Diners' Choice: Neighborhood gem restaurants in Westside

OpenTable

Updated January 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are the best neighborhood gems in Westside? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Divino - Brentwood

4.9

4.9 (883)

$31 to $50

Italian

Brentwood

About the restaurant

Soft-green walls, black-and-white photos and high ceilings illuminate the affluent crowd for lunch and dinner.
The intimate family setting combined with the professional service just add to the fact that DIVINO is a little culinary diamond in the rough.

Top review

thomasVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Great!! Food is fantastic.. highly recommend..and the martini was great too!!

Pastina Trattoria

4.9

4.9 (550)

$30 and under

Italian

West Los Angeles

About the restaurant

Casually elegant, Pastina is home to some of the best Italian cooking in town inspired by the freshest ingredients, cooked simply and prepared beautifully with excellent service and a warm comfortable atmosphere. Many of the clientele are on the first name basis with host Franco Catullo who supplies ample amount of Italian charm to go along with delicate antipasti, splendid pastas, fresh fish, hefty veal chops and fabulous desserts flown in from Italy. Pastina strikes a perfect balance between favorite dishes of the moment and trusty standbys with waiters that have the Italian enthusiasm for seeing diners happy.

Top review

Linda MVIP

Dined on Dec 25, 2024

Delicious food, friendly yet not intrusive service.

Casa Nostra Ristorante - Pacific Palisades

4.9

4.9 (441)

$30 and under

Italian

Pacific Palisades

About the restaurant

**EVERYDAY OPEN FOR LUNCH**PIZZA OVEN IS BACK**BRING YOUR WINE*** FREE CORKAGE Monday Tuesday - Wednesday***
Benvenuti
Enjoying the simple pleasure of eating and drinking is our way of living at Casa Nostra. Nestled in the hills of the Palisades, we offer classic Italian cuisine in a cozy, relaxed atmosphere. We love bringing our passion for the tastes of Italy to your table in every dish, using high quality, imported Italian products and the freshest locally grown produce. Our knowledgeable staff prides itself in providing a simple, flavorful dining experience and making your visit to Casa Nostra Ristorante delicious and special.

Top review

Paul

Dined on Dec 28, 2024

This was our favorite restaurant, with great, well-priced food, a welcoming team and staff, and lovely ambiance. Unfortunately, because of the new landlord, it appears this local treasure will be closing its doors for good on December 31, 2024. So sad for the local community, the patrons and the excellent, dedicated staff, who we hope find a new place where we can come and support them. Grazie mille e buona fortuna!

Ritrovo Playa Vista

4.9

4.9 (101)

$30 and under

Unspecified

Playa Vista

About the restaurant

We pride ourselves in offering great atmosphere for family and friends. Deva and Ivan (the husband and wife team) wanted to offer here in Playa Vista a little piece of Italy and brought wonderful recipes along for their guests to enjoy.

We invite you to come and enjoy a pleasant visit with a wonderful wine selection to go along with your meal and a homey environment.

Top review

Carmen

Dined on Dec 21, 2024

Great accommodations for a party of 10. If still in the menu try the lobster pasta or butter squash ravioli.

Manpuku Japanese BBQ Dining Los Angeles/Sawtelle

4.8

4.8 (255)

$50 and over

Japanese

West Los Angeles

About the restaurant

Traditional Japanese style BBQ Dining from Tokyo Japan.

Manpuku, which means “to be happy with a full stomach” in Japanese, opened its doors to hungry customers in Tokyo more than 60 years ago.

Reservation policy*
We will hold your reservation for 15 min.
Your reservation will be automatically canceled if you do not arrive in the time allotted.

Top review

Christopher

Dined on Dec 20, 2024

Restaurant always delivers good quality decent service speed

Blue Ribbon Sushi - Pacific Palisades

4.8

4.8 (278)

$30 and under

Sushi

Pacific Palisades

About the restaurant

Blue Ribbon Sushi is a vibrant Japanese restaurant and sushi bar a located in Palisades Village. Inspired by the original restaurant created over 30 years ago in Soho NYC by master sushi chef Toshi Ueki and Chef Brothers Eric & Bruce Bromberg, this cedar clad new comer offers outstanding Japanese cuisine based in tradition and passion. Chef Lee leads his team in sourcing and preparing the finest fish and shellfish from The Sea of Japan, Local waters and beyond. A curated and adventurous beverage list featuring Blue Ribbon's own sake selections as well as favorites from their travels and discoveries in Japan is rounded out by a selection of house cocktails, Japanese micro brews and wines from California and Europe.

Top review

NikkitaVIP

Dined on Oct 13, 2024

It was a great experience as always. My mother tried some new dishes too, which made the evening more interesting. We will be return soon.

Market Venice

4.8

4.8 (16)

$31 to $50

Italian

Venice

About the restaurant

Tucked under the arches in one of the oldest buildings in Venice, you find Market — a modern Italian restaurant. The plates are a modern twist on Italian cuisine, designed to be shared European family-style.

Top review

Marissa

Dined on Dec 25, 2024

Had date night here and it was amazing! All of the food was so delicious and some of the best food we’ve ever had. We will definitely be back and highly recommend this place for a great dinner and cuisine that is one to remember

Casa 12 Ristorante

4.8

4.8 (76)

$30 and under

Italian

Venice

About the restaurant

At a location once known for the French restaurant “12 Washington” as well as the Italian restaurant “Casa Ado”, Casa 12 has now open in the same cozy spot at 12 Washington Blvd. Serving Tradition Italian Cuisine, an extensive wine list, sangria’s, spritz, and beers. Only steps away from the beach, enjoy a fun atmosphere with the option of indoor or outdoor dining on the Venice Pier in Marina Del Rey!

Top review

MarcVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Simply outstanding in every way. Great food, great ambience, great staff, reasonable prices.

Chinois on Main

4.7

4.7 (2364)

$50 and over

Chinese

Santa Monica

About the restaurant

Wolfgang Puck's second restaurant opened in 1983. A unique blend of Chinese and French fusion explodes with flavors unheard of before. Imitated but yet never captured to this day this fusion of flavors keeps you craving and coming back for more. The food is served family style, creating a fun sharing experience that brings people together. The trend setting open kitchen where you can sit and eat while you watch the dance of the chefs working in unison. ***If you are interested in reserving our dining counter please make a request while making a reservation since seating is very limited***

Top review

Jeff

Dined on Jan 4, 2025

I've been a patron of Chinois since its opening 41 years ago and it's always excellent. Last night was no exception. We shared a couple of the specials including the crab cakes topped with a large shrimp, an eggplant dish and some of the old standbys including the veggie fried rice and the chicken salad and more. All was delicious, the service attentive and the staff super friendly. A visit by Wolfgang himself who stopped by to chat along with the ever present front of the house - Bella just further enhanced the evening.

PLANTA Brentwood

4.7

4.7 (7)

$30 and under

Vegetarian / Vegan

Brentwood

About the restaurant

At PLANTA, we see plants differently.

Led by Founder and CEO Steven Salm and Co-founder and Executive Chef David Lee, PLANTA was born in 2016 to expand the accessibility and acceptability of plant based dining; dining as it should be — an unguilty pleasure. Creating a premier hospitality collective of 100% plant-based restaurants, PLANTA reimagines, reinvents, and revitalizes, providing flavorful proof that the power of plants can change the world.

Top review

BillVIP

Dined on Dec 25, 2024

This was our first time to Planta, everyone was wonderful. The server walked us through her favorites along with the most popular menu items. Everyone we encountered appeared to be having fun working there. We look forward to going again and trying other offerings.

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