In Jonathan Gold's First Bite review of All' Angelo, the Stefano Ongaro/Mirko Paderno partnership that recently opened on Melrose, he makes a slight comparison Angeli Caffe, which opened on Melrose 1984. In truth, the two restaurants so closely resemble each other—both are Italian restaurants on Melrose, both have some derivative of "angel" in their names, both use some sort of angel wing in their logos—that more than one person has confused the two recently. We won't even get into Angelini located on nearby Beverly Boulevard. So we offer a brief breakdown so you don't make an ass out of yourself yelling at a stressed out hostess that you're absolutely sure you made a reservation for five on Friday night, received a follow up call, and double checked the address to make sure you went to the right place, only to find out you had a reservation for five at the other Italian-angelsomething-named restaurant two blocks away.
IF YOU SEE THIS...
You are at: All' Angelo (7166 Melrose Ave., 323.933.9540)
You will see: Contemporary design; antique meat slicer at far end of room; wine cuvinet system at bar; friends, couples, slightly dressy date nights.
You will get: Masculine vibe from GM and chef; lots of braised meats; Northern Italian-style cooking; lemon bread pudding.
IF YOU SEE THIS...
You are at: Angeli Caffe (7274 Melrose Ave., 323.936.9086)
You will see: People stumbling to find front door; handsome servers in T-shirts with angel wings; super casual friends, families, couples.
You will get: Warm, femine vibe; orgasmic fresh-baked bread; inexpensive pastas, pizzas, market-fresh salads; chocolate bread pudding.
We now institute a moratorium on any angel-sounding Italian restaurant name with angel wings as logo.
· First Bite: Angel Food [LA Weekly]
· Eater's Journal: All' Angelo [Eater LA]
