Reviews & Ratings for La Vecchia Cucina

04/16/12

Yum

by Aadrienne

Loved the burratta salad!

03/31/11

Great food, great value and even better service!

by JD Cowles

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! :)

10/23/10

A BIRTHDAY NIGHTMARE

by newyorker001

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.

Citysearch Editorial Review

by Mar Yvette

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: occasionally burned edges) thin-crust pizzas, pastas with homemade sauces, and meat and seafood specialties like oven-broiled sustainable salmon and steakhouse-worthy filet mignon.

05/26/09

Delicious!

by ekeller

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

11/05/08

AWESOME PIZZA CALABRESE

by SOFIABABY

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

10/14/07

I thought I was back in Tuscany!

by realitygirl

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!

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: Walking out with a distended belly

09/21/07

best chicken in town...

by santamonicagal

We have been back here 4 times in the last few months. Every time we come to this restaurant, we eat yummy food and have great service. THERE IS A REASON THE PLACE IS ALWAYS FULL! The chicken stuffed with zucchini is AMAZING! Seriously. It is always perfectly cooked, and the side portions are huge. I have trouble ordering anything else (however, the pizza we had once was fabulous!). It is so refreshing to eat in Los Angeles where you feel like you are really getting some value for your money. Great service, down to the host staff. I love eating here and will continue to return over and over again!

• Pros: Close to home, consistently yummy food, great value, great service, great atmosphere...
• Cons: not enough restaurants like this around...

09/04/07

Wonderful and inexpensive!

by lisastitch

My boyfriend and I had a fantastic dinner here last Thursday. The place was very full and lively. The service was lovely. And the food was great! 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 sauce was with perfect sauce). Best of all the price was extremely affordable for the high quality and great experience. We will definitely become regulars here!

• Pros: Food, Service, Ambience
• Cons: Parking can be tricky in the area

07/22/07

Lackluster restaurant

by grendelina

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. 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 else in the restaurant but him. Frankly it was embarrassing to be treated so poorly, especially with friends who were visiting LA for the first time from overseas. Overall the food was average--given the lackluster service, it's not worth the trouble to return.

• Pros: location
• Cons: parking, service, food