Hollywood-Loved Angelini Restaurant Opens Second Location in Palisades Village
Angelini Osteria, a longtime Hollywood power lunch favorite on Beverly Boulevard, was born out of love; the chef Gino Angelini and his now-wife and business partner Elizabeth Angelini were newly dating when he decided to stay in America (instead of returning to his native Italy) and open a restaurant, which Elizabeth agreed to help him execute.
Fans of Angelini Osteria and its owner — whom The Hollywood Reporter has called one of the most influential chefs in L.A. — include Somebody Feed Phil’s Phil Rosenthal (“Gino Angelini is brilliant. I love everything he makes, including the best octopus salad in Los Angeles, all his pastas and, well, the whole menu,” he says) and director Roger Kumble (Cruel Intentions, After We Collided), who tells THR, “My wife and I have been going to Angelini Osteria since it first opened in 2001, before we had kids and before it was the place. I can definitely say, we knew them when! We’ve had so many amazing dinners with friends and family. It’s an L.A. institution.”
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Now, 21 years after its debut in the Fairfax district in 2001, a second location has opened some 14 miles to the west in Palisades Village.
Courtesy of Dylan + Jeni
The new trattoria — which features dishes influenced by the coast of Emiglia-Romagna, where Gino is from — is still serving up familiar favorites like a bright, creamy tagliolini al limone and a lasagna verde “Nonna Elvira” made with spinach pasta and a rich pork and beef ragu. But the menu also features new dishes from the Palisades location’s executive chef Matt Weinberg (formerly of Angelini Osteria), like the spaghetti alla nerano, a vegetarian zucchini and basil-based pasta dish.
The slightly curved restaurant space of Angelini Ristorante & Bar is arranged organically, like a wave; large open doors around the perimeter of the space create an indoor-outdoor feel, allowing for guests seated on the patio (which seats roughly 60 guests) and within its doors (which seats about 40) to experience the Pacific Palisades breeze throughout their meal. The bright and sophisticated new destination was opened by Angelini Restaurant Group in tandem with Angelini’s friend and fellow restaurateur Tancredi Deluca of Amici, Ombra Wine Bar, and Deluca’s Deli.
Courtesy of Dylan + Jeni
Palisades Village, a Caruso development that opened in late 2018, offers several dining options — Blue Ribbon Sushi, Hank’s Bar and Grill, and The Draycott among them. Rick Caruso, founder of Caruso, tells THR in an email that he is excited to welcome Angelini to the mix, saying that “Angelini’s unparalleled talent and Italian spirit are what makes the dining experience so special.”
The Angelinis first gained an entertainment industry following thanks, in large part, to the late Hollywood publicist David Horowitz, who headed publicity at Warner Bros. in the 1970s, served as an Oscar consultant, and worked with a star-studded list of clients including Barbra Streisand, Bette Davis, Woody Allen, Kirk Douglas, and Steven Spielberg. Early on, according to Elizabeth, Horowitz would bring many of his studio and industry clients to Angelini for meetings, simply because he was a fan of the food — and the family behind it. As a result, Hollywood became acquainted with Angelini and has remained loyal for decades.
That loyalty has made Angelini a celebrity date night spot and paparazzi’s dream; Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza Gonzalez, Charlize Theron and Halle Berry have all been snapped at Angelini Osteria’s original Beverly Boulevard location over the years, and famous couples including Justin and Hailey Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio and Camila Morrone, and Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have been photographed there too. The Angelini team also catered Paris Hilton’s third wedding party with husband Carter Reum last November. And Jimmy Kimmel has said: “I think my favorite Italian restaurant here is Angelini Osteria.”
Courtesy of Dylan + Jeni
Now, entertainment industry residents who live west of the 405 won’t have to travel quite as far afield to eat what Blair Rich, brand and marketing advisor at Virgin, describes as “the most notable and elevated Italian food in L.A.”
Adds Chris Pine, “Unfortunately, I can’t build an Angelini at my house, but thank god there is one down the street. No pretension, all smiles, the best Italian this side of the Atlantic, and Gino shaking your hand and making you feel like you are family.”
Angelini Ristorante & Bar is open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week at 1038 N. Swarthmore Ave., Pacific Palisades.
