CEPPO

I’ve been here twice and both times have been amazing! First time we had the kobe beef appetizer, uni pasta, seafood pasta and crème brûlée. Second time I got the uni pasta again because it’s sooooo good and my friend got the spaghetti carbonara, we also got bruschetta and crème brûlée. Everything has tasted absolutely delicious. Both times I was here for dinner and we were the only people in the restaurant. I have no idea how this place is so empty the food is so tasty!

Man… I’m pretty bummed. Came in for dinner after having lunch here a few times. Lunch was always great so I was excited to come in for their dinner menu.
I will say that service and attention to detail were five stars easily. Owner is friendly and the timing of the dishes was thoughtful. I ordered the risotto which takes 25 minutes to make. My husband’s pasta did not need that long to prepare, so instead of bringing his food out first and instead of bringing his dish cold with my dish, the kitchen didn’t start cooking his dish until mine was half way done. Our appetizers came out at different times — the lighter bruschetta before the heavier karaage, and by the time our entrees hit the table, the 25 minutes didn’t even matter. Our food was hot and service was attentive.
Unfortunately, I think we caught them in an off night (I’ll let my photos and captions review our meal). We sort of wondered who was in the kitchen because we’ve both been here for lunch several times and every time it was great. Another troubling sign is the menu; it seems to have been cut down considerably. Selection is limited now and no specials were mentioned to us.
We’ve never seen this place busy which is sad because we really like it here. I’m worried that the selective nature of the new menu and the decline in taste and quality ingredients are a sign of things to come. :(
We want to believe that the night we visited for dinner was just bad timing because only two days prior my husband and his coworkers visited for lunch and everything was terrific as usual.
We want to come back and try it again and we hope it’ll be amazing. Until then, this two star review is hopefully subject to change.
Fingers crossed, Ceppo. I still like you. We all have bad days. It’s okay. :)

Miss their old menu. I feel the food here is too confusing and muddled now. I personally don’t like mixing Italian with Japanese… it’s strange.
Wish they’d go back to their original menu.

This review is way over due… Look when Van wrote her review. 1÷25÷2015. Whoops! At least I’m typing up the review the same year! :P
So it was one of those days that Van was in the area and hit me up to go have a bite. She suggested Ceppo, and I said ‘oh f’sho’ looking at the reviews and pictures.
When we got to the place, it was pretty empty inside. We thought nothing of it (we thought it was just an off day) and found a booth to sit at.
and… Read Van’s review on the whole dinner… I’m just going to cover mine… lolll.
Yes, I was trying to be as positive as I can, since Van was already getting annoyed. But for $ 14 my Ravioli Rocotta E Spinaci was only OK. And the portion size was so small. I was feasting on the free bread. and Wendy’s gives better side salads for $ 1.
The Desserts were also just OK.
Will I be back? Probably not. It’s way out of the way now. And the price to quantity ratio is way off here.

By far one our favorite restaurant. Bring your own favorite bottle of wine for a modest corking fee and enjoy a fusion Italian/​Japanese fusion meal. Always kind courteous service and don’t you dare miss that Uni linguini dish. It’s amazing and I always get it even if I get something else too ha! The Mrs always gets the roasted chicken that is equally impressive.
Wait, I’ve gotten ahead of myself. The chicken karaage is a must have and I tend to get the Kobe Tartar as my favorite appetizer.
Save some room for dessert. The chef makes a phenomenal Panna Cotta amongst other things.
Expect a subtle and well balanced meal from start to finish.
It’s a quiet hidden gem and we go probaby once a week or two.

Yum yum yum! What a great find! Can’t believe I pass by this place on the regular but never found out about it until recently! They don’t have a huge menu, but the few items I got to try when I dined here were all great! Must try the beef carpaccio and cha su pork belly!
The main chef even showed great hospitality by walking around to each table to say hi and to ask how everything tasted. How nice!

My favorite Italian restaurant!
I live a bit far so it is a drive to get there but it is so worth it!
All of the appetizers are not only delicious but also beautifully presented.
And the desserts are a MUST! Especially the tiramisu! Mmmm… My mouth waters just thinking about it.
Also dont forget to order the Soup of the Day! Blows my mind away each time!

That was my first time there. I have mo complain about their service at all. They are very nice.
However, about their food I wasn’t impressed.
We ordered Burrata cheese, Karaage chicken and Sea Urchin pasta. Burrata was ok and I can even make it. Karate chicken tastes just ok and sauce was a bit spicy and I liked it. Sea Urchin pasta was too boring, too dry and not creamy enough.
We also ordered panna cotta (so so) and cheese cake (but the waiter brought us Tiramisu) so I did not even tell him I ordered cheese cake and ate the tiramisu (was ok but not great).
So I feel like I was invited someone’s house and ate their food not at restaurant.
I also noticed there were lots of ANTS on the wall next to us and these ants came to our table and even on our plates. At least I killed a dozen of them.
I can’t recommend here. sorry.

We went to lunch for their first opening lunch day! $ 8.95 for each items with salad and soup!
Menu has 6 items so far and we ordered Cream Gratin, Hamburg steak and cod roe and calamari spaghetti.
One of the best cod roe and calamari spaghetti ever! Calamari were very soft and cod roe source was just a perfect strength for noodle.
What a deal! And drinks are $ 1.00 each. They have Italian sodas, ice tea, juices and sodas.
Highly recommend!
Their Beef tar tar for dinner appetizer is the best too.

I really wanted to like this place. They had two of my favorite things — uni pasta and panna cotta, but more importantly, I wouldn’t have to drive to LA to get my fix when craving.
Mushroom Soup ($ 2/​cup) was a toothsome opener that had me hopeful for the next dishes to come out. The Burrata ($ 8) came next and that got my expectations go up the roof all the more. It was a beautiful plate of fresh mozzarella on a bed of greens with prosciutto and pears drizzled with balsamic reduction. The artful presentation had me thinking of LA restaurants, not to mention the sophisticated taste profile.
We started great but you know what they say, all good things must come to an end. Their Spaghetti Carbonara ($ 13) had runny sauce and could seriously use more bacon, peas, cream, and flavor. The execution was a big fail that even the look of it suffered on top of the lackluster seasoning. We added as much salt and cheese to salvage half the dish we could swallow. Unfortunately, it didn’t end there. Their Uni Pasta ($ 15) had non-​existent sea urchin. Again, sauce was watery and under seasoned that not only a dash of salt was needed for every spoonful. It could have been a good quick fix with its subtle hint of uni flavor coming through. Sigh. A special of the day was Beef Stroganoff ($ 17) served with saffron rice. It was delicious but come on, more meat please?
It’s not entirely a sad story though. My saving grace was their Panna Cotta ($ 4). This was a small cup of pure deliciousness that my daughter and I fought over for. Aside from the little piece of raspberry, it was all vanilla that I could savor. I didn’t mind that but I know a berry compote would absolutely make this luscious dessert phenomenal. Hint, hint.
This Japanese-​run restaurant is fairly small but has quite the potential with its commendable service and menu offerings which they can certainly make better. I sure hope Ceppo can survive in this very competitive industry.

Imagine a 1980s restaurant with faded furnishings. Is it Italian? Is it Japanese? Menu always changes so don’t bother using Unilocal photos.
French onion soup: ok
Beef carpaccio: was actually very good and more on the Italian side
Prosciutto and pear: was actually good except they did not display this correctly so I didn’t eat everything with the right proportions
Chicken katsu: why would you order this?
Uni pasta: one of the worst.
Pana cotta: ok
Also had a bottle of wine.
I think I paid about $ 70 – 80 for all of this. The service was great. The restaurant and menu are plain. It has a lot of potential. But I wouldn’t come back.

So my friend and I went on a weekday evening here, and by the middle of our meal we were the only ones in the restaurant, which did make it a little awkward but was okay nonetheless. The restaurant is a little bit on the smaller side.
I had the Linguine con Ricci di Mare, which I felt was just okay. The pasta itself had its good points but there was nothing too special about it. The sauce on top of the pasta was excellent, it had a great uni flavor that did go well with the pasta, but I felt I’ve hard better in the other Japanese pasta places in Gardena/​Torrance. There was no uni on top of this dish that I could find, I think most of it was blended into the pasta.
My friend had the Tomato Risotto, and both of our dishes came at about the same time regardless, though again we were the only ones in the restaurant by around that time. The risotto was decent, wasn’t too memorable beyond that.
Overall the place is good for being in the area, but I feel there is better if you’re willing to travel to Torrance/​Gardena.

I happened to be in the area and I knew my buddy Raymond R was getting off work around that time so I took the opportunity to cross off CEPPO from my bookmarked spots. Raymond R had not been here either so he happily agreed to my suggestion.
The restaurant was small but luckily it was empty so we were immediately seated in a booth and given a few menus to look at. Their Specials change daily so they did not have the Chicken Foie Gras I was looking forward to trying. The overall menu itself was pretty small too so I was expecting them to at least make those items well.
With nothing interesting us on their appetizers menu, Raymond R and I skipped to our main course. To be somewhat healthy he ordered the Ravioli Rocotta E Spinaci ($ 14). I ordered the Linguine con Ricci di Mare ($ 15). Our waitress was quite scatterbrained and she came back moments after taking our order to explain that we can add on a soup or a salad. She was so unclear I had to ask for clarification if she meant the soup/​salad was included with the meal or is it was extra. The answer is it is $ 2 extra per soup/​salad you wish to add on. Raymond R added a salad to his meal. I really think that they should reprint their menus again since these menus were just poorly printed on mediocre paper anyways…
Raymond R’s salad arrived first and it was so tiny. I wouldn’t even pay $ 1 for such a measly unimpressive salad.
We also got complimentary bread. I really shouldn’t complain about free stuff but the complexion of this bread was so pale. It would benefit from more toasting. The bread itself was cold and plain tasting.
When our entrees came I can’t help but notice how little the amount of Ravioli portion was for Raymond R. He was just positive about it saying it was good for him to eat less while on his healthy diet but I definitely did not think his pasta was worth $ 14. He said it tasted okay… but he also questioned how this place had such good ratings so I’m pretty sure he didn’t love it too much.
At a glance my Linguine con Rici de Mare looked like a decent amount of pasta for an entrée. But when I mixed my pasta up I was displeased that there was no chunked of Uni in there at all. I was hoping the flavors would be in the sauce… but no! The «creamy sea urchin sauce’ I expected to come with my meal was so watery and far far away from being creamy. The sauce barely coated the noodles and there was only a faint taste of Uni to the pasta. To be fair, the pasta was cooked well. But the overall dish was so plain and lacking. I even told Raymond R I would have sent the dish back if I wasn’t incredibly hungry and too lazy to find a different place to eat at… not even kidding. For anyone searching for a good Uni Pasta, go to Café Hiro!
So… I was so grumpy I needed THREE desserts to cheer me up. We ordered a Crème Brulee ($ 5), a Panna Cotta ($ 4) and Fondant Chocolate ($ 5). This was my way of giving them three chances to make me less irritated… Knowing that the Panna Cotta is a delicate dessert I tried this first so that the other flavors wouldn’t overpower it in my palette. I must admit I liked it. But I didn’t love it and I usually love Panna Cotta. It was too watery; I don’t think the dessert had enough time to set. Next I tried the Crème Brulee. I call this below average. The top is still nice but that’s just the burnt sugar that I enjoyed. Lastly was the Fondant Chocolate since I knew it would have a rich taste. The first two bites were nice… But there was too much of this dessert. It was too decadent and they gave us a huge piece whereas the Panna Cotta was tiny when I actually would have preferred a bigger portion. How ironic…
Considering the portions are small and the prices aren’t even that cheap I surely won’t be back here… I don’t hate it enough to round this 2.5 experience to a 2 star but it is barely making that 3.

Hole in the wall spot that never even noticed. And I live so close to it! This place is a Japanese Italian spot. I’m starting to see more Japanese style pasta resturants these past few years. And you know what? They do an amazing job with it. Uni Pasta has become such a huge hit recently. They do a pretty good one here. The stand out dishes though were the complimentary bread. Which was soooo soft and warm on the inside. The caprese were pretty delicious with the priscuitto. The risotto was okay. I was blown away by the panna cotta for dessert. Melted beautifully in my mouth. *Drool*
The service was on point. Very friendly and attentive. It’s not a fine dining spot. Very casual and chill. I would come here again
Recommendation: Panna cotta

Sooo disappointed. Came in after seeing good review in local paper. Rosemary chicken (smallest half chicken I’ve ever seen) was under cooked, sauce was tasty but cold, veggies were good but also cold (and slightly less than what would satisfy a marginally hungry 2-​year-​old), mashed potatoes were about 2 tablespoons and… Wait for it… COLD. Hubby’s spaghetti bolognese was watery and half the portion it should have been. Such a bad first impression I will not give this place a second chance. I told the waiter about the cold everything, and he seemed to not give a crap. No offer to heat it, no discount, no apology, nothing.
Now that I’m home (did the review from the restaurant, on my phone), and I’ve read more reviews, I’m wondering if many of the other reviewers were on crack (read: not hungry), had their stomachs stapled (read: not hungry), or had just eaten a cow (read: not hungry). Ceppo had, IMO, very small portions. Hubby, who isn’t nearly as smart-​assy as I am, said «I’d have enjoyed a can of Chef Boyardee as much as this meal, and the can would have been a bigger portion.» I’m just saying…

What a gem!
We’ve been driving by this place and always wondered, but we finally stopped in one night.
DH wasn’t that hungry so we just ordered the Burrata with Pear and Prosciutto as an appetizer and the Uni pasta.
The burrata was so creamy and delicious that I think I might have tried to lick the plate clean. (I can’t guarantee I didn’t).
The Uni pasta was good but I don’t think it is quite as good as Café Hiro’s. Although the reason I didn’t like it as much is the same as a previous poster who mentioned the bitterness being because of eating balsamic vinegar prior to the uni. Makes sense so I will have to give it another try.
Next time I’ll have to go in a little hungrier and try the dessert as well.
The service and food were great so I’m sure «next time» will be soon.

Dishes ordered:
Caprese
Burrata with pear and prosciutto
Uni pasta
Spaghetti vongole bianco
Cheesecake
Panna cotta
Also tried:
Bruschetta
Crème brûlée
I think the dish I loved the most was the burrata with pear and prosciutto. The cheese was super creamy and smooth and paired well with the salty prosciutto and sweet pear. The dish was more exciting and tasty than the caprese. The uni linguine was creamy and delicious. The spaghetti with clams was also good I just found the uni pasta to be more satisfying. My favorite dessert was the panna cotta. The texture was amazing and it was sweet and delicious. The cheesecake and the crème brûlée were also delicious. There were some pomegranate seeds on the crème brûlée, which I’ve never had before and it paired well. Overall, I loved the food. I would totally be coming back. Um the soda was from a can so, I was pretty sure there was no refills. The iced tea was refillable though!

Uni Pasta!!! And don’t forget dessert…
In the most unassuming of plazas, a stones throw away from Ocean View High School, is Ceppo. The first time I went I hesitated to go in because there was no one in the restaurant. Then five minutes later some more people came in, then some more. I hope for them it gets mad busy because this is a hidden gem that I want around for years to come.
Prices here are modest and the food quality here is high. Overlook the bare bones dated décor and you’ll find that every dish that you’re served is very precise. The ingredient measurements, the presentation, the portion size, it’s all a perfect fit. I don’t think you can go wrong with anything on the menu.
Uni Linguine ($ 19) — If you’re a fan of Uni/​Sea Urchin, this dish alone is worth the drive. Linguine noodles bathed in creamy uni sauce, with chunks of uni and sprinkled with a little dried seaweed. When my dish first arrived, I wondered where the uni was, because only one small piece was showing. After a couple of bites, I saw that all the uni pieces were buried and had fallen to the bottom. There doesn’t look like there’s much sauce in the picture, but it’s prepared with just the right amount. Towards then end of the dish, the uni started tasting bitter and I figured out what was causing the problem. If you eat the bread and dip it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, the lingering balsamic vinegar in your mouth really messes with the uni. My advice… avoid the balsamic vinegar while eating your uni pasta.
Chicken Foie Gras Spread with Round Toast ($ 5) — Homemade chicken foie gras, rich, creamy and made just right for spreading over toast and bread. Chicken foie gras cannot compare with that of goose or duck (not as rich in flavor), but is still a treat. Good for sharing between two or three people, because too much of a good thing is, well, too much of a good thing.
Spaghetti Carbonara ($ 12) — Spaghetti noodles, pancetta, scallions and cream sauce tossed together to form a very filling dish. Fatty slices of pancetta for every bite of noodle that I had.
Tiramisu ($ 5) — The best tiramisu I’ve had in years! It’s a huge piece that was spooned (not cut) onto my plate, doused in cocoa powder. «Mascarpone cheese and savoiardi cakes dipped in espresso served with seasonal fruits…» Mine was served with strawberries, lingonberries, grapes, blueberries and raspberries circling the edges. This tiramisu is an ideal melding of cake, cream and fruit.
They do serve complimentary bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Some people would want to label this Japanese Italian Fusion, but I don’t think that’s the right label. I’d probably just say Japanese Italian… Italian in that it’s pasta, but Japanese in that the sauces are more delicate, it’s not laid on thick like Italian Italian places. I left feeling full, but didn’t feel that I over did it and I like it that way.
What you can’t miss is the dessert. Pick one, any one… tiramisu, crème brûlée, volcano chocolat, they are all divine and just as good as or better than places that charge double for the same dish.
Service here is friendly and efficient. The waitresses will gladly explain any dish for you and they do speak Japanese.
I enjoyed my meal so much that I came back again the same week just so I could try something else on the menu. If you’re someone that doesn’t need all the show or the hype and are dying for top notch dishes at unbelievable prices, Ceppo is it.

Ceppo is Located on Warner just before Gothard.
Its a Japanese influenced Italian Restaurant. The inside is very nice and clean. The waitresses speak Japanese. They have a nice selection of Pasta’s and Entrees. We order for a our appetizer a mushroom salad they called it something else but I forget the exact name. It was really good. I order the Pork loin which was an Italian version of Tonkatsu. My Pork was cooked perfectly and had a great flavor all was served mixed veggies and mash potatoes. My wife ordered the Sea Urchin Pasta but her Sea Urchins were very bitter and she said it pretty much ruined the dish because of the sour flavor. Then we ordered dessert. We ordered a cheese cake and Jelly Fruit Cup. They were amazing. Over all this place was good I thought. My wife was a little bummed but we will give Ceppo another try and hopefully everything will be great.

I would have never found Ceppo Italian Cuisine without a little guidance. My friend and I wanted to meet up and she suggested Ceppo. I looked at the pictures on Unilocal and was instantly intrigued. Italian/​Japanese food? I’ve never been to a restaurant with that combination. Here’s my pics and descriptions that hopefully will entice you to make a visit:
I was delighted to see this amuse bouche to start. It’s gorgonzola wrapped with zucchini and a small side of squash.
The Insalata di Polpo is a marinated octopus with sweet not sour grapefruit, cucumber, and tomatoes lightly coated with a balsamic vinaigrette. Some of the octopus was on the chewy side, but they tasted good and it was all very fresh.
My favorite appetizer was the Trippa alla Romana. Very tender strips of braised tripe with Tomato sauce. There was a definite balance to this dish. I wanted more.
My friend and I went straight for the Linguine con Ricci di Mare. Perfectly cooked pasta with a rich sea urchin sauce. Pictures of this uni pasta are what sold me to come to Ceppo. It didn’t disappoint. If I was at home, I would like the bowl clean.
The other side of our table opted for a beef. Bistecca All’ Aglio. I was impressed with the portion of beef served with this dish. Any other restaurant would serve this dish well north of $ 20. It cooked at perfect temperature and seasoning. The veggies and fluffy mashed potatoes were a nice addition to the meal.
For dessert I chose a silky smooth Panna Cotta. This was one was a very simple vanilla bean panna cotta. Excellent texture and flavor. I could eat this at every meal.
The classic crème brûlée with some fresh fruit. I don’t normally order crème brûlée because it’s offered at almost every Italian restaurant.
I do enjoy and great tiramisu and this one didn’t disappoint.
Ceppo brings my favorite aspects of classic Italian flavor packed with Japanese lightness. This isn’t your insurmountable American portions, so order a few items and have a wonderful dining experience. Ceppo is all about the quality.
4.5 stars upped to 5