Tesoro Trattoria

(213) 680-0000

300 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90071 34.0529 -118.2511

Neighborhoods: Downtown, New Downtown, Central LA

Reviews & Ratings for Tesoro Trattoria

4 Star Rating: Recommended

18 reviews

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5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

by nakali

December 31, 2008

Excellent Bar, good wine menu, tasty appetizers & very good seafood pasta dish. Their service was the Best!

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1 Star Rating: Poor

by caroldorn

January 02, 2007

How do you get a '94' rating out of 12 reviews, FOUR of which were bad....??!!

You be the judge: I reserved, at noon, 12/31, for 12/31. Told them we wanted a table for sure, so when do they open. Told 4:00, so we took a table at four, for three.

Their instruction on the phone, told me the wrong name of the parking area, cost us :25. to find the parking.

4:25 arrival, place not-quite-set-up. With no other reservation till 5:00, they said, they'd decided not to open till then, we don't mind waiting till then to eat, do we??

I glanced at the stocked bar, "Just open the bar...??" Oh, no! "Our ice tray at the bar isn't even filled!!!" our 'host' trumped me with.

SEAT US ??!! - implying concern for our comfort??!! They wedged us 3 into the 2 chairs in the waiting area, even confiscating the chair one of us had dragged over, to sit on!! We should just stand there, and try to be inconspicupous, since we clearly were in the way.

Seated at 5, (they did bring us one round, gratis): 3 course is 49.-, 4 course is with dessert and 59.-. Begging off on deciding on if dessert, waitress asked us THREE times which of the all 2 desserts they had, we wanted

The hors d'oeuvres arrive - cold. The first course out of the kitchen for the night, arrives cold. The scallops were good, the bisque tasted of something un-bisque-like - melted plastic??.

The filet mignon arrived m-rare as ordered, but tasting of cinders, beyond smokey. I'd asked for the parmesan polenta to replace the potatoe. The waitress made it clear :probably not possible. I did get it, but she never mentioned it.

Arriving at home, my phone message says the "Miscommunication" between chef & desk meant 5, 4:30 earliest. Their later comment that they'd "decided' to wait till 5 because of the light early booking, made that a lie. We live in Long Beach, 50 mins from them - they'd called at 18 mins before 4:00, and I guess changed their mind on the 4:30 seating, even after that.

  • Pros: decent food - badly served
  • Cons: Have no conception of hospitality, awful service

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4 Star Rating: Recommended

by ldedalus

October 31, 2006

While staying next door at the Omni, my wife I stopped in last Friday night looking for a dinner salad and glass of wine. We were prepared to sit at the bar, but sat outside by the fountain as the restaurant (and downtown) was deserted. The scampi and ceasar salads we had were both good and the service friendly and attentive. It was a charming spot in the sunken plaza below MOCA and the street. While having an extensive wine list they offer few choices of quality by the glass which was disappointing. Otherwise, it was a good find that we plan on visiting again when we are in town to try some of the interesting choices we saw being ordered from the menu.

  • Pros: Friendly and Accomodating Service
  • Cons: Few wine choices by the glass

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5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

Contributor

September 15, 2006

I am Half Italian and have been to Italy many times, I was very pleased to find Tesoro on my last business trip to LA. Excellent food. Keep it up and we will be back for sure.

PROS: Food and Service

CONS:

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4 Star Rating: Recommended

Contributor

June 08, 2006

Great food, great service in a lovely environment. The meal was perfectly timed, speedy but not rushed. The wait staff was genuinely friendly and never crossed the line into being too pushy or nosey. The food and drinks were both delicious. Though this is not a quiet isolated dining experience it is still very romantic.

PROS: Romantic Waterfall, Food

CONS: Hard to find

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4 Star Rating: Recommended

by raycox

April 28, 2006

My wife and I visited Tesoro on Saturday prior to a performance at the Disney Concert Hall. Must say the food was very good, and our server was outstanding. The only negative comment I would have is the noise level in the back area.

  • Pros: beautiful water fall, romantic, great service
  • Cons: noisy, hard to find

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1 Star Rating: Poor

by girliku

April 25, 2006

totally disgusting food! my husband and i took our families before a weekend concert at the disney concert hall. all the positive reviews are a total hoax. the food was terrible -- oversalted and overcooked. the worst part was the price. save your money and go anywhere else.

  • Pros: location
  • Cons: food food food!

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5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

by jonpasadena

April 17, 2006

Great food, great service and of course, Waterfalls! I was first introduced to Tesoro during a business luncheon a couple of months ago. We were a group of about 20 and I was so impressed by the quality of the food and the caliber of service. So, when I finally got around to taking my girlfriend to see the new Disney Hall, I thought of Tesoro. The surroundings are even more charming... ok, let's say romantic, at night and the food was exceptional. They must make their own bread because it was unbelievable! Without even asking, the server took care of our parking validation and shuttle passes to the Hall. Funny, the next day we talked more about our experience at the restaurant than the concert.

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4 Star Rating: Recommended

by emilytodd

April 14, 2006

I dine here usually at lunch with co-workers. The food is always great and service is pretty good. On super busy days you must be a bit patient. Overall i give it two thums up.

  • Pros: great food, beautiful patio, romantic
  • Cons: a bit noisy

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2 Star Rating: Below Average

by bishonen29

April 04, 2006

Tesoro's setting is really pretty---a few steps away from MOCA below street level with a gorgeous water fountain outside and a warmly lit dining room. We were given a non-greeting by a sour-faced hostess who ignored us for five minutes as she worked on her phone reservations. A nic waiter finally came out and sat us. I had the Siciliano, pasta with ahi tuna which was decently flavored but shockingly oversalted almost to the point of being inedible. We got our food fast but that was the last we saw of our server---no checking in, no refills on our drinks unti we flagged him down. We had to yell out that we wanted coffee---our every request was grudgingly fulfilled like the server just wanted to get us off his back. I expect better at these prices. I won't be going back.

  • Pros: Pretty setting, Close to Music Ctr
  • Cons: Service, Mediocre Food

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Tesoro Trattoria

300 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90071

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