Ask me, “where can I get the best pasta in LA?”, and today I would tell you “Felix” – without an ounce of hesitation. The opening of Felix Trattoria has quite possibly been the most anticipated restaurant opening of the year. With the somewhat abrupt closing of beloved Bucato, foodies familiar with chef Evan Funke’s pasta could finally rejoice over the news that he’d be back and better than ever. Felix Trattoria, located right on Abbot Kinney in Venice, opened back in April and has been the city’s most exciting obsession since.
It was two whole years before we had the king of handmade pasta back amongst our midst, so a lot of people are making up for a lot of lost time. Reservations at Felix are tough to get. Even trying to reserve 2-3 weeks out left me with either 5:30 or 10 pm. Fortunately, I eat dinner with the blue hair crowed so I was able to squeeze in at 5:30pm on a Tuesday. The reason I prefer dining early is because I can usually get great light for photos, and I tend to not bother as many people by walking around and whipping out my camera. So to my sheer surprise, at the STROKE of 5:05pm the bar at Felix was already completely packed, people were being sat left and right, and I had to deal with frantically trying to capture the stunning restaurant’s interior without driving too many patrons crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it. Normally this kind of craze would make me roll my eyes a bit; when something is hot in LA it can be borderline ridiculous, but most places in LA aren’t Felix.
I have been to some truly wonderful new restaurants this year, but the truth is nothing compares to Felix. The hype is actually so real it hurts my feelings. To me, pasta is life, and Chef undoubtedly is the best pasta maker in LA. There’s a pretty good chance you’ll actually catch Chef working on his creations inside the little pasta greenhouse that’s located in the dining room. But even outside of the pasta, the rest of the menu is not to be overlooked either! Everything from the FANTASTIC Italian inspired wine list, the antipasti, to the main dishes are out of this world.
I knew this meal was going to be good, I knew it was going to be expensive yet probably worth it, but I didn’t quite understand just how good it’d all be. If you’re ready to experience the best pasta in LA, and one of my personal favorite dining experiences… time to get that reservation at Felix my friend.
Must Drink | Wine and pasta go together like, wine and pasta. Felix has a great wine list with tons of great options by the glass. I loved that they had a number of Italian wines I’d never actually tried before! If you’d rather go the cocktail route, they have a great list of craft cocktails as well – all of which sound to die for.
Must Order | The main reason you’re coming to Felix is for the pasta. We’ll get to that part in a second, but if there was anything else off the menu to add to your experience, it would be the Sfincione. It’s a giant loaf of fluffy warm focaccia bread, just drenched in olive oil and topped with salt and rosemary. I mean if you’re going to commit carbocide you might as well do it right! Outside of the Sfincione I absolutely loved the panzanella salad, which I believe is seasonal so get it while it’s good.
Lastly… pasta. I will admit to you I ordered 4 different pastas because I couldn’t decide nor resist. Everyone has different favorites so the chances of you regretting your decision are slim to none. I ordered the Trofie (Pesto Genovese, pecorino stagionato), the Pappradelle (Ragu Bolognese “Vecchia Scuola”, parmigiano reggiano 48 mo.), the Bigoli (duck ragu), and a very special pasta covered in shaved black truffle – it’s a long story, but that one was bonus pasta. If you had to order one and only one of those… I’d go with the Trofie… but I say that and just think “no, order them all.” I don’t need to dive deeper into reminding you that whatever pasta you get will be the best version of that pasta you’ve ever had in your life. Just go get it.
Perfect Spot For | PASTA!!!! P-A-S-T-A. // date night // pasta // Italian wine // a place to dine on Abbot Kinney // parents // who ever else you need to try to impress // saying that you went there // wood fired pizza // pasta
FELIX TRATTORIA // 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA
HOURS // Sunday — Thursday: 5:30pm — 11:00pm & Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm — 12:00am
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