Alejo Presto Trattoria

(310) 822-0095

4002 Lincoln Blvd
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 33.9905 -118.4477

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Neighborhoods: Marina Del Rey, West LA, Marina Del Ray

Price:

$

Last updated 6.15.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Travelers Check

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, B.Y.O.B., Lunch Spot

Cuisine:

Pizza, Mexican, Italian

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Alejo Presto Trattoria

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

In Short – It's all about sharing huge portions of garlic-heavy pizza and pasta at Alejo's. Many dishes feature green, white and red ingredients that mimic the Italian flag. Main courses include a tricolor pizza that substitutes pesto for tomato sauce, mixed gnocchi (cheese, spinach and portobello) with a marinara-Alfredo combo sauce, and the house-specialty spaghetti and meatballs. At the Marina, diners sit shoulder-to-shoulder at communal tables. Down the street, there are private booths.

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
The tiny Marina del Rey location doesn't serve alcohol, but feel free to bring your own. Beer and wine is served at the more spacious Westchester branch.
Parking:
Much of the immediate vicinity's parking is 20-minute only. Instead, try to park on the side street behind the restaurant.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “Alejo's serves great Italian food--large portions, authentic taste, great atmosphere.”
  2. “As I found to be true in other reviews, it is located in a very unique location.”
dessert
0.0% positive
  1. “swear this is why everyone's skin, hair and nails are so nasty out here, this place uses butter, cream, olive oil and meat.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “you can bring your own wine and there's no corkage fee, which is cool.”
  2. “Dinner for two (good size portions), non alcoholic drinks and salads it came up to less than thirty dollars.”
food quality
89.73999977111816% positive
  1. “The pizza kicks bum because "big brother" won't let me say a... I don't know if it's precisely NYC style but it reminds me of both the best pizza in Queens, Brooklyn and honestly Cleveland.”
  2. “especially love the bread and garlic they give with every meal!”
  3. “highly recommend the Chicken Marsala, their bread and garlic and oil dip are the best.”
  4. “Alejo's serves great Italian food--large portions, authentic taste, great atmosphere.”
  5. “They serve warm slices of fresh bread along with bowls of olive oil with lots of diced garlic for dipping.”
  6. “If you love garlic, you will enjoy the food.”
  7. “the food is wonderful, and so soothing.”
  8. “Their bread is delicious but many of the dishes lack originality and depth- instead of flavoring the sauces they just pour on the garlic.”
  9. “The food is good.”
  10. “This is the best Italian food I've had since moving to the west coast.”
  11. “Great pasta and basic sauces served fast.”
  12. “. . . .. I guess most of the folks who go here and complain haven't done a hard day's work to enjoy a relaxing, tasty, homemade meal Grazia Alejo's for making us happy full and not broke!”
  13. “Pastas are made fresh and they have delicious bread and great daily specials.”
  14. “The shrimp fra diavlo here is excellent.”
  15. “This is our favorite Italian food restaurant in Los Angeles.”
  16. “If you want to go to a place with fresh bread and accompanying garlic-infused oil for dipping, a plate of fresh hot pasta, tasty Chopped Italian salad, and good service, then Alejo's is the place for you.”
  17. “Even the bread is good.”
  18. “Great food”
  19. “The food is so good they could get away with charging substantially more money for it.”
  20. “Though their pastas are amazing -- especially the raviolis -- non-carbohydrate heavy options ala chicken entrees are also available.”
  21. “The first dish I order at a new Italian restaurant: Liguine w/red clam sauce - very good here.”
  22. “Perfect crust, not too thick or thin with toppings and sauce SANDWICHED b/t fresh mozzarella.”
  23. “The food is SOO good.”
  24. “Great pasta, despite a long wait”
  25. “Any place that smells that good when you come in has to have great food.”
  26. “The food was GREAT and VERY affordable.”
  27. “Their shrimp dishes are delicious.”
  28. “The service at this spot is so friendly, and the food is a great taste/cost value.”
  29. “recommend the chicken parmegiana.”
  30. “This place has awesome pasta, great bread with olive oil and garlic dip, and is CHEAP.”
  31. “italian food-enthusiasts, you may not like this.”
  32. “sometimes depending on the chef the food isn't that amazing, but the majority of the time, im always stuffed beyond belief with flavorful food.”
  33. “the servings are huge and the pasta is very good.”
  34. “The bread with olive oil and garlic are so good that you'll smell like garlic for over a day.”
  35. “the bread full of body, insisting that i lather garlic infused olive oil chunks all over it before stuffing it in my face.”
  36. “love Pizza, pasta, salad, you name it - at Alejo's it is all good!”
  37. “swear this is why everyone's skin, hair and nails are so nasty out here, this place uses butter, cream, olive oil and meat.”
  38. “It's in a strip mall and not much to look at but the food is EXCELLENT.”
  39. “Good food for the price -- it's not gourmet Italian, but it's good, solid, homestyle Italian for a really reasonable price.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “Though their pastas are amazing -- especially the raviolis -- non-carbohydrate heavy options ala chicken entrees are also available.”
overall
91.66999816894531% positive
  1. “This is our favorite Italian food restaurant in Los Angeles.”
  2. “If you want to go to a place with fresh bread and accompanying garlic-infused oil for dipping, a plate of fresh hot pasta, tasty Chopped Italian salad, and good service, then Alejo's is the place for you.”
  3. “Not a good place for a date.”
  4. “This is a good place with great value for your money, but 9.7 is too high unless you would rate garlic a 10.”
  5. “Not a good place for people who like personal space, especially when the crying babies and wandering toddlers are added to the mix.”
  6. “great place to carbo load”
service
91.66999816894531% positive
  1. “But the environment is warm and friendly.”
  2. “If you want to go to a place with fresh bread and accompanying garlic-infused oil for dipping, a plate of fresh hot pasta, tasty Chopped Italian salad, and good service, then Alejo's is the place for you.”
  3. “It's clean, neighborhood blue collar friendliness must be what puts people in LA off to this place.”
  4. “our server was very friendly and the rest of the staff was right there with everything.”
  5. “Not a good place for people who like personal space, especially when the crying babies and wandering toddlers are added to the mix.”
  6. “The service at this spot is so friendly, and the food is a great taste/cost value.”
value
100.0% positive
  1. “This is a good place with great value for your money, but 9.7 is too high unless you would rate garlic a 10.”
  2. “Alejo's serves great Italian food--large portions, authentic taste, great atmosphere.”
  3. “Good food for the price -- it's not gourmet Italian, but it's good, solid, homestyle Italian for a really reasonable price.”
  4. “the servings are huge and the pasta is very good.”
  5. “The service at this spot is so friendly, and the food is a great taste/cost value.”
  6. “Dinner for two (good size portions), non alcoholic drinks and salads it came up to less than thirty dollars.”
  7. “The food was GREAT and VERY affordable.”
  8. “The food is so good they could get away with charging substantially more money for it.”
  9. “love the price.”
  10. “Good portions for reasonable prices.”
  11. “The place is cute and prices are reasonable, but there is not any drinkage, unless you bring you.”
  12. “It feels like a big family holiday dinner where you are gorging on huge platters of pastas while your third cousin twice removed yammers away in the background.”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “Great pasta, despite a long wait”
4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/10/09

Old Fashion Italian Food

by RinaKawa

This place is really amazing. The food is SOO good. sometimes depending on the chef the food isn't that amazing, but the majority of the time, im always stuffed beyond belief with flavorful food. The portion sized are HUGE. I usually share with my husband. When you look at the resturant from afar, it looks kind of gross because it rests in a strip mall kind of place, but smaller. But once you get past that, and finally eat the food, you would be thankful you did.

  • Pros: Flavor=amazing
  • Cons: kind of small
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

12/22/07

Best Pizza on West Side of LA Period (from wistful NYC'ers)

by nycseeksfoodinla

Alejo's may be hard to park at, it may not be "foofy" enough for most LA'ers who consider ambience a category, pshaw, you can't eat decor. The pizza kicks bum because "big brother" won't let me say a... I don't know if it's precisely NYC style but it reminds me of both the best pizza in Queens, Brooklyn and honestly Cleveland. Perfect crust, not too thick or thin with toppings and sauce SANDWICHED b/t fresh mozzarella. The pepperoni is real, it gets greasy and crispy and YUMMY. Dear lord people its animal fat, you can process it, eat it!!! I swear this is why everyone's skin, hair and nails are so nasty out here, this place uses butter, cream, olive oil and meat. YUM.......It's clean, neighborhood blue collar friendliness must be what puts people in LA off to this place. I never felt a wait. They look AT you, say hello, seat you and GIVE YOU TIME TO ENJOY the person you're with, the menu, your feet up for the first time that day. . . . .. I guess most of the folks who go here and complain haven't done a hard day's work to enjoy a relaxing, tasty, homemade meal Grazia Alejo's for making us happy full and not broke!!! GO NOW!

  • Pros: Food, PIZZA, pasta, sauces, dear lord the bread and flan
  • Cons: Ambience doesn't make food taste good dorks, it doesn't count
3 Star Rating: Average

05/30/07

Great pasta, despite a long wait

by katy_snell

Alejo's serves great Italian food--large portions, authentic taste, great atmosphere. The only problem is the wait--everytime I've been, I've had to wait at least twenty minutes. That being said, the food is definitely worth the wait, and even though they don't sell alcohol, they do serve it for a small cork fee.

  • Pros: Great pasta, huge portions
  • Cons: Parking is tricky
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

03/22/07

Just try it...

by kreplech

This is the best Italian food I've had since moving to the west coast. Its the closest thing to a family style east-coast Italian restaurant you'll find out here... god bless 'em. The first dish I order at a new Italian restaurant: Liguine w/red clam sauce - very good here. A bit of a "local" flavor to the dishes - but traditional enough to rule every other place I've been to in the area. Even the bread is good. They don't serve booz though - so bring you're own and pay the corkage fee. Also, there is a perpetual 20 minute wait - you can set your watch by it.

  • Pros: Excellent food.
  • Cons: Bring your own booz.
4 Star Rating: Recommended

01/19/07

Great find

by asia101

Went there last night. I love little dives but I thought this one might be a little too divey (is that a word?). But Im glad I want. Everything was good. There were 8 of us and we did a family style setup so everyone got to sample a little of everything with a second helping! Portions are large, lots of garlic, good stuff. Dont eat too much bread though...cause portions are large!

  • Pros: Great food, large portions, friendly staff
  • Cons: No parking

The Details on Alejo Presto Trattoria

Place Categories:

  • great italian food
  • delicious bread
  • good place
  • great hot pasta
  • reasonable price
  • warm environment
  • great tastecost value
  • love pizza
  • warm inside
  • good size portions
  • good everything
  • good service
  • especially love garlic
  • not like italian foodenthusiasts
  • great daily specials
  • unique charm
  • good lax
  • love entrees
  • authentic taste
  • great long wait
  • enjoy meal
  • fresh mozzarella
  • delicious shrimp dishes
  • excellent shrimp fra diavlo
  • recommend chicken parmegiana

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