Ca Del Sole — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Once upon a time... this was one of my favorite spots to treat folk from out of town, or to set up a business lunch.

Everyone was warm, the servers were on their game and caring, the food was excellent, and tho not 'inexpensive', certainly a decent exchange for what you got.

NOT ANYMORE, folks.

NOTE: Ownership is responding "Thank you, __" to every review, not acknowledging worthwhile complaints. Nice way to boost a search engine, folk, without bothering to care about their failings. How about acknowledging the poor experience you provided or caring about your paying patrons...? AND the loyal hardworking waitstaff, cooks, bussers whom you now advertise you no longer feed on their 'lunch'?

We decided to order take-out on what was a packed Friday. When I say PACKED - the parking lot (never well-organized or well-designed, always hard to get in and out of) was a mess.

The place certainly was not wanting for business. In fact, we were told it was so busy, our wait for pick-up would be an hour.

Okay. So we arrive a bit early, and watch. MOST of the clientele that night were in their late 50's to early 70's. TWO Hostesses upfront, alerts ringing for Uber eats and reservations.

We'd order 2 simple salads and a simple pasta - no meat dishes. This, with their 'dining-in' service and tax, brought the total to $70. 2 simple salads and a pasta. Before a tip to Hostess.

We're told the place had THREE managers (that's how 'prosperous' they are).

YET: we had to ASK for bread - they chose not to include it. Someone orders 70$ worth of food - and this bustling, prosperous place, can't afford 2 pieces of bread.

NO NAPKINS (and none offered). NO UTENSILS. We ask. The two young, pretty hostesses look at each other. As if this was an unusual request- for a TO GO order.

We notice they've left out one of the dressings. Again we get a blank stare. One of them again leaves for the kitchen.

WHILE WE ARE WAITING, my beau notices a 2 PAGE PRINTOUT taped AT EYE LEVEL behind the Front Desk. RIGHT THERE for EVERY PATRON to clearly read, in 18 point font, bold.

We were just so heartbroken to read this - ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE PLACE IS FULL, and can afford 3 MANAGERS for one evening and 2 HOSTESSES. It clearly states that, for years, Ca De Sole has been happy to provide one meal prepared by the chef for Staff to have one decent meal while working an insane long shift at this hectic, packed restaurant. But that given the 'cost of doing business' (DESPITE the fact that - like ALL LA RESTAURANTS, they're now slapping the customer with "Service Fees" before tips to OFFSET rising costs...) - they have as of now discontinued the 'one meal' helping of pasta and salad to all Staff.

"NO FOOD IS TO BE REMOVED / EATEN from the Kitchen..." etc etc.

I have to tell you: the fact that a) they can afford 3 managers (and feel they NEED that many) and 2 HOSTESSES (they probably need that many if they're as green as these two) AND are now not providing a bit of food for their hardworking bussers and servers who likely are scraping out a living... the practice of EVERY restaurant worth its salt... AND b) felt the need to POST THIS so ALL PATRONS can feel sad and uncomfortable EATING at this restaurant knowing that the Ownership is this stingy... and the servers/bussers aren't getting their one lunch on break...

Shame on you, Ca De Sole.

For the record, the senior manager (we were told) was rude to one of the bussers - we watched the poor guy, clearly new, not understand a request the manager gave him, and the tone the manager used could chill a draft beer. He spotted us looking at him, grimaced, and walked away.

The food: Pasta was overcooked, not al dente as requested. It's described on the menu as 'mildly spicy' yet SO full of red peppers my tongue lost taste. NOT worth 70$ no matter the 'cost of living'. You get FAR better in Studio City's TRATTORIA DEL SOLE

SO so many great restaurants in LA and the SFV. This is not one of them. Not fair portions / great for the cost. Suggest trying one of the great...

This place has always been reliable for “reliable Italian food”. Like most places post Covid, it struggles to maintain quality and is a bit inconsistent.

Sometimes the portions are generous, sometimes they leave a lot to be desired.

I do need to give a huge shout out to the only manager at the moment who is doing an admirable job.

We had an issue with our pasta - it came out so spicy that we could not finish it, and it kind of ruined the rest of our lunch, but Vincenzo was gracious, kind, and, without missing a beat, ensured we were made right for the experience.

We had had a similar issue, literally the month before, with a pasta dish being incorrect, but the senior manager that night - a much older gentleman, was almost rude, saying that “without proof of anything, there was nothing he could do”. We literally had the credit card number that we charged with and the date that we were there, but because he didn’t want to look it up / look into it and make it right - he preferred to get a one star review on yelp from us. Which we did, making clear that this kind of nickel and diming is not acceptable for a place that charges exceptionally high pricing for pasta and marinara sauce.

Not sure if that Manager was also an owner - and we certainly understand everyone has bad days – but his behavior and attitude was condescending, certainly abrupt, and not looking to resolve the issue.

But because of Vincenzo’s attitude and willingness to make things right, we were willing to come back for another try.

Note to ownership: Believe it, or not, generosity of spirit and kindness to loyal customers, going back 25 years is the way to win the war, not petty, bickering, and nickel and diming if somethings not right.

Note to customers, be sure to be specific that you would like a fair portion, because otherwise, it’s a crapshoot, whether or not you’ll get something that is prepared correctly and generously.

Still high marks to this restaurant for providing yummy bread and olive tapenade… It’s definitely noticed and...

I would love to recommend Ca del Sole, but small issues throughout the night added up to an overall mediocre experience. First off, I'll preface with the food was good, I have no complaints with our meal. We ordered the tuna tartar for an appetizer and we had the ossobuco and tortellini special for our entrées. Everything tasted good and was prepared well, with a small exception for the risotto (over cooked and too much cheese) but thats being very nitpicky. The biggest disappointment we had was with the service. I'd tell you our server's name, but he never introduced himself. Everything was a business transaction to him. From our drinks to dessert, there was hardly any interaction beyond the getting the necessary information for our order. We honestly had more attention from the bussing staff. When it came time for the check, he never said a word, just dropped the check and left. Then when we paid, he never acknowledged we paid or even said thank you. We came out for our anniversary and the price point here certainly warrants a special occasion kind of venue, however the service reflects a more casual dining experience. And even though I made note in our reservation that it was our anniversary, no one on the staff ever acknowledged it, which kind of defeats the point of soliciting that information from me during the reservation process. Overall, underwhelming for the price point and wouldn't go back unless the prices match a more casual experience that the...