Bestia is the Arts District’s bustling Italian hotspot, where the husband-and-wife duo delivers outstanding seasonal dishes and delicious wood-fired pizzas.
"Ori Menashe worked for years as the chef de cuisine of Angelini Osteria before opening this stunning and often cacophonous restaurant in the Arts District with his wife Genevieve Gergis. Menashe’s approach starts with classic, familiar Italian like nduja-studded mussels, wood-fired pizza, and handmade pasta. But nearly every dish draws on the umami-packed cuisines and cooking techniques he’s tasted across LA, like lobster squid ink spaghetti with serrano or grilled prawns with salsa roja, preserved lemon, and chile de arbol. The influences are subtle, and more often than not folks won’t realize it, but in the decade since opening Bestia’s flavor-first approach has become emblematic of modern LA cuisine. Gergis’s desserts are swoon-worthy, like the bittersweet chocolate budino tart." - Matthew Kang, Eater Staff
"It’s true: eating at Bestia involves a lot of patience, with a not-unlikely wait for your table even though you made your 9pm reservation eight weeks ago. But this is some of the best Italian food in the city, so you should do it at least once. The menu is enormous (and kind of overwhelming) and is best tackled by letting the waitstaff guide you in the right direction. Which should always involve the charcuterie and the bone marrow." - jess basser sanders, brant cox
"This Arts District pioneer opened in 2012 (practically a lifetime ago in this part of town) and it still gets just as busy as it did on day one. For the most part, things at Bestia haven't changed much, with crowd favorites like the spicy lamb sausage pizza and cavatelli still on the menu. Does Bestia have steeper competition today for great Italian than a decade ago? Absolutely. But odds are you'll still be at your table for a couple of fun hours, eating delicious Italian food and taking in one of the busiest dining rooms in the city." - brant cox, sylvio martins
"Bestia opened in 2012 and has been a supreme being of Los Angeles ever since. This Italian spot was one of the first sceney destinations to move into the Arts District, and now it has established itself as the seminal restaurant of the last decade. They serve fantastic pizza, perfectly-made pasta, and gigantic plates of charcuterie in a massive industrial warehouse that feels as exciting as it did a decade ago. Booking a primetime reservation can be tough,so if you’re more of the impromptu type, just do what we do and walk into the bar after 9pm on the weekends for some late-night pizza and pasta. " - brant cox, nikko duren, garrett snyder, sylvio martins
"There’s a good chance you’ve heard of Bestia. You might even have an opinion on it. But even with all the praise this splashy Arts District Italian spot has accumulated since opening in 2012, we’re here to say this—the hype is still warranted. The oven-blistered pizzas, indulgent pasta, and hunks of wood-grilled meat are all close to perfect, and the energy inside the industrial-chic dining room bounces off the brick walls like surround sound (yes, it gets loud). Bestia is tailored for Big Nights Out. Servers pour wine through hollowed-out beef bones directly into people’s mouths, elaborate housemade salumi boards shimmer like jewelry cases, and no one in their right mind leaves without dessert. Plan on reservations unless you’re comfortable squeezing in at the counter. Even the best parties have peaks and dips, but the one at Bestia hasn’t slowed down for over a decade." - brant cox, nikko duren, arden shore, sylvio martins
