Don't appreciate a surprise 20% service charge for kitchen and a note on our bill that it doesn't include tip. Just got back from London and Paris and NEVER heard of a customer expected to pay 40% of bill to pay for services. NEVER!
Diner12
Food absolutely delicious. A bit over-priced but you know that when you go here so no complaints. It does come with expectations in service though and those weren't met. I believe we witnessed the waiter's maiden voyage serving someone with food allergies. My guest's dairy allergy was freshly forgotten between every course. One example (of many) - when the dairy free branzino arrived with a butter soaked potato it was swiftly addressed by removing said potato and returning the plate with a remaining puddle of butter. It was quickly followed with a sampler dessert compliments of the chef, but - you guessed it - all had dairy. No big deal at an Olive Garden but a real miss at a hot spot that charges $60+ for a pasta dish. Left us less than excited about coming back.
Jodie C
I started with a delicious expresso martini, some amazing homemade bread with great (garlic butter?) . Then my Cesar salad was to die for! Nico are you single? That secret dressing, wow. I wanted to stop right there because I knew it couldn’t get any better. My chicken Marsala was just ok only because it was cut so thin it was over cooked and dry before sauce. I made her take it to the kitchen just to make sure it wasn't veal because the texture was so different and I couldn’t tell by the taste but everyone else was extremely happy as well and full!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
NancyE
It had been a while since we've been there but expected a great experience and it did not disappoint. Our waiter made wonderful recommendations that we would definitely repeat. The prawn appetizers were succulent and delicious as was every course. We also had the grilled octopus, the white asparagus as appetizers. There were 4 of us and we were able to share everything. The pasta tasting course was amazing and we finished with the porterhouse. We came away happy and satiated. The wine pairing was perfect. The desserts chocolate soufflé and apple tart were amazing. We'll be back for sure and more often!! Great experience!!
MikeT
This is a charming restaurant. The staff was exceptional. The food was very good but I have had better, especially the mushroom risotto. However we really enjoyed this expensive meal. Our server was terrific as was the maitre d. Definitely will recommend and return when in Santa Monica.
Fantastic
Amazing experience! The food, service and experience are excellent! Do your taste buds a favor and get the roasted Cesar salad. It's the best Cesar you've ever had. The menu has so many great items with intricate flavors and exquisite ingredients to make your tummy jump for joy! I highly recommend Capo!
Light Chasers
This place is the epitome of the thinking: "It's super expensive so it must be super good." I am blown away by how many good reviews this place has to be honest. It must be because everyone ends up spending so much money, they have to tell themselves it was good to justify it, and keep from crying that it was such a waste of money. It is either that or these people have no idea what really great, gourmet food tases like. As a psychologist, I have to believe it is the former where people think that if they are paying much more for something, it must be good--but let me assure you, it is not. This place has everyone fooled.A group of 4 of us dined here February 3, 2024, to celebrate a friends bday. From the start we were met with a maitre'd /manager John, who had a holier than thou attitude, and was irritable and angry for some reason. We had a lovely waitress, however, when we apparently were taking too long to order, John stormed over and forced us to give him our whole order immediately, and then directly asked the bday girl what she wanted for her dessert, ruining the surprise.Now I have been to MANY of the top 50 restaurants in the world, many 1 and 2 star Michelin restaurants, and lived in Switzerland for 3 years, so I know what amazing food looks and tastes like, and am not afraid to pay for it. The food here, based on the price, is an absolute joke. Their prices are similar to 2 star Michelin restaurants, yet barely come close to a 1 star...which makes me wonder why this place doesn't even have a star.The food was average at best, considering the ridiculous prices. The waitress and other service staff were great, but then it was ruined when John literally would start clearing people's plates while they were still eating. The piece de resistance was when two minutes after paying the bill, John once again angrily came over and literally told us we had to leave because they needed the table--truly remarkable. At that point, he completely ruined whatever semblance of a nice evening we had, and it became abundantly clear why this place doesn't have any Michelin Stars, or any class.Please don't be fooled by the delusion that because this place is so expensive, it must be so good. Save your money and go elsewhere, there are SO many much better quality food and service restaurants in LA for the money.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
Owen
The prices are very high but the food and service are outstanding. The restaurant is usually full. On most nights it is very noisy and, on the weekends, extremely noisy so that it is difficult to hold a conversation without raising your voice quite a bit. the tables are pretty close together which makes it feel a little cramped at times. Overall, I feel the high prices are justified by the exceptional food and the very capable and attentive server staff.
Jerry
The prices are very high but the food and service are outstanding. The restaurant is usually full. On most nights it is very noisy and, on the weekends, extremely noisy so that it is difficult to hold a conversation without raising your voice quite a bit. the tables are pretty close together which makes it feel a little cramped at times. Overall, I feel the high prices are justified by the exceptional food and the very capable and attentive server staff.
HappyWineDine
Attended on 2/3/24 for a reservation at 6pm. The front staff person checking people in - noted his name was John and he was the manager - he had an incredible amount of attitude, repressed anger, frustration, low patience, interrupted our servers process, rushed us through dinner and tried to take the plate out from in front of my friend while she was still eating. There was no sense of flow or ease to the experience. After we paid, John abruptly told us to leave with frustration & offensive tone - we were wrapping up our conversation at the table. John stated another party was waiting for a table and he was waiting on us - although he had not informed us prior. John made all of us feel VERY uncomfortable and ruined our birthday dinner experience. I also told John before that this was a birthday and if they could bring out dessert as a surprise, and he directly told my friend “I heard its your birthday, what do you want for dessert?” He did not care at all. The quality of food had also declined. John should not be managing a restaurant and needs a serious review - even the staff was uncomfortable with him. Please reconsider before booking at this place.
World class wine list & pasta. Wood fired grill with amazing selection of top tier meats. Has been a favorite of mine for 15+ years even prior to moving to LA and it's still near the top of my list after eating my way throughout the region.
Genco Sanli
This is, was I told, the best Italian in town. So we went. Very much focused on wood fire grilled meat and seafood. It was simply amazing. Every taste subtly comes alive in the pallate. Winner was Vitello Costellato. The wine list is expansive and expensive. This is not a cheap eat but worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Flourless Chocolate Soufflé
DanielR
This was the 2nd year we celebrated my partners Birthday dinner. The restaurant has an elegant interior, beautiful art work is displayed throughout the restaurant. The staff are expertly trained and are very attentive. The food is delicious and always perfectly prepared. The wine list is fabulous! Overall this is one of the best restaurants in Santa Monica. We look forward to dining at Capo for many years.
Fantastic
Capo is amazing! The service is impeccable. From the moment you enter and speak to the host, Frank or John, to the end of the dining experience. Vanessa and all the servers are professional and attentive. The food is the best in Los Angeles. The grilled Cesar salad is exceptional, as is all the food. This is one of the best restaurants in Santa Monica & LA.
Zan Lee
I would say it’s one of the best Italian restaurants in Santa Monica, but it does have some issues. It’s really small and intimate on the inside, you feel like you are eating in someone’s house. It reminds me of a few restaurants that I ate in when I was in Italy last so it had a very authentic feel to me. I am also half Italian so I feel I know good and bad Italian food. The issue we had is that a lot of the items are overpriced. For example steak tartare is $48 and a simple grilled Branzino is $85. For these prices we all felt the food wasn’t special enough to justify the prices. They don’t have a parking lot but metered street parking is easy to find or your other best option would be their valet for $15. Our server was very polite and all of our items came out very quickly. They were a bit slow on the drink refills, but aside from that everything else was very fast.I started off with the Filet Mignon Tartare and it was very good, although it didn’t have any spice to it so wish it had some mustard or horseradish to it because it felt a little dry to me. Also expensive for $48 which I don’t understand, but I did enjoy it. For my entree I chose the Bucatini with Lamb Ragu and it was fantastic. The portion was a bit small but it had really great and deep flavors. After I finished with the Chocolate Soufflé and it was A+. I truly loved it and would highly recommend ordering it.Overall a nice dinner in a beautiful location although it is overpriced. I would recommend but the price points are really strange.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Flourless Chocolate Soufflé, Grilled Prawn, Country Lamb Rack Alla Griglia, Steak Tartare
Don't appreciate a surprise 20% service charge for kitchen and a note on our bill that it doesn't include tip. Just got back from London and Paris and NEVER heard of a customer expected to pay 40% of bill to pay for services. NEVER!
Food absolutely delicious. A bit over-priced but you know that when you go here so no complaints. It does come with expectations in service though and those weren't met. I believe we witnessed the waiter's maiden voyage serving someone with food allergies. My guest's dairy allergy was freshly forgotten between every course. One example (of many) - when the dairy free branzino arrived with a butter soaked potato it was swiftly addressed by removing said potato and returning the plate with a remaining puddle of butter. It was quickly followed with a sampler dessert compliments of the chef, but - you guessed it - all had dairy. No big deal at an Olive Garden but a real miss at a hot spot that charges $60+ for a pasta dish. Left us less than excited about coming back.
I started with a delicious expresso martini, some amazing homemade bread with great (garlic butter?) . Then my Cesar salad was to die for! Nico are you single? That secret dressing, wow. I wanted to stop right there because I knew it couldn’t get any better. My chicken Marsala was just ok only because it was cut so thin it was over cooked and dry before sauce. I made her take it to the kitchen just to make sure it wasn't veal because the texture was so different and I couldn’t tell by the taste but everyone else was extremely happy as well and full!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
It had been a while since we've been there but expected a great experience and it did not disappoint. Our waiter made wonderful recommendations that we would definitely repeat. The prawn appetizers were succulent and delicious as was every course. We also had the grilled octopus, the white asparagus as appetizers. There were 4 of us and we were able to share everything. The pasta tasting course was amazing and we finished with the porterhouse. We came away happy and satiated. The wine pairing was perfect. The desserts chocolate soufflé and apple tart were amazing. We'll be back for sure and more often!! Great experience!!
This is a charming restaurant. The staff was exceptional. The food was very good but I have had better, especially the mushroom risotto. However we really enjoyed this expensive meal. Our server was terrific as was the maitre d. Definitely will recommend and return when in Santa Monica.
Amazing experience! The food, service and experience are excellent! Do your taste buds a favor and get the roasted Cesar salad. It's the best Cesar you've ever had. The menu has so many great items with intricate flavors and exquisite ingredients to make your tummy jump for joy! I highly recommend Capo!
This place is the epitome of the thinking: "It's super expensive so it must be super good." I am blown away by how many good reviews this place has to be honest. It must be because everyone ends up spending so much money, they have to tell themselves it was good to justify it, and keep from crying that it was such a waste of money. It is either that or these people have no idea what really great, gourmet food tases like. As a psychologist, I have to believe it is the former where people think that if they are paying much more for something, it must be good--but let me assure you, it is not. This place has everyone fooled.A group of 4 of us dined here February 3, 2024, to celebrate a friends bday. From the start we were met with a maitre'd /manager John, who had a holier than thou attitude, and was irritable and angry for some reason. We had a lovely waitress, however, when we apparently were taking too long to order, John stormed over and forced us to give him our whole order immediately, and then directly asked the bday girl what she wanted for her dessert, ruining the surprise.Now I have been to MANY of the top 50 restaurants in the world, many 1 and 2 star Michelin restaurants, and lived in Switzerland for 3 years, so I know what amazing food looks and tastes like, and am not afraid to pay for it. The food here, based on the price, is an absolute joke. Their prices are similar to 2 star Michelin restaurants, yet barely come close to a 1 star...which makes me wonder why this place doesn't even have a star.The food was average at best, considering the ridiculous prices. The waitress and other service staff were great, but then it was ruined when John literally would start clearing people's plates while they were still eating. The piece de resistance was when two minutes after paying the bill, John once again angrily came over and literally told us we had to leave because they needed the table--truly remarkable. At that point, he completely ruined whatever semblance of a nice evening we had, and it became abundantly clear why this place doesn't have any Michelin Stars, or any class.Please don't be fooled by the delusion that because this place is so expensive, it must be so good. Save your money and go elsewhere, there are SO many much better quality food and service restaurants in LA for the money.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
The prices are very high but the food and service are outstanding. The restaurant is usually full. On most nights it is very noisy and, on the weekends, extremely noisy so that it is difficult to hold a conversation without raising your voice quite a bit. the tables are pretty close together which makes it feel a little cramped at times. Overall, I feel the high prices are justified by the exceptional food and the very capable and attentive server staff.
The prices are very high but the food and service are outstanding. The restaurant is usually full. On most nights it is very noisy and, on the weekends, extremely noisy so that it is difficult to hold a conversation without raising your voice quite a bit. the tables are pretty close together which makes it feel a little cramped at times. Overall, I feel the high prices are justified by the exceptional food and the very capable and attentive server staff.
Attended on 2/3/24 for a reservation at 6pm. The front staff person checking people in - noted his name was John and he was the manager - he had an incredible amount of attitude, repressed anger, frustration, low patience, interrupted our servers process, rushed us through dinner and tried to take the plate out from in front of my friend while she was still eating. There was no sense of flow or ease to the experience. After we paid, John abruptly told us to leave with frustration & offensive tone - we were wrapping up our conversation at the table. John stated another party was waiting for a table and he was waiting on us - although he had not informed us prior. John made all of us feel VERY uncomfortable and ruined our birthday dinner experience. I also told John before that this was a birthday and if they could bring out dessert as a surprise, and he directly told my friend “I heard its your birthday, what do you want for dessert?” He did not care at all. The quality of food had also declined. John should not be managing a restaurant and needs a serious review - even the staff was uncomfortable with him. Please reconsider before booking at this place.
Restaurantji Recommends
World class wine list & pasta. Wood fired grill with amazing selection of top tier meats. Has been a favorite of mine for 15+ years even prior to moving to LA and it's still near the top of my list after eating my way throughout the region.
This is, was I told, the best Italian in town. So we went. Very much focused on wood fire grilled meat and seafood. It was simply amazing. Every taste subtly comes alive in the pallate. Winner was Vitello Costellato. The wine list is expansive and expensive. This is not a cheap eat but worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Flourless Chocolate Soufflé
This was the 2nd year we celebrated my partners Birthday dinner. The restaurant has an elegant interior, beautiful art work is displayed throughout the restaurant. The staff are expertly trained and are very attentive. The food is delicious and always perfectly prepared. The wine list is fabulous! Overall this is one of the best restaurants in Santa Monica. We look forward to dining at Capo for many years.
Capo is amazing! The service is impeccable. From the moment you enter and speak to the host, Frank or John, to the end of the dining experience. Vanessa and all the servers are professional and attentive. The food is the best in Los Angeles. The grilled Cesar salad is exceptional, as is all the food. This is one of the best restaurants in Santa Monica & LA.
I would say it’s one of the best Italian restaurants in Santa Monica, but it does have some issues. It’s really small and intimate on the inside, you feel like you are eating in someone’s house. It reminds me of a few restaurants that I ate in when I was in Italy last so it had a very authentic feel to me. I am also half Italian so I feel I know good and bad Italian food. The issue we had is that a lot of the items are overpriced. For example steak tartare is $48 and a simple grilled Branzino is $85. For these prices we all felt the food wasn’t special enough to justify the prices. They don’t have a parking lot but metered street parking is easy to find or your other best option would be their valet for $15. Our server was very polite and all of our items came out very quickly. They were a bit slow on the drink refills, but aside from that everything else was very fast.I started off with the Filet Mignon Tartare and it was very good, although it didn’t have any spice to it so wish it had some mustard or horseradish to it because it felt a little dry to me. Also expensive for $48 which I don’t understand, but I did enjoy it. For my entree I chose the Bucatini with Lamb Ragu and it was fantastic. The portion was a bit small but it had really great and deep flavors. After I finished with the Chocolate Soufflé and it was A+. I truly loved it and would highly recommend ordering it.Overall a nice dinner in a beautiful location although it is overpriced. I would recommend but the price points are really strange.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Flourless Chocolate Soufflé, Grilled Prawn, Country Lamb Rack Alla Griglia, Steak Tartare