If You’re Hungry for Pizza and Handcrafted Pasta, Check Out These Italian Restaurants in Los Angeles, CA

Bottega Louie is an Italian restaurant, gourmet market, and French patisserie/café located on the ground floor of the Brockman Building on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. Renowned for its inviting open kitchen where diners can watch the chefs at work, Bottega Louie offers a creative menu of authentic Italian fare ranging from freshly prepared salads, small plates, and wood-fired pizza to house-made pasta, fresh seafood, and prime meat dishes. The eatery also runs a gourmet market where patrons can buy local and imported foods, including dry pasta, pasta sauces, preserves, confections, and chocolates. The French patisserie/café section of the eatery serves a mouthwatering array of freshly baked pastries and sweet treats along with coffee, tea, and other beverages.

700 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017, Phone: 213-802-1470

Chef Celestino Drago's contemporary Italian eatery Drago Centro offers innovative twists to authentic Italian dishes in a favorite downtown locale. A go-to spot for power lunches, this 9,500-square foot restaurant has stylish modern décor, an open-plan kitchen, private dining rooms for special occasions, and a demonstration kitchen. Chef Celestino Drago offers a menu of classic Italian cuisine with a contemporary flair with lunch and dinner menus featuring a broad range of options such as freshly made pasta of different shapes and sizes, freshly caused seafood, succulent steaks, and elegant desserts. Signature dishes include mushroom and ricotta ravioli, pheasant, and morel-adorned pappardelle, and an innovative chili foam-topped seafood cappuccino.

525 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90071, Phone: 213-228-8998

Based in the Whole Foods / Kmart Shopping Center, Andre's Restaurant is a family-friendly eatery that has been serving loyal patrons and visitors alike for more than 54 years. This no-frills restaurant offers traditional Italian fare such as wood-fired pizzas with a variety of toppings, freshly prepared salads, chunky garlic bread, hearty entrees, and mouth-watering desserts. Classic dishes include Lasagna, Spaghetti Bolognese, meatballs and sauce, and veal parmigiana with ravioli, while lighter meals include Italian sandwiches, minestrone, and Italian rice pilaf. Andre's Restaurant offers daily specials throughout the week, as well as a selection of beverages and libations.

5400 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, Phone: 323-935-1246

Renowned as the city's most beloved Italian institution, Angelini Osteria is a classic Italian eatery that has been serving loyal patrons for more than ten years. Owned by Gino Angelini, who brings the tastes of his home region of Emilia-Romagna to the tables, Angelini Osteria presents a menu that is packed with traditional Italian fare and delicious signature dishes such as lasagna verde, veal chop Milanese, and wood-fired Dover sole. Other delectable plates include salt-crusted and whole roasted branzino and the Saturday-only porchetta stuffed with garlic and herbs. Add to that charming professional waiters and a timeless Italian ambiance, and you have an Italian dining experience like no other.

7313 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, Phone: 323-297-0070

Set in a contemporary industrial-chic space on the ground floor of a loft building on the edge of the Arts District, Bestia is one of L.A.'s few true perennial hot spots. Making waves in the dining scene, this downtown newbie presents a winning formula of traditional Italian cuisine with a contemporary twist along with perfectly crafted cocktails and unusual wines. The menu features classics such as wood-fired pizzas and mouthwatering house-made pasta as well as specialty dishes like braised beef cheek-filled agnolotti, chicken gizzards with roasted beets and Belgian endive, and slow-roasted lamb neck with hazelnuts and salsa verde. The cuisine is accompanied by a stellar cocktail menu and a wine list featuring easy drinking wines to lesser-known labels.

2121 E 7th Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90021, Phone: 213-514-5724

Colori Kitchen is a small, unpretentious neighborhood restaurant that serves traditional Italian fare in a casual, cozy atmosphere. Located in in a petite storefront in downtown Eighth Street's historic district, Colori Kitchen features brightly colored walls and artworks that exude a typical trattoria ambiance. Wooden tables and chairs, an airy open kitchen, and a deli-style counter all add to the Italian country style dining appeal of the eatery, which serves a menu of authentic dishes such as spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccine alfredo, filet of sole, and chicken in mustard sauce. The menu also features fresh fish and seafood, various salads, and sweet desserts.

2019 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90006, Phone: 213-622-5950, Fax 213-623-1530

Once a dingy Fairfax Village pizzeria that was transformed into a family-friendly Italian-American restaurant by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Jon & Vinny's epitomizes the fun of food and pop culture. Located across the street from the team's flagship restaurant Animal, Jon & Vinny's has a menu of classic Italian dishes for every taste from crave-worthy crusty pizzas and house-made pasta dishes to spaghetti and meatballs and Straus soft serve ice cream for dessert. Touches of L.A. modernism can be found in the marinated Calabrian tuna bruschetta with crunchy mirepoix and breakfast delights include a hearty BLT and breakfast pizza. A wine shop in the back of the restaurant offers a small, curated selection of fine wines that can be purchased and home delivered.

412 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036, Phone: 323-334-3369