Maggiano's Little Italy

07/13/2008 Posted by triplebeeftaco

I have been here many times, the food is always consistently great (pesto chicken pasta, YUM! Service is always great, attentive every time. Very busy though, expect to wait for a table, but we've always managed to sit at or in the bar area and eat if there is a wait for the dining area. A word of caution, if ordering pasta, always ALWAYS oder the "haf order" Otherwise you will be eating pasta for a week, the regular is an ENORMOUS size.

Pros: yummy food, giant portions, fab service

Cons: can be long wait if no reso

12/10/2007 Posted by nbk

We, a group of 11 people, went to Maggiano's on a Sunday night. The wait was LOOOOONG (got there around 6:00pm and were sat at a table around 8:00pm) as we expected. We neglected to make a reservation, so can't complain. Other than the wait, the experience was great. Drink refills were done frequently, without having to ask. Also, we ordered a dish but when it came out, it wasn't what we thought it was. So we asked the waiter if it can be taken back. The waiter did not hesitate a moment and gladly accepted our request. I regret not getting the name of the waiter, but he surely made all 11 of us come back to the restaurant. Overall, it was a great dining experience (great food, great portion, excellent customer service), but next time, I'll make sure to make a reservation before going.

Pros: service, food, portion

Cons: wait

11/20/2007 Posted by gourmettravel

Maggiano’s Little Italy in Los Angeles CA - Manager: Sara Zanville. This is how it all began: The waiter took our drinks order while we were waiting for a table. Before the drinks were brought out, a table became available. We were pretty hungry and were anxious to sit down and order an appetizer; however the hostess stopped us in the middle of a hallway on our way to the table and insisted that we wait for the drinks to arrive and pay the waiter before we move to the table. It should have been a sign - never wait on the wait staff. We were there to enjoy an evening, but the restaurant staff was truly determined to give us a memorable experience. We should have been seated and the drinks should have been brought to our table. This has been my experience so far with all and any restaurants. We waited on the wait staff for a good while. Our hunger kept growing. We were at a loss… We asked the bartender if we could pay the tab and move to the table WITHOUT getting the drinks. Forget the drinks! His response was "wait for the waiter - the table is not going anywhere!" The waiter showed up with the drinks and asked us to pay because it was "more convenient" for him. We wanted to accommodate him (BIG MISTAKE) and paid. Wait, it is not over! He double charged the credit card!!! We pointed it out to him. He brought another bill but did not bring a copy of the credit transaction showing that the original amount was credited back to the card. I finally had enough and I asked for the manager. The manager told us that Maggiano's does not provide a copy of the refund transactions! I would just have to TRUST that they fixed it. Did I hear TRUST? Sorry, but I don’t trust you at this point – I want proof! It was pointless and it was the worst experience ever. After I shared my experience with Ms. Zanville her excuse was “we are busy!” Needless to say that I did not have dinner at Maggiano’s that night. THE WORST RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE EVER!

Pros: NONE

Cons: Everything you can possibly think of

09/20/2007 Posted by kjbachmann

I used to work here and hated almost every minute of it. So, with that being said, my review might be slightly influenced by this. The food is fine, but it is nothing special. If you are vegetarian it is kind of hard to get a decent plate of pasta. Everything has meat in it and when you remove the meat the dishes become rather plain and bland. A lot of the dishes are very heavy on the butter too. If I ever went back I would get the gnocchi, it is definitely the best thing there. The portions are HUGE, a plus for some people I suppose, but it is just an overwhelming amount of food if you ask me. You will definitely be taking some home with you. It is very crowded on the weekends, always a wait of usually an hour. It can be like that at a lot of places, but it is good to know this before you get there. I would strongly recommend reservations. The service seemed to be so, so. Equal number of complaints and compliments from guests when I worked the host stand. The management is very good about trying to satiate unsatisfied customers. If something goes wrong I would definitely ask to speak to management b/c they will usually be able to "fix" things for you. Its fine, but I am just over it and think there is better pasta in LA. Try C&O Tratorria on the west side.

Pros: you can walk around the farmer's market and/or grove while you wait forever to get a table

Cons: long waits, food is nothing special

06/22/2007 Posted by caligirl30

I must admit that I am partial to this place because I grew up eating here in Chicago. The portions are huge. I would not say it is the best Italian ever, but it is pretty good and the atmosphere is great. I have almost always had great service here and the outside patio is very charming. The bread is delicious. The Mozerella Marinara is my favorite starter, make sure to order extra marinara sauce. The soup is yummy and they give you a nice serving of it. The salad dressing here is fantastic, I love it. The pasta is good, not great, but good. Skip the lasagna. It is awful. The eggplant parmisagn is very breaded. It is different than most places, but still good. The cheese dip appetizer is very tasty. The stuffed mushrooms are a skip it. The apple cobbler is just okay. I would stick with the chocolate cake. Overall, good value and good atmosphere. This would be a nice place for a group of friends to eat family style.

Pros: big portions, tasty food, nice service, pretty consistant

Cons: some of the dishes are just okay and lack a bit of taste

03/13/2007 Posted by juju13es

My friends and I came to Maggiano's on Valentine's Day, because I've heard good things about it in the past and it was probably one of the only places that took reservations that night. When we got there, we were disappointed in that though we had reservations at 9:00pm, we still had to wait an extra 30-40 minutes. Plus, our waiter never really checked up on us except to get our orders and to give us our dishes. Granted it was one of the busiest days of the year, we expected better service. Though, I have to give it to them that their dishes were pretty amazing and hefty for decent prices. And if you're getting dessert, get their tiramisu and creme brulee~

Pros: dishes, ambience

Cons: service

02/20/2007 Posted by lilo06

I recently just gave my best friend a bridal shower. I have to say it was a pleasure working with the event coordinator. We had a family style event. On the day of the shower thestaff was great, organized and ready to start serving. Everything was perfect the food, the service and I am so happy we went with Maggiano's for $25 a person. You get so much for the money

01/31/2007 Posted by petuniainsect

This is a good restaurant with a super huge wait. It's worth it if you only go once in a while. The service is good.

01/06/2007 Posted by planetshark

Farmers Market - Maggiano's -- LA's BEST Happy Hour! Featuring LIVE Jazz, a hip industry crowd, and heavily discounted food and drink (with appetizers @ $2.95 and most drinks under $5.00) Monday - Friday 4pm-6:30pm. And dinner at Maggiano's is unsurpassed in terms of cuisine, atmosphere, and service. To dine al fresco on the magnificent (heated) patio is THE definition of indulgence for every single one of your senses. And don't even get us started about the endless merits of the scrumptous Beef Medallions and Veal and Mushroom Ravioli! Also make sure to try the Zucchini Fritte (best I ever had), 4 Cheese Ravioli, Stuffed Chicken Fontina, Chopped Salad (sub chopped spinach & add grilled shrimp for an extra special trea), and the Crab Cakes (world's best!) ... Maggiano's also specializes in FAMILY STYLE DINING (aka: 'The Unstoppable Italian Feast') and carry out/catering -- and they have a world class Banquet facility for special events and private dining ... (located at 189 The Grove Drive between 3rd and Beverly on Fairfax).

Pros: Family Style Dining, Reservations Accepted, Private Dining for special events

12/28/2006 Posted by mrroboto07

Had a great experience at Maggiano's before, but no such luck this time. Brought my wife to have a drink at the bar...slow service...the bartender did not look us in the eye, much less ask us if we would like anything else to drink. When we were seated for dinner, saw our waiter ONLY ONCE the whole evening and waited 25 minutes with no service, no water, no bread...After asking every staff member that we saw, "Where is our waiter?" Some poor soul took pity on us, and took our order. And this was on a slow day. On our way out, our "missing" waiter was dining outside laughing it up with some buddies.

Pros: food is good

Cons: Horrible service, poor management