Rao's

Quite possibly one of the best Italian meals I have ever had at a restaurant in my life. This location is cozy/small, so be sure to make a reservation! We arrived about 15 minutes early for our reservation and had a quick drink at the bar and were seated 5 minutes after we arrived. We ordered and our food arrived in about 10 minutes! We got meatball marinara, rigatoni pomodoro, bread, and a glass of red wine each. Perfect portions as well. Highly recommend

One of the best dining experiences I’ve had in a long time, Rao’s does not disappoint. From the food to the service to the entire general experience, everything was five stars. Our server was great, made perfect recommendations and paced our table perfectly. The food was outstanding. Get the Caesar salad, the meatball, the Bolognese, and the short rib pappardelle. The cocktails were also great and the server recommended an outstanding red wine to go with my food. I cannot wait to go back and try some other things on the menu.

Getting into the original Rao's in NYC, is nearly impossible. With good planning, you can get a reservation in the Hollywood, CA location. As soon as you go in, you are transported to the East coast. The walls are filled with black and white pictures of Italian American actors. Service was impecable and patient with the modifications we were making. The wine list is small, but very reasonably priced. Food has all the true Italian American classics made with high quality fresh ingredients and large portions. The experience was well worth the money.

I had very high expectations, which were perhaps unreasonable. The food was solid Italian cooking. It's not mindblowing, but very good. Given their reputation, I had hoped for amazing. To be fair, they were sold out of both of the more inventive items on their menu by 7:30 pm, so classics were the only options available. It's possible the real stars of the menu just didn't come to our table. The service was excellent. The interior was old fashioned, and cozy.

Awesome experience from start to finish at Rao’s Hollywood. Service was excellent from the minute we walked through the door. We started with the Mozzarella In Carrozza which was perfection. The Caesar salad was phenomenal. For my main course, I ordered the chicken Milanese and it was excellent. My partner enjoyed the Penne Alla Vodka. Kids loved their pasta dishes. I cannot wait to return.

Tonight was everything I dreamed a night at Rao’s would be. I was raised in Chicago and frequent NYC several times a year. I’ve heard of the legendary Rao’s in NYC and am well aware that it’s next to impossible to dine there thus I thought I’d never get the chance to taste their food; arguably the most difficult reservation to obtain in the world! Yeah I know I know, you can buy the sauce in a jar as well as pasta from the grocery store but it’s not the same. Upon finding out that Rao’s had expanded out west my wife and I knew this was our best chance to get a taste of the real thing! Then 2020 and 2021 happened. Then the Vegas location closed so I thought I was out of luck. How I missed that a location had opened in Hollywood is beyond me but needless to say I’m glad they did! Tonight a dream became a reality as my wife and I flew in from Tennessee for the privilege to eat from Rao’s table. We ate and ate and ate. It was heaven on earth! I loved everything we ordered but the highlights for me were the following.: The meatballs. WOW! Cheese sandwich! (Fried cheese) Rigatoni Bolognesi (heaven!) Penne a la vodka Chicken Parmesan Last but not least Rao’s serves the best cheesecake I have ever eaten in my entire life. The customer service is over the top! The host “Johnny Roastbeef” , the GM, our waitress Gia along with everyone else are the best of the best! I’m realistic that my dream of eating at the original location are slim to none but the Hollywood location gave my wife and I and unforgettable culinary experience! I’ll never forget tonight! Thank you Rao’s! Tony Suarez