The stars were aligned for today’s incredible lunch at RivaBella, a new vision from the folks that brought us Boa, Sushi Roku and Katana.

The lighting was great.

I subtly manipulated my friends into ordering exactly what I wanted them to.

The place is stunning, the vibe is relaxing and the seating is so comfy, we found it difficult to not take a quick power nap after our meal.

And best of all, the food was actually great, too!

I know I know, it sounds like I’m being paid to say all this crap.

The Lasagne Nonna Elvira (great name) was certainly the highlight. The subtle amount of bechamel perfectly complimented but did not overpower the meat sauce and the crispy spinach contributed a nice earthiness.

The pizza was packed with meaty flavor (and a fair amount of grease) and was large enough to feed several folks.

The branzino was simple and elegant. I appreciated the fairly large portion as the price was on the high side ($28).

Our waiter had a befuddling accent which proved challenging to pinpoint. We eventually decided he was from the fictional country of Europia.

While watching my friend dig into her pizza with a fork, he commented “It’s best to eat it with your hands”.

Uh, dude, have you seen this thing? It’s not like we’re at Shakey’s and this isn’t a NY style, foldable pie. A fork is pretty much the only path to go down here.

He was also just this side of not appreciating our multiple credit card happy ending.

Thankfully, we didn’t let him spoil our fantastic lunch.

We were too busy staring at the beguiling female thing to our right.

And Rob Reiner.

I bet his meals are always a one credit card affair.

9200 W Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 278-2060
Website