"Opened: 1962 Maybe it’s the beach-adjacent location or colorful interior with Italian seascapes murals, but any time we’re in Playa Del Rey, Cantalini’s lures us in like Diane Lane in an early aughts rom-com. The restaurant originally opened as Giovanni’s Salerno Beach and all that’s changed in the years since is the name. Come—ideally with sand on your feet—for a dependable bowl of ravioli, towering tiramisu, and glasses of house wine filled to the absolute brim. After you’ll want a nightcap at The Harbor Room, the attached impossibly small dive bar that makes mop closets feel spacious. " - brant cox, sylvio martins, garrett snyder