Spina
Italian restaurant · Atwater Village
3193 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Highlights
Handmade pasta & Italian wine in a cozy, intimate setting
Handmade pasta & Italian wine in a cozy, intimate setting
"We can’t guarantee you’ll meet the love of your life at Spina in Atwater Village, but this small neighborhood spot is a perfect place to live, laugh, love over a solo meal. You'll feel like you're in a meet-cute from a Meg Ryan rom-com. The lighting is warm, it’s easy to start conversations at the bar, and every seat has a view of the open kitchen where you can watch ricotta-stuffed ravioli get bathed in brown butter. Spina is walk-in only, but there’s a nice little parklet outside on the off-chance you wait more than 10 minutes for a seat." - jess basser sanders, sylvio martins
"Spina is a small Italian restaurant in Atwater Village, and, in many ways, the ideal place to flirt with someone. It’s walk-in only so chances are you’ll have 20-ish minutes to break the ice before a seat opens up. The menu is short, which is great for an indecisive date, but still features rotating specials to keep things fresh. We suggest sitting at the bar with a special someone, where you can share nebbiolo and ricotta-stuffed ravioli, and watch the kitchen staff toss pasta in the air all night. The proximity to the stove might make you a little sweaty, but at least your date will think their cheeky jokes have some effect on you." - sylvio martins, brant cox, cathy park
"Spina brings plenty of pasta by chef Pablo Cruz to Atwater Village using noodles from Mani In Pasta, a wholesale handmade Italian pasta company founded by one of the restaurant’s partners. The half-dozen primi include classics like cacio e pepe and ricotta-stuffed ravioli with butter and sage, along with pricier items like the tonnarelli al tartufo e salsiccia that rings in at nearly $40." - Matthew Kang
"Whether it's dinner with a friend or a hot stranger you met on the Internet, Spina is a great option that doesn’t require much pre-planning. (It’s walk-in only). This small Italian restaurant serves the best pasta in the neighborhood, including ricotta-stuffed ravioli in a brown butter sauce and a deliciously potent spaghetti puttanesca special. The casualness of the room, the garlicky pasta, and the wine list make Spina the spot that every local wants to be a regular at (even if the non-pasta parts of the menu are fine at best). A night at the bar, splitting a bottle of nebbiolo and watching the kitchen toss pasta in the air, is the most romantic date spot in this part of town." - arden shore, sylvio martins, brant cox
"Spina is an Italian restaurant in Atwater Village that is, in many ways, the ideal place to flirt with someone. It’s walk-in only, so chances are high you’ll have 20-ish minutes to break the ice before a seat opens up. The dining room is small but warm and chatty, like the entire neighborhood popped in for a meal and doesn’t want to leave. We also like that the pasta-focused menu is short (great for an indecisive date), but there’s a list of rotating specials to keep things interesting. Nothing at Spina is so delicious it’ll set off a metaphorical firecracker in your brain. Instead, everything is just pretty good across the board. Ricotta-stuffed ravioli is served in a toasty, sweet brown butter sauce that’s tasty, if a tad simple. We also appreciate the pops of flavor in the spaghetti puttanesca special, courtesy of brined olives, tinned tuna, and an onslaught of garlic. But regardless of what you order, make sure you sit at the bar, where you’ll get a nice view of the kitchen tossing pasta to order while you split a bottle of nebbiolo—it might be the most romantic spot in Atwater." - Sylvio Martins
