Prior to aviation, creating an authentic Italian meal in America required authentic Italian chefs to traverse the Atlantic in a boat with sails made of lasagna noodles, an anchor of bruschetta, and a deck hand-carved out of ricotta. Sample authentic Neapolitan fares that never bathed in the ocean with today's Groupon: for $14, you get $30 worth of authentic Italian fare and drinks at La Bottega Marino at three locations in West LA, Larchmont, and Beverly Hills.

Brothers Mario and Sal Marino keep Neapolitan-style cuisine artfully alive by offering dishes made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. For starters from the current summer menu, tantalize your stomach with savory spuntini such as polpette al sugo, a pair of meatballs served with ragu ($6). Insalata di carciofi hugs your tongue with freshly shaved artichoke, arugula, and parmigiano ($13), and a Milanese sandwich treats tasters to breaded chicken breast, organic greens, and tomato, trapped between homemade bread slices ($9). Although non-Italian restaurants resort to using excess lasagna noodles for napkins, La Bottega Marino's lasagna is served di carne, which features traditional meats ($13), or bianca, with mushroom, spinach, and bechamel sauce ($12). After an entree of pollo alla griglia, or grilled chicken breast ($15), guest can put their feasting muscles to rest with warm nutella pound-cake ($6).

La Bottega Marino has a lengthy wine list dedicated to Italian vineyards, with options such as VignaBaldo pinot grigio ($7/glass, $30/bottle) and Villa Claudia Chianti ($9/glass, $36/bottle). All menu items are crafted with fresh, locally sourced ingredients, which allow for optimal edibility and healthy, eco-friendly discussions in the restaurant's trio of cozy pasta pantries.

Dine-in only.

Reviews

Yelpers at the West LA La Bottega Marino give it an average of four stars, while Yelpers at the Larchmont location give it an average of 3.5 stars. Seven Yelpers give the Beverly Hills location a 4.5-star average:

• Excellent service, delicious food, very cool design. – George K., Beverly Hills location
• Really casual and unpretentious. Tons of choices-- from pasta to risotto to sandwiches to salads to antipastos to soups to dessert to to to. Great deli selection, too. – Lia H., Santa Monica Blvd location

Customer Reviews