Bruno’s

Bruno’s is like visiting a mom & pop restaurant in Italy. Located around the corner from the Santa Monica pier the place seats about 50 people in a combination of red leather booths and tables. There is a small patio out back. This is the place for delicious, authentic Italian cuisine.
The Shrimp Fra Diavola with Linguini was very tasty, not to spicy. The 8 shrimp were cooked perfectly and matched with a superb tomato sauce. The Spaghetti and meat sauce was also a winner. A nice balance of meat to sauce. Dinner is served with a loaf of crusty bread. Service was prompt and friendly. Bruno stopped by the table after dinner and we offered him our thanks for a great meal.

Tried this place based on Unilocal reviews and it was definitely worth it! Great food and great service! Even my kids, who can be picky, thought it was amazing!

This place is an old school Italian joint. We are Italian and I on occasion make my own pasta, ravioli and gnocchi. My kids loved the pizza. The Caesar salad was great. My husband, son and I shared the veal Marsala and lasagna. The sauce was a thick sweet red sauce that was really, really good. I felt like I went to a family Sunday meal. Inexpensive and the owners are great! Delish

Modest place with tasty food. I had the chicken Marsala and the chicken breast and the sauce were both flavorful. The marinara was tasty too. Service was very good and food came out promptly and was fresh.

Their. Pizza. Dough. Perfect! Just like NYC /​NJ! Finally found an authentic pizza place in Cali! They don’t do slices, but I’d recommend the individual pies– it’s like getting 2ish slices. Can’t finish it? Have it cold, for breakfast the next day! Do yourself a favor and come here

As usual, a nice home cooked meal in a restaurant.
The couple who runs the place are so welcoming and nice. Like a nice Nonna feeding you.
Got the carbonara and shrimp in red sauce. Decent food, not spectacular or innovative, but that’s what we were looking for… a nice easy meal.
Parking is a pain, so you may need to look for a bit to see what is close by.
Santa Monica and the Westside doesn’t have many decently priced, solid Italian made by real people (vs a chain restaurant with stock dishes), so although it’s not the best around, definitely a place to frequent for a regular everyday meal.

I’m a big fan of mom & pop dining establishments, and Bruno’s fits the bill and did not fail in their quest to provide great simply made food.
Bruno’s is not fancy my any means, but the taste of the food, the friendliness of the server and the warmness of the owner make it a great place for Italian food right close to the Pier.
Before the meal the owner came over and chatted for a little bit, and that really made us feel welcome. He said just let him know if we needed anything. That is a sign of an owner who takes pride in his work, his food and his staff.
We started off with a nice freshly made antipasto, which was of good size for two diners to share. I had the chicken parmigiana, and it was very, very nice. The sauce was very tasty, and the accompanying pasta was cooked to perfection. My wife had the eggplant parmigiana which was fine as well.
Our server, America, was so friendly. She is a true asset to Bruno’s. I would most certainly eat at Bruno’s. Try it, you’ll like it!

This restaurant has horrible service. My friends and I waited 15 minutes before we were even asked for a drink and got an extremely rude answer when we asked to pay on the same bill. Won’t be coming back.

Great and genuine Italian food here. I have come for the past twenty years.
America who is the waitress is the best you will ever find.
She is very helpful and friendly. She is amazing.

The food is spectacular and the service is amazing! Our server America is so helpful and funny!
The homemade bread is delicious. Crunchy enough on the outside and warm and soft inside. Make sure to save some to scoop up the pasta sauce.
Chianti is a good choice too and affordable for a glass of wine.
I had the Chicken Parmigiana at my sister’s recommendation and my partner had the Chicken Vesuvio. Both were very tasty, and come with a side of spaghetti. We both had our pasta with meat sauce. The portions are huge so either share or know that you’ll take some home.
For dessert we had the spumoni. Yum!!! 3 scoops of deliciousness. I think I could have ordered another one.
Now that the Metro’s Expo Line goes all the way to Santa Monica, we’ll definitely be making regular trips here. Bön appetit!

great pizza, great service and friendly staff. authentic and delicious. I could eat there pizza everyday. I wish it was closer to my house.

Really good authentic Italian food. Food is delicious and is given within a reasonable time frame prior to ordering. The pizza is really good but is moderately oily as well was the linguine. While eating the linguine I found myself eating a lot of oil along with the pasta itself and really distracted me from the flavor as a whole. Raveoili was sort of bland on the inside but the sauce compensated for it. The service was average. Kind of understaffed seeing as there are only two waitresses which sort of made it hard for them to come back and ask if we needed anything else. The bread apetizer was fresh, really pleasing to hear the cracks as I took it apart from each other. Bathrooms are clean and spacing is reasonable and wheel chair friendly. Overall a good place to eat and a good to walk to or from the pier.

Best Italian place ever!!! Very family oriented and authentic, can’t beat this place.

I came here for dinner last night and must say I was unimpressed. The food was mediocre at best. I ordered the fettuccine Alfredo and added chicken ($ 3.50 extra). The pasta was cooked perfectly but smothered in an Alfredo sauce that was way too heavy and rather bland. The chicken was lacking tenderness and flavor as well. The entrée is served with warm bread and butter. The bread had a nice crunchy exterior and a soft warm center but yet again was lacking flavor. My friend ordered an eggplant dish which was definitely a better choice! The portion sizes, however, are very large and the prices are reasonable.
Bruno’s looks super divey from the outside and the inside is small and extremely casual. The service was somewhat slow but for being right near the pier there was no wait at 7pm on a Saturday night! The menu was also fairly small with traditional pasta dishes — don’t expect any unique or fancy entrees.

Ok, why 5 stars you may ask? Because it’s relative. If you want old school good honest Italian cooking, this is 5 stars all the way.
The chill family vibe and tasty food hits the spot when you’re done with all the overpriced trendy places in SM. This place is right.

Small restaurant but don’t underestimate the quality. The most authentic chicken parmesan I’ve ever had. Can’t wait to bring my friends here.

5 stars because the staff — including Bruno himself — were very nice and treated me well.
I had the lasagne and it was good.
Huge order of garlic bread for I think 3.50, so a bargain, but the garlic bread didn’t do much for me. Didn’t taste enough garlic but did taste whatever spread they put on there and it didn’t work for me.
The house chianti came out of a box. I’d order a bottle of wine next time.
Quaint space, old school. I’d go back and try the pizza.

Hands down the best Italian food I have ate. This Mom and Pop shop has been in business 29 years. I used to eat here 15 years ago, and it’s the same great owners and great food.

I love the salami pizza In Bruno’s. It was really the Italian one. I recommend to try Minestrone soup. It’s amazing and delicious vegetable soup with lemon. I’ll come back for sure to try this pizza and soup again.
P. S. One super small minus is a slow service. They had only 5 or 6 tables to serve.

After our visit to the Santa Monica Stairs, I wanted to stop at a park so Gavin can run amuck before lunch. Little did I know he wanted to get lunch before the park. My plans to get poke was ruined. I did not want to leave my parking spot so we ventured along that block and a local directed us to Bruno’s.
My friend, Lew also reviewed this place. I trust him so i was quite optimistic when I stopped to look at their menu. I didn’t want anything heavy (pasta) and in reality, it was Gavin that was hungry so I ordered a small sausage pizza. For the price, taste, quality, and speed — it can’t be beat.
Super friendly and family-​oriented restaurant/​staff. The ladies made us feel very welcomed and comfortable. The lady was surprised a small pizza was all I ordered and to be frank, I was surprised myself but I couldn’t eat unhealthy for days in a row. I did not like how I was feeling. Anyway.
About 10 minutes later, the pizza arrived. A small has 4 slices. It is the perfect size to share w/​2 people (2 slices each). The crust was thin but held its form. The sauce, the cheese, and sausage was evenly distributed. It was such a simple yet great tasting pizza.
Sometimes it’s the simplistic things!!!
Thanks to the local dude that told us to go here.