sweetness of the Budino. I find that I may like the sophisticated, more refined paste at Factory Kitchen in DTLA by Chef Auriano a bit better... such as Mandilli di Seta, Casonsei, Croxetti Stampati, but imo, the paste at Felix is a close second in Los Angeles. Despite the SRO crowd, service was efficient & sensible. Kate was cheerful, helpful, informative.

Probably the best pasta in town and the rest of the food is good too. We were 4 and shared a range of starters - the meatballs are very good - and then had pizza (lovely) and individual pastas. The pastas ended up being passed around as we tried to convince each other that ours was was best. The unofficial winners were the orecchiette and the rigatoni but all were really good. We saved room for dessert and the tiramisu was heavenly. Excellent wine list with some hidden gems at reasonable prices.

Yep, Felix is the restaurant of the year, winner of many mentions for best food along with best pasta. But let's face it, we come to Italian joints to eat pasta and pizza, drink wine and talk. Here the buzz is so loud you can barely hear yourself talking and the joint isn't even that big (bar seats 6 and a dozen or so tables). Menu is short and sweet with no daily specials. Bruschetta is a must and much better than their pizza. The pastas are homemade and you can watch the pasta maker in action. But alas, the sauces are so rich, you cannot each much and this goes for most entrees as they love to use pork shoulder, sausage and plenty of butter. Only fish on the menu is swordfish and that is average. We had a couple apps, their famous deep fried zucchini filled with cheese and fried pork meatballs. Be careful, both are over the top rich. There also are no veggies on the menu although the salad options are very good. Recommend both the apple salad and their take on the Caesar, both big enough to share. Wine list mostly Italian and expensive. As other reviewers have noted, very difficult to get a reservation due to all the publicity it has received. If you love at the moment restaurants, rich Italian and lots of noise, check Felix out.

Hands down the best meal we had in LA. Everything was delicious, really friendly service, beautiful dining room. Highly recommend!

Great food and ambience. The food quality was superb and service was good. Enjoyed the authenticity of the Italian food. Hopefully will be able to get back here as you need to book in advance!

This restaurant is a bit overrated. Overall is good and service are nice, but not outstanding. No single dish is memorable. But price tends to be on the high side. For Italian, better to Bestia!

Very nice place, professional and courteous staff. But the real quality is the really good food: we ate very well, there was not a single course that was not excellent. I can definitely say that there are few places in Italy where you eat so well

We went with another couple who claimed this was one of the most highly rated restaurants in Los Angeles! They told us it takes more than a month to get a reservation and to skip lunch that day because the amount of food was overwhelming! We had a Monday night reservation and my first impression was that the noise level was deafening. We were seated at a table literally on top of the neighboring table. Forget about the idea of talking with the other couple over dinner! We had a squash blossoms appetizer which was okay. We ordered pasta dishes which had an underwhelming amount of food on the plate! We went home hungry and were shocked at the cost of the meal based on the portions provided. Next time I will do the research and pick a more satisfying and affordable restaurant where you can carry on a conversation over dinner!

Some restaurants do not deliver on all the hype but Felix delivered an enjoyable meal. I knew with a line for walk-ins before opening on a Wednesday night this place had to be at least decent. Servers were very competent and attentive without hovering. Felix has some fun cocktails blended well and various takes on the classics. The ice branding, while gimmicky, is just pretty fun to watch and adds something to the experience. My pasta was not over or undercooked and the cracked pepper elevated the entire dish. Wines matched well with the meals. Two drinks and a dish will set you back, but you have to expect that it would. Definitely would return.

I have no idea how this place is such a hot spot. I went there recently b/c it was listed as one of the hottest new places to go eat. The appetizers were good but the entrees were very bland. Maybe I got the wrong pastas? Not sure if I would go there again.

This hip spot has excellent Italian fare. Happening restaurant with great service, good cocktails and very good pasta make this a must in Abbot Kinney. We don’t often have pasta but this was truly great pasta and overall this is a very good restaurant.

What can you say about this year's hottest new restaurant except for my taste buds some of the the hype is misplaced. Sure there were fantastic hand made pastas, really tasty, fantastic. Probably the best dishes served at Felix. Different shapes, great textures and flavors. Then there was everything else. The dishes with sauce or dressing were served so over drenched that these dishes were off putting. Salads, appetizers etc. The pizza's were good, not great. One of our 3 pizzas was undercooked. Yet this place rocks. The busiest new restaurant in L. A. Service was good, everyone is helpful and cheerful. I'll revisit in a few months.

The best Italian restaurant in LA! Best bread, pasta and wine available. Service is always impeccable.

Delicious dinner. We arrived here by accident during our holiday on the westcoast of the US. A very nice surprise discovered during our visit to Venice Beech. As a Belgian family we know how to appreciate Italian food. The pasta was al dente as it should be. The prices however were again extremely expensive. But this is how it is here: if you want to eat well as in Europe, you need to spend a lot of money…

Having avoided Bucato due to its senseless photography policy, though nonetheless intrigued by Chef Evan Funke’s old-world approach to Italian traditions, it was as a party of seven that reserved seats were filled at Felix Trattoria on Black Friday, a bypassing of the Walk-in line quickly placing guests in a rounded alcove with full view of the Bar and Pasta Room. Open since April 2017 and still one of Southern California’s hottest tickets, the fanciful digs on Abbot Kinney and a moneyed local crowd assuring a packed house seven days a week, it was while waiting to check in at 5:30pm that Chef Funke was first seen at the pass before entering the room hashtagged #fyourpastamachine, he and one assistant taking turns kneading, stretching and cutting Dough of various sizes. Not sticking to one specific region despite Evan’s training in Bologna, the menu instead traveling North, South, East and West while utilizing a combination of Organic Californian Produce plus imported ingredients from Italy, it was after lengthy perusal that a dozen savories were selected, Felix’s Instagram-famous Sfincione arriving shortly and glistening with Olive Oil plus crunchy flecks of Sea Salt added for texture. Predictably an expensive Restaurant, the real estate and product both prime while service is guaranteed an additional 24% by way of Auto-grat plus Health Care surcharge on top of the bill plus 10% sales tax, it was after a brief pause that three Appetizers arrived, the Ricotta-stuffed Squash Blossoms enjoyable but in no way worth $5.10 each while compact Meatballs with a rich porky sapor and oblong Arancini were amongst the best of their kind, the latter especially thanks to bits of Jowl adding flavor to the Rice. Told not to sleep on Felix’s Pizza, $34.32 all-inclusive making the Mortaio possibly America’s most pricey Neapolitan, suffice it to say that for those who don’t *need* Tomato Sauce these 12-inches somehow seem like a bargain beneath lemon-slicked Ricotta, Pistachios and Pork while the first two Pastas attested to Funke’s time and effort with the Sardinian Gnocchi offering a proper foil to tomato-y Ragu while ribbons of Pappardelle cooked al dente stand up to Bolognese Meat stew and plenty of aged Parmigiano Reggiano. Moving on to a second round of Pasta, the Secondi not nearly as intriguing despite their price, it was in proper Potato Gnocchi that the evening’s next stunner was found as Dumplings might have floated away if not for their Oxtail anchor, the double-fried Potatoes and bold Broccoli fine but really just taking up space better saved for $30.17 Cacio e Pepe or Carbonara that would have benefitted from less Salt but was otherwise texturally masterful. Finishing sweet with half of the Trattoria’s six Desserts, one a Fruit Tart and another silky Pudding, it would be hard to call any “great” since there are better versions of each found elsewhere, but for those who prefer their Tiramisu with a lot of booze the large bowl offers plenty without being “wet” thanks to the well-made sponge and whipped Mascarpone.

Loved Felix. Make a reservation a month in advance and be delighted you are going here! This was our final meal of our trip and it was phenomenal. The sfincione / focaccia is the best I have ever tasted. Desperately searching recipes now I am home and craving it. Opted for the pappardelle ragu which was truly delicious and shared some of the squash blossom to start. Service was great, everyone was really friendly and we were sat near the pasta making area, so dinner entertainment too. Would recommend to anyone who loves Italian food.

Well executed dishes. Hand made pastas were the highlight of the menu. Clean, simple but vibrant sauces. Cocktails were very good. Extensive wine list. Beautiful restaurant. Energetic room, without being too loud. Very good service. Should be 5 stars but 1) we had a late reservation (which we were very fortunate to get because we just booked that afternoon) and they ran out of many items on the menu, 2) our lamb was under done and 3) only one dessert left, which was just ok, so the meal experience seemed to peter out after the pasta course. Hopefully, next time we will reserve for an earlier time.

The service and food at this lovely restaurant are both impeccable. We had a leek appetizer that was perfectly prepared and two pasta dishes that were equally delicious. We sat at the bar (it's hard to get a table w/o reservations) and the staff was friendly and informative. The bartender gave us some great suggestions for both food and wine. We tried to two of the suggested Italian white wines and loved both - not too sweet and perfect pairings for our entrees. This is a new "must do" spot on Abbott Kinney.

Worth the wait outside to grab seat at the bar, each time I visit Venice beach. Amazing wine list especially the Italian whites. Even though I do not eat Gluten, whenever I am at Felix I splurge with Casio e Pepe, so good you want to lick bottom of plate. I recommend all the Antipasti especially the Fiorillo di Zucca and Burrata. I have never made it past these to sample any of the main courses.

Everything was very fresh. Each dish was perfectly prepared and served hot. The Polpette were served in a salsa verde and a touch of parm reggiano which gave a bit of saltiness. The fiori di zucca with sheep’s milk ricotta were crispy and creamy. Grilled Pólipo (octopus) served on a bed of salmoriglio (Sicilian sauce of olive oil, lemon, parsley & oregano) and ceci (chickpeas) was so tender. The cacio e pepe was the best I’ve had since eating it in Rome. Al dente, and magical. The tiramisu was undoubtably the best I’ve had. It looked like a “black & white” in a chilled ramekin. Bella!

Everything was wonderful here. The waiter was attentive and informative. The homemade pastas and pizza were all excellent. The lemon linguine pasta had the right amount of tartness to keep on stimulating the taste buds. The busiate has an interesting texture and paired very well with the pistachio pesto. The tagliatelle in the bolognese was a safe choice for our table. Overall, it was a great chance to try different pasta textures and sauces.

The hostess with the least! We had a reservation and wanted to find a table away from the worst of the din. She had no authority to change the table and wanted us to fight our way back to the host station each time. Hey, she's the hostess and should do the legwork! Settled at last on a banquette in the main, extremely noisy room, it was near impossible to hear the waitress's recommendations. We ordered to share: squash blossoms, pasta, and rib eye to share. All were very good and we had a good view of the guys making pasta in the glass enclosed workspace in the dining room. No complaints about the food, just not willing to put up with rude hostess and dreadful dining room din.

Better than Bestia, definitely better than the vegan place a half block away that copied the styles of Felix's logo. And you will pay dearly. $24 a glass for wine, for example. And $48 for the mushroom and truffle pasta dish. But so amazing. The focaccia bread was decent, very salty. The French green dish was interesting, as it was cold, but the pesto dressing was fantastic and tasted better every bite. The Strangolapreti Gnocchi “Priest Stranglers” with the mushrooms was literally melt in your mouth. And the squash blossoms were fried in the lightest tempura batter with a very soft and creamy cheese inside. Wow! But the best was the desert... pistachio ice cream. Heavenly. Great service. Very upbeat vibe.

Our party was very impressed with the zuchini flower dish which was beautiful and delicious. Otherwise it was a disappointing dinner with pasta that was good but not at all of the excellence I expected.

We are New Yorkers who eat a lot of Italian. This place was very authentic, great bar, wonderful service.

Do not think: another Italian Restaurant. This place is pure pleasure. The focaccia, all pastas, the burrata with white pizza, all dishes will take you to the moon. On top it is located in a lively neibourghood in Venice. Not to miss if you are in LA.

Loved our dinner at Felix. The rosemary focaccia was so light and airy. The squash blossoms with ricotta -- delicious. The pizza -- some of the best I have ever had. The pasta and steak- both mouth-watering, just thinking about them! And yes, we even had dessert!! Overall - an amazing meal with great service. The room, too, is beautiful!! Highly recommended!

I am always somewhat sceptical when people are raving extremely about places and use phrases like "best ever". But as I was taking a friend from Germany to Abbott Kinney anyway, we wanted to give Felix a try. Having arrived at 6 pm​, we were immediately seated on a "communal table" - fine with us. Great location, great design all the way through the bathrooms​, immaculate service* Focaccia melts in your mouth, peach & burrata dish was fresh and exceptional, and pasta​ and pizza were fantastic. True, the place is pricey​ and the pasta portions are rather on the small side. However, we took the servers advice - if you are first timers, share some stuff. So we had both bread versions, the burrata, the spaghetti al limone and the pizza Diavolo​ - and shared it between the three of us. I am a pretty good eater, so for me, the pasta portion would not do alone, but after having shared the bread, we were well fed, but did not feel stuffed. Over $20 for pasta and pizza seems​ high, but the quality is exceptional and we the way were sat we could watch Chef Evan making fresh pasta - really really labour intensive - and that clearly resulted in a spectacular dining experience - which, for $130 incl. tax and tip​ was absolutely worth it. * I want to come back to the service: I sort of came to peace​ with the fact that especially in much-hyped places like this servers see themselves "ranked" above their patrons, not bothering to wait and rather cut into a conversation if they want something. Not here. They patiently waited next to the table for us to address them - very much appreciated! Would I go again? Absolutely. Would I make a 30+ min detour to go? Yes. So again, this is a hyped place - you may want to make a reservation and have a bigger budget than a usual pasta/ pizza dinner. If you even go for fish - the branzino the guys shared sitting next to us was $65, but it looked finger-linking good. I recommend going early: after seven the place was really packed - and a tad to loud for me, especially if you would go with friends (for the three of us, it was OK)

Reserved at 12:05 am exactly 28 days in advance because by 9am everything was booked. We felt special when we arrived since we passed a long line of non-reservees as we were shown to our table. Wait staff was very nice and helpful and patient as we made decisions. Famous movie celebrity nearby. Good wine selection but at around $20 for a 6oz pour I wish I had brought my own. No free bread, but focaccia was delicious and buttery. It did have rosemary all over it which we don’t like - but being in LA, they will not make a single modification to the food. We also started with the delicious squash blossoms, which were lightly deep fried and had a nice creamy cheese center. There’s no doubt the chef knows his way around pasta. The pappardelle bolognese was excellent but at $26 for a small portion you have to eat slowly to make it last. Same with the carbonara - exquisite pasta but eat it slowly so the $26 charge is worth it. My wife and I each had balls of chopped spinach salad with porcini mushrooms and (a lot of) shaved black truffles. Yum!! Definitely worth more than the $26 dishes, but at $48 per dish we wanted more. One piece of delicious flourless chocolate cake which four of us shared. The bill was $300 and we were hungry when we left. Overall verdict? We were treated very well. Bring your own wine! Terrific pasta, which is definitely an art to make well. Good desserts. Wish they’d serve bread. Like we feel about many LA restaurants, we’d encourage them to be a little more accommodating to individual tastes. And at $300 we shouldn’t leave hungry.