Best Italian Restaurants in Brentwood
5 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: February 2026
Our Top Pick
Divino
A 30-year Brentwood institution where Montenegrin-born owner Goran Milic regularly flies in guest chefs from Italy to keep the kitchen authentic and evolving.
Notable Picks
#1
Divino
8
A white-tablecloth Italian holdout in Brentwood where owner Goran Milic has spent three decades rotating guest chefs from Italy through the kitchen, keeping the menu grounded in classical technique rather than trending toward fusion. The regulars come for the kind of unhurried, old-school Westside dinner that rewards repeat visits—bolognese built on slow-cooked ragu, risotto that earns its twenty-minute wait. Expect the prices and pace of a neighborhood fine-dining room that has outlasted every food trend around it.
Must-Try Dishes:
Fusilli alla Bolognese, Medaglioni di Vitello, Risotto ai Porcini
What Makes it Special: A 30-year Brentwood institution where Montenegrin-born owner Goran Milic regularly flies in guest chefs from Italy to keep the kitchen authentic and evolving.
#2
Osteria Vera
8
An upscale Brentwood Italian built on the bones of the celebrated Vincenti, where veteran chefs finish bucatini cacio e pepe tableside in a giant cheese wheel—a theatrical touch grounded in real technique. The menu leans into refined pastas and composed plates like squash blossoms and beet-burrata salad, pitched at couples and families who want a polished dinner without the stiffness. The room runs quiet enough for conversation on off-peak nights but fills with energy on weekends, with a rear patio as the better bet when it gets loud.
Must-Try Dishes:
Cacio e Pepe in the Cheese Wheel, Spinach Pappardelle with Wild Boar Ragù, Squash Blossoms
What Makes it Special: Veteran Italian chefs finish bucatini cacio e pepe tableside in a giant cheese wheel, carrying forward beloved dishes from the celebrated Vincenti restaurant that preceded it.
#3
Peppone
8
A 51-year-old Brentwood Italian holdout where chef-owner Gianni Paoletti still runs the kitchen and a Wine Spectator Grand Award cellar backs up the tableside cart service. The draw is old-guard Continental cooking—filet mignon, veal osso buco, chicken piccata—served in red leather booths with dimmed lighting and no rush. Expect luxury pricing with a neighborhood-regular energy that rewards repeat visits over one-off curiosity.
Must-Try Dishes:
Cauliflower Appetizer, Linguine with Special Meatballs, Filet Mignon
What Makes it Special: A Brentwood institution since 1975 with a Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning cellar, tableside cart service, and chef-owner Gianni Paoletti still running the kitchen.
Worthy Picks
#4
Casa Modena
7.9
A family-run second-floor Italian kitchen where all pasta is made in-house daily and black truffles come from the owner's own hunting operation in Italy—details that show up in dishes like the tortellini pasticciati and burrata crostini. The room is quiet enough for real conversation, which makes it work well for couples who want the food to be the focus rather than the scene. Expect a strip-mall exterior that undersells what's happening inside.
Must-Try Dishes:
Tortellini Pasticciati al Tartufo Nero, Ravioli di Zucca, Tagliatelle Verdi al Ragù
What Makes it Special: A family-run Italian kitchen on Wilshire's second floor where all pasta is handmade daily and truffles are sourced through the owner's own Italian truffle-hunting operation.
7.9
Vibes:
Date Night Magic
Birthday & Celebration Central
Outdoor Dining Oasis
Business Lunch Power Players
A 37-year Brentwood institution built on wood-fired Snake River Farms prime cuts and a Wine Spectator Award-winning Italian list—the kind of place where regulars have a steak named after a broadcast legend. The tight indoor dining room runs loud at peak hours, so request the patio for conversation-friendly date nights or opt for early weekday dinners when the room settles down.
Must-Try Dishes:
The Al Michaels Prime New York Steak, Insalata Carciofi, Veal Chop with Butter and Sage
What Makes it Special: Brentwood's definitive Tuscan trattoria since 1989, pairing wood-fired prime cuts from Snake River Farms with a Wine Spectator Award-winning Italian wine list.