Gusto

Really delicious, fresh food.
Wonderful food server – forgot her name but originally from Ohio and is a former ballet dancer.

First time here and I have to say I’m in love. What a charming, jewel box of a restaurant. It feels cozy and warm like youre visiting your grandma in italy. I could see this becomming a favorite for sure.

I think it was a bit overpriced given the fact that the restaurant is very small and there is no real ambience, thus 4 stars instead of 5.
The food is very good. The pork dish was amazing, it was literally melting in my mouth and I am not even a pork fan. The salmon was perfect. Pasta carbonara was delicious. Truffle pasta was good but not to die for. Didn’t like the green salad, I thought it was salty and had too much dressing.
Very quality food, would definitely go there again. I think they change their menus frequently.

I came here the other week with a couple of friends and we all loved this place! We made a reservation beforehand.
Parking — I found street parking a couple blocks away. Give yourself extra time to find parking because it’s not the easiest with permit parking everywhere…
Interior: This restaurant is very quaint, intimate, and romantic. Definitely seems like you need a reservation to dine in due to the small size. Perfect dim lighting, not dark. Décor is simple. It felt very authentic to Italy.
Service: Our waiter was helpful and friendly. He provided us with recommendations of wine pairings and helped us choose popular items from the menu. He filled our water glasses when they were empty.
Food: We ordered Midollo (bone marrow), Polpette (meatballs) as appetizers. Both were amazing and I would order both again in a heartbeat. The bone marrow is combined with pesto and the combination is divine. Meatballs are comforting and delish. I ordered the Cavoletti salad as my main entrée, the salad with brussels sprouts, kale, green apple, and goat cheese. I thought it was good, tasted very fresh. Interesting flavors with the sweet tartness of the apple paired with the creaminess of the goat cheese. My friends ordered the Gnocchi and the Carbonara. I had a bite of the Carbonara and it was delicious!
Dessert (yes, its own category): We decided to go all out and order a couple dessert dishes to share. Ordered the coconut gelato pie (I read so many reviews about it so I had to!) and the tiramisu. The slice of the coconut pie was generous so perfect sharing dessert. It was very good, a creamy coconut more so than an overpowering tropical coconut flavor. BUT! The tiramisu… wow. It came in an adorable little mason jar and looks-​wise, fell short of the coconut pie in terms of size, but the flavor was beyond incredible. All of us agreed, it was the best tiramisu we’ve ever had.
Great place overall — good for intimate conversations or a romantic date! Highly recommend.

We’ve dined here before. Tonight’s meal was review worthy because from start to finish the service received was outstanding. We were a party of 6 (4 adults and 2 young children). We were enthusiastically greeted by the hostess and seated. The menu options were excellently explained including a child friendly pasta. Every service person was gracious to the children. As we were celebrating a birthday the kids were excited to blow out the candle placed on one of the desserts ordered. When one child got to the candle ahead of the other the wait staff immediately relit the candle to give the other child an opportunity to blow the candle out. I must remember to note that the hostess invited both children into the kitchen. Another nice touch. Dinning with young children can be challenging for everyone. Gusto GETS IT The food is always excellent. Service was timely. I highly recommend any of the housemate pastas.
We are so lucky to have this excellent restaurant in our neighborhood.

Call ahead for lunch hours… the Unilocal says they are open for lunch but it was not when I showed up…
I’ve had dinner here multiple times and the wine and food have always had a good balance in taste. It’s really small — so go early or get a reservation.

I recommended to a friend that we meet here for dinner because I remembered having some great food on a prior visit. Once again I thought the food was delicious. I also have to compliment our server on being present but not hovering. The bummer of the evening was when the hostess came to the table and asked us to leave because she had another party waiting.
We hadn’t been there that long, and I’m not sure why it was our fault they overbooked — nor did we care and, frankly, we discussed staying a defiantly long time. But, at that point, our evening had a sour note added and we just wanted to leave (and never return). The hostess had to know that her actions would result in unhappy customers who would never come back. But I guess turning the table was more important.
Fortunately there’s Amarone, Mozza, Vivoli, Osteria La Buca, Terroni, Piccolo Paradiso, Scarpetta, Rao’s and a few others to recommend instead of this spot. I regret not going to one of these others.

Food is great but portions are small and pricey. Small restro but cozy. Always looked busy I walked by it many times and finally decided to try it. Octopus was good, but tiny and $ 23. Barely enough for one person even for appetizer. There was no salmon that night but had branzino instead which was excellent but again tiny and $ 31. Did not get try desert.

This place makes you change your mind about Italian food if you are not a fan of it, like me. But as soon as you order the carbonara & the meat balls you fall in love immediately with Italian food. It’s so good that you just need another body to keep eating lol not joke. It’s very intimate place. And when you get there you know why I said INTIMATE. It’s so tiny that you ended up having dinner with the person next to you. That’s how compact it is. So be aware of what you say and be ready to be part of the conversation happening next to you. Besides that, it’s awesome. Customer service is great. And parking valet is a plus.

Zagat rating food 25. Rich Italian taste, daily fresh made pasta, excellent texture of pasta and love the way cook salmon so tender and delicious. So love Tiramisu with cup of decaf latte and macchiato; heaven!

Gusto is the recipient of Esquire Magazines Best New Restaurant Award for 2012. «The menu is a collection of Chef Vic Casanova’s bold inventive Italian, incorporating the best ingredients at that moment.»
Gusto is a serious contender in my book as probably, one of the best Italian restaurants in this area. Love the cozy ambiance laid back feel, while enjoying a very fine Italian meal. We got lucky as our Entertainment Director Jase from The Orlando Hotel, personally booked us a table at the very front, for our very special birthday celebrants!
Their MIDOLLO bone marrow served with al forno, anchovy breadcrumbs, basil pesto & toast… man… that was just sooo good it literally melted in my mouth! My SALMONE (scottish salmon), served with brussels sprouts, green apple, celery root & black truffle hit thte spot! I’d have to say though that their COCONUT GELATO PIE with graham cracker crust, chocolate fonduta & toasted coconut was probably the best I’ve had.
What a great and memorable evening with great ambiance, excellent service, and mouthwatering entrée. Gusto is a must visit for any local or visitors while in Beverly Grove.
PS — RSVP is highly recommended but well worth the wait!
Until then, Cheers! ~ :p

Hands down one of the best meals I’ve had in my life. I took my boyfriend here for his birthday and we had a great time at Gusto’s.
APPS:
Brussels sprouts — Wow! This salad was amazing. Everything was shaved extremely thin so the dressing was able to soak in to the sprouts and kale. There was a perfect amount of goat cheese and balsamic.
Fig Crostini — How can you go wrong when burrata is involved? The figs were great and the balsamic was again really well balanced with the the cheese and bread.
PASTA:
Orecchiette — Definitely our favorite item we ordered. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the sausage/​kale combo was delicious. I really loved the parmesan that they added on top.
ENTREES:
Salmon — This was really delicious and well seasoned. It was a really generous portion and could have easily been shared since there are so many courses.
Steak — I’m not much of a red meat eater but I would order this next time! My boyfriend got it and said it was great. The few bites I stole were awesome!
We ordered a bottle of wine and finished our meal with americanos. A really great experience overall!:

Have you ever tasted the heaven that is called Carbonara? This is the place to try it.
The pasta is made fresh everyday, the cream sauce is incredible, and the pancetta is perfectly salty and chewy.
To top it all off, they put a freshly cooked egg on top, then the server cuts it up and mixes it all together right in front of you!!!
I also love the cute/​romantic/​intimate ambiance of this restaurant. It reminds me of something you would find in NYC!
Definitely recommend!

We were loving everything and were so sure this would be one of our fav restaurants, right until we saw the table next to us and their black spaghetti. We realized ours didn’t have scallions and uni in it. This was also when we remembered our server bringing the dishes out and then going back inside and coming back out after 10 sec or so. We didn’t think it was important at the time, but it all made sense.
We asked one of the gals there about why ours didn’t have scallions on top and she simply said it was because they were mixed in. I don’t think she understood the meaning of garnish.
Also, maybe it was just our server, but how come everyone else got their waters filled every 10 minutes while we had to ask twice to get them filled? This doesn’t include that one time when I was flat out ignored. Don’t tell me that drought crap. This is about getting treated equally. Is it because we are Asians? Really?
Well, Gusto. I guess I won’t be coming back. Ciao.

Wow.
The intimate setting at Gusto fits perfectly, because you’ll fall in love with the food. So this place is small, cute and perfect. The ambiance fits with being dark and sensual. So lets move onto the food, because that’s what we’re here for.
Meatball, Orecchiette and Bucatini Carbonara. Meatballs were on point. Tender meat that was spiced perfectly. Tomato sauce that was just right, not too much, and parmesan that didn’t spoil it for me.
The Orecchiette was fantastic. Not only was the pasta basically perfect, but the sausage and kale in it were so perfectly complimenting to the pasta. The best addition was the Rapini. The crunch from the little nuts was freakin amazing.
The Bucatini was such a fantastic dish. The better of the two easily. The panchetta was nice and tender, the egg yolk that was mixed by our server made the dish very thick and creamy and damn it was just so good.
Easily the best part was the pasta itself. Nice and thick that felt like a big bite even when it wasn’t.
I really, really, really, REAAALLLLYYYY like Gusto.

Dinner Review …
Passed Gusto while walking along 3^rd Street and decided to drop-​in and eat dinner … unfortunately they were booked solid with an hour wait. So next time I made a reservation … necessary because of the restaurant’s small size (unless you’re looking to eat closer to closing time).
Rating: I could have given this restaurant 3 stars … it’s more more of a 4 minus or 3 plus. But in the end, I gave it 4 stars because I really liked the atmosphere, a comfortable and cozy neighborhood restaurant. The food (see below) is very good, but not great (in the sense that I’ve had similar food at many other restaurants and can’t say if I’ll remember any of the dishes in six months or a year).
Food:
Gemma Salad (Gem Lettuce, Picked Egg, Lemon-​Anchovy VInaigrette, Croutons & Parmigiano Reggiano) — Good, but not great. There was a little too much dressing.
Carne Cruda (Beef Tartare, Preserved Black Truffle, anchovy, Garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano, Sea Salt & Fettunta) — Good, but again not great. I’m biased being a HUGE fan of beef tartare; while not always necessary, this tartare would have benefited from a quail egg yolk (for moisture) and some capers (for acid) … if they were mixed in, I missed it.
Black Spaghetti (Squid Ink Spaghetti, Tomatoes, Anchovy, Olives, Capers, Chili & Oregano) — Good, but not great … which is becoming a trend here. I didn’t get the slight saltiness I associate with squid ink, and the pasta was on the verge of being overcooked.
Angello (Roasted California Lamb, English Peas, Fegola Sarda & Salsa Verde) — Good, but not great. Well cooked lamb, a solid dish.
Coconut Gelato Pie (Graham Cracker Crust, Chocolate Fonduta & Toasted Almond) — Very, very good. This was a winner. I love coconut (gelato, ice cream, haupia) and enjoyed this dessert a lot.
Dining Room:
There is a single dining room, and it’s small … or cozy (depends on how you view things). I didn’t mind the narrow walkways and jostling as waiters passed by, but others may mind this.

My friends brought me here for my birthday. The food and service were fantastic!
This is what we ordered:
1. Broccolini
2. Local burrata crostini
3. Polpette (meatballs)
4. Black spaghetti
5. Bucatini carbonara
6. Scialatielli ***MY FAVORITE***
7. Salmone
It was a great experience!

This is a good, intimate Italian restaurant run by the previous executive chef of Culina.
The space is small and tables are close together. I’m generally not a fan of the close proximity, but it does lend itself to ‘meet your neighbors’ if you wish. There was a lovely couple seated next to us. Service is friendly and efficient.
Complimentary sourdough bread is served at the start of the meal. Water is provided upon request only.
POLIPO — nicely charred baby octopus but a bit dry. I think it was mostly due to the size of the protein.
BUCATINI CARBONARA — very rich and peppery pasta, perfectly al dente, with bits of pancetta. It comes with a beautiful egg yolk on top that the server mixes for you table side. So delicious and filling.
SALMONE — Scottish salmon with sweet corn and fava beans. It was so moist and flavorful.
MANZO — charred prime skirt steak, wild arugula, parmigiano reggiano. It was good but not unique. The other dishes were more interesting.
Regarding the similar ambience, restaurant size, and food, I much preferred this restaurant to Union in Pasadena. However, I still like Culina better overall.
parking — limited, free street parking, metered, valet

Gusto has been bookmarked on my Unilocal for years although the reason why escapes me. However a hint of the reasoning behind it occurred when I was told that the chef had competed on Iron Chef. We all know that I’m a whore for celebrity chefs so it doesn’t take much to put two and two together and have me show up at the door finally to give it a go.
Gusto is small and intimate adding to the small italian osteria charm. The server/​hostess was wonderfully delightful and gave recommendations that we couldn’t resist.
POLPETTE (meatballs al forno, tomato, ricotta & pecorino) — they really are some of the best meatballs I’ve had. They come 3 to a serving and are wonderfully seasoned. The sauce is robust with a tang that complimented the meatballs, all elevated by a smear of ricotta and pecorino. Highly recommended by the waitress as a signature dish of the restaurant and now highly recommended by me as well.
BUCATINI CARBONARA (pancetta, black pepper & egg yolk) — I’m usually not a fan of carbonara as the sauce is generally too creamy for my palate but on the insistence of the waitress, I gave it a go and am I glad I did. The chew on these noodles are unbelievable and for a small little place, I didn’t expect to have a handmade pasta that would be comparable to some of the bigger Italian baddies in L.A. such as Bucato and Bestia, but a contender they are! The noodles were allowed to shine as the sauce enveloped and coated each strand instead of drowning them; perfectly allowing this simple dish with few ingredients to really shine.
POLLO (mary’s free-​range chicken wrapped in prosciutto, leeks, asparagus, black trumpets & polenta) — I mean when you’ve got meat wrapped in meat you’ve got me wrapping my mouth around it. The chicken was surprisingly juicy and the prosciutto added a nice amount of salt to it.
All in all I would consider Gusto a success with the great feel of a small neighborhood restaurant. Would definitely go back… someone invite me!

FRESH PASTA!!!
whenever there’s a new italian place on the block, i always inquire: do you make your own pasta? if they say no or yes but it’s dried pasta, i’ll pass. fresh egg pasta imparts a texture that is truly al dente, a perfect rich and resistant chew that makes you want to keep eating more.
this place should really be on jon gold’s new 101 must-​eats in LA. located on 3^rd street with horrible parking options (valet for $ 6), it is small restaurant which can get quite loud.
the menu is not extensive. I’d stick with the apps and pastas. the entrees (veal milanese) seems just ‘meh’.
the apps:
baby octopus: chewy cute buggers with a nice smoky char
fig and burrata crostini: sweet, creamy
meatballs: so tender and flavorful, very well grounded meat
despite what the waiter told us, the pasta dishes were pretty substantial. enough for one person’s entrée.
carbonara: mixed with a raw egg yolk upon serving, OMG. you will want to lick the bowl
orecchiette (ear shaped pasta) with kale and sausage: a bit on the tart side but with big chunks of sausage to please the meat eaters in your group
veal milanese was lack luster (or maybe bc we were so full from 3 apps and 2 pasta dishes). the veal was fully breaded and deep fried, like a pork tonkatsu, topped with greens and shaved parm. kinda dry.
i’ll def be back for the pasta!