We had a fun date night away from the kids at Bestia in Los Angeles, California. While a bit pricey, the quality is superb and service is excellent.

Why We Went Here

At our last date night, we made a New Year’s Resolution to have one kids-free night out each month. It gives us a chance to try out some more expensive restaurants without needing to pay an arm and a leg for the kids. An arm and a leg for the parents is far enough.

We chose Bestia both because we heard good things about it and also because some relatives generously gave us a gift card that helped make the prices affordable.

Arrival and First Impressions

Parking is always a pain in downtown Los Angeles. I tried looking up parking on Spot Hero but all I could find is $10 parking a couple of blocks away. The alternative is valet at the restaurant for $12. That seemed like the better value and far less hassle.

We entered the restaurant to find it crowded and full of energy, but with a friendly staff who got us seated right away. We apologized for being a few minutes late to our reservation (a car was overturned on the freeway—you know, normal LA traffic) and they brushed it off saying we were right on time so no worries.

The host seated us right in front of where all the action was by the counter. It was entertaining to watch how many of the same dish was ordered all night long. It also gave us an idea of which appetizer dishes were the most popular without needing to ask the waitress. While the seating here isn’t the most intimate option (we shared the counter with other couples), we enjoyed the energy on display by staff and how the dishes were prepared.

The Menu

Bestia serves Italian food with high quality ingredients. Coming into the meal, Jenn had already done some research and knew some of the dishes she wanted to try. And of course some was influenced by where we were sitting. We decided on a good variety of dishes and, quite honestly, we didn’t experience a dud. We settled on two appetizers, one pizza, and one pasta.

Our evening started off with drinks. I went for the Chef’s Old Fashioned, Chapter 2, which tasted like an old fashioned, as you would suspect. Jenn went for the Ginger Messiah, a strong drink that was masked somewhat by the fruity soda used.

Shortly after our drinks arrived, our first dishes appeared. The first two dishes to appear were the Peruvian Scallop Crudo and the Roasted Marrow Bone. I’m not normally a scallop fan, as I find them improperly prepared at most places. However, these scallops were the best I’ve had in nearly a year.

The bone marrow pasta arrives with the marrow still in the bone and the server then scoops it into the pasta, leaving the bone at the table. I sadly wasn’t ready to take a picture before the action happened. However, clearly the benefit of sitting at the counter with others is that I can try to sneak a picture of our neighbor’s dish.

Naturally zooming in too much produces a blurry photo and me being on my second drink by this point didn’t help, but at least I got it—somewhat anyways. The dish itself has a lot of flavor and the pasta it’s served with has the perfect amount of bite to it. I just wish there was more of it.

Following our appetizers, the main dishes arrived. I have to say that the timing of the dishes was also well-done, giving us a chance to catch our breath after the appetizers but not too long that we felt stuffed before our main dishes arrived. First up is the Cavatelli alla Norcina. I’ve mentioned in prior posts that I’m generally turned off by truffle oil but that actual shavings are delicious. The same is true here for this dish. The pasta is freshly made and well accented by the black truffle and sausage.

Perhaps I’m jaded by Olive Garden and had some initial fears the dish would be overwhelmingly full of carbs and I would go into a food coma almost immediately. No such problem here thankfully as the dish had proper balance to it.

For our pizza, we ordered the Burrata. If you’re looking for the dish that will fill you up the most at the least expensive price, this is the dish to go for. While it was a bit heavier than the other dishes here, the flavors were good and while I normally dislike olives due to their strong flavor, I didn’t mind the milder-tasting olives used in this pizza.

Following all that food, we couldn’t possibly think to eat more. But of course we needed to try dessert! And naturally we had a problem where we couldn’t decide on what to get between two items. So the only solution, then, is to get both.

We ordered the Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta and the Bar au Chocolat Bittersweet Chocolate Budino Tart. Both dishes paired off the evening perfectly. Chocolate lovers would enjoy the richness of the chocolate tart. Meanwhile the panna cotta is a bit better for fruit lovers. Choosing both desserts gave us the best of both worlds despite being a bit of a splurge.

The only downside to the meal is the 4% service charge tacked on beyond the prices on the menu. The restaurant attempts to guilt-trip the customer by noting all the benefits employees get and that it can be removed by telling those employees you don’t want to pay for it. I find this to be tacky—just increase prices by a dollar per item and don’t surprise the customer on the check. Yes, it is disclosed on the full menu but I’m not looking at the fine print when choosing what to eat.

On exit, I did try to take some pictures of the outdoor area. It’s a nice area immediately outside the bar. But of course you get that downtown LA vibe when fully outside with the gridlock by the valet parking and graffiti on the walls.

Recommendation: Yes

We found the food delicious, the price appropriate for the quality of the meal, and had a fun night away from the kids. What else could we ask for?

Have you been to Bestia?