A favorite of the Hollywood crowd, Chef Agostino Sciandri serves Cal-Italian fare at the designer-perfect Vespaio in downtown Los Angeles.

L.A.’s cultural center is arguably Bunker Hill where MOCA, The Music Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall as well as the Broad art museum line-up. Also here, on the ground floor of the  luxury apartment building The Emerson, Vespaio complements these cultural offerings with its designer interiors, expansive patio and day-to-night menus. Chef Agostino Sciandri (AGO West Hollywood) knows how to please the crowd: homemade pastas, wood-fired pizzas and roasted meats are among the Northern Italian specialties.

The sleek design sets the restaurant apart as well; marble, antique brass, tiled walls and metallic finishes define the interiors. Drop in for the daily happy hour or pre-theater dining; the menu is ambitious, offering organic ingredients when possible and olive oils and pastas imported from Italy.

Ideal For

An appertivo, pre-theatre dining, happy hour cocktails.

Favorite Room

The expansive patio

Signature Dishes

Fried calamari; chicken paillard; branzino filet

Signature Drinks

Wide selection of Italian wines and appertivos