Hostaria Del Piccolo

I dunno what everyone is talking about. if you are a foodie like me and been to restaurants from south bay, la city, santa monica then this restaurant is 100 percent gross. The calamari wasn’t fresh, the tartare was bad. the short ribs were ok… im just saying if u know taste i don’t recommend this.

I’m sorry to write a negative review, but I kinda hope the chef reads this. My tagliatelle bolognese was so salty. It tasted like someone dumped an entire box in to the sauce. Inedibly salty. Painfully salty. I guess no one tasted this dish before serving it to customers. Never should have left the kitchen.
What’s more, my delivery order was short one dish. I get how it is with takeout and delivery, especially when using a third party service like grub hub and it was remedied very quickly so no real complaints there but the food was way off. This cannot be justified at the prices this place charges. No excuse. Plus the portions are quite small. Pretty miffed.
The only other time I have eaten their food I ordered the gnocchi, which was delicious. Their delivery is extremely fast.
Tonight, I was surprised and disappointed with the quality of my meal.

Spaghetti carbonara– it was AWESOME. They only serve it on Tuesdays but they should really make it part of their regular menu because if they did I would come back here all the time. The noodles were perfectly al dente, the sauce was cheesy and delicious, and they gave you a generous amount of bacon which never happens. When you can get a spoonful of bacon with every bite of noodles, it makes for a perfect dish.
Their starters of the pork ribs (dry roasted but super moist and delicious) and grilled octopus were really good, I would get both again. Their pizzas were good but not great, I would be more inclined to order their pasta dishes since my carbonara was so fantastic.

I really wanted to like this place. I came for Sunday brunch with friends and the bottomless mimosas were the big draw. The restaurant itself looks very nice and has a modern, trendy feel. There is plenty of comfortable out door seating which is great for brunch/​lunch.
The food is where things started to go sideways for me. The brunch menu is lacking. There is really nothing remarkable on it and I was hard pressed to decide what I wanted. (My friend informed me the dinner menu has a better selection but I haven’t tried it.)
I ended up with a breakfast pizza with ham, potato and fried egg on top. The flavors were good and the dish tasted fresh enough, but for $ 15, the meal was overpriced. My friends got the fritata which again was, ok, but not memorable. The tastiest dish at the table was the most simple one, the uoava e maiale — the pork sausage and scrambled eggs. It was good, but nothing the average cook couldn’t make in the comfort of their own home.
The reason for such a low score however was the service. Our waitress was very nice and helpful but when it came to the bottomless mimosas she was hard to find. In my experience if a restaurant nails the bottomless drinks aspect of brunch everything else is forgivable. People will want to come back to your restaurant just for the bottomless drinks! Unfortunately, my crew and I were waiting for up to 15 minutes between refills of our champagne flutes and having to seek out our waitress and ask for refills over and over again became quite the distracting chore.
It may so finicky but if I order the bottomless mimosa special (reasonably priced here at $ 15 per person) I don’t want to keep asking for refills, you should expect people are going to want to keep drinking, so you should have someone always ready to pour and keep it flowing. This is a simple fix which would help this restaurant out immensely. Overall, Hostaria Del Piccolo is average at best.

Planned a fun brunch here with my brunch crew. Bottomless mimosas are always high on our list for brunch spots, so we were excited Hostaria offered bottomless mimosas & bellinis for $ 15! They were fabulous, high champagne/​low OJ ratio.
Although I’m a big fan of this place for dinner, their brunch was sub par. Only one member of our group was satisfied with their meal. Everything else lacked flavor & the service could’ve been better.

Live in the neighborhood and the menu looked amazing so this was a must try ever since they opened up! Finally got around to checking them out and although the food was good the service was really disappointing.
We had a reservation for 7:45pm. We showed up at 7:45pm and the hostess tells us it will be a 15 to 20 minute wait. I tell her «Isn’t that what a reservation is for?» and she replies «everyone here has a reservation»… SO THEY OVERBOOKED!!!
We are seated inside while we wait and order some drinks from their happy hour menu. I tried a vodka strawberry cocktail that was good but nothing special. We also ordered the mac and cheese as well as the eggplant appetizer from their happy hour menu. I am not a big mac and cheese eater but it was al dente noodles and a creamy cheese sauce. The eggplant was my favorite. The tomato sauce was so flavorful and it was cooked perfectly.
About 20 minutes went by and luckily I was having good conversation with our table so when it was time to move to our patio table we were not upset about the time we had to wait.
I came in knowing what I wanted but sadly did not know this is one of those LA eateries where they refuse to modify dishes. I wanted the smoked salmon pizza but they would not do it without squid ink dough not sure why as they do have the option of gluten free and kamut (WTF is that?) dough… Really annoying and upsetting as some people are allergic to squid or eat Kosher.
The waiter seemed really annoyed that we were asking for this modification and when I asked him what he suggests that is vegetarian he wasn’t very helpful. I quickly took a glance at the menu and ordered the Trento pizza.
All our food came pretty quickly and I was shocked to see that my pizza had slices of ham all over it. I tell him there is no way I ordered that. I looked at the menu again and I guess I missed the SPECK that is on the pizza. What the f&$k is SPECK?!
He apologizes and I very closely look at the menu and find a veggie friendly pizza — Asparagi to order instead. At least the waiter was nice enough to let us keep the other pizza but sadly no one at the table eats ham so it was a bit of a waste.
We did try a bit of everything…
The cod spread appetizer lacked flavor and was very bland. I thought it would be a smoked fish type of spread but it was not. I would not get it again.
The tuna tar tar was great! Loved the citrus flavor and the fresh fish. Very good with the crostini.
The zucchini soup was a creamy one yet still tasted slightly bland to me.
The ricottina was great. Sauteed mushrooms on ricotta cheese. I love mushrooms so this was one of my favorite appetizers.
Also tried the pasta of the day which was the anchovies based one. It was actually not very fishy at all, I enjoyed it but my favorite dish of the night and what I would come back here for was the Penne. It is an al dente creamy pasta with truffle oil. If you love truffles this is phenomenal.
Portions are not huge but they are reasonably sized. Ambiance is nice. It is dimly lit both inside and out. The inside is much louder and feels like a bar while the outside is still very lively but quieter and nice for a meal where you don’t have to scream.
Overall I was bummed about them not modifying my food while they have 2 alternate options for dough. It just doesn’t make sense at all.
I would come back if someone else suggested this place but I don’t know if I’ll be the one to suggest it.

I went to happy hour at the Hostaria Del Piccolo in Santa Monica, and I wasn’t too impressed with the food. Recently, my friend hosted a birthday brunch at Hostaria Del Piccolo in Venice, and got redemption!
FOOD– I ordered the Benedette for $ 10 — poached eggs, hollandaise, potatoes with smoked salmon or Italian ham. I opted for smoked salmon and it was delicious. Sometimes eggs benedict with smoked salmon tastes too fishy, but this was perfect. Some potatoes wedges were a tad on the salty side, but overall tolerable. I liked the dash of rosemary on the potatoes. Overall, I was very pleased with my order.
DRINKS– My friends loved the bottomless mimosas. I personally did not order any, but the waiter brought some free on the house (thanks)! It was nicely balanced and didn’t taste too strong or too frou frou.
DESSERT– I personally was not a big fan of their dessert simply because I have pretty clear cut tastes of what I like and dislike. However, my cousin loved the caramel covered cream puffs. I did try the baked bread with nutella, banana, and a hazelnut. I am a lover of hazelnuts and all things nutella, but I felt like the banana was too overpowering. To each their own!
Overall, the brunch itself made me happy. Outdoor seating is a bit breezy but spacious and you can people watch the interesting Venice crowd. Good luck with parking.

Enjoyed my dinner thoroughly.
1. MAMMOLO — Started off with a fabulous cocktail: Kettle One Citron, Limoncello, Pomegranate ice cube w/​Hawaiian salt. Could’ve had two. Stopped myself. Had a glass of Pinot Gris instead.
2. PIOVRA — Grilled octopus w/​roasted seasonal vegetables. Unbelievably good.
3. VERDE — Arugua salad with pine nuts and Parmesan crisp. Amazingly yummy for being so simple.
4. PESCE — Fish special of the day w/​broccolini. So fresh, so simple, so delicious.
5. CARNE — A big ol’ hunk of meat delicately sliced. Manfriend inhaled his dinner. I risked my life to get a bite.
I almost had dessert and another drink. It was a Wednesday night. I had to get up at 5am.
But really… I’m leaving this review for Emma, our server. She is a very astute young lady with good instincts and good manners. She’s attentive without being overbearing. She must have seen the look in my eye because she stepped up with suggestions and helped me navigate the menu effortlessly. Great service isn’t lost on me.
I will be back.

Yes! Real Italian food!!! Came here for happy hour which lasts til 9pm. Ordered arancini, Tuscan bean spread w goat cheese, and ricotta gnocchi off the regular menu. Everything was delicious. I will say the arancini are nowhere as big as the ones they sell in Italy, but they were the tastiest of the ones I’ve tried in LA. Bean spread was like an Italian hummus. The dude wasn’t crazy about it but I liked it fine. Ricotta gnocchi was so fluffy and light, and the tomato sauce was just right. Will definitely be back to try more food here. Excited about finding a legit Italian place!!!

Now I’ve been to two Hostarias, because well, I liked going to the first one so much. The Hostaria in Venice is great because it feels a bit more open, light and lively, where the one in Santa Monica feels a bit more dark, mysterious and intimate. There are no bad choices here, as the menu is basically the same. SUCH a good thing, as I could get the Penne with cream of Italian porcini and truffle oil (which is tasty as hell), and the tasty/​healthy farro salad in both places.
This time, we tried the pizza Habemus Boletus, which had crispy fried mushrooms, Robiola Rocchetta cheese, and basil pesto. Fun to eat because of the chewy/​crunchy mushrooms, but overall I’d say there are better pizza crusts in the area. Also loved the underground parking off Rose Ave., and the fact that we could explore the other bars across the street after dinner.

I took myself out to dinner to try the Dine LA menu and I enjoyed every minute of it!
The manger on the floor, Emma, which usually a server, did an amazing job making me feel special. And my Italian server, manual, was very personal.
Highly recommend! Shirley

Parking sucks here. Try to find street parking & huffnit over. Area looks sketchy but, i haven’t heard anything about any car break-​ins. Lots of hipsters now but, there’s still lots of everything else in this once ghetto area.
Cool restrooms with plenty of room inside. Sink is more of a farmhouse communual sink. Cool European-​style concept.

This was the most fresh, flavorful Italian meal I’ve had in awhile. Got the following:
1. Tuna Tartar — The tuna was really fresh. It was a bit bland but I enjoyed it nonetheless, though I probably wouldn’t get it again.
2. Ricottina — It’s really only good for two people to share but it was delicious.
3. Gnocchi — So fresh and so delicious.
4. Papardelle — Their fresh, homade spinach pasta with duck ragu… This was my absolute favorite. It was perfect.
5. Fusilli — The best gluten-​free pasta I’ve had yet.
6. Nellapanza — This salad had the freshest and most delicious tomatoes. It’s not huge but a good starter for 2 people.

I trully want to give this restaurant 5 stars because they deserve them! We went there to celebrate my dad’s birthday and he wanted the Penne with Cream Truffle oil but it was out of the menu. I called the Santa Monica location to see if they would cook it for my dad but they would not do it. Then I called the location in Venice and the manager Omar was really really nice with me and he said that they would make an exemption and cook the pasta.
We got there everybody was very nice and welcoming, our server Jasmine was very attentive, the food runner, I don’t know his name but he is from Colombia, he was super nice with us to. The restaurant was nice and clean, very modern deco a little industrial, I liked it.
But the food is the main thing of course! The PASTA WITH CREAM SAUCE AND TROUFFLE OIL was to die for, not kidding, I need to go back and order it again, hopefully they bring it back to the menu. I am trying to eat as little GLUTEN as possible and it would be nice if they could make it with QUINOA pasta (Andean Dream is an excellent brand of Quinoa pasta that tastes like the real one, there most be many other brands but from the ones that I have tried that one tasted great).
The OCTOPUS was also fabulous and they were so sweet to bring a GRILLED CALAMARY from the chef, I really appreciate that, it was delish! Thank you.
The TIRAMISU was excellent, so creamy and moist I’m coming back for that one too…

It’d been a while since I’d been to the lil sis of my favorite italian restaurant Piccolo on Dudley. I took one of my best friends to a birthday dinner here. It was not very crowded. We had the beet salad (very good), the salad with crispy prosciuitto (delicious), and the grilled squid (perfectly cooked with vegetables). Then we split the fish of the day and the steak of the day. The fish was cooked to perfection with flakey and moist meat. The stark was unfortunately cooked medium instead of medium rare — I didn’t want to interrupt the birthday meal to complain but if I was on my own I would have sent it back. It’s close to home and under a lot of pressure with four solid restaurants surrounding them. I hope they get back into their groove and stick around.
Also, we ate on the outside patio under heat lamps which was enjoyable but the TV in the restaurant was very loud and playing sports which wasn’t conducive to a relaxing dinner for me.

Read Randy B’s review. He’s not only a cool elite food reviewer, but the man simply knows what’s good. We met in Venice to share some of Hostaria del Piccolo’s most famous dishes … and nearly agreed on the verdict of each.
Happy Hour is 5:00 — 9:00 p.m., but, sadly, not available on the large front patio. They could easily add a star just be letting guests take advantage of happy hour on the comfy open air patio. It sat desolate and empty for the 2+ hours we were at the restaurant. Is it possible to feel bad for a patio?
Once we made our way inside, the night started cool with $ 4 Happy Hour Birre. 7.50% ABV Allagash Black is a stout beer equally smooth as it is dark. This might of been my favorite discovery of the night.
We quickly moved on to some of the discounted Small Bites including Braised Meat-​balls ($ 6 — 4 stars) in a decent Tomato Sauce. For such a simple dish, the flavorful little balls of meat are totally carnivore-​approved.
Cozze ($ 5 — 3 stars) was a bowl of large sauteed Mussels in a thin White Wine Sauce with Crushed Tomatoes and Pesto served with a large Crostone toast. We picked at the mediocre mussels, but didn’t finish them.
With the appetizers out of the way, we selected one award-​winning pizza, one Unilocal-​recommended pizza, and one truffle-​tastic pasta dish to share as main entrees. Here’s how they ranked.
ChampionChopped Pizza ($ 16 — 2 stars) sure wasn’t a winner on this night as the mix of Crab, Shiitake Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella fell flat and flavorless. I took half of it home … and didn’t finish it there either.
A Tonnonera Pizza ($ 18 — 3 stars) is unique and cool thanks to the Squid Ink Dough. The black crust is cool cause it’s black, but it was such a disappointment in texture and taste. Seared raw Ahi Tuna with Green Onions, Pizzaiola Sauce and Mozzarella were much better than the crust. The toppings were worthy of eating on their own.
Penne ($ 17 — 4 stars) may seem like a boring choice compared to the pizzas, but not when it is served in a rich Cream of Porcini Mushroom Sauce with Truffle Oil. The creamy richness of this dish could of used more mushrooms and garnish, but was almost like dessert. Actually, it was better than dessert.
Bignole ($ 8 — 1 star) sounded tempting cause it translates to Vanilla Custard Cream-​filled Puffs with Salted Caramel Sauce in English. Unfortunately, on the plate, it translated to a dessert disaster. Avoid this «desserster» that reminded me of frozen Costco cream puffs. Not the way you want to end any meal … but especially not an Italian meal.
Service was pretty consistent and helpful; however, with only the bottled beer, small meat-​balls, and penne tempting me to go back, Hostaria del Piccolo didn’t real stand out as anything unique or special. Final verdict: 3 stars … now, go read Randy B’s review …

The power of two has a lot of punch. Michael S and I dined and drank together, surely the place will make or break with two elites rating, after all, we have over 3000 reviews between us. Between all the kibbitizing and kvetching, we got down to restaurant business.
A patio, double-​wide, with the beachy casual that only Venice can offer. Inside. a bit industrial, clean lines, and a bit informal. It’s upscale casual, and even though happy hour started at 5pm, it was near empty until 7pm on a Monday night. The happy hour menu surely got our attention. $ 4 Allagash Black (albeit, in the bottle) was the order, meatballs and mussels for a starter.
1. Meatballs ($ 6) — Savory sauce, 5 meatballs, good texture, worthy. (4.5 stars)
2. Mussels ($ 5) — a little squishy, not great, but good sauce and a good quantity. (3.5 stars)
3. Tonnonera: Squid Ink Pizza Dough w/​Ahi ($ 18) — squid ink dough: fresh Ahi tuna, green onions, mozzarella, pizzaiola sauce. Didn’t think the crust was all that, and really not that exciting. (3.0 stars)
4. Champion Chopped: Crabmeat Pizza ($ 16) — Crabmeat with shiitake, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes. Boring, bland, no flavor. (2.5 stars)
5. Penne w/​Truffle ($ 17) — Cream of porcini and truffle oil. Great flavor (truffle, of course), but was one dimensional. Could easily have truffles or mushrooms to give texture or color, especially at that price point. (4.0 stars)
6. Cream Puffs ($ 8) — 4 puffs, not light and airy, dry, but good cream and caramel drizzle. Michael only ate one if that tells it all. (2.0 stars)
For a place who’s primary items are pizza, it was just okay. Even though the food was so-​so, it was a nice time. Service was excellent by «EL», but I don’t think I would return again unless my arm gets twisted. In summary, the rating warrants a 3.5, but I am not a fan of the food, so a 3.0 star is all it gets.

Le cadre est top, super déco, spacieux. L idee des bancs à partager vraiment sympa. Les cuisiniers cuisinent sous vos yeux. Côté assiette, une belle sélection de pizze, avec la possibilité d avoir votre pizza gluten free (le bonheur pour moi !!) en revanche pas possible de retirer un ingrédient d une pizza ?! Donc si vous êtes vegan vous n aurez pas le choix: la pizza testarossa mais elle est excellente ! Les pâtes sont bonnes. Carte de vins correcte. Le service est décevant (bon nous avons sans doute eu une étudiante qui venait de débuter, du coup service approximatif). La terrasse est vraiment très agréable en revanche extrêmement bruyant à l intérieur.

Came here for dine LA. $ 15 cannot be beat. Got to try a nice variety of appetizers and entrees. All the food was delicious, especially while seated in a cute outdoor seating area. It was early enough that it wasn’t busy so staff was pretty attentive.
Parking is validated free for 90 mins in the building garage. Off of 5^th.

Service was great here — the waitress was extremely nice and the food came very quickly after we finished ordering.
The food was decent as well. I ordered the Tagliatelle, which was basically beef bolognese pasta. The quality and taste was good (but how can you screw up pasta and meat sauce?) but the reason I have this 4 stars is because the pasta was like 5 bites of food for $ 16. Let’s just say I was glad I snacked right before coming here.
Pomegranate green tea sucked.
All in all, was this place good? Yes.
Would I recommend a friend to come here? Only if they asked me about it.
Brb gonna go get some more food

The hopes of coming here is that you’re going to get the feeling of what it’s like to be in Italy, and to taste it. You might feel assured if I tell you «Hosteria» comes close. The management has gone out of the way to hire an attractive Italian-​bred staff. The dining though is more hip and trendy than fancy, keep aware. But it’s the food that is something worth blowing the piccolo.
Pappardelle has the finest fresh hand-​made spinach pasta with a gooey-​almost-​slurpy duck ragu — it’s unforgettably slippery and silky as pasta goes, and it’s got that smack of spinachy health quotient per bite — it might qualify as one of my year’s 10-​best plates. Squid-​Ink Pasta is all black, toppled by a dozen or so fine bite-​size neri shrimp with little green garnishes. The pizzas, which we’ve had a few already, are all of the finest Italy-​stamped quality, expensive cheese and farmer’s vegetables. 4.5 stars. #classiceats