La Piazza Restaurant
(323) 933-5050
189 The Grove Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Near Central LA, Mid-Wilshire and La Brea
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Business Details
General Info
Established in 2003, La Piazza is a fine dining facility that serves Italian cuisine. It offers a variety of homemade pasta dishes and meatballs. The restaurant provides breaded chicken breast with melted mozzarella and tomato sauce toppings. It offers a selection of wines, such as merlot, pinot grigio, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir and chardonnay. La Piazza maintains a more than 9,000-square-foot facility that can accommodate up to 215 people. The restaurant features a Bellagio-style fountain, indoor lounge and outdoor seating area
AKA
- La Piazza Italian Restaurant
Reviews & Recommendations
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Beware of this restaurant
Provided by Citysearch
The only way this restaurant is still in business is from unsuspecting tourist sucked in by the only place you can get into right away. Our group went on a night that there was a special snow fall that brought out the Xmas crowds and we fell right into the immediate seating while other restaurants were a lengthy wait. Management could care less about any issues of food or service as the feed off new customers, who like me failed to look at reviews. Although any restaurant that fills a glass club soda with ice to the top and then charges you for a refill, is in money trouble. Our group consisted of 4 adults and 2 children under three and I knew when we had problems with the food and service (no apologies and certainly no free refill of club soda) that the bill, which was $150 would contain an added tip as they stated groups of 6 will be charged a fixed service charge. Stay far away from this one.
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""THE"" place - for those who enjoy roaches with their food
Provided by Citysearch
Alas, the CitySearch user interface 'forces' me against my will to give this place minimum of 1 star (for the record, in this instance 1 star =0). If you have so much as a shred of dignity or taste, please, please, please spare yourself this dining experience (if it can even be called that - read on, it's good, get cozy). Although I live nearby and go to the Grove almost weekly I never went to this place. Something about it was creepy - the ""B"" LA Public Health department rating that was posted there for oh-so-long didn't really inspire me to dine therein. Last Friday night I saw that La Piazza had 'moved on up' to an ""A"" rating so my companion and I chanced it. A litany of mediocre food was trailed before us. It was late - we contented ourselves. As I reached for another so-so bite of my food I noticed something vaguely brown and about the width and length of a kiwi fruit on the white tablecloth. I looked down and to my horror saw - brace yourself - a kiwi sized COCKROACH on the table. I WISH I were joking. I am talking about something one would imagine emerging from the mists of the Amazon. I jumped up screaming and yelling in horror, only to see yet another one crawling comfortably nearby!! Of course, I reported this to the waitress, who asked if I would like to see the manager - I said 'of course.' Enter one Alex Silverstri, the alleged 'manager' of this fine establishment (I asked for a business card to this effect, he didn't have one so who knows). His whole vibe on approach was very much 'what the hell do you want?' as opposed to ""what seems to be the problem?"" I could just tell that a lot of senseless stupidity was about to flow out of his mouth and - guess what - I was not disappointed. He informed me that I would just have to 'deal with it'. He then went on to say that these were not cockroaches but, in fact, a rare environmentally-protected species of `water-bug' that inhabits, and with some frequency emerges from, the beautiful Grove dancing fountains. These 'bugs' were so precious, Silvestri claimed that even the LA County Board of Health told La Piazza that they could not take steps to fumigate their establishment lest they contribute to their extinction (yeah, I bet the inspector told them that right after he issued them a ""B"" rating on the first of several occasions). I then pointed out that our outdoor table was next to an open door into which one directly enters the kitchen so that these insects A. Silvestri dispassionately described as 'common' on the restaurant's exterior would likely be making their way between the two spaces in much the same way that, oh, I saw several wait staff and other people do during my time there. Silvestri then glibly observed that the insects were ""on the OUTSIDE NOT THE INSIDE (emphasis his)."" He then folded his arms and glared at me victoriously (he thought this a highly intellectual and argument-defeating observation). I then observed, as would any second grader of ave
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POISONED!!!
Provided by Citysearch
We were served RAW CHICKEN! Unfortunately, it was covered with disgusting red sauce, so we didn't realize it until we ate 5 or 6 bites. When we sent it back, they offered to replace the meal with pasta (which we barely ate by that point out of disgust). No one came over to apologize. The waitress didn't say a word. When the check came, we were charged for the ""replacement"" pasta. We told the waitress we should not be charged for the meal. She got her manager, Agnes Jametti, who came over with a smug grin and told us ""no,"" and AGAIN did not apologize for her restaurant's embarrassing incompetence. THE MANAGER IS BY FAR THE RUDEST WOMAN. We were so floored by her horrible, unprofessional behavior that we couldn't even speak. While waiting for our credit card receipt, we went back to get her name and the number of the owner. Agnes smugly smiled in my face and repeated ""I have nothing to say to you,"" and denied that you can get ill from eating raw chicken! She didn't so much as offer us a cup of free coffee - we paid in full, and even left a decent tip out of pity for the waitress. If I live to see another day, I surely will NEVER go to La Piazza again.
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A place I can rely upon
Provided by Citysearch
I visit La Piazza for lunch at least bimonthly. I always sit at the bar, and I've always had, at the very least, satisfactory service. Between Alex and Sean (the servers), I usually leave a healthy tip because I am more than satisfied with the level of service they have given. I am always appalled when I see tourists order pepperoni pizza. Sean assures me it is really good. But geez, if you're going to order pizza in an authentic Italian restaurant, wouldn't you want to choose authentic-ish toppings? I mean, even California-style? Look, the panino sandwiches, the salads, the soup specials, the pasta specials -- I've never gone wrong. Treat your server like a human being, and you'll receive good service. Tip well for better than good service, and you'll be remembered. It's the same at every restaurant. La Piazza is no different. I am happy to frequent this establishment.
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Yum, Yum, Yum
Provided by Citysearch
There was table full of us and we couldn't have asked for anything better. This restaurant was very accomodating to what my wants & needs were since I'm a vegetarian. Even thought they had many items on the menu to accomodate just me, since we were sharing food, they were more than happy to exclude meat on many of the items, instead adding more vegetables in the place of meat(s). We walked away feeling not just satisfied, but happy that we had chosen this restaurant. They were the best. Yeah, we could hve eaten at some other restaurant the serves the regular foods (Cheesecake Factory for one), but why choose food that the cooks have no how or they can't change the menu around. This place is in my book to dine at again. Love the ambiance too.
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La Microwaved Piazza Ristorante
Provided by Citysearch
Horrible food!!!!! and Horrible services!!!!! \r Waiter try's to memorize the order but screws it all up and when you want what you really ordered you end up getting an attitude and a number of stares..\r \r ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS OVER PRICED FOR MICROWAVED FOOD!!!!!!!! \r \r Would not recommend this place to anyone.
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Huge Scam!
Provided by Citysearch
This place is the biggest scam ever and I highly recommend staying far far away from this ""restaurant"". The typical tourists that my family and I are, we saw how lovely the restaurant looked and decided to dine there. Right away we noticed how extremely high the prices were, but we figured the food must be extraordinary. However, the entire menu had small print under almost everything! ""You cannot order a pannini on the weekends...you must tip 15%"", etc. I ordered a $3 Coke, which came in a tiny glass, more than half full of ice. After I finished it in about 2 seconds, the waitress informed me ""we do not have free refills, but you can always order another one"". I can???? Wow, thanks so much. Things only got worse. I ordered the ravioli which to my dismay, came with 6 piece of 'Chef Boyarde' style pieces...for $20! I've honestly had better frozen ravioli from Costco! My brother's pasta plate which was supposed to have bacon and all sorts of good things in it looked like Spaghetti O's, and my mom's pesto fettucine was a blob of green pasta which looked like it was made in a freshman dorm room microwave. Our bill was $85, and as we paid, feeling ripped off and still hungry, the waitress informed us that they do not validate and that we'd have to go elsewhere. Pretty much the entire dinner was ""just so you know, you cant do this"" and ""just so you know, you cant do that"". We felt like saying, ""just so you know, we're not paying for this dinner!"" My family and I walked away from this restaurant completely ripped off. I would advise anyone and everyone to stay away from this place. I'm absolutely positive that they get no repeat customers because everyone walks away feeling scammed. Over-priced, unprofessional, not GOOD, and takes advantage of tourists.
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Horrible experience!!
Provided by Citysearch
This is the worst experience I have ever had at any restaurant. I wish that I would have seen the reviews before going here. My nephew who is and I just got done watching a show and the fashion show for Ed Hardy was here so it was of course packed in front of the restaurant. We decided to watch the show from the patio and figured the place looked pleasant. We weren't incredibly hungry and it was a bit pricey so we decided to share. When I asked the waiter Naaman if the pasta was enough for two he said yes but there is a $15 minimum. I said well ok it is $22. and then he continued to say that it is a $15 pp. I asked him where it says that considering on the menu it only says split plate charge is $2. he said well it usually says that and on a night like this there is a minimum they should have told you before you sat down. So i picked another dish which was disgusting!! Another couple sat next to us and ordered one small pizza I asked them if they were told about this minimum and she said no. So I called the manager over who smelled so bad of alcohol and he agreed that there is the minimum and it says it on the menu. He brought a menu over and left. It says that in parties of 6 or more than there is a $15pp. I was upset so I called the mgr back and he rudely said whats the problem and I showed him so he walked away again. The waiter came back and acted like he misunderstood the menu and the calamari will be on them! Then when we got our actual entree it too was disgusting. The busser grabbed our cokes and refilled them (which we did not ask for) . When I finally got my check I was charged for 4 sodas!!! Talk about getting ripped off----Do not reccomend this place at all. If you want excellent food with great service go to Caioti in Studio City!!!!
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Worst Service In My Life!!!!!! NEVER THINK ABOUT GOING THERE
Provided by Citysearch
Okay, the La Piazza looked like a nice place to dine. There was about 7 people in my party and we all wanted to try the restaurant. The waitress took us to our seats in the patio and when we sat down, we were thinking about what we wanted to order. Me and my other 2 friends were with our kids. The adults in total were 3 and there were 4 kids. We weren't really hungry so we told our kids to choose what they wanted to eat. And of course everyone wanted peppeoni pizza. When the waitress came to take our order, we said we want 2 large pepperoni pizzas and the waitress said I'm sorry but you can't order that little with a big party and I said to her that only the kids are hungry and their the only ones eating. And she replied I'm sorry but I can't take your order then she said if that's all your ordering I'm going to ask you to leave. And she left. We left in awe and shock that we were treated this way. It's the WORST RESTAURANT and NO ONE should dine their. When we left, we went to cheesecake factory and the waitress was so nice and she was in shock when we told her what the waitress told us. We ordered 2 large pepperoni pizzas at the cheesecake factory and the waitress brought it to us with a smile. NEVER THINK ABOUT GOING TO LA PIAZZA!!!!!!\r WORSTT RESTAURRANTT EVERRR!!!!!!!!\r
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Absolutely the WORST!
Provided by Citysearch
My friends and I went here for a nice dinner on a Thursday night but the service was so terrible! We waited 10 minutes for anyone to notice that we were sitting at a table and another 10 minutes to place drinks orders. Then we had to ask for water and bread which took another 10 minutes! (Forget trying to get refills on anything.) When our pasta finally came out, it was cold and mushy! AND they forgot one of the dishes we had ordered with no apologies. When we complained to the management, they didn't seem to care. Trust me, I'll NEVER go to this place again and I'll warn everyone I know to stay away.
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Bad food and service
Provided by Citysearch
Okay, so I live right near the Grove and I stop by frequently to eat, shop, and go to the movies. I had never been to La Piazza, but the atmosphere looked nice and the menu looked good. My mom came for a visit and I suggested that we try it out. The good: we were seated promptly. Bread came right away but nobody bothered to fill our waters. We finally chased down a busboy, and he finally got around to filling them. Our waitress arrived a long time later to take our drink order. My mom and I each ordered a glass of wine and a salad. The waitress did not bother to write our order down, but I figured that since our order was so simple, she would get it right. Our salads arrived pretty quickly, but we still had not received our wine. Our waitress was no where to be found, so we flagged down a busboy to ask about our wine. He snottily said that he would go find our waiter. \r \r Look, busboys and ""other"" waiters, we would not ask you if we had the option of asking OUR server.\r \r Our waitress came by and said that the busboy said we wanted to order wine or something. Uh, yeah, honey, we ALREADY ordered wine. When the wine finally arrived, my mom's glass was coated with some sort of crust on the outside. My mom felt compelled to tell the waitress that she wanted a whole new glass of wine, not just a new glass. (Yes, it was that filthy).\r \r My $17 salad was just okay and was WAY overdressed, but I was afraid that if I sent it back I would never get to eat.\r \r Basically, for $54 for two for lunch, I expect top notch service, good food, and clean glassware. Both my mother and I have worked as bartenders and waitresses. We understand the ins and outs of the job, and so we are quite forgiving. But this was just unacceptable. This place charges WAY too much money for what you get. I felt terrible because my mom insisted on picking up the check and it was I who had suggested the place. That's how awful it was.
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Pleasant Atmosphere, Overpriced Flavor-less food
Provided by Citysearch
I had always wanted to try La Piazza because it looks so inviting from the outside. People sit and drink wine, people watch and have dinner on the outdoor patios. While the atmosphere here is nice, and the location couldn't be better (right next to the fountain) the food here is just not worth your time. I ordered the Spaghetti Puttanesca which could not have been any blander. (You would think tomatoes, capers, olives and onions would lend some flavor to the dish but there wasn't any!) My boyfriend ordered a pasta dish with a four mushroom sauce and had a similar experience. When I tasted his pasta I couldn't believe that both of our dinners could be so wimpy on flavor. One dish is forgiveable, but two? The wine here was good as was the bread, and our server was pretty attentive but I won't go back for this unstimulating cuisine.
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Good food, and horrible customer service.
Provided by Citysearch
Went there last night. Awful experience!!!\r We had needed a table for 4, and two of us were there, while the other two in my party were parking the car.\r They said they had tables available, but couldn't seat us until our entire party was there.\r So we were standing there waiting in front of about 10 empty tables. It was silly to keep us waiting.\r We told the hostess that we were cold, and asked if we could please sit at a table. She said ""nope,"" - Just like that!\r So then she continues to talk to the second hostess about this guy she is ""head over heels about.."" and how she can't decide who she likes more between two guys she is dating, and the pros and cons of each.\r I couldn't believe that she was acting as if we weren't there. It was so unproffessional.\r So we asked to speak to the manager - who was also a snob.\r He said that it is ""our policy not to let customers sit with out the entire party."" Which was fine, but what about the tackyness of the hostess and how rude she was to us. The manager said that she following policy.\r Completely backed her. I am all for a manager backing his employee, BUT she was completely rude. \r They were a bunch of snobs really. I guess they dont care about customer service, because they have so many customers anyway.
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Mall food
Provided by Citysearch
Let's face it, sometimes you do have to go to the Grove, mostly to see a movie. However, because you are only steps away from the Farmer's Market, there is certainly no need to actually eat at the Grove! La Piazza has nice outdoor seating on two levels overlooking the dancing waters. It is a pleasant place to sit and enjoy a beverage, but once the food arrives, things go downhill fast. When my plain caesar salad inadvertently arrived with grilled chicken on it (hey these things happen, I understand that), my server kindly offered to ""scrape off the chicken for me*. Unbelievable. In doing so, he also scraped off the parmesan shavings; after realizing this, he brought them out separately on a plate. He may as well have trashed the whole salad, it was so uninspired. Dressing from a plastic jug? Check. Croutons from a factory? Check. People, the Grove is a mall dressed up as a street. At the mall you get mall food --'nuff said.
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Good Location, Bad Everything Else...
Provided by Citysearch
Yesterday, I took my parents here for a Father's Day lunch -- since they live across the street from the Grove, I thought it'd be nice to just walk to a 'nice' Italian restaurant. Well, the people are nice enough, our waiter was nice enough, and so was the hostess -- who was wearing a saxy, tight, form-fitting dress (and showing her delicious cleavage)... but the service is just not there. I'm not even a demanding person, I'm less demanding than 90% of restaurant-goers... but waiting so long to have our orders taken, and waiting another eternity to get the check, and then the change... by the way, they somehow 'ran out' of Caesar salad, which is no big deal -- I don't care much for salad anyway... but does it possibly give insight into the management of La Piazza? As a former restaurateur, my question is how could the management not know when they're running low on romaine lettuce, or caesar dressing, croutons (or whatever it was they ran out of), in order to restock? The waiter seemed surprised by this as well when he informed us -- but hey, being this is L.A., maybe he was practicing his acting skills. By the way, the food that we did get -- was nothing exceptional. For the price, it was frighteningly mediocre. The dish I got, some sort of veal ravioli... was one of the most expensive pasta dishes on the menu (if not the most), and came with 8 or 9 thin raviolis. Being a guy who weighs 200+ lbs., I wasn't stuffed after finishing. I tried some of my sister's pasta, and it was very average -- tasted about one or two steps above Chef Boyardee pasta. Well -- I hate to rag on a restaurant so much since I know how tough it can be to manage one... but this whole concept... their whole restaurant *thing*, whatever it is -- it just doesn't work for me. Too pricey, below-average service, below-average food, below-average portions... the only positive things are the good location and the people who worked there, who are friendly (for the most part).
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Nice atmosphere
Provided by Citysearch
Had a girl's night out at the piazza. They charge extra for service if the part is over nine I think it was. Their chicken pasta is very tasty, their mushroom pizza was average, and their white wine and has a nice taste. I had a seating outside and it had a very nice view of the Grove. I would recommend taking a jacket on cold days however, that night was busy and the service was a bit slow. But the surroundings are just amazing and perfect for the food.
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Ghastly olive oil
Provided by Citysearch
Unpalatable, bitter olive oil which was sent away, along with the bread plates and unfinished bread contaminated with it, and butter ordered. Waiter didn't bring new bread plates, and when asked for them, took them off the next table. Wait staff will not step aside to let you pass in a narrow aisle, just stares you down and crowds by you. When calling to make a reservation, was told they didn't take them; asking about opening time, was told ""noon."" Arrived at 11:45 a. m. to line up to be sure and get a good table to take in their really great view, and found that they opened at 11:30, and was seated next to two tables with ""Reserved"" signs. Grilled salmon salad was very good; bread good (but not with that awful oil); have also had decent meals prior. Service quite slow, although our waiter was nice enough.
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Aggressive and poor management
Provided by Citysearch
Terrible and hostile service. I remember this bartender from another resteraunt. He actually said out loud to another fellow staff member that Latinos and Blacks were all the same. Being I am Latino, I never stepped foot in that resteraunt again. And I will not in this resteraunt! It was a big mistake! Terrible service and poor quality food...Yuck!
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Great italian food!
Provided by Citysearch
I am italian and for me, dine at La Piazza, is like being at home.\r I go there at least once a week and I have never been disappointed: I love the location, the service is always attentive and friendly and the management is very professional.\r The food is excellent and really close to what you can find in a good restaurant in Italy. I recommend the rollino as appetizer, the pizza is like the original and all the pasta and risotto are always al dente.
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True, it's not great Italian food, BUT.....
Provided by Citysearch
sitting outside at the bar and watching celebs and LAs oddest walk by is always LOADS of fun! And David and Darius are the nicest bartenders on the planet! They always remember us and often have drinks at the ready before we even have a chance to sit down at a table. The pizza is not bad, but the atmosphere far outweights the food.
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