La Vecchia Cucina

From the outside, this Main Street bistro might pale in comparison next to its eye-catching neighbor The Victorian, but take a closer look and you'll find one bustling spot that clearly knows how to fill a space. Never mind the 80s-era abstract art jutting from the avocado-colored walls and the generally dated decor--the welcoming vibe and food is what keeps folks coming back, even if it means jostling for elbow space at tiny tables or the wraparound bar. The sizable Cal-Italian menu features half a dozen salads like the popular heirloom tomato with burrata, perfectly imperfect (read:…

Read full featured review

Editor's Tips

When to Go:: There's a weekday happy hour, 5pm-7pm, and an Italian-inspired brunch Sundays, 11am-3pm.
Parking:: Evening parking can be had for $3 at the adjacent Victorian parking lot.
The Extras:: Don't be surprised if you fill up before your first course even arrives--the complimentary homemade bread and olive oil brimming with crushed garlic and basil is addictive.

Write a Review

User Reviews (23)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“Fantastic food, service and fun” “The food is very good, but my favorite thing about it is the welcoming atmosphere, which leaves something to be desired when dining in L.A. Most patrons dress in business casual to dressy, but if someone in your party is in jeans, no one will bat an eyela” “La Vecchia is a romantic spot where the location and scene are half the draw.”
drinks	47.220001220703125% positive	“Full bar and a wine list full of surprises.” “Pretty much everything on the menu is excellent, and if you sit at the bar and eat dinner, you'll get even better service than if you sit at a table.” “With a full bar, a competent waitstaff, and a reasonable bill at the end I will make the trek to Santa Monica more often.” “.... Many affordable wines by the glass, including commendable house offerings.” “When he arrived, we nicely told him we did not want to move from our settings which were full of food and drink to accommodate him.” “While the support staff were attentive, the waiter we had was the worst in our experience in many years--he completely neglected the table and our increasingly wild gesticulations (to order, to ask for water, wine, etc) were noticed by just about everyone”
food quality	93.75% positive	“From the moment we walked in we were treated above and beyond well, the food was delicious and the overall experience was perfect.” “The fresh bread and garlicky olive oil dip is very good.” “try and go once a week especially for the fresh bread.” “La Vecchia Cucina Restaurante is an excellent place to enjoy a delicious Italian meal in Santa Monica.” “They offer a varity of northern and southern cusine, the fish is always fresh and the pasta is divine.” “Every time we come to this restaurant, we eat yummy food and have great service.” “The chicken stuffed with zucchini is AMAZING!” “Calamari Fritti to start, then the boyfriend had what I think was called Fagiotti - small pasta pockets filled with cheese and I want to say walnuts, with a sauce of sun-dried tomatoes, and I had the Penna All'Arrabbiata (cooked perfectly al dente and the” “Snack on warm bread dipped in herb-and-garlic flecked olive oil while you peruse the menu.” “After our trip to Italy last year I have had a difficult time finding authentic, delicious and reasonably priced Italian in my neck of the woods.” “And the food was great!” “The people are friendly and the food is the best.” “This niegborhood cucina offers perhaps the best value for Italian cuisine on the Westside.” “best chicken in town.” “Fantastic food, service and fun” “Great deals for great food.” “One of the great neighborhood restaurants in L.A. Food's great (try the Ossobuco if you're into meat); amazingly, the pasta is always perfect.” “The food is very good, but my favorite thing about it is the welcoming atmosphere, which leaves something to be desired when dining in L.A. Most patrons dress in business casual to dressy, but if someone in your party is in jeans, no one will bat an eyela” “There burrata and heirloom tomato special is delicious, not to mention the Pizza Calabrese.” “We went with an Italian friend who had had a nice meal here before but unfortunately this was not the experience for the 5 of us when we returned with her.” “The filet specials are amazing; the meat is so tender it melts in your mouth.” “When he arrived, we nicely told him we did not want to move from our settings which were full of food and drink to accommodate him.” “Excellent food but the service can be a little slow and the tables are really close together.” “have trouble ordering anything else (however, the pizza we had once was fabulous!)”
menu variety	100.0% positive	“Snack on warm bread dipped in herb-and-garlic flecked olive oil while you peruse the menu.” “Pretty much everything on the menu is excellent, and if you sit at the bar and eat dinner, you'll get even better service than if you sit at a table.” “Overall, Vecchia is good is a good bet for good italian, with lots of choices.”
return potential	100.0% positive	“The fact that they reached out made us want to go back and after a great evening, we definitely will!”
service	72.7299976348877% positive	“The people are friendly and the food is the best.” “the service is always friendly.” “Worst service ever!” “La Vecchia is a trendy, upscale, see and be seen kind of place, minus the pretentious staff and insane prices.” “Excellent food but the service can be a little slow and the tables are really close together.” “Fantastic food, service and fun” “Every time we come to this restaurant, we eat yummy food and have great service.” “Staff is attentive and sociable.” “Pretty much everything on the menu is excellent, and if you sit at the bar and eat dinner, you'll get even better service than if you sit at a table.” “The service is also good here.” “While the support staff were attentive, the waiter we had was the worst in our experience in many years--he completely neglected the table and our increasingly wild gesticulations (to order, to ask for water, wine, etc) were noticed by just about everyone”
value	85.71000099182129% positive	“Great deals for great food.” “This niegborhood cucina offers perhaps the best value for Italian cuisine on the Westside.” “.... Many affordable wines by the glass, including commendable house offerings.” “La Vecchia is a trendy, upscale, see and be seen kind of place, minus the pretentious staff and insane prices.” “It is always perfectly cooked, and the side portions are huge.” “They have an excellent happy hour with great $5.00 deals.” “Best of all the price was extremely affordable for the high quality and great experience.”
wait time	25.0% positive	“Excellent food but the service can be a little slow and the tables are really close together.” “About 20 minutes into the wait, the host seated three other large tables, one of which only 2 of the party were present at the restaurant, which was really annoying!”

03/31/11

Great food, great value and even better service!

by JD Cowles at Citysearch

Chef/owner Mark Mollica and staff serve up some really delicious food! Awesome salads, pizza, pasta and more. Great atmosphere and a really friendly staff along with the delicious food will makes for a restaurant you'll want to go back to over and over! I can't stay away for more than a couple days! :)

helpful (0) not helpful (0) comment share

10/23/10

A BIRTHDAY NIGHTMARE

by newyorker001 at Citysearch

I thought that I would share my recent dining experience with you...

In mid October 2010, a seemingly normal family celebration turned into a nightmare experience at the trendy Santa Monica, CA restaurant, La Vecchia Cucina. In the last 2 1/2 years, many restaurants have gone out of business due to a lack of customer demand as a result of the recession. In response, the restaurants that do remain are the ones that make sure that their customers know that the restaurant appreciates them and only survives because of their repeated patronage. The attitude of La Vecchia Cucina demonstrates that the restaurant’s customers should feel privileged to dine there, and this could ultimately lead to its financial downfall.

This was illustrated when a daughter visiting from New York decided to take her mother to a nice local restaurant to celebrate her mother's birthday. A routine Google search listed La Vecchia Cucina as a top candidate for the birthday dinner. The restaurant accepted a same-day reservation and was notified at the time that it was a special occasion. Upon arriving on time for dinner, the mother and daughter were told by the hostess that a table was being prepared especially for them. Thereafter, they were ignored for over 15 minutes while other people coming into the restaurant were seated immediately. The hostess finally escorted them to a table where they began reviewing the menus.

Several minutes later, the same hostess abruptly interrupted them by insisting that they relocate to another table, stating that the existing table was specifically reserved for someone special. The daughter complained that the second table was next to the noisy kitchen area, overcrowded by waiters and engulfed by food smells, and that they preferred not to move to that table. The hostess again demanded that they had to relocate immediately. Seeing that her mother was already upset, the daughter begrudgingly decided not to create a scene during the until-now happy birthday celebration, and decided to move to the new table. Although the service and food were satisfactory, the mother and daughter were never approached with any apology or consideration for being treated in such an insulting manner. A couple of days later, the daughter contacted the restaurant owners via e-mail to notify them of the poor dining experience and the owners did not bother to respond; thus, emphasizing the fact that the restaurant apparently feels that their customers' satisfaction and overall dining experience is simply not important to them. Moreover, it is clear that they are reinforcing the fact that only special people are welcome there and all others will be treated in an unprofessional and disrespectful manner.

helpful (0) not helpful (0) comment share

05/26/09

Delicious!

by ekeller at Citysearch

Excellent food but the service can be a little slow and the tables are really close together. Make a reservation because it gets really crowded

Pros: Great food!
Cons: Crowded and squished tables

helpful (0) not helpful (0) comment share

11/05/08

AWESOME PIZZA CALABRESE

by SOFIABABY at Citysearch

La Vecchia is a hidden treasure on the Westside. The Chef uses many of the top quality meats found at your fine dining restaurants but without the price. The filet specials are amazing; the meat is so tender it melts in your mouth. They have a nice selection of wines. There burrata and heirloom tomato special is delicious, not to mention the Pizza Calabrese. The pizza has chorizo, sausage, jalape?os, and onions. Everyone who I have eaten with at La Vecchia tries the pizza and is hooked. La Vecchia is definitely the place you need to try once. Weekends can be busy and reservations are always better. They have an excellent Happy Hour with great $5.00 deals. I try and go once a week especially for the fresh bread. All my meals have been great. I attend to large events at La Vecchia and they did a great job at getting the food out on time to everyone. Everyone was able to eat at the same time. Four of the large events I went to were rehearsel dinners and the wedding party the next day talked about how amazing the food was compared to these four star hotels that the weddings were held at. Try it.. La Vecchia has a nice, upbbeat environment that usually is pretty busy so reserverations are suggested

helpful (0) not helpful (0) comment share

10/14/07

I thought I was back in Tuscany!

by realitygirl at Citysearch

After our trip to Italy last year I have had a difficult time finding authentic, delicious and reasonably priced Italian in my neck of the woods. I didn't know I had to truck clear to Santa Monica, but this place is worth the trip. We started with calamari and proscuitto and heirloom tomatoes and our palates were quite excited. Secondi was the clam and mussel linguini, while my partner had the osca buco. The osca bucco was fantastic and the linguini was difficult to stop eating. The waiter suggested the Kenwood Syrah which was an excellent choice. With a full bar, a competent waitstaff, and a reasonable bill at the end I will make the trek to Santa Monica more often. Enjoy!

La Vecchia Cucina

Hours:

Price:

Category:

Payment Methods:

Restaurant Special Features:

General Info:

Cuisine:

What People Are Saying About La Vecchia Cucina

Mar Yvette

Contributor

Editor's Tips

03/31/11

Great food, great value and even better service!

by JD Cowles at Citysearch

10/23/10

A BIRTHDAY NIGHTMARE

by newyorker001 at Citysearch

05/26/09

Delicious!

by ekeller at Citysearch

11/05/08

AWESOME PIZZA CALABRESE

by SOFIABABY at Citysearch

10/14/07

I thought I was back in Tuscany!

by realitygirl at Citysearch

The Details on La Vecchia Cucina

Place Categories:

Things To Do Nearby La Vecchia Cucina

Lists In Santa Monica

Recent Reviews In Santa Monica

More Info

Contact

More Navigation

Partner Sites: