Ètra is a chic Italian spot in Melrose Hill with a lively vibe, serving up approachable pasta and standout dishes like their famed meatballs and rich rigatoni, perfect for sharing on a cozy date night.
"Impress a date by taking them to Ètra, a hot Italian restaurant in Melrose Hill. Sneak around the back of Cafe Telegrama to find the entrance, and cozy up at a dimly lit table or the no-reservations-needed seats at the bar. Start with an order of prosciutto, before splitting the rigatoni gricia, or a New York strip with dried porcini. The restaurant is a little loud, so you may have to lean in to hear each other, which may not be the worst thing." - Rebecca Roland, Matthew Kang
"Impress a date by taking them to Ètra, a hot Italian restaurant in Melrose Hill. Sneak around the back of Cafe Telegrama to find the entrance, and cozy up at a dimly lit table or the no-reservations-needed seats at the bar. Start with an order of prosciutto, before splitting the rigatoni gricia, or a New York strip with dried porcini. The restaurant is a little loud, so you may have to lean in to hear each other, which may not be the worst thing." - Rebecca Roland, Matthew Kang
"This minimalist gem in Melrose Hill keeps Italian cooking to its barest simplicity, operating like the hip osteria that it is nestled into one of Los Angeles’s coolest neighborhoods. Chef Evan Algorri, previously of Lupa, Marea, and Bouley, turns out beautiful plates of rigatoni gricia with guanciale and onion soubise, a pork ribeye swimming in a red sauce and topped with shaved fennel, and scampi with spicy n’duja. The wine list features bottles and glasses with minimal intervention. In a city full of Italian restaurants, it’s hard to think of a better place to impress fashionable types." - Matthew Kang, Eater Staff
"A restaurant in Los Angeles, California, led by chef Evan Algorri, known for its innovative cuisine." - Rebecca Roland
"Your Order: Chicory Salad A lovely, flirty little salad. This is the kind of dish you’d “throw together” for guests after spending seven hours sourcing the ingredients and grimacing at the price of chicory at the Hollywood farmer’s market. Each crunchy leaf is evenly coated in dressing, as if the kitchen dipped them one by one. The bitter greens sync perfectly with the bold anchovy dressing, which has a briny-peppery punch. And much like Megan Thee Stallion’s signature “ahh” ad-lib, the blanket of grated egg yolks over the top adds a subtle richness that ties the whole thing together. " - brant cox, sylvio martins, arden shore, garrett snyder, nikko duren
