Toscana

If you are looking for a genuinely Italian eating experience then check out Toscana Brentwood. The Gnocchi and shrimp to share with the table is an excellent starter. I opted to try the Chicken with Artichokes. Perfectly cooked and delicious! The staff was engaging and warm, chatting with guests. Only beer and wine unless you are at the Toscana Bar right next door. The Ricotta cheese cake is a must if you dine for dinner. Prices are typical for Brentwood but absolutely worth it.

Good quality food. New to the neighborhood and we go at least every other month.
Food feels to be genuinely Italian.
Quaint and warm and cozy inside. Not too busy but enough where you are confident the food is fresh.
Looking forward to out next visit.

I had dinner at Toscana’s last night with my family. I just wanted to say that the ravioli stuffed with veal was amazing. Simply out of this world. We had great service and, although the restaurant is always crowded with a very holiday season type feeling, it was extraordinary.
I recommend Toscana’s to anyone who wants a great Italian meal.

My favorite place to sit at the bar. Their drinks are the best! They make with fresh fruits and veggies. Margarita pizza is pretty good so as their pastas. I miss going there.

Mixed bag at Toscana. First off, the bar is situated «across the hall» from the restaurant. So, don’t make the mistake I did of getting there early, going into the bar for a cocktail and then being told that you can’t take the cocktail into the restaurant because all the restaurant can serve is wine and beer. Huh? How about letting people know that ahead of time? Now, it was a fine cocktail and the bar was very pleasant; I just didn’t want to end up guzzling my drink like I was at a frat party, which is what I had to do when my dinner companions joined. Absurd. And no, they wouldn’t get me a coffee mug or something innocuous to allow me to take it with me. The managers were not at all friendly or accommodating on that score. Next time, if there is a next time, I think I’d rather just eat at the bar and avoid the restaurant altogether.
Next up… the restaurant. Again, mixed. First of all, it’s an open-​air kitchen which can be fun, but honestly, they need to find someplace else to cook the fish because walking into a restaurant and smelling fish is not my idea of a good time. And I wanted to order fish… and still did, once I adjusted to the smell and it didn’t seem so pronounced. But, the fish I had — a grilled branzino fillet — was merely adequate. It didn’t taste terribly fresh (ah, the fish smell) and it was merely passable. I had wanted salmon, but they serve farmed salmon and they ought to know better. If they can’t source wild salmon, then don’t put it on the menu.
My arugula salad was good, although they added some tomato slices which were not great. I can get bad tomatoes at Ralphs… didn’t need them there. Again, if you can’t source good tomatoes, leave them off my arugula salad!
Everything else was fine. The waiter was great. The pizza we all shared was very good, my spinach and potatoes on the side of the fish were good.
The place is packed; nearly every Unilocal review gives it 5 stars. But, there are a million places in town to go for good Italian cuisine; this one isn’t at the top of my list. I don’t live on the west side so I have no reason to be over there a lot of the time, but if I were, I’d check out other options. It was very average.

I think Toscana has some of the best Italian food in the city. Apparently many westsiders agree since this place is always so busy
If they had a reasonable corkage fee instead of the ridiculous $ 35 a bottle I would go five stars
The ambience is lively and cozy
The waiter staff are Italian and polished servers
The food is very good
I really like the cut vegetable and olive oil and balsamic at the table to start
Then comes the crispy pizza dough
For appetizers we had the burratta and the shrimp salad which were both delicious
We shared a spaghetti vongole which is very tasty. I only wish they had better east coast clams that are larger
The John Dory grilled with piccata sauce was perfect
The veal Marsala with porcini and shaved black truffle was fragrant and amazing
For dessert we had the profiteroles and vanilla gelato that were very good
To digest it all a nice macchiato
See you soon Toscana!

Incredibly overrated restaurant. I blame you, friends of the restaurant, «so underground» foodies, and other Unilocalers lacking in sensibility. Average at best, and appropriately overpriced due to locale. I ordered the Capellini all Ortolana — Angel hair with fresh mixed vegetables and tomato sauce. Sounds good, right? The only thing fresh about the vegetables was the air that was introduced to them when the Safeway can they came in was opened. Really, now? $ 18 for canned peas and carrots with some diluted prego? My boyfriend got the Ravioli di Carne, which wasn’t bad but also nothing special. The wine was good because they didn’t have to cook it. Service wasn’t noteworthy, and they charged for each refill of still water without notifying us of the cost, so we had to pay somewhere around $ 15 for water. If you want a better Italian cuisine experience, go to Pizza Hut.

Never fails to be brilliant ! Came after seeing. John Irving speak tonight. Died over the lamb chops, swooned over the truffles… sat at the counter — they treated us better at the counter than most table service

Love this place. Great place for business lunch.

Very average. It’s definitely a finer restaurant, and when I noticed that, my expectations sky rocketed.
The carrots and celery in the middle of the table is an interesting twist. It’s almost off-​putting because I have no idea how long it’s been sitting out. And it feels a little odd to eat a carrot stuck in a nice restaurant.
Got a glass of wine. It was alright. Also got the salmon and my friend got the fish. Neither of us were wowed. I love love love salmon so I guess I’m more picky than the next person.
All in all, just an okay restaurant. Not worth the price, unless you’re okay with meh food in a nice atmosphere. Some people are!

I’ve been to Toscana several times and can honestly say it is a staple in the Brentwood dining scene.
Reservations are an absolute must, whether you’re going for lunch or dinner.
The space is small, intimate and always buzzing. I adore the grilled flatbread that arrives when you sit down. It’s crispy, warm and fluffy with a fresh drizzle of olive oil. At dinner you also receive complimentary veggies, an assortment of carrots and celery with balsamic and olive oil.
Expect professional service. There are always specials and they are so accommodating and will give you a half portion of pasta or even make something that is not on the menu.
Highlights for me have been the prosciutto and melon, spaghetti vongole, spaghetti with calamari and chicken with rosemary. The only thing that I did not love so far was their Bolognese as the noodles were tagliatelle and the sauce did not have enough depth or flavor.
I have not tried their dessert but they do bring out flakey cookies at the end of the meal, which is the perfect ending.

Definitely an interesting restaurant with lots of regales with character. This review is for the bar side. Food fresh and tasty. Drinks the bartender nailed it and was quick on the refill. Definitely a great place to meet up with friends or for a second or third date. The place is pricy but well worth it.

When I was single and lived in Brentwood a zillion years ago, Toscana was my go to restaurant for a really good dinner.
I moved to Encino with my wife to raise our family and Toscana in Encino was my go to restaurant for a really good dinner.
Encino shuttered it’s doors (shame on you Encino) back in the 90’s and this fine Italian restaurant for some unbeknownst reason left my life?
Re-​enter Toscana last night!
Wow, had I forgotten how really good this place was and is!
My old Brentwood hangout hadn’t changed a bit other than adding a bar next door. Walking in felt like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes. It was lovely.
We met our friends, ordered our wine and went over the not so different menu from years ago. I guess when some dishes are so good, they have staying power.
The four of us all ordered different starters and entrees, so I was able to taste eight different items off of their menu.
The food was still great. The ambiance was still starkly elegant, the service was spot on, and the open kitchen is a marvelous show to watch as these fine young chefs don’t miss a beat feeding this packed house.
It seemed louder than before, but that could very well be my older ears just getting older.
It is still very expensive. With so many Italian restaurants just a few minutes drive away, you have to really want their $ 50.00 + veal Milanese. It is Brentwood and rent on San Vicente must be way more than Santa Monica Blvd.
I really enjoyed my evening here at Toscana! I guaranteed my wife as we were walking out that it won’t be another fifteen years before we come back.

The pizza. AMAZING
Compliments to the chef!
Our waitress was really great too :-)

Why 5 stars? Where else can you dine back to back with Clint Eastwood? True story and he did have an empty chair at the table… one can only imagine. On the serious side, this is an outstanding restaurant. It’s lively, fun to be there, great service with guys who really are just off the boat (test them with Italian dirty words).
The food? Exceptionally good with a more casual presentation. I like that. I don’t need an expensive restaurant to make me feel good with an over-​the-​top presentation. This is how true Italian restaurants present. I’ve spent many a time in Rome restaurants and Toscana mimics the typical great «in the city» Rome restaurant. I had a special which was a crab and spaghetti dish. My three friends all enjoyed what they ordered. The wine was great but you’ll have to accept that bottles start at the $ 60+ range.
We closed the place down — literally the last party out the door. They didn’t care but it’s what they didn’t do — they didn’t start cleaning the kitchen or tables until we were gone — probably a good 15 minutes of us finishing our wine but they didn’t spoil our experience. That’s a classy move. Way to go Toscana.

Loved our dinner, recommended by our friend in Pasadena…
We were celebrating our 9^th month anniversary and what a treat it was to enjoy the prawns, pear salad and the thin pizza yum.
The Tiramisu was nice, however my guy said it needed more alcohol, just a thought…
Our waiter, Mateo was great!
Friendly atmosphere and delicious food.

I have been to this wonderful establishment twice. Only hood things to say about the food and the price of the items are average for the area.
I got the seafood risotto, which was on point. Also, got another seafood pasta item a few months back and no complaints at all!
The only thing is that the menu changes sporadically.

I really liked it here.
The food was good, the service was attentive and the vibe was quite nice.
It’s a small restaurant inside a random building on San Vicente, but don’t let that fool you, the food is legit. The pasta is fantastic, the salads are good, they have a great wine selection, what more is there to say?

Good food but not the very best I have tasted.
Small atmosphere with lots of turnaround but the food here is just okay…
I ordered the lunch special which is some sort of a filet with capers, but it is a bit too salty! argh! I came out of there thirsty and they didn’t even fill out waters without us having to hunt them down. Hey, common, the place aint that big.
The salads on the other hand was pricey for the amount but very good. I give them extra stars for that. and their free naan/​pita was crisped to perfection.
Lastly. pasta? okay. Esp. the seafood/​clam pasta which made my co-​workers tummy sick over night. Fresh clam? maybe not.
all in all 4 stars. mainly for their salad dishes. esp. the grilled squid salad.

If Enzo Ferrari were to design an Amercian Italian classic sports car and name it after a restaurant, it would be called «The Toscana.»
Attentive, very friendly staff is composed of charming American and Italian accents.
Each table has pre-​placed bowls of fresh garden veggies over ice so they’re chilled and crisp.
The complementary flatbread is slightly salted and oiled to your liking.
When my wife ordered the seafood with spaghetti she didn’t expect the cast from Spongbob, but she got huge mussels (just like my guns), generously sized shrimp, clams and calamari all in a light white wine sauce. Absolute amaze-​balls.
The red wine pairing nailed it for her, and my rosé was dry and sweet.
Overall I’m filing this one away as a perfect romantic place to splurge when you want a taste of Italy that’s not too modern chic. Let’s just call it Hollywood rustic. Ba-​da-​bing!