Ospi Venice

On our list of the best special-occasion restaurants in Los Angeles.

Owners Jackson Kalb and Melissa Saka often pour the water themselves and chat up regulars about their favorite dishes, the kind of restaurant where takeout bags go out with handwritten notes on them. The kitchen rolls tonda-style pizzas thin as a cracker, including a Hapa topped with pepperoni, slow-roasted pineapple and jalapeño, alongside a Sardinian pasta dressed in beef cheek ragu. A back dining room seats larger groups and a private room out front handles smaller parties, and the restaurant runs cashless.