Scopa Italian Roots

We had a very nice server and there’s a great ambiance at Scopa, perfect for dates and connecting with friends alike. They have a gorgeous bar, large window, candles on the tables, and all of our food came perfectly coursed. We were easily able to make a same-day reservation via the Resy app, and I do recommend making a reservation in advance because it was popping when we arrived. For parking, you can either park in the connected valet lot ($13 on a Monday) or look for free street parking (we found it pretty easily, but then again it was a Monday). There are the top four absolute must-order items you should order to share: 1. Hot Antipasti - Scallops Oreganata ($23) with brown butter, bread crumbs, & lemon. I’m gluten free so I asked for no breadcrumbs, and I also recommend ordering a side of gluten free bread to dip in the brown butter after you finish enjoying the scallops because they have the absolute best gluten free cheesecheese bread! They only came with 2 scallops in an order so consider ordering enough so each person can have at least 1 full scallop. 2. Hot Antipasti - Mortadella Meatballs ($21) with pistachio pesto, arugula, & parmesan cheese. This came with 3 medium-large sized meatballs covered in a delicious green pesto - don’t let looks deceive you, even if this isn’t how you expect meatballs to look they’re delish. 3. Cold Antipasti - Heirloom Tomatoes ($18) with sweet onion, basil, ricotta salata cheese, sherry vinegar, & olive oil. If you enjoy tomatoes of all shapes and sizes, this is the dish for you. My favorite were the little orange tomatoes. 4. Salad - Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad ($22) with generous pecorino romano cheese, parsley, grapes, olive oil, sherry vinegar, & toasted almonds. This was a good portion size and the best raw Brussels sprouts I’ve ever had. While I did really enjoy the flavor of oysters themselves and their sauces, and I do want to put them as item 5 to order, each of the oysters had some shell bits had to spit out, and it only came with 1 spoon and 0 mini forks. The oysters come with lemon slices, cocktail sauce, shredded horseradish, mignonette, and are $4.50 each with a minimum of 6. I would order them again, but enjoy them carefully and hope that they’re shucked better next time. However… Maybe things were off because it was a Monday and they had multiple large last minute parties walk in. Maybe I should have gone for the pastas instead of the below because it is an Italian restaurant. Maybe I’m just a person who enjoys more seasoning on seafood or less sauce on pork chops, but a few of the dishes weren’t exactly as good as I was expecting. Unless you love canned tuna, absolutely avoid the Sicilian Tuna Cold Antipasti ($19) with market green beans, fingerling potato, capers, lemon, & olive oil. It wasn’t until we mentioned to our server our strong disappointment with the dish, as we were expecting either Tuna Crudo or Seared Tuna, that our server told us that he usually steers guests away from it. It also had zero seasoning, and boy did it need it. It also feels like this dish should have automatically been served with crackers. The Amberjack Crudo ($25) with watermelon radish, bulls blood micro greens, & herb oil needed a combo-sauce or a stronger flavored oil, as it was very bland as-is. Luckily not a fishy-fish, but still lackluster for their only fish crudo on the menu. For the Mains, they were already sold out of the 24oz T-bone Steak ($82) when we arrived, and the server recommended the Pork Chop. The generous portion of Pork Chop ($66) came with crispy fingerling potatoes, roasted shallots, olives, capers, garlic, balsamic vinegar, & fresh herbs. The balsamic was more of a thick, sweet, heavy glaze, and it overpowered the meat. Personally, we both felt it was over-sauced.

Scopa has been one of my favorite LA restaurants since my first visit in 2021. The quality never falters, and many of my favorite dishes I've eaten in Los Angeles have come from Scopa (I actually dream about the gem salad with tuna dressing). Cannot say enough good things about the food or the service. I'm also gluten free and eat here happily and easily. Inside the restaurant, it is very dark and noisy, very sexy which can be fun but I REALLY miss when they had the outdoor space. Aside from liking to bring my dog when able, I have quite a few folks who I'd love to take to Scopa, but for whom the current atmosphere would be alienating. That said, I look forward to coming back myself.

One of my favorite Venice spots! The food is delicious, the service outstanding. Absolutely have the ricotta crostini with the gluten free bread (trust me) and the raw Brussels sprouts salad.