Risotto Restaurant

Amazing! I celebrated my birthday there yesterday and it was delicious! I went with friends and family and we all left full and in love with this restaurant. My sister ordered a salad that had meat in it, she's a vegetarian and they immediately gave her another salad, no hesitation, no bickering from the server like other places. Definitely authentic Italian dishes and flavors, I will go back often... a gem! Pros: Food and Service more

When my husband was planning my birthday dinner, he asked me where I would like to go...and then suggested Risotto. Well, of course, Risotto. \r Being Italian, it is hard enough for me to admit that any Italian fare will pass as authentic Italian food... but this is IT. If you are looking for authentic Italian food with a wonderful environment, great wines and desserts... you have found the place too. Try Risotto. If the food doesn't make you a lifer, then a table visit from it's charming owner Claudio will. \r At Risotto you will leave with your palate pleased and a sense that you just spent time with old friends. \r It's great for any occasion, lunch or dinner... the menu is impeccable... and I was so pleased to actually have Arrancine offered as a special appetizer! Whoa! what a treat. Grazie Claudio!!!! Pros: Everything's delicious Cons: There are no drawbacks to this great restaurant! more

Risotto serves up great Italian food at reasonable prices. I love it that they let you bring your own wine in and you pay a nominal corking... more

This place is absolutely worthy of all the FANTASTIC reviews is has received. It really really really is a great restaurant. Everything I've had there is awesome- from the pizza, to the cioppino, the sole, the lamb, the salmon, and the broseoala (sp?) salad. And dont get me started on the desserts!! They make the most incredible bread pudding- I didn't even know that I liked bread pudding! The ricotta cheesecake was so light and fluffy- much better than regular cheesecake. \r \r All in all, Risotto is ALWAYS an enjoyable experience. I highly recommend it, you should definitely check it ou. Pros: Free Parking, Incredible Food, Great Service, Private Patio, more

Claudio has created a truly authentic Italian/Sicilian restaurant on a par with the Drago brothers without the pretense and at a fraction of the price. He is the host you want for your eveing. I have had birthday parties, anniversaries,and office parties at the restaurant. He has catered parties ranging from 75 to 150 at my home. Everyone remarks at how delicious his food is. The preparations are always fresh and tasty and the presentions beautiful. He has some specials, but unlike most trendy restaurants, his menu items are always wonderful. He has upgraded his wines and has wines to suit every palate, from inexpensive to GAJA. They are all excellent. He is our special Studio City treasure! Pros: Great food, warm ambience, surprising wine list Cons: Strip mall more

Service was great, food was very good. We had a few special bottles of wine that we brought with us & paid a corkage. I would recommend this... more

Looking for a new place to try for Girl's Nite Out we came across Risotto.\r We could not have asked for a better place. Food was amazing. We started with the Calamari ( with spicy tomato sauce & a Gorgonzola Cheese sauce ) & Heirloom Tomato Salad, both excellent. Our dishes included Lamb Chops, New York Strip Steak, Pancetta wrapped Shrimp with Risotto, all outstanding.\r We finished with Bread Pudding, Tiramisu and Chocolate Molten Cake which again were great!\r The owner, Claudio was attentive & gracious. The atmosphere is relaxing as you do not hear the dishes clanking from the kitchen as it is not out in the open. Ceilings are lower so you can actually enjoy your conversations. I would highly recommend this for both food and atmosphere.\r Yes, we returned the following week for another ""girls nite out"".\r Let's keep those Independent Owners in Business, they need our support! Pros: Food, Food, Food, service & atmosphere. more

My boyfriend and I were looking for somewhere to take a guest from out of town this weekend. I looked here on this website for some place that had some good reviews and we had not been before. This one fit the bill for both so we made reservations and tried it out Friday night. This place was exactly what we were looking for! It seems small when you see it from the outside but it's a nice size and has a hidden back heated patio, which is where we sat. The waiter was super friendly and helpful. I had the Dover Sole (highly recommended) my boyfriend had some lobster with crab risotto that was awesome and our guest had some chicken with crab leg that was great too. We were all very happy customers. Seriously...the entire experience was awesome. We are already planning on going back in a couple weeks. Pros: food, service, ambiance Cons: Dog at enclosed patio table, but that's a con for the customer who brought it more

This place is located right next to where I work, so I end up going here a lot for lunch. I have a favorite, The Mista salad. It's simple, but absolutely delicious. The staff is very friendly whether you're a regular, or it's your first time there. They have really interesting specials, and a fantastic wine list. These guys know their food! Highly recommended! Pros: Great Food, Great Staff, Great Wine!! Cons: Only minor infractions. It's a little small, and the parking out front can be cramped, since it's shared with a few other stores. But the food makes up for it. more

My husband and I had dinner at Risotto and truly enjoyed the experience. The service was amazing, I couldn't believe how attentive all of the staff was. The food was great and the price truly reasonable. When you sit on the patio outside you forget that you are on a busy street in a city!! Pros: service, price, parking more

My husband and I go to Risotto regularly. We have NEVER had anything but an A+++ experience here. The food is incredible and well-priced, It's comfortable and quiet. The service is wonderful, and the servers are extremely attentive. Claudio, the owner, is so welcoming and gracious. Parking is easy and FREE. I'd recommend making reservations, because word-of-mouth is spreading, and, sometime soon, this place will be packed all of the time. My husband and I have had almost everything on the menu, and it's all exceptional. Our favorites are the risotto primavera and the NY Strip (the sauce is fantastic). Desserts are scrumptious- make sure to try the chocolate molten cake and the tiramisu (best tiramisu in LA). Another plus would be the $7 corkage fee. Overall, Risotto gets 5 stars on every quality you'd look for in a restaurant. You should definitely check this place out. Pros: food, service, value, management, parking, seating, decor,location Cons: NONE!!! more

Wonderful place, I have told several friends about this place and they love it. Great service and prices. A place you can relax inside or ou... more

I am not an easily impressed person. I typically stay with the trendy, Hollywood-type restaurants near my home. Last week a friend of mine took me to Risotto in Studio City. From the street, it looks like a hole in the wall type place in a very non-descript shopping center on Ventura Blvd. Walking in, its sort of a plain-looking place, with pressed white tablecloths, a bar and an open kitchen. We were warmly greeted by the host (owner?) and waitstaff, and promptly seated on the patio. Almost instantly, we were given some bread and flavored olive oil and were offered a choice in water. \r \r We ordered a fairly expensive bottle of wine, and the owner came over with the bottle and some sparkling wine glasses and opened it for us while giving a little history about it. The handsome waiter then came over and recited the specials. I chose the Shoppino (sp?) special, while my dinner companions opted for the Lamb and Ossobuco. The food was better than I could have imagined. This is without question the best Italian food in the city. Portions were just right, food was very hot and our waiter kept refilling our wine glasses as he walked by. \r \r We skipped dessert and opted for a small bottle of sparkling Italian dessert wine which complemented the meal perfectly. This place comes highly, highly recommended, and is absolutely worth a drive over the hill. Pros: Service, food, easy free parking directly in front of restaurant Cons: No hard liquor more

My boyfriend and I tried this place about a year ago after seeing its good ratings on citysearch and we fell in love with it!!!! It's SO romantic, especially if you sit on the back patio, the food is JUST FABULOUS, reasonably priced and the service couldn't be any better! We try to go there often but only make it there once every few months and whether it's a random Tuesday night or a Friday night dinner with friends, our experience is equally enjoyable!! Pros: Ambience, Great Service, Great Food!!! more

In terms of Italian restaurants.... this is my favorite because it's not typical and cliche. It's not lasagna and breadsticks galore like every other ""Italian"" restaurant around. Believe it or not, Italians don't only eat pizza and pasta! Yes, it's true! Anyways, there are some amazing dishes on this menu. The Sole and the Bistecca (sp?) are my favorites but there is also a really good chicken dish, I just don't remember what it's called. They do offer individual pizzas if you have the kids with you, or if you're in the mood and they make the pizzas in one of those open wood burning ovens. The desserts are the best, hands down. Get the bread pudding or get the Ricotta cheesecake. Oh my gosh... you have no idea... \r And if it's a nice day/night... see if you can get a table on the patio! But on a Friday or Saturday night that's not always possible, unless you make reservations. It would be great for a date or a romantic evening out or to celebrate a birthday/event. Definitely check it out. Pros: Food, Service, Patio, Parking, Aura/Ambience more

Visited Risotto this past weekend. While it would have been wonderful to sit in the patio, we arrived without reservations (our mistake!) and instead were seated at a lovely window-side table in the main dining room. The genuinely nice and friendly owner personally recited the specials to us and himself opened and poured our wine. We started with the appetizer of zucchini blossoms stuffed with cheese. It was so delicious that we ordered a second helping! Our entrees consisted of a filet cooked perfectly and branzino (white fish similar to seabass). Dessert was an amazing bread pudding with hazelnuts and frangelico liquer (how italian!!). We capped off the evening with a glass of sparkling muscat. Sweet, slightly bubbly, and with a hint of orange. Fantastic. This place is a definite ""keeper"" in our restaurant rotation!! more

The food was nothing special at all. In fact I'd take Olive Garden over this place. There is FAR better Italian in LA. No reason to ever go here. Service and food are not worth the price. Very disapointed. Pros: Nice outside patio Cons: Food, value more

Risotto is an example of a great restaurant without pretence set in a small strip mall location. It is as close as you can get in the U.S. to an authentic Italian place: white table clothes, servers who know what the dishes are, authentic recipies made with market fresh ingredients. This is what I call an Italian approach to dining: no matter how small or big the location is one can always count on good food and service. It is the only place where I can eat Italian food after having lived in Italy. And I do not mind driving. Pros: Quality food and service more

The experience from first to last was excellent. I was able to get a reservation on the patio on a Friday night with late notice. We showed up and there was plenty of free parking at the restaurant. We were greeted by a very friendly (but not obsequious) hostess and were seated immediately. The decor is very clean without feeling uptight -- crisp white table linens, minimal decorations, intimate feeling. We ate on the patio which was LOVELY -- quiet, nice trees and plants, fresh air, and relaxing. As for the food... this is where things got REALLY good. We started with the fried calamari: it was cooked to perfection -- just enough to be fully cooked and flavorful without getting rubbery and bland. There were subtle seasonings on the calamari itself and it was paired with a mustard aoili (tasty) and a spicy tomato sauce (so good that once we finished the calamari we started eating the sauce with bread). I also had a caesar salad - the Parmesan shavings on it were from a particularly good cheese, the creamy caesar dressing was also good, and my only slight reservation is that the greens had a lot of the tips of the romain (as opposed to the romain hearts)... but you can see I'm being pretty picky here :) My girlfriend had a bransiano fish served with a variety of mushrooms, spinach, and roasted potatoes. The overall combination of flavors was suprisingly hearty for a white fish and was delicious. I had sole served over a crispy butternut squash risotto cake and served with a white wine sauce with capers and grape tomatoes. This had such a delicate flavor that it made both me and my girlfriend pause to appreciate it. Great stuff! Bonus points go to the owner who served the wine himself because they had had a couple bad bottles of the wine that we chose and he really wanted to make sure it was good.\r \r Overall, this place is fantastic -- we'll definitely be going back. I recommend it wholeheartedly. Pros: Excellent food, great service, plenty of free parking, formal yet relaxing atmosphere, friendly owner Cons: Can't think of any real negative... neon sign doesn't truly reflect how elegant, high-class, and personable this establishment really is. more

We have eaten here many times since it first opened and we recently came with a group of about 10-12 people. We had a long table set up for us out on the back patio and it was absolutely wonderful. Some restaurants sit you on the patio and forget you are there but we had wonderful service. As it got later, it got a bit cooler but they turned on the heaters out there for us with no problem at all and it was great. Everyone LOVED their food and dessert (and wine!). I always worry about things going smoothly when I'm bringing guests to a restaurant of my choice because it's embarassing if they don't enjoy themelsves you know? But Risotto made me look SO good, our friends were raving about everything.\r \r If you are going to go on a Friday or Saturday night, or with a large group, make reservations. (And you'll probably want to leave the kids at home)\r
\r It's a great place, we can't get enough. Pros: plenty of self parking! more