Cafe Prezzo

Best pizza this side of town! You can definitely see the open kitchen and see them making your order. Made to order, you don’t get too many of those around anymore. Even the pizza is made to order. The guy has dough he already rolled out as orders come in so it’s a little quicker. Adds all the toppings to the pizza, I usually order the BBQ chicken pizza. The pesto chicken is pretty good too. Pasta dishes are made at the stove where you can see them spoon everything into the pan. Of course, those are a little quicker. I always thought the pizza is well worth the wait over California Pizza Kitchen but it could be that I see the beginning to the end for the product.
If you have ever been here more than a few times, you would definitely know who the owner. It’s almost like walking into that episode on Seinfeld with the soup-​Nazi if he was to handle the cash register. Luckily he is the one cooking your pasta dish and he is much more friendly. You must be thinking that he at least says hello or some sort of greeting to me when I visit. He remembers me to ask where I’ve been and haven’t seen you in a while. I wasn’t expecting a Cheers episode where everyone yells Norm as he walks through the door. If you haven’t been here, you’re the one that missed out.

Business is now closed. What a bummer. I was a regular there and loved it. The pasta puttanesca was delicous. Also they had this fantastic chicken skewer plate that came with salad and pasta. I just can’t believe they closed. The place was always packed at lunch. Prices were reasonable too, usually about $ 10 for lunch.

CLOSED AS OF 8÷5÷2013. This place WAS just outside my place of work. Writing this review just to update its status. I’m sad because that’s one less option for lunch.

I work in downtown and have visited Café Prezzo many times. I liked their pasta but noticed the portion is getting smaller and smaller. The last draw was today’s lunch… we ordered to-​go and waited 20 minutes to get our orders. Patrons who ordered after us for dine-​in got their food a lot quicker. The air ventilation system is not working well in there today; bread basket was empty so we were standing there, being very uncomfortable due to the bad air and hunger. The worst thing of all, my pasta dish (Penne Benini) portion was unjustifiably small (pls see it in Photo… pls note that I did not have a bite… that was the actual/​entire to-​go order). Oh Café Prezzo… what happened to you? I still gave two stars because I understand that they were busy and everyone was working hard. However, I don’t think I’m going back. :(

Quick, cheap Italian

I found this hot spot near my work because there was a tableCard app that gave me 15% off, so a friend and I decided to check out this italian café. It’s a small fast food style café, you order and pay, find your seat and wait for some italian eats. I ordered the pesto pasta, it was very creamy compared to traditional pesto but it was edible. My friend got the calamari and chicken marinara pasta. Also, the foccacia is self serve so don’t forget to stop by the counter for the carb load. I think next time I’ll skip the pesto, it was a bit too creamy, cheesy and it didn’t have many veggies in the dish for my taste.

Prices 4*
Food 4*
Service 5*
Ambiance 4*
Parking 2*
The best deal in the area: 3-​salad sampler for $ 6. Variety and freshness can’t be beat. Highly recommend.

The Pollo Prezzo panini is amazing, but the wait is painful… Even a 11 am with only 2 other customers. My advice; call ahead for your order.

I have a Café Prezzo addiction. Even when I am on a diet, the thought of it is one of the greatest temptations to diverge…
What I like about it:
1. Capelini with Salmon
Ooh my goodness! My biggest addiction! Lots of salmon and the angel hair pasta is my favorite. I have been unable to get anything else ever since I tried this dish.
2. Free bread
Not the most amazing bread at an Italian restaurant but pretty good and you can take as much as you want.
3. Open kitchen
It’s always a good indication when you can see your food being prepared.
What could be improved:
1. They used to have the bread on top so anyone could easily get some. Now it’s behind the glass so you have to know that it’s there for you to get.

Hmm… What to say about Café P? Well, the bread is good…
I have found that the best part of Café P is the free, yummy, garlic, cheese bread that they graciously offer up. They keep a piping hot basket of it on the counter for you to snack on while you wait in line and/​or to accompany your meal.
However, that is about the end of the good news. When I first started working downtown about four years ago, I would frequent this place. I found the meals actually satisfying, but always felt like crud afterwards.
Now, this is not all their fault, I mean, I was choosing to feed my soul happiness through carbs and calories; masking the true pain in the depths of my person. Ok, maybe that was a wee bit dramatic?
Bottom line, this place «seems» like a good idea and on a cold day always gives me the immediate gratification us Angelinos are always looking for. However, like a good binge drinking session, I always seem to regret it later.
I must be in a much better place emotionally now because I haven’t slipped up, even once, and gone to Café P in a long time. I find I have no desire and plenty of other options.
Some may find this review harsh, but I am simply left with an empty feeling about this place and can no longer pretend we like each other. She is certainly right for someone, just not me, not in this life time.
So, it’s not me, it’s you. Chao!

the food wasnt all that bad… but…oh my lorddd… they take sooooooo freakin long to make your foooddddd…
came in and ordered the chicken salad with mixed greens and started helping myself to the free bread… there were only about 3 people ahead of me in line…20 mins later and about 5 breads in…(felt like an eternity) still no food. i started getting antsy fearing that my co-​workers would ditch me…(i have yet to gain their respect)…
i finally got my food and rushed to the eating area where my co-​workers usually sit… but it was too late… another lonely meal spent at my desk…
the salad itself was decent… pan-​fried chicken breast, greens, sun-​dried tomatoes, some type of crumbled cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette… but come on how hard is it to slap these ingredients together!

Ive been coming to Café Prezzo for about 18 months now. Their quality of food and serivce is great in a fast paced luncheon environment. Cant make up my mind which is my favoirite here. The california sandwich comes on a long soft baguette with marinated/​grilled chicken breast, avocado and tomato with a side of salad… pasta, cesar etc.
Today I had the daily special of chicken brochettes, pasta pomodoro and greens with a nice vinagarette dressing. Ive had great ravioli, tortellini and penne dishes too. Plus they have some freshly baked breads on the counter for you grab as you wait for your food. Café Prezzo is a nice, affordable spot with high quality food in an area known for high lunchtime prices

This is place is a small gem in a small plaza. The staff is helpful and they make your food fresh and is always cooked perfectly. I tried the salmon plate for $ 11.95 and it was a good side portion of tasty fish. The salmon was served over pasta and salad. It was Sooo good, must try. My friends ate next door at George’s Café and his food was not fully cooked. They all said that next time they would get my salmon dish, verdict I WIN!
The plaza gets busy around noon so try to get there early. You can also call ahead to place your order. Good luck my friends.

This is a place reasonable close to the office that I’ve had my eye on. It seems to attract a crowd and I figured it must be worth the effort, for a fast food setup. It is, to give it credit, a little more than fast food.
I came here with a friend and we decided to share. We ordered the Greek pizza, which had good flavor and a thin crust, and the shrimp scampi pomodoro, with linguini and red sauce. The latter didn’t quite match the description, but was tasty nonetheless. Just had water (good for downtown) instead of a usual beer (work, work, work). The place was busy, but the service was fast. The cashier was very friendly, which is nice to see.
There were a lot of pigeons around, but they were amazingly well behaved. Only hung out at the unoccupied tables and chairs. Good pigeon…
As I was leaving, I noticed that my receipt said «You have been served». Funny.
Worth a try.

This is my favorite pasta place in DTLA.
The Shrimp Scampi Pomodoro is delicious and I don’t even really like shrimp. I think it comes with 5 or 6 large shrimp and I never finish it all. The food here is really flavorful. The prices are comparable to other Italian restaurants in the area, but Café Prezzo is so much yummier. I also like that they have bread you can munch on while you wait.
It’s located near other restaurants which is convenient for when your friends are craving something else. I like eating here on nice days and sitting outside. Beware the pigeons that attack the leftover pasta plates and splatter sauce all over the place!

This is definitely my staple go-​to italian lunch during work week. Everything on the menu is pretty good. I like the pasta, pizza, and paninis. Some favorites of mine are the shrimp scampi pasta, pesto chicken pizza, and grilled portabello panini. Each entrée ranges from 6.50 — 8.50 and are prepared fresh in front of you.
I probably eat here way too often.

All Italian food. It’s quite good, but I’m partial to certain dishes. It does feel a little heavy (oil and sauce wise), but the food portions itself are quite generous for lunch.
After you place your order (I’d recommend the BBQ chicken pizza or the seafood linguine), there’s complimentary cheese bread/​bread with some veggies on it to tide your hunger over. The bread is quite good (warm and soft) as it’s baked fresh and placed right in front of you to enjoy. The best is taking some with you when you get your meal and dipping the bread in the sauce from your pasta. =)

Cheap and good pasta. I didn’t like this restaurant at first but it’s a different story now. Maybe my taste bud changed… maybe they changed the chef. all I know is I’m loving its angel hair pasta with pink sauce and chicken. The other thing I like from here are salmon salad, pesto cheese pizza and eggplant pollo sandwich. I don’t really care about their other dishes because they are just okay for me. Call in advance so you don’t have to wait for your order. Why 4 stars-​actually more like 3.5 stars-​? Because it’s very reasonably priced for about $ 10 and it’s the only decent pasta place within walking distance for me.

You have to try their cheese bread with their marinara sauce, it is sooo good. Unfortunately they do not sell it, if you wanted to buy it. They put it out on the counter for free samples but only during busy times.
Their pastas are pretty good, they spicy marinara is not my favorite but other sauces I have tried are pretty good. They have good specials and their chicken kabobs are pretty good.

Café Prezzo surprised me yesterday. I have been to the Ciudad next door so often that the bartenders seem to know me now, but I had never been to this little walk-​up-​and-​order café.
I took a colleague to lunch, and she is quite health conscious and wanted to give them a try. Plus, the bonus about this little place is the ability to sit out side in sun or shade, enjoy the breeze, stare at the fountain and downtown architecture, while enjoying a reasonably-​priced, yummy lunch.
There is something about sitting outside at lunch (or anytime) in Los Angeles that makes me feel like I am getting a mini-​vacation or pick-​me-​up. How lucky am I to do this about 85% of the year while others are snowed in, rained out, or just plain stuck inside due to bad weather? I digressed, sorry!
So we both ordered the Salmon with mixed greens, blue cheese crumbles, pecans, and sun dried tomatoes. It comes with a balsamic vinaigrette for just $ 8.95. They had plenty of other options, salads, entrees, pastas, etc. Service was fast, food was good, and my company was the best (which is ALWAYS is what breaks or makes a dining experience for me).
I was glad to find this little additional gem sitting smack in the middle of the courtyard on Fig and 5^th.