Wow! What an awesome dining experience! The ravioli sampler was exquisite! We couldn’t decide which was our favorite as they were all uniquely delicious and delicate. A romantic atmosphere. Really glad we found this restaurant while visiting LA!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Austin L
Not great at all! Almost bad, even! A little bit hilarious! The ambience is nice, and the restaurant is pretty, but absolutely everything about the host, the waiter, and the service is unwelcoming and almost offputting.
I went tonight with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while and we had a reservation for 8:30pm. We walked in at 8:30pm and nobody acknowledged us. After we stood in the entrance for a bit someone said “just a minute,” and wheeled a butcher block over to carve and serve a table-side steak. Someone asked “do you have a reservation?” and he looked quite surprised when I answered “yes, for 8:30pm.” It almost looked like he expected me to say I didn’t have one. It almost looked like he would’ve preferred it.
We weren’t seated until 8:43pm. Nobody offered to start a drink for us at the bar. There was nowhere to stand or sit, and nobody offered a place to do either. They took our drink order when we were seated. My friend ordered a double gin martini and I ordered an espresso martini. The drinks were good. They get a star.
We asked the waiter what some good starters were, and my friend said he was vegetarian, which was news to me since we last saw one another. The waiter rattled off a load of items including beef carpaccio, Dover sole, branzino, and all sorts of other specials that were certainly a lot more than just starters. It was overwhelming. I could hardly understand the options because they came so fast and there were so many. More than that, I was trying to listen for something vegetarian for my friend, and I couldn’t even identify anything. It was a relief when the waiter walked away from the table and we could just look at the menu.
When he came back, we said we would like to put in some starters, and he said that we actually had to put in our entire order. He either didn’t say that during his initial spiel, or we didn’t hear it. At that point the whole visit had been such a challenge that it wasn’t worth asking him to come back in a few minutes, so we just ordered a couple things to get it over with.
We ordered the stuffed zucchini leaves to start, they also get a star, and then we each ordered an entrée of pasta. The zucchini leaves were great. I personally make a better Bolognese. My friend had the Gnocchi and while he told me it was good I noticed he left about 1/4 of it uneaten on his plate. I would’ve ordered more antipasti, I might have ordered a protein for me, some veggie sides to share, a couple more drinks, but none of it seemed enticing, or even possible, because of how unwelcoming the service was.
When the dessert menu came I wanted to try the tiramisu, but I wanted to get out of there more than that, so we didn’t bother.
It’s too bad! I mentioned to a colleague that I was going, and they said he they had been wanting to try it. I told my barber and they said they wanted to try it, so they likely would for a date night soon. People are talking about this restaurant in town, but I’m sorry there isn’t much positive I can say about it. It looks great on the inside. The room has a good aesthetic mood, but the staff is definitely not in a good mood.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
Mea
Always a pleasure to dine in at Via Veneto! Wonderful food, friendly staff very nice ambience and service
Beth
We love how consistently wonderful everything is. We know we're going to have an amazing meal with fabulous service. Highly recommend this restaurant.
Brian Nam
This place has become our special spot. I first came here when I met my partner, and we came back to celebrate our 1st anniversary — it just felt right. The food is always amazing, especially the truffle carpaccio and lamb chops, but what really makes the experience unforgettable is Mauro. He was our server the first time and again this time, and he’s simply incredible. He has a way of making the night feel personal and memorable. We came in pretty late this time, when most people were already gone, and he even played my favorite song just for us. It was such a thoughtful touch that made the night feel magical. Thank you, Mauro, for making every visit feel so special.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yannis Bourodimos
Wow.. what a find. Truly spectacular dinner completely out of the blue. Seasonal menu.. the fried courgette flowers stuffed with ricotta were stunning.. also please try the selection of ravioli.. my favourite was the asparagus one. And since it was truffle season we had the porter stake that was served under a “forest” of black truffle shavings like the autumn leaves on the ground. In one of the reviews I read that one of the servers Mauro was cold and distant. Not in our case. He was most welcoming, went to the wine vault and chose a a wonderful Barolo for us, told us stories from Rome and made our dinner even more exceptional. It was a pleasure getting to know him. A restaurant to try for sure.. one of the best dinners ever!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ryan Sokolowski
Felt it was a bit over priced and a bit too loud for my taste. Don't order a martini here. ..not good!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Jonathan Zhukovsky
One of the best Italian restaurants in LA, tucked away on Main St - sister restaurant to La Isola in St Bart’s. Consistently fantastic!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
D Dee
Via Veneto is our favorite place for Italian in Los Angeles. The food is always excellent, consistently authentic and perfectly prepared. The atmosphere is great, and Omar is warm, welcoming, and truly makes the dining experience special every time. The only drawback has been our server, Mauro. While efficient, he often comes across as cold and unwelcoming. On several visits, if we didn’t have a reservation, he seated us at the least desirable tables, even during non-prime hours when many better options were open. If it weren’t for Omar’s hospitality, we might not return.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Aziza Kasenova
An absolute favorite of the West Coast!
The most delicious menu, wide selection of wines. T-bone (special one) was a masterpiece, the pasta - as good as in Rome, parmigiana is in top-2 now. And the tiramisu is among the best I’ve tried so far.
We went there to celebrate the birthday and the staff celebrated with us. Very kind and thoughtful.
Our waiter Omar was fantastic! He made it fun and special! The food was terrific. Love those chandeliers!
Paul Mark Morris
Via Veneto in Santa Monica is my go-to spot for a romantic dinner, and it delivers every single time. The service is warm, attentive, and authentically Italian—the kind where the staff remembers you and genuinely cares that your evening is perfect. The food is just as consistent. My staple order is the lobster pasta, which almost every other restaurant gets wrong—it’s overcooked, rubbery, or lost in sauce—but here it’s perfection every time. On a recent visit, I started with burrata and prosciutto, which was fresh, creamy, and balanced, the kind of simple dish that shows off true quality ingredients.
Another favorite is their ravioli of the day. They usually feature three different varieties, and each one is delicate, flavorful, and perfectly cooked—never heavy, always satisfying. The fish soup is another standout; it’s made to order, never sitting in a pot, and you can taste that freshness in every spoonful.
The atmosphere is pure old-world romance. Chandeliers cast a warm glow that makes every guest look like a movie star—fitting, since you’ll often spot real ones dining here. It’s intimate without feeling stuffy, glamorous without being pretentious. A Santa Monica staple for decades, Via Veneto is one of the few highly rated spots that still feels like an underrated gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Paul Morris
Via Veneto in Santa Monica is my go-to spot for a romantic dinner, and it delivers every single time. The service is warm, attentive, and authentically Italian—the kind where the staff remembers you and genuinely cares that your evening is perfect. The food is just as consistent. My staple order is the lobster pasta, which almost every other restaurant gets wrong—it’s overcooked, rubbery, or lost in sauce—but here it’s perfection every time. On a recent visit, I started with burrata and prosciutto, which was fresh, creamy, and balanced, the kind of simple dish that shows off true quality ingredients.
Another favorite is their ravioli of the day. They usually feature three different varieties, and each one is delicate, flavorful, and perfectly cooked—never heavy, always satisfying. The fish soup is another standout; it’s made to order, never sitting in a pot, and you can taste that freshness in every spoonful.
The atmosphere is pure old-world romance. Chandeliers cast a warm glow that makes every guest look like a movie star—fitting, since you’ll often spot real ones dining here. It’s intimate without feeling stuffy, glamorous without being pretentious. A Santa Monica staple for decades, Via Veneto is one of the few highly rated spots that still feels like an underrated gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
namezInn
We went as a walk-in and the food exceeded our expectations, especially the calamari salad. And it was the birthday of a group of us, and it was a perfect memory, right down to the Happy Birthday cake and the Happy Birthday song.
Wow! What an awesome dining experience! The ravioli sampler was exquisite! We couldn’t decide which was our favorite as they were all uniquely delicious and delicate. A romantic atmosphere. Really glad we found this restaurant while visiting LA!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not great at all! Almost bad, even! A little bit hilarious! The ambience is nice, and the restaurant is pretty, but absolutely everything about the host, the waiter, and the service is unwelcoming and almost offputting.
I went tonight with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while and we had a reservation for 8:30pm. We walked in at 8:30pm and nobody acknowledged us. After we stood in the entrance for a bit someone said “just a minute,” and wheeled a butcher block over to carve and serve a table-side steak. Someone asked “do you have a reservation?” and he looked quite surprised when I answered “yes, for 8:30pm.” It almost looked like he expected me to say I didn’t have one. It almost looked like he would’ve preferred it.
We weren’t seated until 8:43pm. Nobody offered to start a drink for us at the bar. There was nowhere to stand or sit, and nobody offered a place to do either. They took our drink order when we were seated. My friend ordered a double gin martini and I ordered an espresso martini. The drinks were good. They get a star.
We asked the waiter what some good starters were, and my friend said he was vegetarian, which was news to me since we last saw one another. The waiter rattled off a load of items including beef carpaccio, Dover sole, branzino, and all sorts of other specials that were certainly a lot more than just starters. It was overwhelming. I could hardly understand the options because they came so fast and there were so many. More than that, I was trying to listen for something vegetarian for my friend, and I couldn’t even identify anything. It was a relief when the waiter walked away from the table and we could just look at the menu.
When he came back, we said we would like to put in some starters, and he said that we actually had to put in our entire order. He either didn’t say that during his initial spiel, or we didn’t hear it. At that point the whole visit had been such a challenge that it wasn’t worth asking him to come back in a few minutes, so we just ordered a couple things to get it over with.
We ordered the stuffed zucchini leaves to start, they also get a star, and then we each ordered an entrée of pasta. The zucchini leaves were great. I personally make a better Bolognese. My friend had the Gnocchi and while he told me it was good I noticed he left about 1/4 of it uneaten on his plate. I would’ve ordered more antipasti, I might have ordered a protein for me, some veggie sides to share, a couple more drinks, but none of it seemed enticing, or even possible, because of how unwelcoming the service was.
When the dessert menu came I wanted to try the tiramisu, but I wanted to get out of there more than that, so we didn’t bother.
It’s too bad! I mentioned to a colleague that I was going, and they said he they had been wanting to try it. I told my barber and they said they wanted to try it, so they likely would for a date night soon. People are talking about this restaurant in town, but I’m sorry there isn’t much positive I can say about it. It looks great on the inside. The room has a good aesthetic mood, but the staff is definitely not in a good mood.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 1
Always a pleasure to dine in at Via Veneto! Wonderful food, friendly staff very nice ambience and service
We love how consistently wonderful everything is. We know we're going to have an amazing meal with fabulous service. Highly recommend this restaurant.
This place has become our special spot. I first came here when I met my partner, and we came back to celebrate our 1st anniversary — it just felt right. The food is always amazing, especially the truffle carpaccio and lamb chops, but what really makes the experience unforgettable is Mauro. He was our server the first time and again this time, and he’s simply incredible. He has a way of making the night feel personal and memorable. We came in pretty late this time, when most people were already gone, and he even played my favorite song just for us. It was such a thoughtful touch that made the night feel magical. Thank you, Mauro, for making every visit feel so special.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow.. what a find. Truly spectacular dinner completely out of the blue. Seasonal menu.. the fried courgette flowers stuffed with ricotta were stunning.. also please try the selection of ravioli.. my favourite was the asparagus one. And since it was truffle season we had the porter stake that was served under a “forest” of black truffle shavings like the autumn leaves on the ground.
In one of the reviews I read that one of the servers Mauro was cold and distant. Not in our case. He was most welcoming, went to the wine vault and chose a a wonderful Barolo for us, told us stories from Rome and made our dinner even more exceptional. It was a pleasure getting to know him.
A restaurant to try for sure.. one of the best dinners ever!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Felt it was a bit over priced and a bit too loud for my taste. Don't order a martini here. ..not good!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
One of the best Italian restaurants in LA, tucked away on Main St - sister restaurant to La Isola in St Bart’s. Consistently fantastic!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Via Veneto is our favorite place for Italian in Los Angeles. The food is always excellent, consistently authentic and perfectly prepared. The atmosphere is great, and Omar is warm, welcoming, and truly makes the dining experience special every time. The only drawback has been our server, Mauro. While efficient, he often comes across as cold and unwelcoming. On several visits, if we didn’t have a reservation, he seated us at the least desirable tables, even during non-prime hours when many better options were open. If it weren’t for Omar’s hospitality, we might not return.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
An absolute favorite of the West Coast!
The most delicious menu, wide selection of wines. T-bone (special one) was a masterpiece, the pasta - as good as in Rome, parmigiana is in top-2 now. And the tiramisu is among the best I’ve tried so far.
We went there to celebrate the birthday and the staff celebrated with us. Very kind and thoughtful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Insanely good , transported to Italy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our waiter Omar was fantastic! He made it fun and special! The food was terrific. Love those chandeliers!
Via Veneto in Santa Monica is my go-to spot for a romantic dinner, and it delivers every single time. The service is warm, attentive, and authentically Italian—the kind where the staff remembers you and genuinely cares that your evening is perfect. The food is just as consistent. My staple order is the lobster pasta, which almost every other restaurant gets wrong—it’s overcooked, rubbery, or lost in sauce—but here it’s perfection every time. On a recent visit, I started with burrata and prosciutto, which was fresh, creamy, and balanced, the kind of simple dish that shows off true quality ingredients.
Another favorite is their ravioli of the day. They usually feature three different varieties, and each one is delicate, flavorful, and perfectly cooked—never heavy, always satisfying. The fish soup is another standout; it’s made to order, never sitting in a pot, and you can taste that freshness in every spoonful.
The atmosphere is pure old-world romance. Chandeliers cast a warm glow that makes every guest look like a movie star—fitting, since you’ll often spot real ones dining here. It’s intimate without feeling stuffy, glamorous without being pretentious. A Santa Monica staple for decades, Via Veneto is one of the few highly rated spots that still feels like an underrated gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Via Veneto in Santa Monica is my go-to spot for a romantic dinner, and it delivers every single time. The service is warm, attentive, and authentically Italian—the kind where the staff remembers you and genuinely cares that your evening is perfect. The food is just as consistent. My staple order is the lobster pasta, which almost every other restaurant gets wrong—it’s overcooked, rubbery, or lost in sauce—but here it’s perfection every time. On a recent visit, I started with burrata and prosciutto, which was fresh, creamy, and balanced, the kind of simple dish that shows off true quality ingredients.
Another favorite is their ravioli of the day. They usually feature three different varieties, and each one is delicate, flavorful, and perfectly cooked—never heavy, always satisfying. The fish soup is another standout; it’s made to order, never sitting in a pot, and you can taste that freshness in every spoonful.
The atmosphere is pure old-world romance. Chandeliers cast a warm glow that makes every guest look like a movie star—fitting, since you’ll often spot real ones dining here. It’s intimate without feeling stuffy, glamorous without being pretentious. A Santa Monica staple for decades, Via Veneto is one of the few highly rated spots that still feels like an underrated gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We went as a walk-in and the food exceeded our expectations, especially the calamari salad.
And it was the birthday of a group of us, and it was a perfect memory, right down to the Happy Birthday cake and the Happy Birthday song.
It was such a great memory of Santa Monica.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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