Drago Ristorante

We first checked it out because of Dine LA Restaurant Week. But we were so impressed by the food, and because it’s so close to where we live, we kept on going back! The food is incredible — in flavor, innovation and just overall consistency. The service was near perfect every single time. And the feel of the place isn’t some stuffy snobby restaurant, but a neighborhood bistro! We’ve never been disappointed here…

Very sad to learn of this place closing. When I used to live in Santa Monica, I used to eat there often. They had a great pumpkin ravioli appetizer and would every so often have game meat special entrees.

The innovator and owner Celestino Drago has sold his restaurant, Drago Ristorante to a new proprietor after 20+ years in business. He has surely made a family mark in Beverly Hills and has expanded his empire to greater lengths. Thank you Celestino for bringing us authentic Sicilian cuisine @ Dragos and may you continue with much success in your other restaurants and culinary endeavors.

Like.

closed

My boss passed along a $ 50 certificate onto me, and who am I to refuse essentially a free, or at least deeply discounted, dinner? It was a last minute gesture, and I immediately sent a text to a buddy to see if she’d be up for joining me. She also knows a good deal when she sees one, and promptly agreed.
We reached at 7:30 on a Friday evening, and surprisingly the restaurant was quite packed and bustling. I took this to be a good sign. We were more or less promptly seated, despite us having reached 15 minutes before our reservation time. This was of course appreciated.
We were greeted by plenty of people, but weren’t sure who exactly was our waitress. When we were ready to order, I think I even asked a couple of busboys and the hostess mistaking them for our possible waiter or waitress. We were given both bread and thin breadsticks, plus water, and basically had to refrain from inhaling all of it in one sitting, since we were both starving. Finally, a woman approached and greeted us. Considering we had the certificate and it was a first time experience, we wanted to go all out. My friend decided on the Pappardelle Al Fagiano, while I ordered the Spaghetti Al Cartoccio (seafood pasta), which apparently is portioned for two people. The waitress was a bit surprised, and asked if I wanted to make the portion smaller for one person. I said «no, bring it all.»
Overall the food was fine, but simply unimpressive. The pasta wasn’t as al dente as I typically like. The noodles were a bit too hard still, and seemed under cooked. The sauces were good, but too thin. The pheasant in the pappardelle dish tasted just like turkey, which was a bit on the under seasoned and dry side. The seafood was kind of basic, and again somehow a bit dry from the lack of sauce or any kind of moisture.
The wait was a bit long, but the complimentary bread and butter were tasty and satisfying, which managed to distract us enough to not care too much. However, we witnessed the two people next to us become pretty irate by their wait time, and they talked to the waitress to air their grievances. After what seemed to be a labored exchange, the waitress finally tried to assuage the situation by offering them wine. As for us, the waitress was really nice and mindful, and had the kitchen divvy up the plates of pasta, knowing that we wanted to share our orders.
I probably won’t find myself back unless it was complimentary again. (Almost complimentary, we paid the difference of $ 6 and tip, of course.) The best way I’d describe Drago, is that it’s basically the Marriott of restaurants. Perfect for business, tolerable for pleasure. It’s not cheap, but it’s not thoughtful or interesting. Bordering on sterile and boring, but offers all of the required amenities that one would ultimately need, though not necessarily want. Best left for a meal to have with a client, and not so much with a friend, date, or family.

Came here for an early dinner around 5:30pm on a Saturday. We were the only ones there for the first half hour, which is expected, but also kind of weird. It is sad that this place is closing at the end of the month, but as compared to the downtown one, this menu is not as impressive.
That said, my steak was good. It came pre sliced and the polenta was excellent. My only complaint was that it was not a juicy as I would have liked and a few of the pieces were burned. The carpaccio appetizer I had was just average, nothing special.
A few notes about the service. It was fast and friendly, but the menu I got had duplicate pages and they failed to mention the items they were out of (not sure how that is possible since we were the first customers of the night) until we ordered them.

VERY (authentically) ITALIAN! A true 3.5 rating.
Stopped in for a business lunch last week a group of ten. Service was slow, but the food was delicious, fresh (homemade pasta!), and came out piping hot.
Complimentary ariancini to start was lovely, though I was have like a small side of arugala.
Tips:
* Street parking avail, otherwise valet parking is available for $ 5/​car.
* Expensive for lunch, worth it for dinner.
* Mista salad was salty… avoid.
* Caper pesto — truly unique!

I imagined that the diners around me on a recent Friday night at Drago were loyal patrons who have been going there for years and look forward to the familiarity of excellent food and polite service in a relaxed upscale environment. That the restaurant is not particularly exciting would be irrelevant to them.
And quite frankly, it was irrelevant to me, too. I wanted to go to Drago for what I tend to call «a nice meal.» This means upholstered chairs and table linens, space between tables, art on the walls, servers in uniforms, fresh bread with salted butter, multiple well paced courses, time-​tested recipes, and portions a 58 year-​old man would appreciate. I got everything I hoped for.
We ordered a lot, and our favorite two dishes were the squid ink seafood risotto and the short rib. They were memorably good – and I like knowing I could have them again, just as they were.

***Drago Ristorante’s upscale lunch features pretty decent Italian food and good desserts; however, the restaurant could benefit from a menu that changes more frequently; and while I liked my food here, Vincenti Ristorante and Angelini Osteria are much better options for a good Italian meal***
Drago Ristorante in Santa Monica is the original Drago restaurant and it has been around for a while. The décor is not very fresh, but it is contemporary and nice. It is more white table cloth and fine dining (like Vincenti Ristorante) than the rustic Angelini Osteria.
I had not been to Drago Ristorante for lunch in a long time, but the menu was mostly the same (not a very seasonal menu). Even the amuse bouche did not change, which was a mozzarella, rice and ground beef ball that was fried and garnished with black olive. It was okay. Crispy outside and moist inside though lacking in a distinct flavor.
Their bread basket was a standard assortment with a French-​like bread and a very mild olive bread. Both breads were served cold and lacked the great distinct crust of good breads. Crispy breadsticks were also provided.
I started with the panzanella salad, which included heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, arugula, bocconcini mozzarella balls, and red onion. This salad should have also came with toasted bread, but it was forgotten. The salad was okay. It was fresh and they didn’t go overboard with the light dressing. Still, the only ingredient that really stood out was the leafy and peppery arugula.
The heirloom tomatoes were not as juicy and sweet as the heirloom tomatoes I had recently at Lucques, Culina and Topolobampo. The mozzarella balls were firm and lacked the creaminess of a better and fresher mozzarella.
They had several pasta dishes on their menu and I was surprised to find out that very few of these dishes featured housemade pastas. One of the exceptions was their pappardelle with roasted pheasant and morels (that is a good pasta and worth getting if it is your first time here).
I went with the frutti di mare, which included spaghetti, shrimp, bay scallops, squid, mussels, clams, and a tomato garlic sauce. The spaghetti was okay. It was appropriately al dente and not clumpy, but it did not have that bounciness that fresh pasta has. The sauce was good. There was a good and subtle heat to it. It also did not taste too ordinary – a problem I had with the frutti di mare at The Tasting Kitchen in Venice.
The seafood was mostly good. I enjoyed the squid. The shrimp was also pretty good. The clams and mussels were decent. The bay scallops were incredibly tough and rubbery.
A lot of the starters and pastas at Drago felt very run-​of-​the-​mill, but the dessert menu read very well. A lot of Italian restaurants (even good ones) stick with the basics for desserts, but Drago is a little more creative.
I opted for the pistachio panna cotta and it was good. It was creamy and had a good, mild pistachio flavor. It was topped with some very good, vibrant and sweet sous vide cherries. There was also a garnish of candied pistachios. The pistachios were too soft though.
There was also a generous portion of vanilla gelato, which had a good vanilla flavor. It was creamy and nicely firm; unfortunately, it was probably a tad too cold.
Service was good. The staff was attentive (as well as pleasant and polite) and the food came out at a good pace.
Prices are not too bad here (especially for an upscale Italian lunch). Pastas run below $ 20 and they are decent portion sizes. Drago Ristorante (at least for lunch) is definitely less expensive than Vincenti Ristorante and Angelini Osteria though I would say Vincenti and Angelini are noticeably better when it comes to food.
Drago is an okay spot for a good Italian lunch. My previous lunch was better though (except for the dessert; the dessert this time was significantly better). While I enjoyed the food here, I am not sure when I will be back. I like the food at Vincenti and Angelini much more. Also, after having tried several of their dishes, there was not much left on their menu that enticed me. And since their lunch menu does not change that much, there might be little to get me excited about a future visit.
Parking is available on the street by meter and it is easy to find a space.

Travelzoo voucher here. Definitely was expecting much more delicious cuisine but everything tasted a little… off. Maybe we ordered the wrong stuff, but both of us felt there wasn’t a particular standout in the entire meal and was quite underwhelmed.
Appetizers: We got the carpaccio & the salami platter (per Unilocal recommendations). Kinda wished we got a salad instead of two salty meat dishes to start off. The salami platter was massive with the gnocco frittos (which was really good) but everything was still pretty salty. The carpaccio with argula was decent but again, getting both meaty appetizers was probably a poor starting choice. I would have to give the salami platter a slight edge (bc of the fritto) over the carpaccio.
Entrees: Pork Duo & Steak. Both weren’t really that flavorful and the Pork belly portion reminded me of roasted pork that I can get at an Asian restaurant for a fraction of the price. The farro that came with the pork dish was pretty good. The steak, while the portions were hearty, was also bland tasting.
Desserts: We got the panna cotta & mascapone gelato. Both were tasty, much better than our entrees.
Only reason why this place gets 3 stars is because of its TERRIFIC service! Everyone pitches in (I think there is only 1 person who takes the order) and no water glass was ever empty. I love that we had two types of complimentary bread to start (breadsticks & regular bread), wished they served olive oil dipping sauce instead of butter.
Attire isn’t really «dressy». Guys can definitely get away with khakis & polo, I even saw some patrons wearing jeans. Definitely a much more casual place than I imagined. Found free street parking pretty easily on 26^th street on a Sunday night. Be sure to make your reservations through OpenTable for free points, I got 1000 on this reservation!

Came this past Friday for an anniversary dinner, with a travelzoo voucher. The atmosphere was a bit old school (probably because all the patrons, minus us, looked much older), but the food and service were great. There was complimentary bread and breadsticks to start, which was very good bread. For appetizers, we started off with the beef carpaccio salad and the assortment of salami with gnocco fritto. The salad was a little skimpy on the beef and could use a little more olive oil/​balsamic vinegar, but otherwise tasty. The assortment of salami though, was VERY good. They had an excellent, large assortment that came out on a cheese board, and the gnocco fritto was divine — small puffs of soft yumminess. I would skip on the salad next time and just get the salami!
For entrees, we ordered the new york steak done rare, and the pork duo. I think the steak was a much better choice than the pork, though I wouldn’t say that it was done rare. More like medium rare. But that wasn’t too bad, because the quality of the meat was divine. I would also venture to guess that maybe the meat was brined a bit prior to cooking, because there was a salty flavor was throughout the meat. I liked it very much. The polenta was very well made as well. The pork duo had a great accompaniment of farro, cherries, and rapini. I think it outshone the pork itself actually. The belly was too fatty for either of our liking, and it was cooked in a way where the fat didn’t really melt in your mouth. The skin was actually a little rubbery. Pity, because the tenderloin and veggies turned out so well.
Finally for dessert, we ordered the pistachio panna cotta and the zepole. SO GOOD. The panna cotta was so creamy and with candied pistachios on top as well — the mix was divine. The zepole were like warm donut holes right out of the fryer — also delicious.
Overall, we had a wonderful time and wonderful food! The service was spotless, our server was gracious and friendly. It was such a great meal and definitely somewhere I will visit again.

«Savored» the 6 course tasting menu featuring… DUCK!
1^st: Fois Gras atop toast with pickled veggies
2^nd: 63 Degree Duck Egg atop Potato Purée
3^rd: Duck Ravioli in a brown butter sauce
4^th: Seared duck atop risotto
5^th: Duck breast with farro and whole roasted garlic
6^th: Dessert! It had a fois gras sauce and black pepper sorbetto. YUM!
The table bread and breadsticks were addicting.
Service was ok… not amused by the Italian schmoozer waiter of ours.
Overall, left super stuffed and because I booked through «Savored» received 30% off my entire bill. Sweet~!

They have a drink called «bullet with butterfly wings»
Somebody is a Billy Corgan fan!
(it tastes a little like whisky and orange peels)
It should have a pumpkin taste to it!

I’ve driven by Drago a thousand times but Friday was my first time at the restaurant. I was so excited that the bf bought an incredible Travelzoo Deal that covered 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts for $ 59.
The appetizers were both fantastic. The burrata salad was fresh and the heirloom tomatoes tasted earthy. The salumi plate had the most amazing little gnocco frito. We were off to an excellent start!
Our entrees were both a bit disappointing. We tried the veal chops and short ribs. Neither were as tender as I had hoped and both lacked something. The celery root thing that came with the veal chops was terrible.
I had already looked up the dessert menu at home but apparently, Friday was the first day that they introduced a new dessert menu. I had my mind set on vanilla panna cotta but now that the option was gone, I had to readjust. We ordered marscapone gelato in a lemon sauce and it was bright and delicious. The other dessert was not memorable.
The Travelzoo deal also came with a 25% discount on bottles of wine. We enjoyed a delicious barbera that cost about $ 34 after the discount.
I was a little shocked by how much everything ended up costing. Although the deal was $ 59, it was «valued» at $ 124. But to get to $ 124, you have to order the most expensive items on the menu (which we did not). Drago gave itself 20% tip and full tax $ 169 (full value of $ 124 plus prediscounted value of wine). I reread the voucher and they did say that they would be charging these (although, they claimed 18% gratuity). Our total out-​of-​pocket cost of $ 142 is still a pretty decent value on a nice 3-​course dinner for 2 with a bottle of wine but it wasn’t as inexpensive as I had expected.

Can’t believe we’ve never been here before! Finally motivated to check it out to use our Blackboard Eats discount. Many thanks to our fellow Unilocalers whose reviews informed a great dinner. I had the agnolotti, husband had the short ribs, and we shared the fig/​honey/​walnut crepes with honey gelato for dessert. Everything was delicious, and the portion sizes were just enough to leave you satisfied without feeling overstuffed.
I can see why people come back here just for the agnolotti. What’s not to like about a pasta stuffed with sweet corn and cheese with truffles? My husband says it’s the grown-​up version of macaroni and cheese. The short ribs were perfectly cooked with the meat falling off the bones, accompanied by polenta tots and Swiss chard wrapped around corn kernels. The crepes were unusual and tasty.
We had reservations for 6 pm which is pretty early by LA standards, so we didn’t encounter any problems with slow service mentioned by other Unilocalers. The only glitch in our service was that my husband ordered wine, it was never brought, and then we were still charged for it — as soon as we pointed that out, they remedied the mistake right away.
Great food, a little pricey, nice atmosphere — we’ll definitely be back the next time we want a nice Italian dinner.

OK, I’m a fan of the Drago family (and I’m glad someone posted a photo of father founder, Celestino Drago). He is an amazing chef and all of his places are good. But sometimes I have to take issue with the newer, trendy dishes. Give me good old fashioned Italian food anytime.
Some of the Sicilian pasta dishes have too much of a fishy taste for me. But all the dishes are prepared to perfection. This particular Drago restaurant has an older crowd. There’s a more trendy crowd at Il Pastaio.

Timing couldn’t have been more perfect! I was going up to LA and my email inbox graced me with a Groupon coupon for Drago! I was laying in bed when I saw it and immediately raced to my laptop to pounce on the great deal it was offering. I then made a reservation.
On the morning of my reservation, someone from Drago called to confirm and on the evening, we were half an hour early — we weren’t sure how long it would take to drive there in traffic — but they were very gracious and seated us right away.
Our server was a nice gal who took our drink orders and then left us in peace to peruse the menu. There were a few things on there which I was interested in, but I also saw a tasting menu for $ 59 consisting of a 6-​course meal. The menu changes daily so I waited to hear that evening’s offerings. After I found out that most of the items were things I liked, I opted for the tasting menu. The best part was they didn’t insist that we all get the tasting menu and allowed my friend to just get an entrée.
I started with a beet salad which was accompanied with arugula and a really delicious dressing. I apologize for not having any photos but the lighting wasn’t the best and I didn’t bring my regular camera and my blackberry really didn’t do any of the dishes justice so I’ll refrain from posting.
Fritto misto was the second course — it was okay, it was just battered vegetables such as artichokes, asparagus and it wasn’t anything to write home about.
Seafood pasta was the third course and although the pasta itself was perfectly — and I mean PERFECTLY — cooked, the shrimps, scallops and mussel was overcooked. Surprisingly the only thing which was cooked to perfection was the calamari which ordinarily is always the only thing that is overcooked.
Pheasant morel risotto was simply HEAVENLY! This is what food is all about. I would’ve been happy just eating this dish alone. The rich and hearty flavors gave me a mouth orgasm like no other. This was one of those dishes where once you put a morsel into your mouth, your tastebuds simply demands your eyes to close and savor every layer of flavor this mouthful had to offer. I was so sad when the bowl came to an end.
Lamb chops was the final savory dish and this was also absolutely stunning. The chops were cooked medium rare and charred just right. OK, I take it back, all I need are the risotto and the lamb chops!
My friend ordered the rabbit and unfortunately, it was overcooked and a tad dry. A rabbit leg and a tenderloin came with and the leg was far more satisfying than the loin itself. The rabbit wasn’t strong enough for me and frankly, it wasn’t any different than eating chicken. I’ve had rabbit and I like it slightly stronger.
The dessert from the tasting menu was a Valrhona chocolate cake and my friend jumped for joy at this but sadly it was dry and a bit grainy. It was unfortunate since we’ve had many a wonderful Valrhona chocolate cake before.
Our meal was really satisfying and service was very good without being intrusive. With 3 glasses of wine included, our meal came to $ 130 before tip. For this sort of experience and the quality of food, I thought it was quite reasonable. The fact that we used a Groupon coupon didn’t affect the level of service either which was highly impressive. My previous experience at various restaurants has been that something would’ve been lacking. I was very happy to get the level of service that I did.
We are so in love with that pheasant morel risotto that we’re planning on coming back again to have the pheasant morel pasta next!

Before I begin I have to admit that I came here with work, so everthing was paid for, which usually makes a good experience even better.
Having said that, both the food and service were exemplary. We started with bruchetta and tuna tartar appetizers. Then had the ceasar salad. Next came the pumpkin filled tortelloni (my favorite dish) with some cream sauce, then roasted chicken with proscuitto, and finally a chocolate cake as dessert.
Instead of going throuhg each item, it can simply be said that each dish was delicious. Everything was perfectly cooked, the sauces all really complimented each dish, and even though there were many courses, I kept looking forward to more.
The service was no less. I sat at a table with one person who was vegitarian and one person who kept strictly kosher. A lot of restaurants will make small changes here and there to accomodate, but usually it won’t be as good. Here, they gave them completely different menu items that looked looked just as amazing as anything anyone else was eating.
The drinks were refilled quickly. Once we were done with a dish, it did not sit very long at our table, and it just seemed like everything went off without a flaw. Just a great night.

This restaurant is a nice spot for a special dinner or quiet celebration. Authentic, tasty food with a low-​key, dressy ambiance. Ordered the highly recommended squid risotto, $ 17. A hearty, warm, stick to your ribs type of dish; quite enjoyable, with whole shelled shrimp, and calamari. The cheese app said to be quite good. A few italian friends picked this restaurant and said the dishes are authentic, waiters are from Italy.
Saturday fixed priced menu, $ 45 included egg plant ravioli. Bottled water, $ 6. Tiramisu $ 8 is not bad, though too much cream and not enough cake. Everyone liked the food and ambiance. Located on the same side as Pacific Dining Car, the south side of Wilshire, at 26^th Street. Valet and street parking available on Wilshire. 4.5 stars, rounded down.