La Vecchia Cucina Restaurant Review

2654 Main St. (Ocean Park Blvd.) Send to Phone

For more than a decade, La Vecchia Cucina has enchanted diners at its location right near the Pacific Ocean.

Go behind the scenes of La Vecchia Cucina restaurant! Watch our exclusive interview with chef Mark Mollica.

Cuisine

Open

Dinner nightly, Brunch Sun.

Features

Reservations suggested
Casual

* Click here for rating key

Dining room at La Vecchia Cucina, Santa Monica, CA

On Santa Monica's Main Street, La Vecchia Cucina offers hungry diners a meaty menu with Italian dishes to please every palate. Try the Farfalle La Vecchia, a baby lobster and vegetable pasta, or Scampi La Vecchia to taste some of the restaurant's featured meals.

What's Hot

User Ratings & Reviews for La Vecchia Cucina

Average rating

Add your own experience

Reviews 1 - 1 of 1 1

Birthday Nightmare by NewYorker0001 on 10/23/2010

I thought that I would share my recent dining experience with you... In mid October 2010, a seemingly normal family celebration turned into a nightmare experience at the trendy Santa Monica, CA restaurant, La Vecchia. A daughter visiting from New York decided to take her mother to a nice local restaurant to celebrate her mother's birthday. A routine Google search listed La Vecchia as a top candidate for the birthday dinner. The restaurant accepted a same-day reservation and was notified at the time that it was a special occasion. Upon arriving on time for dinner, the mother and daughter were told by the hostess that a table was being prepared especially for them. Thereafter, they were ignored for over 15 minutes while other people coming into the restaurant were seated immediately. The hostess finally escorted them to a table where they began reviewing the menus. Several minutes later, the same hostess abruptly interrupted them by insisting that they relocate to another table, stating that the existing table was specifically reserved for someone special. The daughter complained that the second table was next to the noisy kitchen area, overcrowded by waiters and engulfed by food smells, and that they preferred not to move to that table. The hostess again demanded that they had to relocate immediately. Seeing that her mother was already upset, the daughter begrudgingly decided not to create a scene during the until-now happy birthday celebration, and decided to move to the new table. Although the service and food were satisfactory, the mother and daughter were never approached with any apology or consideration for being treated in such an insulting manner. A couple of days later, the daughter contacted the restaurant owners via e-mail to notify them of the poor dining experience and the owners did not bother to respond; thus, emphasizing the fact that the restaurant apparently feels that their customers' satisfaction and overall dining experience is simply not important to them. Moreover, it is clear that they are reinforcing the fact that only special people are welcome there and all others will be treated in an unprofessional and disrespectful manner.

Reviews 1 - 1 of 1 1

Los Angeles Area Top 10 Restaurant Lists

Discover the top restaurants in Los Angeles for various cuisines and categories like sushi, steakhouses, pizza, happy hours, romantic dining and even gourmet food trucks.

Find the best restaurants in LA here!

RESTAURANT AWARDS

Subscribe to receive the 2012 edition of our annual restaurant issue, and check out our current Top 40 U.S. Restaurant selections, and more!

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

DINING ON A BUDGET

Splurging at top-rated restaurants is fun for special events, but where can you go for a good quality meal that won't break the bank? Gather the change out of your piggy bank and sofa cushions and take it to one of our selections for the best cheap eats in your area. Also, check out our picks for the Top 40 Cheap Eats in the U.S.