If you live in Los Angeles, I’m sure you’re familiar with the latest social obsession, the Culver City restaurant scene. It may seem like hype, but Culver City is transforming itself into an upscale dining destination (minus the pretense of Hollywood and Beverly Hills). Among the many new places, there is at least one restaurant that fills the void between trendy and over-priced. It isn’t my first time dining at Ugo, but it merits appreciation.
The atmosphere is almost as important as the food at Ugo. The space is small, with as much room on the patio as inside. The feeling is casual, on the border of sidewalk cafe and stylish, but there is no point to be hip, and it certainly isn’t fancy. You may have to wait a few minutes for a table, but this time can be spent next door at Vinum Populi, a futuristic wine bar, with wine served by the ounce via electronic regulators. Ugo’s kitchen is open to the dining room, and you can watch the chefs using fresh ingredients and turning things out faster than imaginable. And because the space is so small, there isn’t a massive queue of plates waiting to be delivered. This keeps the dishes hot and the pasta in young condition. The service is attentive and personal, maybe a little rushed, but a restaurant that recognizes your face is hard to come by in Los Angeles.
Ugo’s menu is extensive, and offers a spectrum between light, clean dishes and classic Italian. The simplicity of the fare reminds you that a good plate of pasta doesn’t need 3 cups of sauce and a blanket of parmesan. Of the meals I’ve had at Ugo, my go-to is the Pasta Piselli, a fresh and never ending dish of shell pasta with caramelized onion, baby peas, olive oil, and garlic. I have been reluctant to try new things as I know the few dishes I enjoy are consistent, but I can confirm that the primavera and ravioli are also fantastic. As far as dessert, they have a solid menu with the basics, nothing to write home about.
In the realm of Italian food, the restaurant options are seemingly all too similar. I have no problem with the typical super-club variety of Italian (I am a Barone’s devotee), but this is a nice change if you are hungry for pasta and not in the mood for red pleather and pepperoncini.
Ugo also has a location on Pico in West L.A. (that I have not yet visited), and there is the popular option of ordering their menu as take-out as well.
Ugo Culver City
3865 Cardiff Avenue
Culver City, CA 90232
310.204.1222
Adam says:
April 20th, 2007 at 4:58 pmLast time I tried to order via phone I was on hold over 8 minutes, hung up, asked for the manager and then waited another 15 before getting her attention. Their customer service is AWFUL.
David says:
April 20th, 2007 at 9:13 pmAdam-
Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Customer service may not be their strongest suit, I often feel like everything is hurried (obviously not in your case). Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like the food is suffering.
Tamara says:
April 23rd, 2007 at 10:35 amOrdered over the phone for delivery, food was good, customer service was good. However about an hour after recieving my food, they called me back telling me that I had to bring in my gift certificate or else pay full price for my meal because the driver forgot to take the g.c. in the first place. They were very insistant and rude. Food might be good but dealing with their customer service is NOT worth it!! This has not been the first time I have had issues with them.
Elke says:
July 10th, 2007 at 1:05 pmI live over by the Pier 1 (Sawtelle/Sepulveda), and Ugo is one of the very few good restaurants that will deliver to my house. I’ve never dined in the restaurant, but their phone and delivery service has always been friendly and pretty fast. Food — especially the tuna steak and 3-cheese ravioli — is always very tasty. (Natalee Thai says they’ll deliver here, but after waiting an hour and 20 minutes for our food last time, we threw their menu away.)
Stronzino says:
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:00 pmI was definetely interested in checking the place out, but with those horrible customer service reviews, I am afraid I am gonna have to pass…andate a via Ugo!
Ciao
silby says:
August 11th, 2007 at 9:53 pmI just ate there last night. Picked it out at random walking around that area…
My wife and I both agreed it was the best place we’ve been to in a long time. It was busy - sounds like take out is not their forte…
Palazzo says:
August 18th, 2008 at 5:58 pmWe stayed at the Culver City Hotel across the street on a recent trip to LA and fell in love with Ugo…we know we should have ventured out more and tried many restaurants but the food and service was so GOOD we ended up there every afternoon for a drink, then back for dinner . Wonderful Gelato too.