BBE Editor's Pick

Angeli Caffe

7274 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles (Mid-City West)

When Evan Kleiman (host of KCRW’s Good Food) opened Angeli Caffe 25 years ago, she was giving diners a taste of something new—authentic Italian trattoria food. A quarter century later, that trend has caught on big time, but Angeli is still the beloved original, the place to go to for inspired cooking that never goes out of fashion. Charred, wood-fired pizzas are crispy, unadorned and rustic, and each night, iterations of luxurious ricotta gnocchetti are offered as a special; the version with beets is velvety and sweet, practically a dessert. Like the food, Angeli’s interior is unfussy: stucco walls, plain black tables, and wooden bistro chairs are all aglow in warm candlelight: the perfect setting in which to relax and finish your carafe of Chianti.

menu musts

Ricotta gnocchetti of the day
Burrata with fresh peaches and farmers market tomatoes
Pollo arrosto (roasted marinated half chicken)
Spaghetti alla checca (spaghetti with herbs, tomato, mozzarella) view full menu here

sweet seats

If you can, reserve a table by the floor-to-ceiling windows for prime Melrose ogling.

chew on this

Chef and cookbook author Evan Kleiman opened Angeli way back in 1984, and has been hosting KCRW’s Good Food since 1998. She’s a pioneer in the Slow Food movement, founding the original LA chapter of Slow Food back around the turn of the millennium and running it for eight years.

hours

lunch: Tues.–Fri. 11:30 AM–2:30 PM
dinner: Tues.–Thurs. 5 PM–10 PM; Fri.–Sat. 5 PM–11 PM;
Sun. 5 PM–10 PM
closed Monday

price range

$10.50 (pizza) to $24 (fish of the day)

7274 Melrose Ave. (between N. Poinsettia Pl. and N. Alta Vista Blvd.), Los Angeles, CA 90046; 323-936-9086 www.angelicaffe.com $$