La Vecchia Cucina

Thank you la vecchia for the perfect romantic evening. My boyfriend is Italian and he was in heaven here. The pasta and seafood was perfection and the wine recommendation for a buttery Chardonnay were the perfect pairing. Coupled with candlelight and window seating, it was the perfect intimate evening.

There is a huge misconception when it comes to my being able to eat at Italian restaurants because when people think ITALIAN, their minds drift off to a land filled with gluten-​rich pizza, gooey dairy and noodle and pasta dishes that would poison me! However, what people fail to realize is that Italian is one of the easiest cuisines for me to eat out at because typically EVERY DISH uses OLIVE OIL!
When we arrived at this restaurant and were presented menus, my fiancé looked at me concerned that I wasn’t going to be able to eat anything; boy was he wrong. There were at least 6 dishes I WANTED TO ORDER and many more that I could have modified slightly in order to eat a GiGi-​Diet approved meal! So to all of you out there with food allergies, you’re in luck… Unless you’re allergic to olives, then do NOT come here or ANY ITALIAN restaurant for that matter, ha!
Here is what the table ordered (allergen-​friendly & not)
— Bruschetta Pizza: the ogling eyes my fiancé was making as he noshed on this pizza were both hysterical and shocking because he HATES tomatoes!
— Grilled Vegetable Mozzarella Salad: the grilled vegetables were A+ and apparently the cheese was a life changing mouthgasmic experience.
— Fried Calamari: no one screamed with joy over these, but they were gladly eaten
— Side of Linguini with Clam Sauce: no complaints here, in fact, no words– I take that to mean they were tasty!
— Side of Gluten Free Linguini: yes to all you gluten-​free peeps out there… They have gluten-​free pasta options but be warned… They cook them in the same pots as gluten-​rich pasta!
— Steak & Salad: not life changing but still pretty good, or so I was told.
— Shrimp with Potatoes, Broccoli & Carrots: the plate was cleaned so I’m assuming the shrimp was tasty (I helped with the vegetables, ha ha)
— Penne with Spicy Tomato Sauce: no words from the girl who ate this dish, but typically she doesn’t clean her plate, however, she did really well on this one!
— Alfredo with Chicken & Broccoli: my fiancé essentially dunked his head into his plate and ate like a pig eating out of a trough. And you wonder why I’m marrying him? Ha! He was OBSESSED with this and drank every last drop of cream sauce. Of course, a few minutes later he told me he wanted to throw up… So there’s that, LOL!
— Salmon with Balsamic Dressed Salad, potatoes, Carrots & Broccoli: the salmon was seated so deliciously– it was CRUSTY without a crust, and sooooo juicy inside. And then you pair a bite with the balsamic dressed salad and your taste buds soar to cloud 9! Yum!
— Side of Leeks: these complimented my salmon so well and made the broccoli taste that much better.
While enjoying this meal, all I was thinking about was how I definitely want to come back! My fiancé loved it so much, I would love to surprise him with a date night here, it definitely has that romantic vibe for sure! That being said, he probably won’t be out of his carb and cream food coma for a little while so, maybe I’ll surprise him next month!

This is my absolute favorite place to eat. Whenever people ask for a good restaurant recommendation, I tell them to go to La Vecchia! This is my go-​to spot to take my friends, and my returning guests always want to go again. The first time I was here I ordered the Spaghetti and meatballs (I know there’s a fancier name for it, but they will know if you order this way too) and it is so amazing, I have ordered it every time since then! Come here for a great wine selection, delicious food, and a happy/​loud atmosphere.

We had a fantastic dinner at La Vecchia on Sunday evening. It was packed due to it being the last night of restaurant week, but fortunately after a short 5 minute wait, they found space for us at the bar. The bartender was super friendly and made the overall dining experience pleasurable. He gave recommendations and was very accommodating to our requests to add more veggies to dishes. We had:
— Sweet/​spicy cocktail — I can’t think of the exact name of the cocktail my fiancé had. I tried a sip and it was a perfect blend of sweet and spicy, and their menu notes that they do not add any extra sugar into their cocktails. It was very fresh. There was lemon and orange slices in it as well, and they really soaked up the alcohol’s flavor nicely.
— Complimentary bread and garlic oil — The bread was served warm and the oil was some of the best we’ve ever had. The oil was super garlicy, and perfect for dipping the warm bread in.
— Penne Arrabbiata — This dish was another winner. We asked for vegetables, and it came loaded with an assortment of sautéed vegetables, including broccoli, carrots, squash, etc. The spice had a nice, bold flavor to it, with just enough heat.
— Primavera Pizza (no cheese) — This you have the option of cheese or no cheese. We thought the cheese would make the pizza really heavy and overwhelm the vegetables. The pizza was not heavy on sauce (and maybe the veggies could have been a bit more sautéed), but it was loaded with veggies and a very solid thin crust. Basically, exactly what we had wanted when we ordered it.
— Molten Chocolate Cake — You can see a common theme in my reviews, we have a weak spot for molten chocolate cake! We debated ordering this as we were quite full, but we decided it’d be a nice end to the weekend. We asked for a scoop of vanilla ice cream to be added to the dish. The cold vanilla contrasted nicely with the molten chocolate, and the cake was the perfect size to get our chocolate fix without being too much. Not too cake-​ish and more molten, which we prefer! There were also diced strawberries on the plate, a nice touch.
Overall, we really enjoyed our experience here. We’re excited to have another great restaurant right in our neighborhood, and will definitely be back.

Great place to eat. The made a reservation my for our anniversary.
The staff was very friendly.
We started with Calamari Fritti, came out very fast, crispy on the outside and the squid was very tender.
Then we had the Farfalle La Vecchia and Medaglioni Di Vitello.
The Farfalle was al dente, wish there was more lobster other wise very good.
The Medaglioni Di Vitello was on point.
We also ordered a pasta dish that was one of the specials, it had spicy sausage and broccoli, very good.
They hooked us up with a free dessert for our anniversary.

Came here with a group and had an amazing time. The food was outstanding! We had caprese salad, pizza, pasta and steak. Every single bite was delicious. Looking forward to coming back and trying other dishes.

Awesome place to check out!
I recommend:
Insulata Tagliata — a romaine salad with turkey, motzerella, and salami. Awesome and light for the first course!
Tagliata Di Manzo — baby greens and filet mignon.
Don’t forget the amazing, homemade bread. It’s fluffy on the inside and lightly crisped on the outside with a side of olive oil and garlic. Hmmmm. I could pretty much eat this bread all day.
Service was great!
Not sure on the price (since I didn’t pay) and pay, but I’m sure it’s worth it! We did the La Restaurant week that I think was $ 20 each.

We went last Saturday evening for dinner with another couple. By accident my friend deleted the reservation. They couldn’t have been more accommodating.
For such a small space, they took care of business. We shared pasta bolognese for an appetizer. It was delicious! Olive oil dip for bread was killer! Tasted my husbands polo limone, pounded thin and to perfection. Served with potatoes and veggies. I had the veal medallions. It was flavored with a porcini sauce. I personally thought it was cut to thick for my own taste. I should have had the Marsala. All in all, I would happily return.

Never fails, always delish!
I am so thankful for this place.
It’s a busy place but even with or without a reservation always seated promptly and the amazing olive oil/​garlic and great hot bread
arrives and it always gets better from there– such good pizzas, pastas, steak, salmon dishes.
lovelovelove

Happy Hour is wonderful and begins at 5 PM, there is ALWAYS a small line forming about 4:50 as the bar fills to capicity when the doors open. This restaurant is friendly, has good food and good service with reasonable prices as well.
I mention the Happy Hour because I’m often a solo diner and don’t eat large portions so for me it’s perfect!!! (still had enough room for the Panna cotta, it was delicious) There are many locals as well as out of towers so people are friendly and easy to talk to. Bartenders are not only friendly but also efficient and have a definate system in serving the whole bar at once!
I would consider this restaurant romantic, but also a family would feel comfortable as well.
I’m hooked!!!

Excellent service and delicious menu. Lots to choose from appetizers, main course and desert. So yummy!

Great ambience and good service. The place is located in old Santa Monica and was packed at 5:30. We were just passers by and was lucky to get a decent place to eat. Food is generally good. Farfelle with lobster was good, but my husband did not like penny with salmon too much.

I absolutely loved this little dark Main Street Italian restaurant. The place is casual but feels ultra romantic with a huge Victorian Building just next store ** tip — in the basement of that building is a very cool bar.
Everything has a nice high standard feel to it and the wait staff is attentive. The food consists of high quality standards with small variations on delicate Italian favorites.
I had a special rice ball thing that was so wonderfully yummy. It was a date so I can’t say that the boy and the wine didn’t help make the night but regardless of either, I really want to eat here again.

Love the food, the wait staff and the ambience. This place is our go-​to as often as possible :) thanks for always being so fabulous !

Everything was nice here. Just good old Italian food.
I get fixated on certain pictures that I see on Unilocal and always am set on what I want to try. I was so disappointed to hear the sea urchin truffle pasta was not available and is only available every so I often. Although I was satisfied with my lamb Ragu, my tastebuds were let down. Lol
The flower blossoms were ok… I would get a salad or calamari instead next time. Service was good. No great or bad news… just consistent food in big portions.

If it weren’t for dineLA, I wouldn’t have known about this place. I love pasta in general so we chose this one to try for lunch. We made reservation ahead of time but it was not needed because the place wasn’t that packed when we went right at noon. There’s public parking between Main & Hill, $ 1/​hour.
I noticed we were the only second party at the time but somehow the food took awhile to come out. It’s either that or I was just really hungry. I only remember one main server so good thing we didn’t need anything else, or else it would be awhile to track him down.
Since we came in for dineLA, it was a set menu for each person and we each get to pick one appetizer & one main course for $ 20. I got to try a bit of everything and the food didn’t wow me enough to come back to try their regular menu.
| Fettuccine Bolognese | with
|Calamari Fritti appetizer|
— I love pasta in general so I was not very picky with my dish. And plus, you can’t go wrong with fettuccine right? The pasta was light and meat was flavorful. Maybe a bit salty but not too bad. As for calamari, it was not bad nor great. It was lightly breaded yet kinda crispy. I don’t like marinara sauce with it though and they don’t serve ranch here.
| Costolette D’Agnello | with
| Fiore Di Zucca Fritti appetizer |
— The lamp chops definitely look better on pictures. It comes with arugula salad which had an okay dressing to it. I never had lamb chops in steak form so that was interesting. It was good after the first bite but not something I’d enjoy. As for fried zucchini, it was mediocre. I did like how crispy the outside layer was. But the stuffing inside was just okay, very cheesy. I’d pick calamari over this of course.

La Vecchia was our last dinner in Santa Monica. It was busy but that didn’t impede the quality of service.
Appetizers:
Tuna carpaccio– super thin with a nicely dressed salad
Fried Zucchini blossoms-​very good
Entrees:
Pasta with lamb ragu fantastic
Dessert– crème brûlée-​good
La Vecchia was a nice ending to our culinary experiences in the area.

An absolute must if you want to get pampered with delicious drinks, food and service.
I prefer to order family style when I come here because there is so many wonderful things to eat.
Burrata and with finely cut Prosciutto 4 stars
Oysters 4 stars
Penne Al Salmon 4 stars
Pollo Al Limone 4 stars
Ossobuco Alla Romana 3 stars
Filleta Al Porto 4 stars
**Espresso Martini is AMAZING

We had a dreadful experience tonight at La Vecchia. I have been to this restaurant no less than 20 times. The food is excellent and the service (until today) has been good. But the treatment we received today by the manager/​host Thao was terrible and I felt compelled to Unilocal about it.
My fiancé and I arrived at about 5:35pm for a quick bite. We walked in and there were no more than 10 people dining and no less than 20 open tables. We were greeted by the manager/​host and I asked for a table for two — Thao then looked at me up and down (I was wearing a hat and shorts) and told me that we could eat at the bar, but the tables were taken. I asked if he was serious because there were at least 20 tables (not exaggerating, there were probably 3 – 4 tables being used and the rest were available).
He said «well, yea, I guess you could eat at one of those, but most are reserved and you would have to finish eating in an hour, can you do that?» I told him that we didn’t plan on staying all night and just wanted to have dinner — he then rudely pointed at a table by the wall and said, «go sit by the table by the wall.»
When we sat down, (5:38pm) I decided to look up Open Table and sure enough there was a table for 2 available at 5:45pm, 6:30pm, 6:45pm and so on. I took a screen shot of the Open Table screen so I could show Thao that he was full of it. Pic is attached.
Our food was served, we had the calamari, salad, and two pasta dishes. Food was good as usual. Calamari is the best in LA.
About 30 mins into our dinner — Thao came by our table (the restaurant still half empty) and tells me «hey, don’t worry, I got you another 30 mins.» I couldn’t believe this guy. I let him have it and showed him the screen shot from Open Table and explained that we have never been treated so poorly at La Vecchia. He realized that his BS story wasn’t holding up and eventually apologized and walked away.
It is a real shame that such a great Italian restaurant allows this kind of nonsense to go on. We finished our meal by 6:30pm (a few minutes before Thao’s deadline) and quickly left. I recommend anyone who plans on dining here while Thao is running the place to consider using Open Table or another online reservation site — and maybe you’ll be treated a little better than we were.

Recommended:
(1) Appetizer — Carpaccio di Tonno (This convoluted name simply stands for Ahi Tuna Sashimi with baby mixed greens. The greens had extra virgin olive oil lemon as dressing). Very good!
(2) Entrée — Branzino al Forno (oven-​broiled Striped Sea Bass in an extra virgin olive oil lemon-​herb sauce). Delicious!
(3) Dessert — We ordered two and they were both pretty good. One was the Chocolate Molten Cake & the Banana Cream Tart.
Not Recommended:
(1) Calamari Fritti — How in the world can a calamari fritti go wrong? But went wrong it did. It tasted like it was fried in cold cooking oil.
(2) Mushroom Risotto — This one was also terrible. As you know, risotto is not fried but it tasted as bad as the calamari fritti. Yup! Like it was fried in cold cooking oil.
Service: Very good. Our server, among other things, was happy to bring my cousin’s birthday dessert.

thanks to my kids — they wanted some italian — thats how we found the best italian restaurant in the USA so far

Restaurant très sympathique, un peu bruyant (les plafonds sont hauts). Service impeccable. excellent risotto aux champignons, délicieux chezze cake le tout arrosé d’un excellent vin rouge de Francis Coppola … Très bonne soirée en famille. Voila nous étoilns de passage à Santa Monica, au motel juste en face du resto. Vraiment un petit restaurant à découvrir.