Campagnola

So after my friend had the worst Halloween of we life we decided to have a fatty date. As per usual we never have an specific plan. All we knew Is that we were hungry. Pulled out groupon and found a 20 – 40 deal.
We headed to the place. It’s located where all the nicer restaurants on Westwood are located. Including one of my favorites. Shamshari (not sure the spelling) .
As far as parking, there is valet parking. We parked on the street and had no issues. There is plenty of parking.
The place is nice. Not much ambiance but still quaint. We were sat promptly and given a choice of seat.
The menu is mostly in Italian and even the servers spoke it natively. It was a nice touch until our server made a comment.
We were not given a wine list maybe we just looked to young. The wine list isn’t so impressive. Most wines are Italian only one was chianti and most from 2009.

It’s closed when I arrived at 19:30 on a Sunday night?!
And there’s a sign of the change of ownership.

A 2 space business, so it’s not small, it’s just right. A small patio on the street side might meet your fancy, and 5 tables might be your delight.
The bar, in the front room, is large and nearly takes up the whole space. It seats about 10. From 5p-​9p, M-​F, is the real deal on the happy hour. A lot of mixed drinks, wines, and beers are $ 4 – 6, and there is plenty of food, too, all at $ 5 ea. Giddy up.
The ambiance is fairly quiet, exposed raw beams, and light wood. It’s alright, but a little dated. I sat down like a dummy, and ordered real food off the real full menu.
Caesar salad ($ 9) was practically a joke. Chopped romaine lettuce, very light dressing, with 2 anchovy fillets and boxed croutons. Mediocre at best.
The warm bread and crackers were good ($ free), while the olive paste that comes with it is a «why bother». Tasteless.
If the Chicken Milanese ($ 18.50) was the savior, it left me behind to wither. Two small pieces, lightly fried, with itty-​bitty half-​size mashed potatoes that didn’t taste fresh or real. No flavor. No salt. Bland. Best thing on the plate was the garnish, an arugula salad. Made me wish that I ordered one huge one, and nothing else. As a whole, it was at least $ 3 overpriced.
What I liked most was the cadence of the evening. Everything was very fluid. I was served the warm bread, the drink, and before I knew it the salad came, and only when I was done, was the chicken order placed and served.
I got out while the goings good, before dessert. With an expired livingsocial as the key, I would have been very sad to pay $ 33 for this meal. Instead, it was $ 13, except I forgot that I paid $ 20 previously for the coupon. In my case, it’s bliss.
Bar or bust is what I say. I’d much rather have eaten for $ 10 at Taste of Tehran.

I came here for dinner last December with Lois K. as she had a $ 20 for $ 40 worth of food deal. Street parking can be a challenge to find but we managed to do it! We were seated right away; the restaurant has a quiet intimate atmosphere with dim lighting. We were given complimentary bread with an olive tapenade which was quite delicious.
As someone who loves butternut squash ravioli, of course I got their Mezzalune Di Zucca: homemade half moon shape ravioli filled with butternut squash and aromatic herbs in a delicate creamy mascarpone cheese sauce. It normally comes topped with pine nuts but I asked them to skip that part. The ravioli was delicious and well flavoured. Lois got their special of Butternut Linguini; she enjoyed her dish as well. For dessert we shared their Crema di Vaniglia, which was basically crème brûlée. Delicious of course.
The food and the service here are both really good. But it’s a bit pricey, so I probably wouldn’t come back here unless my friends and I had another good deal.

I’ve come to this place multiple times using a Travelzoo deal, and have ALWAYS had a pleasant experience.
The complimentary bread is so good! Delivered to the table nice and warm served with a side of olives in olive oil. So delicious!
The best thing on this menu is the butternut squash ravioli! Call me crazy, but I drive one hour to eat this pasta dish. I know some other Unilocalers complain about the portion size, but come on, it’s homemade pasta and fresh butternut squash! I usually find myself not able to finish the whole plate.
I agree that sometimes the service can be off, but still worth the visit.

I will say right up front that I would not recommend this place to anyone. The food was disgusting and I had to spit it out. I felt the staff were rude and condesending, especially toward me as a woman, and the fact that I had a Groupon/​coupon.
This is a local restaurant and I was looking forward to eating here because I like Italian food. I made a reservation for two per the Groupon instruction ($ 50 for two dine in). When I arrived alone at 7pm, a tall thin man seated me and crackers and a bowl of black crushed olives were delivered to my table. I told them my friend would be arriving later. The place was empty except for two tables. I looked at the menu and decided to order something but was ignored… i could not get the attention of the two wait staff who stood with their backs to me for what seemed like an eternity watching the door. It was clear I was not getting any attention until my friend arrived. I finally caught the thin man’s eye and said I wanted to go ahead and order. I had my Groupon in clear view and he said, «I cannot honor the Groupon unless there are TWO people present.» I said okay, I would leave and come back another time –with my friend. A short time later I returned with my boyfriend and we ordered together. Suddenly the tall thin man was much more smiley, attentive and friendly, trying to get my friend’s attention (although I would be the one paying the tip – I left an excellent tip despite the poor quality of the food and miserable service). I felt that he was rude and sexist.
Now the food — the presentation was lovely but I the mussels and clams tasted BAD, FOUL, EXPIRED. I eat shellfish a lot so I know how it is supposed to taste. Perhaps because they hardly have any customers and I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu or they purposely served the «group on» customer the old shellfish that they should have just thrown out. The tall thin man came over to inquire «how the shellfish was». I thought they must have been laughing, but my bf said he probably saw that I had spat it out on the side dish.
Throughout our whole meal, the two wait staff kept hover nearby evesdropping on our conversation. I dont expect this place will last long if that is how they treat customers who are trying out their establishment for the first time. I will NEVER return. I recommend the Italian places down the street Pomodoro or La Bruschetta if you are in that area.

I’ve been here a few times, but this was the worst dining experience I’ve had in a while. The food was okay. I ordered grilled skinless chicken breast which is served with mashed potatoes and spinach. I requested no potatoes and extra spinach. Although the waiter acknowledged the request, it was served with mashed potatoes and spinach.
From the moment our entrees were placed on the table (by a server who was not our waiter) until the waiter brought the dessert menus, no one checked to see whether our entrees were okay or whether we needed anything. I ordered the spumoni for dessert and was told they were out.
Overall, not a experience I will attempt to repeat anytime soon.

Pity there is no minus. The worse restaurant I’ve ever tried. I’m not even discussing the ambience, which was non existent, but the food was horrific. My husband’s pasta was a block of tagliatelle all attached to each other. My soup was tasteless. All I can say is that I can’t believe the positive ratings.

Wow, what a treat! I was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant. It was the best Italian food I’ve had in LA.
I’ve been taking Italian class at the Italian Cultural Center in Westwood, and on my way to my class, I saw this place and thought to myself, I bet you that place is good. Fast forward a month, I finally got to try it out.
To start the meal, they give you warm, fresh baked bread with olive tapenade.
We ordered:
Appetizer — Burrata e peperoni rossi (burrata served with roasted red bell pepper and arugula). Burrata was so creamy and delicious, perfectly paired with sweet roasted bell pepper.
Entrée —
Lasagna Nostrane: Homemade pasta sheet layered with meat sauce and bechamel sauce, finished with tomato sauce. Excellent. The pasta sheets were so light, all the sauces went well together. I’d definitely get this again.
Tortelloni al Carciofi: Homemade tortelloni filled with artichoke and ricotta cheese, served with pink sauce. This was sooooo good. The tortelloni filling was delicious. This dish was recommended by our waiter, it wasn’t something that we would have picked ourselves, so we were really glad he recommended it!
Too bad we were too full at this point to try their dessert…
Our waiter was an Italian guy with thick Italian accent and warm personality. Great service!
Honestly, I don’t understand why this place gets 3.5 stars on Unilocal.I’ve been to many restaurants with 3.5 stars before, and usually I agree with that rating. But with Campagnola, I am puzzled. Their food is so good, yes the portions are not big, but considering the quality, everything is reasonably priced.
We were there on a Saturday night, and it wasn’t that busy, so I worry if this restaurant can stay in business… I hope so!!! If you are in the mood for Italian, try Campagnola, you will not be disappointed! Writing this review is making me hungry right now…

Despite the varying reviews for this place, I actually quite enjoyed my time at this restaurant today as a first-​time customer. At 7:30 on a Thursday night, nearly every table at the restaurant was taken. The waiters were attentive and food was great, so I have no complaints!
Unlike some other reviews, I didn’t think the portions were too small. It probably just depends on which dish you order. Also, portions may look tiny in the photos on Unilocal,but it’s mainly because the restaurant uses very large plates to present their food.
I got one of the pasta dishes from the «Specials» section, but I forgot what it’s called since it had a complicated Italian name. I just know that it contained tiger shrimp, white fish, olives, softened cherry tomatoes, and thin pasta. I substituted the red sauce mentioned on the menu with the restaurant’s pink sauce. The combination of all the flavors together was wonderful!

I spent part of the summer in Italy and this made me feel like I was back, except the food was better.
I had the veal with porcini mushrooms which rocked. Two of us got salads, both completely excellent, and I’m understating how good they were. Friend of mine got the lasagna and said besides his moms it was the best he’d had, and it was certainly the best I had.
My wife had an artichoke ravioli dish that was amazing.
Our server Claudio was a really nice gentleman from Firenze. The owner is also Italian, it made us all feel like we were back in Italy.
I look forward to going back!

Very disappointed. .. .
Sure, it was a last-​minute find after reading some Unilocal reviews… But I mean… why so mediocre? or not even. Even when I was starved??? Why couldn’t you make my hungry stomach happy?
What we ordered was pretty safe or what I read to be one of their better dish! But… nop… I can’t remember the exact names but we ordered their lasagna & pumpkin tortellini which both failed to be great! The pumpkin tortellini dish definitely had a lot more flavor and I can «kinda» see why people liked it, but the skin was too thick and was almost too chewy! Lasagna was just dry and not even good to take home the left-​over…
Sure, I did notice that there were a lot of regular-​looking elderly people, but our dinner was disappointing to the point where I felt bad for bringing my friend who doesn’t come out to LA often! Yup… «Meh, I’ve experienced better» says it all.

I’ve had nothing but amazing experiences here. The food, service and atmosphere is amazing. No complaints!
First, when you walk in you are usually greeted by the owner who is insanely friendly. The rest of the servers are equally friendly and, I think, are all actually Italian! When you sit down you get delicious warm bread with an olive tapenade spread, so good! I usually ask for olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip my bread in. I haven’t had a bad appetizer or main course. Their caprese salad is to die, as is the calamari. I usually get risotto with seafood, and my boyfriend loves their bolognese. IF you look around, there is usually a groupon or Unilocal deal for this place. Great place to bring friends and family. I highly recommend!

Idk why it’s never packed, but I won’t mind so long as it stays open for me to enjoy! We returned here recently with another Groupon and this time took a couple of friends. Another great experience with delicious food and a good bottle of wine. Polenta for an app, yummy gnocchi with bolognese (per Claudio’s recommendation), a seafood pasta, and a fettucini entrée. The server also surprised our friend with an entrée he loved (my friend’s request).
Can’t wait to go back again! (and again and again)

Came here with a google offers deal and realized that they always have a Unilocal deal going on. Finding parking here on a weekday was not too difficult but for the lazy they have valet available. I had placed a reservation not knowing how busy they get but it didn’t look like there was a shortage of tables. The service here was very good and the waiter with the accent was very nice.
The food was decent. The pasta was good and had a nice chew but the flavor for the spicy tomato with bacon sauce probably could have been developed a little more. I like the choose your own pasta and sauce combo they have and the butternut squash ravioli wasn’t bad.
Precoupon price was for 2 people getting a appetizer and 2 entrees was about $ 50 so the coupon made it worth it. Without it I dont think I would be coming back.

This place is on Westwood Blvd in Westwood… so it’s smack dab in the middle of Little Tehran… which makes an Italian restaurant seem kind of out of place? Maybe. When I can walk down the street and get some saffron and rose ice cream… it seems a little weird. but I guess it doesn’t really matter in the great scheme of things.
It was a Thursday night and the place wasn’t packed to the brim but the side where we were seated on the right of the restaurant was pretty packed with people.
Parking wasn’t a problem… there was plenty of street metered parking. and you can park there for free after 8. I wouldn’t recommend the side streets though… they have that whole permit parking thing… which I’ve had to learn the hard way in Beverly Hills one time.
Anyway…
At first they bring you a basket of bread and some olive spread. There were two kinds of bread served: a crispy, bubbly, thin bread which was way too crispy for my taste. Then there was more of a fluffy foccacia underneath which was much more tasty. The breads were served warm which was a good thing. As for the olives, it was pretty good. They did seem to just be diced black olives with olive oil and a bit of garlic but it was still surprisingly tasty… especially considering how simple it was.
Entrees:
I had Farfalle alla Panna. It was delicious! I guess the fresh made pasta really makes a difference! The bowties were so small and yummy… their size really made a big difference to the composition of the dish. It was littered with peas and a couple mushrooms and just the right amount of diced prosciutto. I guess it was most like a carbonara… but it was just so good. The perfect amount of peppery and creaminess mixed with the saltiness of the prosciutto. Yum!
My friend had the Spaghetti Alla Pescatora. I dislike seafood but it was towered with the stuff. Mussels and clams and a couple shrimp… with a bed of spaghetti in the middle. (On a side note: My friend wanted Parmesan on his pasta {at least it was fresh grated! It’s a huge pet peeve of mine if it’s not} and I know seafood and cheese is a big no-​no… but the waiter put it on his dish and then in Italian started complaining about seafood and cheese not mixing. It was hilarious but really kind of uncalled for since it was right in front of him… ah well)
All in all, the pastas were pretty good. Really fresh and tasty!
As for the prices, I would say they’re kinda pricey… typically the pastas were from $ 12 – 16 and if you wanted something with much more meat it was about $ 20+
But…
This place tends to run lots of Unilocal,Google and Groupon deals. Actually my friend and I decided on this place, because they had a Groupon Now deal for before 10 pm. $ 20 for $ 40 worth of food and just having to show your phone… amazing! This place was definitely a steal for $ 20 for two people! I am going to be obsessed with «groupon now»! :)

I went here with my parents last night. We used to go with their oldest friend, 92, who lived on Midvale and Ohio, to La Bruschetta a block or so South of Campagnola on Westwood Blvd, and I would recommend this restaurant, particularly if you are paying for yourself. (Regrettably, sometimes one must do this, even as a voluble girl who has been told she’s a pleasant raconteur.) It is as another Unilocal reviewer noted a good neighborhood Italian.
It’s a light, airy restaurant, family owned by brothers. Our server was wonderful and told me, «For you, anything! For him, not sure!» (He was referring to my father, whom the owner recognized, «I know this older gentleman!»)
My father and mother have lived in the Pacific Palisades 38 years and Dad has a rule: «Nothing East of the 405 except in cases of emergencies or UCLA events.» Mom got a Groupon for 20 off so she convinced him to make the oh so long trek from the Palisades to Westwood and we were all thrilled we did.
The prices are extremely reasonable, with many entrée pastas in the mid-​teens. My lamb chops were the one of the most expensive things on the menus and they were large and tender in a garlic and rosemary sauce with wonderful roasted potatoes on the side. The pizzas are apparently quite good but Mom opted for the pasta at the last minute. The lamb pasta with ricotta and artichokes had been my first choice but our friendly waiter took my third finger – I thought he was looking at my eternity band which I love and which Tel Aviv jewelers in the New York subway think is mined rather than synthetic – and pointed to the lamb chops instead.
The bread basket features a plain focaccia with chopped olives (not really a sauce or tapenade). I dislike olives and asked for butter, a sweet, fresh, not fluffy butter which went equally well on the bread and the flat crackers.
Mom got a carbonara pasta, which the server pointed out is slightly nontraditional. Since I don’t like bacon in anything except a cobb or a BLT, it didn’t thrill me but it was very good if you like bacon-​enhanced dishes.
One of the restaurant’s innovations is a mix and match of fresh pasta with sauces. Campagnola offers about 8 different sauces with 8 fresh pastas and the prices start at 13.95 and go up to 17.95 for a generous helping.
Dad’s Caesar looked good but not mind-​blowing. Wilshire (pricey) has the best Caesar on the Westside in my view, with honorable mention to the old Guido’s on Santa Monica and Bundy. It was open some time when I graduated from high school in 1990 and they have updated the menu considerably in the intervening decades.
I liked my 8 dollar/​glass Pinto Grigio from Italy and Dad was happy with his prosecco. Mom was delighted to see they had a full bar, which she didn’t remember from the last time, as she doesn’t drink wine anymore, just gin.
The desserts looked wonderful, in the 7 dollar range too which is good for the Westside, but we didn’t try the panna cotta which would have been my choice.
It’s a lovely, casual but not stuffy or elegant Westside Italian and we had a great time. It was slightly louder than they remember – one of Dad’s criterion for restaurants is that they NOT be like «New York City,» by which he means tables close together with loud-​talkers on either side.
Obviously, WLA is overpopulated with Italian restaurants but this is on the low-​end in terms of price of fine dining on the Westside and a nice choice if you’re around Westwood or West LA. It has a more authentic feel than Louise’s, their go-​to modest Italian, and the servers have great, warm Italian personalities.
Even without the Groupon, this is less than they spend at Guido’s and far less than they spend at the Daily Grill or Wilshire, which is their most expensive restaurant in their 10-​restaurant stable of places which provides efficient, personal service to my father, a cantankerous, 87-​yr-​old who doesn’t like to wait (understatement).

A flat 3 star. This place was not amazing and not totally bad. I would not come back nor recommend it.
Came here with a Bloomspot coupon $ 25 for $ 50 and 2 proseccos. Since both my guest and I don’t really drink, we asked if we could get cokes instead of prosecco (coke is a lot cheaper than prosecco on their menu and I thought it really wouldn’t matter to them), but they adhered strictly to the terms of the coupon. OK fine.
My guest ordered a veal dish, which was on par according to him. I ordered a squid ink linguine pasta with white fish, tomatoes and sweet peas that was terrible: fish was overcooked, tomatoes were pretty unripe, raw and tasting spoiled, the whole dish was also not seasoned well so it’s AYOSP (add your own salt and pepper).

mmm. used a Unilocal deal here, which definitely boosted its ratings.
I am a huge pasta lover, as well as a huge Italian food lover.
While the pasta at Campagnola was superb, I did find the prices a bit steep for its portions. Although the flavor was justified.
The service was superb, the atmosphere was.simple. Not too loud, but not horrifically quiet.
Parking? There is metered parking out front, but my advice? Circle around the side streets and walk a little. It’s a great mini-​workout for before and after a carb overload.
So bottom line? I probably wouldn’t pick Campagnola as my first choice for dining. but it definitely wouldn’t be my last. Yet it is good enough that if I were to use a Unilocal deal again… well, it’s a no brainer. campagnola it would be!

Good.