The moment I walked into Via Veneto, I was immediately taken by the romantic coziness of the place. It’s towering golden chandeliers and candlelight tables gave me a feeling of exclusivity and elegance.

 

My sister and I sat in the corner table overlooking the main street of Santa Monica.The room was darkly lit, which made for a night of wonderful conversation and tasteful, luxurious food.

As we indulged our crunchy bread I recall thinking about how Via Veneto is the ideal setting  for a perfect first date. Its elegant in nature with a hip vibe. The music played fends off any pretentiousness one might feel at a finer place and the simple layout lends for good fun. Even though the restaurant is busy, the voices become background noises as you get lost in the romantic privacy of your table.

Now for the mouth watering details.

For starters we had an artichoke salad with Parmigiano Reggiano, olive oil and lemon dressing and meatballs showered in tomato sauce. With this particular set, I fell madly in love with the meatballs. They were soft and melted inside my mouth. The tomato sauce was delicious and had a little spice in it which made it more than an ordinary tomato sauce.

After that we had three types of ravioli, two of which blew my mind. The first was a lobster ravioli. I am not a big seafood lover, but I do enjoy lobster. And what I liked most about the lobster ravioli was that it didn’t taste fishy. It was mixed in with a few veggies, which made it that much better. The second ravioli was the asparagus. Out of the three, the asparagus was our favorite. It was simple, thick and an overall good blend. The last flavor of ravioli we tried was the pumpkin ravioli. This was my least favorite, only because I am not a huge fan of pumpkin. But if you’re a pumpkin lover, I say go for it.

 

For the main course we had slices of filet mignon topped with truffles on truffle sauce, with a side of spinach and potatoes.   The meat was fine, easy to cut and plentiful. As for truffles, you either like them or you don’t. I personally would have preferred my filet mignon without the truffles, but it wasn’t necessarily a deal breaker. The sauce was my personal favorite addition to this plate.

Lastly for dessert we had the classic Italian tiramisu and a fruit salad.  The tiramisu was one of the most delicious ones I have ever had and gobbled it all up. It was nicely layered and had the right amount of coffee. The fruit salad was what every fruit salad should be, tasty and fresh.

 

Overall

The setting inside was great, the staff was polite and pleasant. Shout out to Lucas whom treated us very well and made us feel as home. The restaurant was clean, cozy, and lively.

As for parking, you have a few options. You can park valet in front,  park on the street meters or park at a nearby lot. There are also many surrounding stores for shopping and the beach is just a short walk away.

Lastly, I highly recommend to check out Via Veneto, whether you’re planning a trip to Santa Monica or are searching for a great place to eat.

 

Address: 3009 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405

Phone: (310) 399-1843

Official Website