Little Italy Spaghetteria

Ok, it’s lunch time and my appetite for Italian food must be met. Is Spaghetteria in Little Italay, CA up to the task?
While walking 5 min into Little Italy I wanted to pick a place spontaneously. I stumbled into this posto (Italian for «place»).
After a warm welcome from our waiter, the ambiance felt good. Large Black and white poster art where hanging from each table. Luckily mine had Michael from «The Godfather» hanging above my table while Sinatra was played through the restaurant.
Ok the food. I had the Prosuitto Lasagna. Excellent. Lacking is the presentation. I was expecting it to be a large serving with noticeable layers or ricotta and Prosuitto. Instead it was a flat presentation with a sea of marinara. Despite its presentation, the lasagna was so so so so good. Every bite was perfect.
So can you really judge a restaurant by just one serving? Not really. But I’ll give this one 3 out of 4. The waiter mentioned that the pasta was fresh so there you go. Check it out and get a table by «The Godfather» and he’ll make you and offer you can’t refuse.

My previous visit were a lot better then today. I made a resv on Thursday for Sunday, they didn’t have it. The owner finnally get me in to hear his son say people paid for the seats I asked for. If I needed to put a deposite down noone told me when I was here Thursday. Today our food was cold, sent it back for a reheat it still came back cold. Our waiter I had to run down, constantly asking the others for help and instead of them picking up his slack told us to wait for him. I finally got up (I’m disabled) and went to the server station my self to get napkins I had asked 3 people for amd 20min of waiting. My best advise don’t come here when there’s an event

The sheer inadequacy of this restaurant cannot be charted. It began upon being seated. There was only one other party on the patio and the interior of the restaurant was only half full. For 7pm on a Friday night in a busy section of town, well, that should have told us something.
Everything took far longer than it should. A server finally came out, took our drink and appetizer orders. I had iced tea, my husband had a glass of chardonnay and we ordered caprese. My tea arrived after several minutes but we still had no water and no wine. The water arrived, then the caprese, and finally the wine. It tasted like cheap box wine.
The caprese was a joke. Three slices of a barely red tomato, mozarella, old basil, with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Cost? $ 9.
We had finished the caprese and the accompanying rolls (which was actually the best part of the meal) and still no one had taken our meal order. We had to flag them down and ask if we could order after waiting for almost 10 minutes.
We placed our order. I ordered a cheese ravioli with marinara, alfredo, and pesto sauces. Sounds cool huh? My husband wanted linguini with clams. Several minutes later the waiter comes back and informs my husband that they’re all of clams. So he decides on spaghetti with meat sauce. The waiter goes away and places our order. Our meals arrived approximately 10 minutes later.
Six. Count them, six, ravioli rested on my plate. Each sauce was horrible and the pesto tasted like they used mint in addition to basil. The marinara was red colored, tomato flavored water, and the alfredo tasted like Prego.
My husband’s spaghetti arrives. He says he’s tasted better spaghetti out of military ready to eat meals. A meatball arrives a few minutes later and it tasted foul. We were offered parmesean cheese and the waiter brought put a bowl of what looked like the store bought cheese that he spooned over our meals.
Getting our check, then getting them to take my credit hard proved a 15 minute hassle.
The bill was just under $ 50. I left a $ 3 tip. I never do that. That’s how horrible everything was. We will never eat there again.

Worst service I have ever received. First and for most they argued with me on what I ordered when I know what I ordered wasn’t what they brought. Overall just pitiful service in a great looking place.

This place is good! It’s not the best in Little Italy but it definitely is good if you are looking for some tasty italian and maybe even some classic tasting thin crust pizza. It’s not bad though so don’t let some of the other reviews stop you from giving it a try!

My wife and I dropped by on Saturday
morning to the Little Italy farmers market.
We wanted to find an Italian restaurant
that was reasonably priced and yet delicious. We just found that in Little Italy Spagheteria
I had the Linguine Pescatore and my wife
had the Fettucini Pesto with sausage.
There was ample seafood of shrimp, little octopus, mussels, clams and calamari.
I think angel hair pasta would have been
a better pasta pairing with the seafood
but the sauce was very good and tasty.
The Fettucini was cooked al dente which we love chewing on. The pesto sauce was flavorful and tasty. The best so far in Little Italy. The previous pasta places didn’t cook the pasta properly.
Besides the quality being very good
we had leftover for another meal to eat
and reminisce the sidewalk seating
and restaurant decoration and good service.
I hope they keep up the good reputation.

This review is past due. I was here on June 14, 2014. I was part of the 9 adult family members, we sat inside near the patio in front of the line cooks pizza/​appetizer/​salad station.
I am going to try and keep this as short as possible. However it was my worst experience ever in my life. I have never been yelled at by a line cook/​employee. The restaurant didn’t appear to be busy (however it looked like a graduation party was in the back) our drinks took forever to get served, we ordered and the appetizer came out right away.
15 min later they delivered my dinner (chicken salad), I waited 10 min to eat hoping they would drop the rest of the entrees. A different server came back to apologized that the food wasn’t ready, said they would take my salad and give me a fresh one once the rest of the entrees were ready.
45 min later, my salad (removed from the table) still sitting at on the line cooks bar, and no entrees, no drinks/​refills delivered to our table. 10 more min later they finally started to drop entrees, as I turned to the line cooks bar to see if my salad was coming out, I watched the line cook bare handedly take my old chicken off the salad, place it into a skillet w/​oil, and place it into the pizza oven. I informed the server of this and told him to please just deliver the salad with no chicken.
The server exchanged words with the cook, went to the back, came back out and proceeded to YELL AT ME over his station!
Now I have been a pastry chef for 9 years, worked in many different kitchens and have never in my life been a guest at a restaurant and been yelled at by an employee! I understand restaurants have bad days. Just rule of thumb, wear gloves when handling food, wash your hands, and don’t yell at your guess!
I spoke with the manager and executive chef, they comp ½ of our bill, and apologized. However I will never go back to this restaurant!

We were in the mood for a good pasta for dinner and this place delivered for us. The service was prompt and very friendly and we were brought toasted buns and butter as soon as we ordered which was great.
We had the bruschetta for entrée which was really fresh and full if flavour, perfect for two people to share. Then I had the cannelloni with meat sauce which was divine! The pasta was thick and the cannelloni was filled to the brim with meat and ricotta and there was a really rich and slightly spicy meat sauce — a big helping too. If go as far to say that it’s the best cannelloni I’ve had at an Italian restaurant.
My husband had the spaghetti carbonara which was nice but a little dry, a little more sauce and some cracked pepper would’ve helped this dish.
All in all for an entrée and two mains it was $ 40 including tip which is great for what we got. I would definitely go back.

Little Italy Spaghetteria
SD: Little Italy
8pm Monday 19^th May 2014
Three Stars
This place was good. We sat on the covered patio area with the puppy. We ordered Fried Calamari, Ravioli, and Lasagna. The Calamari was not that crispy and little chewy. The marinara sauce was sweet, acidic, and flavorful. The 6 Raviolis were covered with three sauces making up the Italian flag: Pesto, Alfredo, and Marinara. But by the end, it was just a delicious orange-​ish sauce. The Lasagna was a piece of veggie lasagna draped with Meat sauce. Overall, it was pretty good but the sauce was a little overcooked.

The Wednesday Night — Tour de Restaurants of India Street!
Well I should start off by saying dinner was preceded by a few glasses of wine beforehand so I was a little buzzed before we got to Spaghetteria. That being said I liked my dinner, I ordered the Italian flag ravioli. It was good, I can’t tell you which color was my favorite, I think I liked them all equally. I had no idea this restaurant was so huge either, we sat in the outside patio but when I went inside I was surprised by how big and nice it actually was, theres a astage where they have live music some nights and I think one of the workers said they had salsa dancing some nights too. I could be making that up though, better double check that. So Spaghetteria was good. We were happy with the food and service.
Let the food journey continue! On to the next restaurant next week!

Five stars because the have LIVE jazz on Sundays. The drinks are good. Delicious pizza.

The food here is nothing special but better than one star. We went here today at two, because our favorite restaurant was full. It always makes me sad when you see such a wasted opportunity. A good staff here and good food could triple their business. Their are so many people looking to eat in Little Italy. I could turn this place into a winner.
Amazingly this restaurant had no wine list. Who ever heard of an Italian restaurant without a wine list. Are the owners loco? The staff is below average because business is slow and they do not make good tips. Why would a good waitor work here? Our waitor asked us twice what we ordered and still brought me the wrong dish!
Restaurants like this fail but it is their own fault. Maybe it is a tax write off. Who knows.

I came here in July wanting to try some good Italian food. I read on Unilocal that this place was pretty bad. I should have listened.
My ex and I ordered some takeout. I got chicken parmesan while he got some pasta. Worst Italian food I’ve ever had. I only took two bites of the not so fresh lasagna and I was done. He ate a little bit more of his pasta that was unsatisfying until he couldn’t eat another bite. Overpriced for such waste. Their garlic bread was even stale! I recommend anyone to visit an Olive Garden over this place.
Don’t be like me, actually listen to Unilocal

This place was ok, I really liked the inside décor and it looked very clean. The service was good but the food was pretty average.
We liked the free bread but nothing really popped out to us here.

I’m surprised to see this place with such low reviews. Dined here for dinner with the hubster the other night and enjoyed the attentive service, vodka penne pasta, and wine. Quiet evening, exceptional food that satisfied my pasta craving. Little Italy is beautiful! Lots of restaurants to explore for foodies like me.

I think the place was clean, the food was delicious, and you get your money’s worth for the price.
The waiters are nice, but bug you a little too much, like every 15 minutes. In Europe, they don’t come over so often because dinnertime is perceived as special bonding time with friends and families, they respect the space. It felt a little rushed, but food is great. :)

I’m rather perplexed by a lot of the negative reviews. In fact, to be honest, the subpar ratings have kept me away from the Spaghetteria since I moved to LIttle Italy almost two years ago, and I’m really disappointed that I allowed myself to miss out on a great restaurant this entire time.
My theory: People see negative reviews and walk in with a bias, expecting a negative experience. Then then become hyper-​critical, looking for something to bitch about, and then they join in on the frenzy and write a pissy review. I’m not saying this is what everyone does, but I can sense a gang-​like dynamic, on the part of Unilocal reviewers, taking place at the Spaghetteria. It’s unfortunate because my experience there last night couldn’t have been better.
The Little Italy Spaghetteia is located on the far end of the India St. restaurant row. The interior is lovely and spacious. The proprietors have taken great care to ensure the space isn’t tarnished by consuming every last square foot of real estate with tables and chairs, as opposed to other adjacent restaurants. You can actually sit and move around without feeling like your personal space is being violated. And the dining room itself? Stunning. The bar? Absolutely gorgeous. I’m in love with the bar top; I fondled it the entire evening.
We decided to sit at the bar because it was just too beautiful to pass up. I started with a Grey Goose dirty martini. Erica, the bartender on duty, nailed it. I requested it extra dirty, and she delivered. Needless to say, before the evening ended, I had downed two of those lovely libations. Besides the much-​needed alcohol, the growls from our stomachs signaled our desire for food. We decided to commence our meal by starting with the Wedge Salad. Absolutely wonderful. Served with fresh blue cheese, onion strings, and fresh bacon, this was a complete hit. Love.
Moving on, I decided on Spaghetteria’s Gnocci and Chicken dish. Generous portion of perfectly cooked gnocci, tons of chicken, and the most delicious sun-​dried tomatoes, all bathed in a nicely balanced pink sauce. It’s a comforting dish that was a sheer delight to eat. I’m drooling thinking about it now. My dining companion had their Chicken Parmesan entrée. I had a bite and it was executed well. The Parmesan bread that came with our meals was absolutely addicting. It had a nice chew to it, but was also graced by a slight crunch. Dipping it in my pink sauce was heaven.
Erica, our lovely mixologist, was an absolute pleasure. She was on top of everything, making sure our evening at the restaurant was a pleasant one. She had a great personality and made us feel very comfortable. She advised us that every Thursday and Sunday there is a live jazz band the plays inside. Nice!
After my experience, I’ll definitely be returning, and I would highly recommend others to dine at this restaurant, too.

The huge pizza for 2 is very worth at Spaghetteria restaurant. Much more mellow and quiet than the other Italian restaurants in Little Italy and also more affordable. Very nice patio setting with pretty fresh flowers and watching people passing by while trying to guess what is the language spoken by tourists at the next table. I also love those huge black and white photos of Italian stars from the 40s, in particular those of Sofia Loren, my favorite actress ever from that country. Pizzas are good and service is friendly. Is perfect place for groups, very spacious.

I was here with a friend on his last day on the West Coast (in Ice Cube fashion, «Westside!»), he was craving Italian and this was the first place we saw after parking the vehicle. It looks nice from the outside and the «outdoor» seating area was cute. After glancing over the menu, we decided to get a table. I made the mistake of Unilocaling this place AFTER placed my drink order, needless to say I was freaking the F out.
Shortly thereafter, the server brought us bread that ended up swimming in a sea of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Yum. I ordered the Linguini al Frutti Di Mare and my friend went with go old Lasagna al Forno. I must say that when our dishes arrived, I expected his piece to be much bigger (That’s what she said). Still I could tell that he enjoyed every minute and each inch of it. Wow, I should write romantic novels.
My dish was pretty darn tasty and had more than enough for me to share with my friend across the way. Shrimp, clams, mussels and calamari, oh my! It all tasted fresh and the sauce was seasoned nicely. Something that is hard to do with seafood dishes. I washed it all down with an Arnold Palmer, while singing to each Frank Sinatra song that played.
«I’m going to live until I diiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!» *snaps fingers*
Ahem, anyways I’m sure there are far better places in Little Italy, yet this one got the job done. Our food was cooked and delivered to our table in a timely fashion, and the service was su-​poib!

FOOD: 4
EXPERIENCE: 5
PRICES: 4.5 (Considering the high-​end location)
My boyfriend and I was searching for a nice but affordable place to eat in Little Italy. We came across this restaurant at around 6pm on a Thursday night. There was absolutely no wait. We were seated inside but you do have a choice to eat outside as well. The hostess and waiters/​waitresses were very polite. The atmosphere and decorations were great.
I ordered a dish that had big pasta shells with meat inside, slathered in a red sauce. My boyfriend ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo. For my dish, I thought it was okay. I preferred my boyfriend’s dish because the Alfredo sauce was so creamy and delicious, the shrimp was fat and juicy, and the noodles were cooked well. If I were to go here again, I would order the Fettuccine Alfredo.
If you’re interested in drinking, they do have a full bar. They also have a stage but I’m not sure when they have shows. Overall, I would recommend this place. But from reading all the comments about the service, I guess I came on a good night.