Antico Nuovo

I came here just a few months after it first opened when it was just Antico. I remember thinking it was good, but it was nothing I had to rush back to apparently, but then I kept hearing about Antico Nuovo. Was this the same restaurant? Yes it was. We went to go check it out the other night and oh my god, we will definitely rush back to this one because the meal was stellar. Every dish we ordered was stellar. The pasta dish was one of the best pasta dishes we've ever had. Incredible staff. Incredible menu and also reasonably priced!

The food was great and unique. But my goodness, the service was HORRIBLE. Heaven forbid you have a question about the menu, you'll either get a pretentious and irrelevant answer or you'll be made to feel stupid for daring to ask. Even the manager was cold, short, and gave attitude.I don't mind pricey food if the service is average or better. This felt like a waste of time and money simply due to the lack of normal behavior from the staff. Yikes.

Pistachios were the theme of the night. We ordered the focaccia with the whipped ricotta and pistachio pesto, which was delicious. We also ordered the pappardelle and plin dell alta langa pasta dishes along with the barramundi and a side of broccoli since veggies are healthy. We enjoyed everything and couldn't pick a favorite dish. Make sure to save room for dessert. The cannoli and pistachio crunch ice cream are not to be missed! Overall, we had a great time, but we felt a bit rushed at first. My friend and I arrived a few minutes ahead of our reservation time and were seated, but staff kept asking us when the rest of our party was coming even though they weren't yet late for the reservation. I would've gladly waited for our entire party to arrive before being seated.

Wonderful Italian restaurant that's located in I wanna say the Larchmont/ K-Town (?) area in a strip mall. It's one of those places where if you blink, you might miss it driving by. The space feels comforting and rustic, but also has a modern feel to it. The music playing at the time of our visit (think mid-late 90s mod rock - e.g. Portishead) probably played into the modern feel. I thought the service was great from the hosts to the servers and the folks coming by periodically clearing our table. The menu here feels exciting in that they have classic staples you might see elsewhere, but also a good portion of the menu feels unique where you may have not seen a certain cut used in a certain way or how flavors are combined. (Think an upcale-ish Italian restaurant with a little influence from 'Animal' - rip)Came here with a couple of old coworkers on our periodic meet up where we like to try new restaurants or celebrate our faves. There were three of us this night - which is a good group to try a little of a lot of different things. Ideally I would say groups of 2-4 or multiples thereof. We ordered: Focaccia - add: whipped ricotta - pistachio pesto - so delicious. Almost like a savory cake donut with a slight crisp. Barramundi belly and collar - off menu antipasti special - so glad we ordered. That sauce is could be addictive. I wish I new how to make it. It would be delicious on chicken as wellPappardelle - beef cheek, veal tongue argue bolognese - love the texture of the pasta here. The flavors came through so well on the bolognese.Plin dell' alta langa - sugo di arrosto - fantastic pasta. Ordered this because it came recommended from a friend.Rosticciana - Tuscan grilled pork ribs, fennel pollen - wood fire cooked to perfection with great flavorsTorta Siciliana - fun, tasty, beautiful dessertJust a fantastic meal with a great sense of hospitality here. A very enjoyable experience. Parking: there's a lot with valet, but I was able to find parking around the block along the street.

This is a 3.5. The food was good but not great. The service was not good but the ambiance is very nice. It's inside a strip mall but once you get in it's a beautiful restaurant For appetizers, we ordered the focaccia, burrata, ricotta, crudo, broccoli Caesar salad, and caponata. All were good except the caponata and crudo which was super fishy. The broccoli Caesar and focaccia were the best apps. For mains we ordered the tortelli (which was amazing we ordered 2 of them), the ravioli (kind of bland), wagyu steak (so salty would never order again), with sides of cauliflower and beans. For dessert we got the cannoli and pistachio ice cream. Both were good. Kind of an expensive meal and nothing was exceptional except the tortelli. The service was horrible as the waiter and waitress would disappear and were rude. I think we have been Italian restaurants.

It's located in ktown. For parking, there are street parking available near the restaurant or valet available as well.I ordered a glass of pinot noir glass and it was really good!Appetizers:- Foccacia with whipped ricotta and pistachio paste: a must to order! Focaccia was so warm and fluffy- Brocolli chicory caesar: Highly recommend it too! Refreshing dish Pasta- Pappardelle: pappardelle served with ragu sauce. Was good but didn't find it very special Entree- Pollo e crostone: half roasted chicken with bread on the bottom. The chicken was very tender and went well with the sauce. The bread was soaked with juice from the chicken and the sauce so went very well with chicken which can be a little blend without itDessert- Pistachio crunch ice cream: I liked the combination of salty and sweet but my husband said it was too salty for himOverall, the service was amazing and the interior and ambiance were great tooI am happy that I visited once. Not too sure if I want to come back for more though

【Background】Wednesday, January 1, 2025, 8:00 PMI recently received a promotion at work, and I also wanted to celebrate the new year, so I looked for good restaurants for solo diners on the r/FoodLosAngeles subreddit. I came across a post mentioning how Antico Nuovo was great because they allowed half orders. After researching more, I read rave reviews from the Michelin Guide, the L.A. Times, Eater LA, and The Infatuation. So I made a dinner reservation for a counter seat. When I arrived on New Year's Day, I was immediately greeted and then seated at the counter, which had a total of four bar stools. The dim lighting provided a romantic vibe to the restaurant. Music played overhead, and the ambiance was quite lively with many buzzing conversations.【Food】Online menu link: https://www.anticonuovo-la.com/menuAntico Nuovo is super accommodating for solo diners. I can confirm that the half order deal applies to the focaccia add-ons (excluding the burrata since it can't be cut in half), the pasta (excluding the spaghettini since the urchin is pre-portioned), and the ice cream.To make the most of my visit, I ordered the most popular items, which included:* Focaccia ($11.00)The focaccia was warm, fluffy, and crispy on the outside. Because I sat at the counter, I actually saw the chef drizzling olive oil and sprinkling sea salt all over the bread.* Whipped ricotta, half order ($9.50)The slightly chilled whipped ricotta was mild, allowing the crunchy pistachio bits and the herb pesto to shine through. This add-on was good, but I would try another one next time.* Duck liver pate, half order ($10.50)The duck liver pate is a must-order. The pate was rich, smooth, and unctuous while the saba provided a nice fruity flavor. It was a great combination of both savory and sweet.* Broccoli chicory Caesar ($25.00)The broccolini had a satisfying crunch. The Caesar also contained bread crumbs and parmigiano. The dressing was a bit too salty. The chicory component refers to radicchio. I thought the normally bitter vegetable would provide some solace from the salt, but the soft radicchio leaves were basically salt bombs (not sure if they were pickled or something).* Pappardelle, half order ($19.00)The pappardelle had a firm texture with a slight bite. The ragu included tender beef cheek and veal tongue. The server asked if I wanted parmesan on top, and I accepted. In retrospect, I should've declined because this dish was also very salty. I would skip the cheese.* Plin dell' alta langa, half order ($19.00)This dish included soft, pillowy agnolotti that contained pancetta and rabbit, all sitting on a saucy lake of drippings (sugo di arrosto). The plin was fine, but I don't get the hype.* Ice cream, honeycomb, half order ($6.50)* Ice cream, pistachio crunch, half order ($6.50)I thought I would be safe if I ordered ice cream, so I decided to go with the two most popular flavors. However, I was completely wrong and fell into another salt trap. The honeycomb ice cream was vanilla-flavored and came with a tiny scoop of hardened honey with a sprinkle of salt and an olive oil drizzle on top. I mixed the ice cream thoroughly to try and dilute the saltiness. The pistachio crunch was even worse. The crunch was extremely salty and was mixed evenly into the ice cream, so every scoop was salty. I had to force myself to finish the ice creams, which usually doesn't happen when I eat dessert.Antico Nuovo is at the top of multiple lists that showcase the best restaurants in L.A. I love how they allow solo diners the freedom to try multiple different items on their menu with the half order option. However, I was extremely disappointed with the food and how almost every dish was so salty. (Thank goodness they left a full carafe at my side because I drank lots of water during my meal.)Don't get me wrong, I love salt. I've only found the food too salty at a restaurant once before in my life. And I can almost finish an entire family-sized bag of chips by myself in one sitting and not blink an eye. But the salt here was on a different level. I really wanted to like Antico Nuovo, especially given the numerous glowing reviews. Unfortunately, I can't, with a clear conscience, rate my visit higher than a 3 star. Not sure if I ate on an off day, but I would only come back for the focaccia and add-ons.【Service】Overall, the service was great here. The staff was extremely attentive, always coming by to ask about the food and refilling my water goblet. My dining experience was not rushed at all, and I ended up spending two hours here. And at the end, an employee conveniently boxed up my leftovers.【Parking】Parking options include street parking, parking in the neighborhood, or using the valet (I believe it's $10.00). However, I cheekily parked at a nearby lot [1], which was completely empty since the businesses in the strip mall were all closed for the night.----------[1] https://maps.app.goo.gl/uqjMmnhvVhofSRwNA

If I could give negative stars, I would. The staff is extremely rude and pretentious. ESPECIALLY the manager. Waste of money -- there are a million better places to eat in Los Angeles. Super overpriced. Don't ask questions, because you'll get attitude. Like I said extremely pretentious.

Last night my friend and I went to Antico Nuovo and this is my very first visiting and will definitely return again!! First, they offer valet parking which is $10 and street parking is available as well, when I walked in the restaurant and the host is very hospitable with sweet greeting We had a reservation with bar seats, so I can see how they prepare the food just like how sushi bar isWhen I see the charcoal grill and I already know the Food will be goodWe ordered Focaccia for our appetizer because it is so crunchy outside but fluffy inside! yum!We also got broccolini Caesar salad and it is so deliciousWe had tortelli and pappardelle for our pasta and Rosticciana (grilled Pork Rib with herbs) for our protein choice added bone marrow and creamy potatoes at the sideTortelli is with lemon flavor and pine nuts and tastes very delicious, and the pappardelle is spaghetti with beefy flavor and well-balanced My favorite is the Rosticciana because it is juicy but the same time you can smell the charcoal burning flavor with herbal seasoning!! I give it 5 Mmmm...We had chocolate chip and pistachio cannoli and pistachio crunch ice cream for dessert The cannoli is full filled with cream and one side is bitter sweet chocolate chips and the other side is pistachio crunch ice cream! Man!! This is too good!!The pistachio crunch ice is too sweet. I mean the ice cream is self is already sweet but the pistachio crunch is made with toffee and it is too too sweet for me and even my friend The whole ambiance of the restaurant is good and I noticed everyone is smiling or laughing during the dinner, even the people who are working thereWe definitely come back again

Overall, didn't really leave feeling like the exorbitant prices were justified.Focaccia and duck liver paté--Probably my favorite thing we had and the most novel. The paté is whipped so that it's very creamy and rich and makes for a salty, decadent spread on the fluffy focaccia. Broccoli chicory caesar--Good, but $25 for broccoli? IDK. There wasn't that much reminiscent of a caesar salad which is the hook they give this item. It was just nice charred broccolini with parmesan cheese.Pappardelle bolognese--decent but basic. I would skip this one.Pork ribs--overall delicious but again I'm questioning the $68 price tag. They had a wonderful charred flavor, were nicely salty, and the fennel pollen was bold and balanced. BUT...If you're reading this far I'm about to lose you. To me, all together it tasted exactly like pizza. Perhaps that charred flavor evoked crust fresh from the pizza oven, the pork gave pepperoni, and the fennel pollen was like the Italian seasoning?? I know it sounds crazy but it tasted so much like pizza to me it was extremely distracting.Honeycomb ice cream--it's like a sweet cream ice cream with hardened honey drizzle and lootttsss of salt. It was good but I could see this being divisive if you're not into the salty sweet combo. Personally I was into it.In terms of the ambiance, it's very quaint and relaxing. You sit at long communal tables but they separate the sections with miniature olive trees on the tabletop which is charming. The service was quite slow, but believably due to them wanting you to enjoy your meal leisurely.