21 Best Restaurants To Eat Pasta In Los Angeles
Italian cuisine is easily one of the most popular cuisines in the world. After all, who doesn't love pasta? Pasta is so versatile and has universal appeal. It can be a vehicle for so many different sauces, from fresh pomodoro to creamy carbonara, and you can enjoy it with everything from beef to clams to eggplant. Pasta is now ubiquitous in countless restaurants throughout the country, and every municipality has its fair share of can't-miss Italian restaurants, whether they're old school red sauce joints or fine dining fixtures. Los Angeles is no different — there are more than 900 Italian restaurants in the City of Angels, so it can be difficult to decide where to go for the very best pasta in town.
I've been writing about the Los Angeles food scene since 2007 and have eaten my fair share of pasta in LA, both at casual, family-owned restaurants and at upscale establishments. One thing is for sure: there is a lot of excellent pasta here. I've rounded up several restaurants in Los Angeles where you can count on and incredible bowl or plate, whether it's a classic Bolognese, velvety cacio e pepe, or even some of the rarest pasta shapes and sauces in the world.
Antico Nuovo
Chef Chad Colby's Antico Nuovo is an upscale Italian spot that hides unexpectedly in a Koreatown strip mall. While the wood-fired hearth is the star of Antico Nuovo's kitchen, the pasta is impeccable and not to be missed. The menu at Antico Nuovo only has a handful of pasta options, but you can't go wrong with any of them.
The classic Bolognese here is made with beef cheek and veal tongue, but you'll also find the small and delicate plin filled with rabbit meat. One of the more unique pasta shapes here is foglie d'ulivo, a green pasta shaped like olive leaves, which is served with fire-roasted squab and olives.
4653 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 510-3093
Union
This restaurant in Old Town Pasadena is one of the best overall places to eat in Pasadena, Italian or otherwise. That is in large part due to Union's great pastas. Union serves Northern Italian cuisine through a California lens with locally sourced ingredients.
A crowd favorite at Union is the cacio e pepe, served with tonnarelli pasta and topped with a vibrantly orange 63-degree egg. Other hits from the menu include the squid ink lumache pasta, which comes with Maine lobster, fennel, lemon and truffle butter, and the torchetti, a twisted pasta served with a boldly-flavored Calabrese pork ragu, housemade ricotta, and fried rosemary.
37 Union St, Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 795-5841
Osteria Mozza
Osteria Mozza is one of the restaurants from James Beard-winning chef Nancy Silverton. There's a lot to love at Osteria Mozza, from its mozzarella bar to its handmade pastas. There are a dozen pasta options on the menu, from pici — a hand-rolled pasta from Tuscany served with tomato, basil, and garlic — to agnolotti in a sauce of butter and sage.
Like all Silverton's restaurants, the menu at Osteria Mozza changes seasonally, though there are some signature items that always remain. The best way to experience the seasonality, though, is to book the five-course pasta tasting menu, which includes four pasta dishes (plus a dessert) and is available Monday through Thursday only.
6602 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 297-0100
Jame
A husband-and-wife owned restaurant, Jame Enoteca is a neighborhood spot from a chef who has honed his skill at Michelin three-starred restaurants. Chef Jackson Kalb has gone on to open quite a few more restaurants around town, but this enoteca, which opened in 2018, was where it all started.
The menu features hand-rolled pastas that are made fresh every day using a blend of Italian and domestic wheat flours and pasture-raised eggs. Classics like spicy rigatoni alla vodka and capellini in tomato sauce (that takes 36 hours to make) are can't-miss, and there's typically also one featured pasta that showcases seasonal produce, like peas in the spring and sweet corn in the summer.
241 Main St, El Segundo, CA 90245
(310) 648-8554
Marino
Marino may not be currently as famous as other restaurants on this list, but it has been around since the 1950s and quietly serving the who's who in Hollywood from John Wayne to Frank Sinatra. Marino is now operated by the second generation of the Marino family, and this hidden gem combines that friendly Italian hospitality, classic Italian dishes and seasonal California produce.
There's homemade pasta stuffed with celery root and topped with freshly shaved black truffles, while the pappardelle is served in a ragu made with pheasant, cocoa and grappa. The linguine alle vongole and the lasagna verde are both signature classics on Marino's menu that have remained for decades.
6001 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 466-8812
Colori Kitchen
A small and casual family-owned spot in downtown Los Angeles, Colori Kitchen has been feeding Angelenos with affordable, classic Italian dishes since 2006. Chef Luigi Barducci Contessi had worked at another Italian spot in the city before opening Colori Kitchen with his wife. The intimate neighborhood restaurant has all the makings as a local favorite: unpretentious, generous portions, and good food.
You can find more than a dozen pasta options here starting at $16, including quite a few vegetarian options like the spaghetti al pesto. Try chef Luigi's signature pumpkin-stuffed ravioli, served in a creamy walnut sauce, or try the classic spaghetti with homemade meatballs. This is a pasta list, but the cioppino is also worth ordering.
2019 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 622-5950
Bestia
Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis opened Bestia in 2012 down a dark alleyway in the Arts District, and the restaurant has been packed ever since. Bestia is much more than its pasta dishes, but the handmade pastas are definitely worth ordering, as Menashe has honed his pasta skills working at Angelini Osteria.
One of the mainstay dishes at Bestia is the cavatelli alla norcina, which is served with pork sausage and black truffles — but the best way to experience Bestia is with a group so you can order more than one. There's duck-stuffed spinach ravioli or a tagliatelle made with buckwheat served with mushroom ragu.
2121 E 7th Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 514-5724
Cento Pasta Bar
Cento Pasta Bar started as a pop-up but it became popular enough that it now has a permanent location in West Adams. Cento's pasta menu continuously rotates out with about half a dozen options each night, but there are a couple of standouts that never leave the menu.
The pink beet spaghetti with brown butter topped with whipped ricotta is both Instagrammable and delicious, but don't miss the spicy pomodoro rigatoni. The pasta gets its kick from Calabrian chili and it's topped with ricotta and a dollop of basil oil. There is a lovely patio for outdoor dining but guests dining inside can see the efficient work of the pasta chefs.
4921 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016
(323) 998-0404
Civico 2064
Civico 2064 is the LA outpost of the popular San Diego restaurant, Civico 1845. The menu leans heavily on dishes from Calabria, where the two brothers who run the restaurant are from. A star of the pasta menu is the linguine con vongole e bottarga. The use of bottarga is traditional in Calabria but rarely found stateside, and Civico's clam sauce is much more concentrated and savory than you'd normally find here.
Another traditional Calabrian pasta is tagliatelle della sila made with Italian porcini mushrooms, homemade fennel sausage and 'nduja. Civico 1845 was the first to offer a full Italian-vegan section of the menu, and the LA Civico also maintains that offering.
2064 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 284-8483
Stella
The two-story Italian restaurant Stella in West Hollywood offers some pasta dishes rarely found in other Italian restaurants in the U.S. For one, it serves su filindeu (which translates to "threads of God"), a thread-like pasta from one village in Sardinia dubbed the rarest pasta in the world.
Many of the other rare pastas on Stella's menu also hails from Sardinia, like lorighittas, a circular, braided pasta that here is served with squid from California's Monterey Bay. Of course, Stella doesn't serve purely a Sardinian menu. There's also cresc'tajat from the Marche region, traditionally made using leftover polenta. Pasta aside, the rest of Stella's menu is equally stellar, from the grilled mozzarella Iberico pork pluma.
8899 Beverly Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90048
(213) 916-0996
Colapasta
At Colapasta in Santa Monica, chef Stefano De Lorenzo makes fresh pasta daily and sources local ingredients from the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Combined with an affordable price point, the restaurant earned a spot on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list four years in a row.
Colapasta serves pasta from different regions of Italy, which are clearly noted on the menu so guests can learn more about the origin of the food they're eating. There's casunziei from the Dolomiti region, a half-moon shaped ravioli made with beets and served with brown butter and poppy seeds. There's the Vesuvian colonne di Pompeii, which is an extra long fusilli pasta — here it's served in a spicy arrabiata sauce.
1241 5th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 310-8336
Hippo
A California-Italian spot in Highland Park, Hippo is fun, lively and casual, but it's serious about its food. Hippo makes its pastas fresh by hand every day and keeps its menu seasonal. In the fall and winter you may find butternut squash stuffed cappellacci with brown butter and sage, while in the summer the pasta is stuffed with sweet corn.
This is one of those places you go to with friends where there's always something for everyone. There are lighter pastas, like herbed ricotta tortelloni in a tomato sugo, and heavier ones like tagliatelle with pork ragu. Whichever kind of meal you're craving, Hippo delivers.
5916 1/2 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042
(323) 545-3536
Pasta Sisters
A family-owned restaurant that first opened in 2015, Pasta Sisters proves to be one of the most affordable places to get good pasta in the city, with prices on pasta dishes that start at $15. The restaurant keeps things casual and affordable with counter service.
All the pasta at Pasta Sisters is made in-house every morning, and customers can mix and match the pasta with the different sauces the restaurant offers. Choose from five pasta shapes like tagliatelle, pappardelle, or gnocchi, then pick one of a dozen sauce options. I personally enjoy the black truffle butter, but the menu also offers pesto, porcini mushrooms, Bolognese and more. The restaurant usually also has one seasonal special pasta as well, like pumpkin gnocchi for the fall.
Multiple locations
Uovo
The team behind Uovo believes pasta produced in Italy is superior for many reasons — including a type of egg that's only available in Italy and especially great for pastas — so the pasta served at Uovo is handmade in Bologna, Italy and flown to Los Angeles every day. There are quite a few pasta options on the menu, from tonnarelli amatriciana to pork-filled tortellini in a cream of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Despite all the overnight flights involved in getting the pasta in, the price is surprisingly affordable. Uovo offers pasta dishes starting at $17 and five-course tasting menus that start at $34 per person, which I would recommend since one of my favorite pastas, tagliatelle in truffle sauce, is only available as part of the Cheese & Truffle tasting menu.
Multiple locations
Rossoblu
Rossblu's menu is inspired by Chef Steve Samson's childhood summers which he spent in Bologna with his grandparents. Samson previously worked as the executive chef at the legendary Valentino in Santa Monica before opening his own restaurant with his wife, Dina.
Go early if you want to try the signature pasta, tortellini in crema, which comes in a rich Parmigiano-Reggiano crema. Don't forget to keep an eye out for the seasonal specials like the maltagliati with dandelion greens and mushrooms, or gramigna, a coiled pasta served with rapini. Of course, you can't go wrong with the classic tagliatelle with pork and beef ragu.
1124 San Julian St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 749-1099
Mother Wolf
Chef Evan Funke has built an empire with his traditional handmade pastas, starting with Felix Trattoria and most recently opening Funke in Beverly Hills (not counting Mother Wolf in Las Vegas). Between the two openings, Funke also opened Mother Wolf, a glitzy (and very pink) restaurant in the historic Citizen News building in Hollywood.
Mother Wolf focuses specifically on the cuisine of Rome, and that includes the nine pasta options on the menu. The pasta options are smaller than at Felix, but they're still a solid list that lean on the classics like tonnarelli cacio e pepe, rigatoni all'amatriciana, and mezzi rigatoni (a smaller version of rigatoni) alla carbonara.
1545 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 515-1077
Pasta|Bar
Pasta|Bar is a Michelin one-starred restaurant that only offers a 12-course tasting menu centered around pasta. Not all of the 12 courses are pasta, of course, but quite a few are. The $245-per-person experience starts with a welcome cocktail at the front bar before being escorted into the main dining room. There are usually at least four pasta courses throughout the dinner. There may be a ravioli or agnolotti course, filled with a seasonal ingredient which can vary from crab to sunchoke to duck confit.
The food at Pasta|Bar isn't strictly Italian either, but absorbs the many cultural influences present in Los Angeles. There may be cavatelli in a mole poblano sauce, or another pasta may be served in a Japanese style dashi.
16101 Ventura Blvd #255, Encino, CA 91436
(818) 208-1805
Angelini Osteria
Gino Angelini opened Angelini Osteria in 2001, bringing the regional cuisine of Emilia-Romagna to Los Angeles. It was a pioneering restaurant that truly felt like dining in Italy and 23 years later, the osteria is still going strong. Over the years Angelini has trained chefs like Ori Menashe who went on to open their own successful restaurants.
The house-made pastas are not to be missed, including Angelini's famous lasagna verde — a spinach lasagna inspired by Angelini's grandmother that made this restaurant considered to be one of the best places to get lasagna in the U.S. When in season, the simplest pastas become vehicles for luxurious ingredients here, like Santa Barbara sea urchin and Alba white truffles.
7313 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 297-0070
Osteria Mamma
This neighborhood Italian restaurant just celebrated its 14th anniversary, so you know it's doing something right. Osteria Mamma is a family-run restaurant that focuses on food from northern Italy. Initially helmed by Loredana "Mamma" Cecchinato who passed away in 2017, the restaurant is now led by her son, Filippo Cortivo, who keeps true to Mamma's recipes.
There are quite a few pasta options on the menu, categorized as vegetarian, seafood, and meat so guests can easily choose based on their dietary needs. Spinach pappardelle is served with a ragu of duck, while the Bolognese recipe is made using a blend of pork, beef and veal.
5732 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 284-7060
Felix Trattoria
Felix Trattoria is Chef Evan Funke's temple of pasta. Entering Felix, guests are greeted by the glass-covered pasta kitchen so they can see the process of the chefs handmaking the pasta. The pasta menu at Felix derives from different regions of Italy, as Funke calls himself a culinary storyteller of the pasta traditions of Italy.
One of the more famous pasta dishes at Felix is the trofie, a twisted pasta served with pesto Genovese, but this is also the place to try other pasta dishes you may not be familiar with, like the spaghettoni with anchovies and bread crumbs, or strangulet, an obscure pasta shape from Calabria.
1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
(424) 387-8622
Novikov Beverly Hills
The first West Coast outpost of Novikov, the multi-concept London-based restaurant that now has locations in Ibiza, Miami and more, Novikov in Beverly Hills is an upscale Italian restaurant that's been drawing the glitzy Beverly Hills crowd since opening in June of 2024. The pastas are made in-house each day, from the spinach ravioli to the gnocchi.
Some dishes get the lux treatment here, with Bolognese that's made with wagyu and a tagliatelle with lobster and tomato that comes with an entire lobster (the dish serves two). The a la carte menu at Novikov isn't cheap, but the restaurant offers a three-course set lunch menu for just $36 (which of course, includes pasta as main course options).
257 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 300-0090