Ago Restaurant

This Tinseltown fave still banks on its big-name backers (Robert De Niro and the brothers Weinstein), but it's the food and scene that keeps the tables filled. Like the clientele, it's as elegantly caszh as an Armani suit. And like Chef Agostino Sciandri, it's authentic Italian. Anyone who's ever eaten Italian will recognize the menu, but that's beside the point. Industry honchos can vicariously relive their Italian childhoods by night, even if they've never set foot outside California. Bring on the brick-oven baked pizza or flaky whitefish. Even better, forget the entree and share a few…

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Editor's Tips

Where to Sit:: The patio is the hot spot for mingling alfresco. There are heaters to keep you warm while you flirt in the night air.
Know Before You Go:: There's no special bar menu, but customers can sit at the small bar (which only seats six) and order off the regular menu.
When to Go:: Best bet for celeb-spotting is Thursday night, when celeb regulars like Chris "Mr. Big" Noth can often be spotted.

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User Reviews (69)

ambiance	80.0% positive	“My friends and I choose Ago for a night out more than any other restaurant--the food and service are always wonderful and the restaurant is always fun.” “He chose Ago for a special romantic Italian dinner.” “awesome mozzerella appetizer, dark and romantic (for a date with myself)” “Always good, always fun” “The experience was not romantic, nor special.” “You basically see lots of sheeshee foofoo people rolling in the parking lot with super expensive cars and being full of air.” “But if you're looking for a romantic special dinner with a loved one, I would not reccomend this one !” “The atmosphere is true Italian, the waitstaff is professional and very adoring and the food is excellent.” “Great atmosphere.” “The ambiance is nice, nothing too extravagant or overly hip but just right.”
dessert	50.0% positive	“So, bad service from the host, slow service from the waiter (plus he forgot one dessert entirely) and $95 for risotto (come on - it's just a bowl of rice!)” “The dessert was fantastic.”
drinks	100.0% positive	“have been to Ago many many times (not by choice my friends don't mind waiting at the bar and checking out the scene for over an 1 hour and as I said the food is great).” “The drinks were very good too.” “While at the bar we mingled with friendly, intelligent, and over-all beautiful people.” “none, the wine expert is not longer there.” “the drinks were decent and the service a little on the slow side, but we were with a big party.” “was able to drink two glasses of wine, split a caprese salad, and enjoy veal ravioli for only $35.” “My food was excellent, I had 2 glasses of wine, the mozzarella appetizer with tomatoes (superb) and the veal raviolis.”
food quality	79.34999942779541% positive	“So, bad service from the host, slow service from the waiter (plus he forgot one dessert entirely) and $95 for risotto (come on - it's just a bowl of rice!)” “We had a big group of 14 people, came up to be $150 per person, the quality of the service and food was close to a $50 place, so over all I would say a rip off.” “love their seafood pasts.” “The food was very bad quality, same sauce for the lamb and steak!” “There are no complicated flavor combinations or frilly garnishes or overly structured presentations at Ago--just phenomenal fare made with fresh ingredients.” “Awesome food.” “The food can either be excellent or chef Boyardee.” “Great food, horrible service” “Perhaps more refreshing was the simplicity of dishes.” “Delicious arugula salad and the whitefish is wonderful.” “The $12 Zuppa del Golfo soup (like cioppino) I ordered had a delicious flavor and was so laden with tender chunks of salmon and other types of seafood (honestly, the best seafood I've ever had) that I couldn't eat my entree.” “Loud staff were obnoxious and the food took forever.” “Of course we had a couple of vegetarians, one person with extensive food allergies, and had to notify the waiters who never asked.” “Drinks were good, however once we were seated at a cramped table with my girlfriend; we proceeded to eat a 3 course meal in less than an hour?” “The atmosphere is true Italian, the waitstaff is professional and very adoring and the food is excellent.” “Simple, warm and delicious” “Great food.” “The food itself was nice, but we felt it was overpriced and that you could get equally as good food somewhere else less expensive.” “Great food -- highly recommended are the veal medallions -- and a scene of interesting people to watch as you eat.” “The food is very expensive, but there are the rare deals thrown in.” “great food, nice place” “The waiter was extremely knowledgeable and helpful in picking our food.” “Appetizers were decent, especially pasta sampler.” “We started with a peach martini (compliments of a generous and super friendly local) and with dinner we selected the least expensive ($55) bottle of pinot noir and both were delicious!” “Okay food, terrible service” “Lots of celebs, beautiful people, and wonderful food choices.” “Our server was awesome, his recommendations were on point and the food came out in around 10 minutes.” “The service was impeccable and the food was impressive.” “have been to Ago many many times (not by choice my friends don't mind waiting at the bar and checking out the scene for over an 1 hour and as I said the food is great).” “If you want great food, but would like to be seated 1 1/2 hours after your reservation then this is place for you.” “The mushroom risotto was wonderful, the steak was so tender you could cut it with a fork.” “One person in our party ordered the salmon, which I'm not sure why being that the smell of bad fish in the entire restaurant was making me gag.” “Great food, authentic accented servers lol, Peach Martinis that will take you to a new place!” “Loved the food, loved the service.” “was able to drink two glasses of wine, split a caprese salad, and enjoy veal ravioli for only $35.” “The tiramisu was delicious, too.” “My food was excellent, I had 2 glasses of wine, the mozzarella appetizer with tomatoes (superb) and the veal raviolis.” “My brother wasn't impressed with his seafood risotta but the soft shelled crab salad was amazing.” “The whitefish is excellent - the gnocchi divine and the pizzas are perfect” “the pasta and seafood were fantastic.” “The food was excellent.” “Ago's food is excellent.” “The salmon I had was delicious and my friend thoroughly enjoyed her pasta special.” “If you do go the pizza, mushroom risotto, and pasta on the menu is fantastic.” “My friends and I choose Ago for a night out more than any other restaurant--the food and service are always wonderful and the restaurant is always fun.” “Not only that we sat down in a table we didn't like but also the food was cold but at this point we ate it anyway, do you think that's all?”
menu variety	100.0% positive	“The menu isn't expensive unless you stray from the pastas.” “Of course we had a couple of vegetarians, one person with extensive food allergies, and had to notify the waiters who never asked.” “Lots of celebs, beautiful people, and wonderful food choices.” “If you do go the pizza, mushroom risotto, and pasta on the menu is fantastic.” “The service is always excellent and you can never go wrong ordering from this menu.”
overall	100.0% positive	“great place” “great food, nice place” “This is my favorite restaurant” “consistently steady performer that does not qualify as fine dining but does qualify as a great place to frequent.” “The 2 that got there late ended up going to the restaurant next door to eat after they would not sit us down and found it to be a great place.” “If you want great food, but would like to be seated 1 1/2 hours after your reservation then this is place for you.”
return potential	100.0% positive	“Overall it was a pleasant experience and I would go back.” “I've never seen such poor, disgraceful, horrible treatment of customers in my life and I will NEVER go back to this establishment.”
service	66.18000030517578% positive	“Would recommend Ago for an intimate evening for two or a group celebration (seems that some of the complaints about service could be related to regular Friday or Saturday night rush, which we avoided by a weekday lunch).” “So, bad service from the host, slow service from the waiter (plus he forgot one dessert entirely) and $95 for risotto (come on - it's just a bowl of rice!)” “Great food, authentic accented servers lol, Peach Martinis that will take you to a new place!” “Great food -- highly recommended are the veal medallions -- and a scene of interesting people to watch as you eat.” “Our server was awesome, his recommendations were on point and the food came out in around 10 minutes.” “Great food, horrible service” “Loved the food, loved the service.” “This restaurant is great for people watching and possible celebrity spotting.” “dined alone, experience was great, 6pm on a Saturday, wasn't busy yet, very attentive wait-staff.” “Bad Food, Expensive, and bad service!” “The service is friendly and attentive, which is unusual for such a happening place.” “While at the bar we mingled with friendly, intelligent, and over-all beautiful people.” “You basically see lots of sheeshee foofoo people rolling in the parking lot with super expensive cars and being full of air.” “The worst however was that we were served by an obnoxious waiter that kept saying "Beautifull", "Wonderfull" practically to himself everytime he came to the table.” “The waiter was very friendly and had a great Italian accent.” “The service was impeccable and the food was impressive.” “Okay food, terrible service” “Loud staff were obnoxious and the food took forever.” “My friends and I choose Ago for a night out more than any other restaurant--the food and service are always wonderful and the restaurant is always fun.” “The restaurant is small and warmly decorated, and the wait staff is pretty attentive, though not necessarily friendly.” “We had a big group of 14 people, came up to be $150 per person, the quality of the service and food was close to a $50 place, so over all I would say a rip off.” “the drinks were decent and the service a little on the slow side, but we were with a big party.” “the type of service that you get at a 2 star restaurant; however the manager was very polite and caring.” “We started with a peach martini (compliments of a generous and super friendly local) and with dinner we selected the least expensive ($55) bottle of pinot noir and both were delicious!” “The service was so bad and unprofessional.” “Friendly staff.” “Lots of celebs, beautiful people, and wonderful food choices.” “Rude wait staff, treated like my money was no good” “The service is always excellent and you can never go wrong ordering from this menu.” “wish it was, since the waiter provide a lousy service, rolling his eyes everytime we call him and knowing he was not gonna get a good tip he added by hand 20% tip at the bottom of the check we paid and leave.” “When we were finally served it was by a very rude French server who acted like were were a bother.” “Worst customer service, disgraceful establishment” “Of course we had a couple of vegetarians, one person with extensive food allergies, and had to notify the waiters who never asked.” “The waiter was extremely knowledgeable and helpful in picking our food.”
value	45.0% positive	“Food is good, portions are mediocre.” “Ago is apparently the hip place in town to schmooze and make the big deals” “The menu isn't expensive unless you stray from the pastas.” “Rude wait staff, treated like my money was no good” “was warned that Ago was super pricey, but I was pleasantly surprised with the value.” “know from expereince that truffles are expensive, and truffle risotto can get as pricey as $45.” “We started with a peach martini (compliments of a generous and super friendly local) and with dinner we selected the least expensive ($55) bottle of pinot noir and both were delicious!” “The food is very expensive, but there are the rare deals thrown in.” “The food itself was nice, but we felt it was overpriced and that you could get equally as good food somewhere else less expensive.” “You basically see lots of sheeshee foofoo people rolling in the parking lot with super expensive cars and being full of air.”
wait time	50.0% positive	“So, bad service from the host, slow service from the waiter (plus he forgot one dessert entirely) and $95 for risotto (come on - it's just a bowl of rice!)” “After our crazy 45 minute wait, we were finally seated -- in the worst possible spot in the restaurant, right in front of the kitchen entrance.” “Our server was awesome, his recommendations were on point and the food came out in around 10 minutes.” “the drinks were decent and the service a little on the slow side, but we were with a big party.”

07/31/11

disappointment

by pat24250

The fact mr De Niro (hello Robert !) owns this restaurant is attractive, but I wish to tell him how disappointed I was yesterday. It is really expensive for what you get in the plate. The food is ok, but the tastes did make me dream at all. the portion of the carpaccio is very small, the wines are very basic. very expensive for what it is. I will not come back. everything in the business is what you get for the price you pay, it is the good way to appreciate the value and the quality. as a french, I know what is good in a plate..

Patrick

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01/24/11

Ago wins my approval with flying colors!!

by StephanieJo19

I finally got to Ago last Thursday, and was weary from reading all of the bad reviews before, especially of the staff. From the moment that I arrived, I was greeted by a super nice staff. It did take a little to get a table on the patio, where I could smoke freely, but I didn't mind while I had a fabulous-famous peach martini! Once seated, the wait staff was above any that I've experienced at the best restaurants in town. The waiter even complimented my hair (which I just had done!) and I thought that killing me with kindness, will always work. The veal ravioli was superb & I can't wait to go back again & again! Stephanie Jo

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01/11/11

great

by dabboussi

it is one of the best place, i enjoy all the food, the service is also fine. i recomend this restaurant. ^^AC

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05/17/10

geat place

by Flora Gasimova

The best peach martini EVER !!!

its a great place to go wth friends and have a great time . The staff / Managemant are very nice .

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04/12/10

WHAT A HORROR! EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED!

by IRENE

I have Never expected to be so disappointed in any Italian Restaurant anywhere in the country but Especially in a Pretty Popular Ago restaurant owned by Robert De Niro and Supposedly a Great chef Agostino Sciandri in Los Angeles.

We visited Ago on Friday 4/9/2010 with my husband and 2 of our friends. Being from New York and have lived in Italy for a while - I think we have a pretty good idea what Italian food should taste and look like. To be honest - we had pretty high expectations on the quality of the food in this establishment partially because it is owned by a celebrity and also because I understand that this place is pretty popular with Hollywood crowd. Now after a lousy dinner experience we had - I can attribute this popularity to only 2 factors: Since Hollywood crowd doesn't eat much - they have no idea how the proper Italian food should taste like or they do know but still want to support one of their own regardless of the quality.

I am also very surprised that Mr. De Niro will put his name next to the poor quality food like we had in this particular restaurant especially that I have been many times in his Nobu New York (both locations: downtown and 57th street) and Nobu Las Vegas and never had a bad meal there.

I think the Real Food Quality Test for any Italian Restaurant is a quality of their Pasta, Desserts and Coffee. The rest of the menu is very important also but if Italian Chef doesn't know how to make Pasta dishes or Famous Italian Desserts or doesn't have a clue how the Real Black Coffee should taste like - he is in trouble.

So you can imagine how shocked I was when my Meat lasagna arrived and I saw a Shapeless Absolutely Flat Amoebe Look A Like Blob of some substance completely drowned in at least half a can of red sauce... Needless to say I sent it back right away but what important question should be raised here - How can Any self respected Chef - even in Military Canteen - have the audacity to send a customer a plate like this - let alone a Famous Chef and in Famous Restaurant like Ago? It is simply Outrageous!

I was hoping to get pleasantly surprised at least by the end of the meal when we ordered 2 desserts: Napoleon, Apple Tart and Coffee. What can I say? The Napoleon was not Simply Bad - it had NOTHING TO DO with Napoleon! Yes the layers of thick, very heavy dough were there and some kind of a so-called cream was in between them but the Quality! What a horror! I am sure that the quality of Napoleon in a ready made section of any Supermarket chain for $2.00 will be better! And the Apple tart! What a pale, sick and unappetizing example! Sad...

At the end I was hoping to get a nice cup of coffee - I thought at least a simple thing like the black coffee should be up to par in any Italian Restaurant especially that chef has nothing to do with it - the good quality machine and decent brand of coffee should take care of it... But no luck! It was Bad - So Bad that it reminded me of coffee in a college cafeteria - basically tasteless water colored in brown...

In Summary - Sorely Disappointed and Will Never Recommend this Restaurant to Anybody!

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Editor's Tips

07/31/11

disappointment

by pat24250

01/24/11

Ago wins my approval with flying colors!!

by StephanieJo19

01/11/11

great

by dabboussi

05/17/10

geat place

by Flora Gasimova

04/12/10

WHAT A HORROR! EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED!

by IRENE

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