Orto Santa Monica

4.5

1105 Reviews

$31 to $50

Italian

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 16, 2025

11:00 PM

Booked 7 times today

Charming
Good for special occasions
Neighborhood gem

Growing up in Italy, my family cooked at home and had the most extraordinary experiences with ingredients grown in our backyard, paired with the wines my chef/restaurateur stepfather would bring back from regions throughout Italy. I fell in love with food as a child watching my stepfather, once nominated a top chef in Italy, work in restaurant kitchens and floors. Moving to California in 1991 and subsequently to Santa Monica and experiencing the Farmers Market inspired me to start Orto - Italian for “vegetable garden” - where I meld local ingredients and organic herbs grown here at the restaurant to create traditional Italian recipes. At our bar you’ll find a cocktail list created from fresh herbs and premium spirits, and our wine list focuses on sustainable and organic producers. Andrea Inio
Happy Hour Monday-Thursday 5-7pm
Validated parking is available for $7 for 3 hours at 501 Santa Monica Blvd (enter on 5th street, behind the Citibank)

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Italian
Hours of operation
Lunch Tue–Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 5:30 pm–10:00 pm Fri 5:30 pm–10:30 pm
Phone number
(424) 433-8100
Website
http://www.ortosantamonica.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Andrea Inio
Private party facilities
We can host private parties up to 90 people

Location
502 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Neighborhood
Santa Monica
Cross street
5th street
Parking details
We recommend parking at 501 Santa Monica blvd, behind the Citibank.
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Popular dishes

Tagliere dell'Orto$29.00
daily selection of Italian premium cold cuts and cheeses (serves 2 persons)
Carpaccio di Manzo al Tartufo$32.00
Wisconsin Black Angus carpaccio, wild rucola, red cow parmigiano chips, Umbrian black truffles
Polpette della Nonna$21.00
Wisconsin Black Angus meatballs, pine nuts, raisins in San Marzano tomato purée
Burrata a Piacere
Choose One
- Andrian Burrata with 24 Months San Daniele Prosciutto$25.00
- With Organic Tomatoes (Vegetarian)$24.00
- With Farmers Market Organic Pears, Almonds and Honey (Vegetarian)$24.00
Torretta di Melanzane$22.00
sliced baked eggplant, red cow parmigiano, organic basil, San Marzano tomato purée
Tortino di Funghi con Fonduta$24.00
seasonal mushrooms cake on a bed of Piedmontese fontina cheese fondue
Fritto Misto Terra e Mare$22.00
fried calamari, shrimp and Farmers Market organic vegetables
Torte di Granchio$26.00
golden brown Dungeness crab cakes
Ribollita$12.00
purée of Farmers Market organic vegetables

Salad

Insalata dell'Orto$16.00
Farmers Market warm asparagus, wild rucola, cherry tomatoes and truffle oil
Mista della Casa$14.00
organic mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, Sicilian olive oil and Modena balsamic
Insalata di Arance e Finocchi$16.00
organic fennel, Farmers Market oranges, raisins, wild rucola and Castelvetrano olives
Insalata di Barbabietole$15.00
red and golden beets, organic greens and aged goat cheese
Insalata di Carciofi e Pecorino$16.00
Calistoga organic artichokes, sliced Sardinian pecorino and wild rucola

Pasta

Gluten free pasta available ($4 charge)

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese$27.00
Wisconsin Black Angus meat ragout
Spaghetti alla Carbonara$27.00
organic egg, crispy pancetta and Sardinian pecorino
Cavatelli Tartufati alla Norcina$46.00
Umbrian black truffles, seasonal mushrooms, sausage and red cow parmigiano
Trofie al Pesto, Fagiolini e Patate$25.00
traditional organic basil pesto, string beans and Farmers Market organic potatoes
Penne alla Vodka$24.00
San Marzano tomato purée, shallots, cream and vodka
Fusilli alla Norma$26.00
San Marzano tomato purée, eggplant, dry ricotta cheese
Orecchiette dell'Orto$25.00
San Marzano tomato purée, Farmers Market organic vegetables
Ravioli ai Quattro Formaggi Nel Bosco$29.00
four cheeses ravioli, seasonal mushrooms sauce
Ravioli di Gamberi allo Zafferano$32.00
Shrimp ravioli, cream of Italian saffron
Linguine di Mare con Mandorle$29.00
Manila clams, calamari, shrimp, almonds, organic tomatoes
Spaghetti alla Bottarga$28.00
bottarga from Cabras, garlic, Sicilian olive oil, parsley
Spaghetti alle Vongole con Friggitelli$29.00
Manila clams, shishito peppers, garlic, Sicilian olive oil

Main

Filetto ai Funghi$54.00
Wisconsin Black Angus filet mignon with seasonal mushrooms, Farmers Market organic vegetables
Filetto al Pepe Verde$54.00
Wisconsin Black Angus filet mignon with green peppercorn sauce, Farmers Market organic vegetables
Entrecôte alle Erbe$54.00
Wisconsin Black Angus New York steak with herbs, Farmers Market organic vegetable
Scaloppine di Pollo al Limone$29.00
Mary's organic chicken scaloppine in lemon and capers sauce, Farmers Market organic vegetables
Salmone con Mostarda e Dragoncello$39.00
wild-caught salmon with Dijon mustard and tarragon, Farmers Market organic vegetables
Pesce Fresco del Giorno
fresh daily selection of fish
- Market Price
Cioppino di Lusso$55.00
fresh seafood, Maine lobster in a organic tomatoes broth

What 1,105 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.6Service
4.4Ambience
4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Westside
Great for fine wines

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Orto Santa Monica offers a delightful dining experience with "amazing and delicious" dishes and "great service." The charming ambience and authentic Italian flavors make it a local favorite. Highlights include the "truffle pasta," "excellent drinks," and attentive staff. Ideal for special occasions, it's a "wonderful experience in every way," perfect for both casual and celebration meals.

1,105 Reviews

A
Antoinette
Los Angeles
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on January 19, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
LOVED ORTA and staff!!! Amazing dining experience! A MUST!!!
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E
Ellen
Los Angeles
36 reviews
4.0
36 reviews
Dined on January 5, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
My chicken with burrata was excellent. My friend did not love his salmon. He said too well done. Service very good.
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A
Andrea
VIP
London
48 reviews
4.0
48 reviews
Dined on January 4, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
A good restaurant with wide choice of food. Would have marked service a 5* but personally I prefer server to wait til all the party have completed their course before removing plates. Appreciate this is more a European way but puts pressure on those who have not finished yet to hurry up. Excellent specials but the prices should be mentioned. Otherwise 5* for value.
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S
Srinivas
VIP
New York City
67 reviews
3.0
67 reviews
Dined on January 1, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
An underwhelming experience - the combination of old school up-selling on wine, overcharging us for sparkling water ($25/bottle), relatively mediocre food (the orechiette was under-flavored and the puttnesca was a caper flood) and way too loud ambience (clubby pop that over-powered our conversation) - all left us with a far from happy experience. Meh...we're not from here and won't be back.
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C
Crissy
VIP
Cincinnati
9 reviews
5.0
9 reviews
Dined on January 1, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing food! Cute little restaurant very authentic and delicious!
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c
claire
Denver
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 25, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
lovely service, visit from owner, excellent dishes, all of them, but the black truffle pasta with flaming cognac is one of the finest dishes I have ever had. Nicely but worth it!!! We will be back!
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D
Doug
Los Angeles
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on December 25, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food. Terrific location. And great service.
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J
Joelle
VIP
Jackson Hole
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 24, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This place is terrific! Very quaint and lovely ambience… The food was terrific! Especially the chicken scallopini alimony, which was delicious! Everything was wonderful and the owner is very charming and provided great service! Strongly recommend this place especially for locals!
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P
Peter
Los Angeles
88 reviews
5.0
88 reviews
Dined on December 21, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We've been going back to Orto for years for a simple reason: it's always uniformly good. The food is superb, the service attentive without being invasive, and the ambiance ideal for carrying on a conversation without having to speak above a normal tone of voice.
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F
Fuller
VIP
Los Angeles
19 reviews
5.0
19 reviews
Dined on December 18, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
We met an old friend for a holiday dinner and had a nice Mista salad followed by delicious Bolognese pasta. Loud due to a large office holiday party taking up most of the restaurant but not usually like that. We go back quite often.
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FAQs

Orto Santa Monica does offer delivery in partnership with Postmates and Uber Eats. Orto Santa Monica also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (424) 433-8100.

Orto Santa Monica is rated 4.5 stars by 1105 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Feb 16, 2025

11:00 PM

Booked 7 times today

Order delivery or takeout

502 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Additional information

Cross street
5th street
Neighborhood
Santa Monica
Hours of operation
Lunch Tue–Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 5:30 pm–10:00 pm Fri 5:30 pm–10:30 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Italian
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
We recommend parking at 501 Santa Monica blvd, behind the Citibank.
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Andrea Inio
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.ortosantamonica.com/
Phone number
(424) 433-8100
Private party facilities
We can host private parties up to 90 people

Orto Santa Monica

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Fusilli alla Norma

Starter

Tagliere dell'Orto$29.00

Carpaccio di Manzo al Tartufo$32.00

Polpette della Nonna$21.00

Burrata a Piacere

Torretta di Melanzane$22.00

Tortino di Funghi con Fonduta$24.00

Fritto Misto Terra e Mare$22.00

Torte di Granchio$26.00

Ribollita$12.00

Salad

Insalata dell'Orto$16.00

Mista della Casa$14.00

Insalata di Arance e Finocchi$16.00

Insalata di Barbabietole$15.00

Insalata di Carciofi e Pecorino$16.00

Pasta

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese$27.00

Spaghetti alla Carbonara$27.00

Cavatelli Tartufati alla Norcina$46.00

Trofie al Pesto, Fagiolini e Patate$25.00

Penne alla Vodka$24.00

Fusilli alla Norma$26.00

Orecchiette dell'Orto$25.00

Ravioli ai Quattro Formaggi Nel Bosco$29.00

Ravioli di Gamberi allo Zafferano$32.00

Linguine di Mare con Mandorle$29.00

Spaghetti alla Bottarga$28.00

Spaghetti alle Vongole con Friggitelli$29.00

Main

Filetto ai Funghi$54.00

Filetto al Pepe Verde$54.00

Entrecôte alle Erbe$54.00

Scaloppine di Pollo al Limone$29.00

Salmone con Mostarda e Dragoncello$39.00

Pesce Fresco del Giorno

Cioppino di Lusso$55.00

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

Does Orto Santa Monica offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Orto Santa Monica restaurant rated?

Is Orto Santa Monica currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information