We can probably all agree that a hearty plate of spaghetti and meatballs, a quick slice of pizza, or a plate of chicken Parmigiana at a neighborhood spot can be great -- but sometimes, simple won’t do. Thankfully, among its many fantastic restaurants, Los Angeles has amassed a wealth of regional and high-end Italian spots that actually make pastas and cure meats in-house, and deliver a higher class of hospitality. Here are the very best Italian joints in town. 

EATALY: OK, so Eataly’s first West Coast outpost isn’t technically a restaurant -- but this massive, 67,000-square-foot space devoted to Italian cuisine still deserves a spot on our list. Located inside Westfield Century City, the three-story emporium boasts several restaurants, cafes serving up Italian espresso and unique-to-LA sweet and savory yogurt parfaits, take-away counters (one that specializes in cannoli and stuffed bombolonis, another that hawks paninis -- you get the idea), and a marketplace selling hundreds of Italian products ranging from pasta to olive oil, wine, cured meats, and cheeses.