Nab a table or some takeout at Union for a taste of chef Christopher Keyser’s cooking. The torchetti is topped with a Calabrese pork ragu, ricotta, crispy rosemary leaves, and best of all, an intense dried chile oil that the chef calls “pizza grease,” while the squid ink lumache comes with Maine lobster and truffle butter.

Chef Matt Molina’s Hippo in Highland Park continues to draw crowds hungry for a California take on pastas, large-format proteins, and plenty of cocktails and wine through the pandemic. Stop in for a bite on the patio or order takeout to-go but don’t sleep on the corn-stuffed agnolotti if its on the menu.

Stephen Kalt’s enduring California-Italian restaurant serves a wide variety of fresh, housemade pastas (with two sizes to boot, a starter portion and a larger entree), including short rib tortelloni and fettucine cacio e pepe.

Chef Chad Colby has entire team dedicated to processing Antico Nuovo’s handmade spaghetti, ravioli, pappardelle, and other pastas, which are made with some of LA’s most unique sauces. The spaghetti with uni is delicately rich, so is the bigoli with the delightful duck offal ragu. The pillowy ravioli di nonna takes more subtle cues. Whichever pasta you choose, come with a group to sample them all with a few servings of foccacia bread. —Mona Holmes

Angelini Osteria is a Beverly Boulevard legend thanks to chef Gino Angelini and his incredible pasta making skills. From the restaurant’s signature lemon cream pasta to ones made with sea urchin — this is a true pasta haven. The fried basil-topped lasagna is notable as well.

Santa Monica’s Forma is a haven for pasta-lovers well-versed in the art of handmade noodles and lots of cheese. As the full name of the place notes, Forma’s interplay with cheese and pasta is legendary, including an entire menu section where just-finished noodles are worked together inside of a large wheel of Italian cheese for the added creamy decadence. Cacio e pepe anyone? —Farley Elliott

Chef Ori Menashe has more than a deft hand at cooking rustic, meat-centric Italian fare, but it is hard to argue that the real draw here are the perfect, soul-warming pastas. The spaghetti rustichella with dungeness crab and cavatelli alla norcina with housemade pork sausage and black truffle are the blockbuster hits.

Whether in the mood to hop behind the stove or just simply reheat, Pasta Sisters has noodle lovers covered. Freshly made spaghetti, tagliatelle, pappardelle, and lasagna sheets are available for sale, along with composed dishes like pasta with bottarga and pasta with porcini mushrooms.

Westsiders know Stefano De Lorenzo’s cooking well from his days at La Botte (which earned one Michelin star in 2008) and at his Venice beach restaurant Piccolo. The seasoned Italian chef is back with Colapasta, a low-key spot specializing in fresh pasta near Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade. The half-moon-shaped red beet ravioli with brown butter and poppy seeds comes from De Lorenzo’s hometown.

Sugarfish co-founders Lele Massimini and Jerry Greenberg have created a standalone sensation in Uovo, the pasta-focused restaurant that aims for quality and speed. The company actually ships in pasta overnight from a kitchen they run in Bologna, Italy, serving it out of their sparse, well-appointed spaces across the city. The amatriciana is a popular order, as well as the tortellini finished with Parmesan cream or swimming in brodo.

Evan Funke is dedicated to making noodles by hand the old fashion way. The result is some of the most extraordinary pasta in the city. Plan on making several return trips to eat through the menu broken down by regions in Italy.

Straightforward and satisfying Italian-American fare is the specialty at Sunday Gravy. Look for red checkered tablecloths and the genre’s greatest hits like cheesy garlic bread, New York-style cheesecake, and fettuccini alfredo. 

Located in a warehouse district of Gardena, Eatalian stands as a beacon of Italian food without any fussy decor or service. The pastas are generous and prepared in the classical style on large heavy plates. The carbonara has an immense, thick sauce that carries the guanciale really well. This is reasonably priced, delicious pasta for the whole family. —Matthew Kang