Centanni Trattoria

Mediocre service and food at best… don’t bother.
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this was the best itialian food ive ever had! we went there for new years eve and i couldnt have asked for a better meal!

Don’t do what I did and just go off the overall rating, READ some of the other reviews. There is literally a review that perfectly describes my feelings about this place and I was just shy of the first page on my phone when I was picking a restaurant to take my folks from out of town to on their last night in LA.
The food was mediocre, and it all started with a bastardized version of Lobster Bisque, which was resembled more of a split pea and potato leak love child. I’m not apposed to re-​inventing a classic, but not when the new creation is neither familiar nor even good tasting.
The cream dishes were overloaded with more cream flavor than anything else, the pasta was decent but it was overshadowed by all the cream and sauce. Speaking of being overshadowed, there was a TV over the dinning room area, playing old Italian movies and it felt a bit distracting. Overall it just wasn’t a meal that would have me coming back, and especially disappointing that this was my parents last meal in Los Angeles. Hopefully it was just a fluke, but I would still recommend folks read more reviews to see if there is a pattern developing with the quality of the dishes.

Our solid go to restaurant. Been going there for 5years, they have never disappointed us.
Thank you for your great food with reasonable price and great service.

Stumbled into this place after sitting in the daily shitty traffic on Lincoln Blvd, locals you know what the F I’m talkin’ bout. Because my hubs and I both had to tinkle, we decided to find the closest high rated place, to use their restroom and have dinner at and of course Centanni was at the top of the list, yay!
Be careful and drive with caution because this place can easily be missed on such a busy street with crazy drivers. They don’t have a parking lot, but instead offer reserved spaces on the side of the restaurant and residential parking nearby.
Upon arriving just before 7pm, we noticed many tables had a reserved sign on them, and only a few tables were vacant. I was worried, but we ended up getting seating riiiiiight away. Our server, Renee was cool because she provided great recommendations from what to get and not to get. After a slight wait, our food finally came out.
Here is what was ordered tonight:
Chicken Piccata with a side of spaghetti noodles; noodles sautéed in olive oil, garlic, no light Parmesan Cheese. $ 17
The chicken piccata was basic. The chicken was a bit soggy and had wayyyy too much capers.
NY Steak Ravioli — Pretty Tasty; the meat is super slow cooked in basically melts in your mouth. These babies we good, I stole 2 from my hubs’ plate… ssshhh don’t tell him, lol. What’s nice is you won’t ever find this dish anywhere else so you have to try it!
The entreès are definitely on the smaller side, for what you actually pay for. Will we return for a second visit? I think this visit was sufficient enough seeing that there are other places nearby we would like to try.

Great service, great food !! 5 stars, order lobster ravioli, the sauce was amazing, the pasta al dente … Will. One back soon to try another dish.

Get pick up from here whenever we want Italian. It’s the best in the area. A little pricier (on the higher end of the $$) but well worth it! So so so good. The salmon pasta and the mushroom pasta are my faves.

Is there anything worse than taking your parents who are visiting from out of town to a restaurant that was very disappointing. After apologizing several times to them, even though I didn’t need to, I felt it was only necessary to write this review.
I’ll preface the review by saying it’s not intended to put Centanni down or strictly based on emotion, but rather feedback that can only make this place better since I wanted to like it so much.
I’ll start with the service as that is one of the areas that this place felt short in. Coming in on a Sunday night where it is about half full, you’d expect a little better service. We had to remind our server to bring items we requested like bread, which was not toasted and to check-​in on a dish we had sent back. We are usually patient people, but having your customers wait for long periods of time without giving them notice is not my idea of good service. We had to flag our waiter down and also go up to the bar area to check-​in on our order.
On to the food. We ordered the chicken marsala, chicken milanese and a mozzarella panini. The chicken marsala, was good and came with a side, which we chose spaghetti. That was not the issue. The issue was the chicken milanese, which came out burnt on both sides at first and we found it to be dry when they came back with another one. They should be embarrassed to serve something that inedible. The «roasted potatoes» were also not roasted potatoes and were under seasoned and not cooked well. An underwhelming plate if I’ve ever seen one. Finally, we also ordered the mozzarella panini, which had cold bread and unmelted cheese despite our server claiming it to be a warm panini.
I don’t blame our server one bit for the lack of execution in the food as he did seem sincere in making it up to us by bringing tiramisu, which was good. I just wish this place lived up to what people said it would as opposed to a very forgettable experience all around. I’m sure everywhere has on and off nights and this could’ve been one of them, but I just hope Centanni takes the feedback left on here to heart.

I’m an Italian girl whose been living in Venice for over a decade. I’ve seen places come and go, and now the market is saturated with trendy, over booked restaurants with snooty service and excellent food.
I’ve stopped in to this place 3 times, and each time been turned away, for one reason or another. But this time it was 6:00; the restaurant was more than half empty; and we were offered no remedy. I want to believe in this place, but my culture doesn’t allow it. Growing up in an Italian kitchen, warmth love and food are interchangeable: my Nonna would have never allowed a local guest to leave without ATLEAST a biscotti and another option (ie, would you like to order take-​out, and have a glass of wine at one of the empty tables while you wait?).
I’m happy that they are busy; but the insincere ambiance will prevent me from coming here ever again.

Nice Italian but not worth the 4.5 star ratings. It’s a typical USA interpretation of Italian food, not really authentic and anything special. I could make this at home without super much effort.
I like the fact they make their own pasta though and the owners are really nice people.

I would have to agree with previous reviewier Bobby Y. in that the servers do talk up the food to the point that you ARE expecting something truly extraordinary. What appears cannot possibly live up to the hype, and thus it ends up being a bit of a disappointment.
Upon our server’s raving recommendation, we got the sauteed shrimp, and it ended up being just your average shrimp in garlic and olive oil. Yes, the shrimp were decently sized and the sauce was good enough to be lapped up with the bread, but was it «absolutely incredible,» as purported by the staff? Not really. But the bar for «absolutely incredible» is pretty high in my book…
The tagliatelle likewise did not exceed any expectations with its average sauce and slightly overcooked pasta. I have not had mindblowing tagliatelle in LA to date, and Centanni certainly did not introduce anything new to the equation.
The risotto was fine and maybe even slightly undercooked. I prefer my risotto a little creamier (which happens with constant, vigilant stirring and careful, incremental pours of broth and white wine), and this did not quite nail it. The scallops, however, were really quite nice — juicy, generous and well seasoned.
I worked in a locally famous Italian bakery (likely run by the Mafia. I can neither confirm nor deny…) in New Jersey as a kid, and the cannolis here were good, albeit pretty standard. Cannolis aren’t cooked in the back; they’re assembled. So I can’t really give Centanni all the credit for doing this dessert right.
All in all, it wasn’t the most extraordinary Italian I’ve had, but it was solid. Given the plethora of Italian on the Westside that I have not yet tried, however, I doubt I will return.

I have been visiting Centanni for the past 3 years, and I am a big fan of Alex and Helen’s effort to create an excellent atmosphere with great food and drinks. When I was working long hours and had little time to prepare food — I would sometimes come to Centanni twice a week! Its food is addictive, and the service is always excellent.
My usual dishes are the special Seafood Risotto and Pappardelle (home-​made pasta), and my appetizer is grilled artichoke hearts.
The bar area has several types of beer on tap, and I usually get the Moretti or have a glass of house red.

Very polite staff. I had just finished a day hike in Malibu and had a killer appetite. As soon as I entered, I panicked because I was not dressed for such a restaurant. But the owner assured me that I belonged here and was welcoming an extended a friendly invitation to have a seat.
I’m so glad I did. I treated myself to an non traditional lasagna, and I’m so glad I did. It slightly differs from most lasagna dishes by refraining from the use of ricotta cheese. The noodles are made fresh on site. It was divine paired with a glass of the house red wine.
The owner kindly offered me a dessert menu and casually mentioned the cannoli feature chocolate chips. Say no more. I didn’t even need to crack open the dessert menu. I knew what I would be ordering. They were beautiful and the guests at the table next to me inquired to know what I was enjoying. The cannoli for was the perfect way to accent my meal.
I’ve been finding myself in the West side of town more often lately and with a discovery of a charming Italian restaurant, I’m sure to return.

My wife and I went here for our 35^th. We picked it partly because of their BYOB ($ 10 corkage: reasonable) and partly because of the reviews.
I had the baked salmon on spinach, and it was perfect. Nice sized steak of salmon, and
the spinach was perfectly cooked in a wonderful sauce.
My wife had one of the MANY (!) specials, and said it was terrific. This is going to be our go-​to Italian food source now.

Amazing Italian food. I’m so glad I followed the Unilocal reviews to find this gem.
My partner and I live in downtown Los Angeles. We had Canadian friends visiting and staying in Venice. After reading the reviews, I decided to try this place out.
The place itself is warm and inviting. I had a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. The food specials the server (she was super friendly and fantastic, by the way!) rattled off all seemed delicious!
I had a starter salad, which was delicious. Two of us had the steak ravioli which was super yummy. My partner had the tagliatelle with the beef ragu, which was rich and omg so good! Our other friend had the seafood risotto special, again so good and such a large portion!
I’d definitely make a trip back to Venice (yes, all the way from downtown LA!), just to have the food here. Coupled with the great service and the ambience, this place seems like a hidden gem!

This place is in a little strip mall off Lincoln, which makes it easy to want to bypass, but I’m so glad we stopped in!
The service was affable enough, but the food was great! We had the bruschetta rustica appetizer and was surprised at how huge the slices were, but delighted at how well it tasted. It was a recommendation by the waitress.
Next, I had the pumpkin ravioli in sage butter sauce. It was al dente and pretty darn good. A bit sweet and I would have liked more fries sage leaves, but overall not a bad dish.
What I really liked was what my boyfriend ordered: cavatelli in ragu. It came with a lot of sauce, but that was ok because we ended up using it to dip our bread in.
We also brought our own wine for a mere $ 10 corkage fee! I always love it when we can find a place like that.
The only reason why I’m not giving it 5 stars is because I’ve had better pasta (Bestia and Scopa), but for the price point, it definitely hit the spot.

Based on portion size, definitely a $$$ outlay, not a $$ as Unilocal shows. Not family style — the pasta dishes are smallish & easily finished by a single person.
House wine is a bit steep ($ 8+) for the non-​generous pour.
The «Homemade» pizza ($ 14) is inedible to anyone who knows pizza. Crust comes out hard and bready, cheese is skimpy, the dry salami on the one we ordered was too salty for a pizza topping. A bad choice, and it was recommended by our waiter!
The «Tagliatelle Al Ragu» ($ 15) which was described as «to die for» by our waiter was definitely middle-​of-​the-​road. It was as you would expect a freshly-​made pasta dish with a bland Bolognese sauce to taste. Nothing more, nothing less. I wouldn’t order it again unless I lived in the neighborhood (I don’t). Again, all the money, and it’s a small portion.
The Veal Marsala ($ 28) special was especially bad. The filet was too thick and overcooked, the breading was mushy, and the marsala sauce suffocated the entire dish. It took quite an effort to even cut through it (a bad sign). I ate it to get full.
We got a couple of other dishes as well, all were just average and pricey for what they were. The margins must be pretty healthy here at the Centanni Trattoria!
Very easy to spend $ 100 here and not feel like you ate anything special. The opposite of what a true trattoria or l’hostaria experience in Italy would be, in my experience.
During the meal, the service was great! I just wish our waiter didn’t talk up the food, raising our expectations — and our final bill. :)

Not too packed for a place that has 4.5 stars on Unilocal.I had the Salmon dish. They let you choose your sides. Very simple, yet very good. They put the lemon sauce on the side which I liked. I The portion was slightly sparse but not unusual for this dish since most fishes are meant to be somewhat small. The prices are reasonable. The service is attentive and really good.
Lots of street parking in the area.

Family operated and homemade dishes at reasonable prices. Really a gem in an unassuming part of Lincoln Blvd. right next to Superba.
Hits:
— Homemade Mushroom pappardelle w/​white truffle oil: tons of wild mushrooms and the truffe oil is generously poured all over. Delicious!
— Tagliatelle al ragu: a saucy dish. Hearty red sauce filled with a lot of ground beef. ⁹⁄₁₀ would order again.
— Daily Special fish — tender and fresh. A bit too much oil overall but it was still delicious to the point that I think fish lovers and even a non-​fish lover like myself could agree this was really good.
— Bruschetta w/​prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula: a good starter and a good way to open the meal with some leafy greens.
Miss:
— Steak Ravioli: The only dish that fell flat was the daily special of the Steak Ravioli. Sounds like a winner but it was overall much, much too salty.
Tip: I would see if you could get a table further in. We were seated next to the entrance and on a rainy day you get a chilly draft during dinner.
Verdict: great prices for solid pasta. A great option for real Italian food without any pretense.

I’ve had an unusual uptick in cravings for Italian food this past year or so, and it definitely surfaced during my LA trip, where I’d otherwise usually only eat Asian food. Meeting up with a friend and her hubby for dinner, I ordered the pumpkin ravioli that they seemed to be well-​known for, and also took advantage of their check-​in offer for the free tiramisu at the end.
The ravioli, unfortunately, was a bit on the too sweet for me, which really shouldn’t have been a surprise, given what the main ingredient was and all. That aside, the pasta was done well, and there was definitely good flavor to be had: I can only imagine how much more I would have enjoyed it if it had been done with meat and cheese instead. Having taken a bite of my friend’s pesto gnocchi, I can say that was notably tastier.
The tiramisu, on the other hand, was delicious, and not just because it was free! I had actually taken it to go, and didn’t get around to it a day or two later, and it was still quite tasty. Not the best I’ve had, by any means, and a little lacking in that rum flavor I enjoy, but still worth trying. And while it seems a bit pricy, you get a large enough portion to easily share between two.
I’m not sure how likely it is I’d come back though, all said. If I lived in the area, I might, but as an out-​of-​towner, I’d rather go to Fritto Misto instead.
***Accessibility Info***
Venue — A mid-​sized restaurant with accessible seating and adequate spacing between their tables.
Bathroom — Didn’t try them, so no comment.

Amis francophones et gourmets, dans le quartier de Venice sur l’immense mais néanmoins tellement Los Angeles boulevard Lincoln, la famille Centanni vous accueille pour déguster des succulents plats italiens ! À recommander. Une bonne adresse sur Venice.