Fabiolus Cucina — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I first dined here in 2007 and fell in love with atmosphere, the service and the food. I frequented and even brought my wife here on our very first date. Then, in 2010 I left LA and didn’t return until 2017 on a short visit. Naturally, we wanted to visit Fabiolus while we’re in town. To our dismay, the old place had been renovated and was not the warm and dim lit atmosphere we remembered. The new design felt almost clinically white, sterile and bland, it had lost the romance it held for us, and the food was not quite as good as we remembered but the service was still friendly. We asked why the change to the feel of the place and politely we were informed that there had been a change in ownership. When we moved back to LA in 2019, we visited again, same decor and food was decent but not the exceptional quality we had experienced back in 2007 - 2010.

Fast forward to tonight.. The service has always been warm and friendly and was again tonight, even-though the decorative style has lost the charm it once overflowed with. However, much like the atmosphere that became bland over the years with new management, the food has continually declined in quality to the point where we felt taken advantage by the cost of the meal. $153 for two people, with no wine or cocktails for food that mediocre at best, and inedible at worst. My Chicken Parm was overcooked, tuff and had a slightly off-putting odor and flavor, like old grease/dirty grill flavor. The garlic bread was borderline burnt, had little to no flavor, we couldn’t eat itn. My wife’s Lasagna was good but not worth $36+ with no sides, no salad or bread included. Dessert was okay but again not the high level experience we once knew. It’s with a heavy heart that we have decided not to return to our once beloved Fabiolus, overall, it’s just not the same experience that we became infatuated...

LIFE THREATENING !

Big cast iron piece was in my pasta with meatballs (pick up order). I eat the meatballs with a spoon, so I could have choked on it and died. Luckily I only bit into it and possibly chipped my tooth.

It was dark, but I ran back right away, worried it was a piece from an oven and that someone else could have gotten a similar piece and choked. I am still in shock how the manager and host or cook treated me like a deviant. Though, I could have had the right to be loud, I was actually quiet and discrete cause I know it could irritate the other guests. I rather whispered and discretely showed the plate with the metal hazard. ZERO APOLOGIES. Suddenly, the two men turned against me like a mob and said hit was suspicious I was talking so much. (Cause paradoxically, I tried to imagine all possible scenarios and was apologetic for not ignoring this LIFE HAZARD - I told them I dined there before and gave them good reviews - ZERO RESPECT - they even threatened to call the police if I did not leave, though I was composed, and respectful.

I just told this shocking story to another local business owner, so he is careful when choosing local lunch options and he said the few times he ate there he got the stomach flu. I can't believe I used to give them good reviews for mediocre food (WORST FAKE TRUFFLE EVER!) , just to support a local small business.

I am saving the metal piece as legal evidence and calling the LA County Health Department so no more lives are endangered. This was pure negligence (it's not like a fly that can catch a cook off guard, despite thoroughness) , to be bullied out of a restaurant just because I wanted to help prevent another incident is appalling. SERGIO & MAURO ARE...

I truly don't understand how this place has a rating higher than 3 stars. My husband and I came here for dinner before a show at the Pantages, and it was disappointing at best.

The front dining area off Sunset Boulevard is small and dusty (figuratively and literally). Only two staff members were managing everything, from seating to taking orders, which might be problematic for larger parties despite their effort.

We each ordered a pasta dish, and both were subpar. My ravioli sauce was an odd shade of Crayola Macaroni and undercooked, far beyond al dente. Both dishes were bland and overpriced at over $120 before tax and tip.

As for the ambiance, no one was seated inside--thankfully, given the dust. Outside, the tented area with a barbed wire fence hardly matched the picturesque "Italian al fresco dining" image their website portrays.

At best, I would give the restaurant a 2 star experience, as the service was fine enough given the limited staff and I appreciate their hard work. However, after the owner’s unprofessional and dismissive replies to reviews online, it’s clear this establishment isn’t interested in addressing feedback or improving the dining experience.

This interaction reflects not just the subpar food and ambiance, but also a lack of care from ownership regarding customer service. I hope this restaurant reconsiders how it approaches feedback in the future, as it plays a critical role in a successful dining experience.

There are far better dining options in the area, and certainly ones closer to the Pantages. Sadly, the owner has given me no...