Miceli's Italian Restaurant   

1646 N Las Palmas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-466-3438
www.micelisrestaurant.com

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As Hollywood's second-oldest restaurant (right after Musso & Frank's), this family-owned landmark is a piece of Tinseltown history. When it opened more than 50 years ago, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were two of the many celebrities that would come in to enjoy Carmen Miceli's family recipes for pasta, chicken cacciatore, and that most exotic of imported delicacies, pizza. (According to the Micelis, no one on the West Coast had heard of it before their restaurant started serving it). While no longer a celebrity hangout, Miceli's sees visitors from every other walk of life. Young couples dine next to octogenarians and groups of college students vie for table space with large, rowdy families. The professional servers attend to everyone's needs, making sure that lovers get snug corner booths near the piano while kids get booster seats and lollipops on the way out. The decor is textbook American-Italian, similar to what you'd see in Chicago or New York: Stained-glass lamps cast a warm glow on the brick walls and wooden banisters; Chianti bottles hang from the ceiling inscribed with the names, addresses and messages of past patrons; red and white checked tablecloths are topped with red glass candle holders. Though the restaurant is quite spacious, the multi-level layout lends an air of coziness. A jazz pianist plays every night and, occasionally, servers or regular customers will pick up the mike and sing a Sinatra tune or a Puccini aria. Owner Carmen Miceli is often onsite, though these days he's usually content to relax, hang out in the background, and let his well-trained staff run the restaurant.