C&O Trattoria

Are you living in LA but looking for a little tourist trap to get a taste of what it's like to visit? Then C&O Trattoria is for you! This Italian restaurant is located just before Venice Pier. We went with a group of five on the Saturday night before Halloween. Parking can be found either in the pier lot, valet, or if you're lucky, on one of the surrounding residential streets for free.

We arrived around 8pm and I was sure it was going to be at least an hour wait. But, I was wrong. There was a little trouble getting seated because they said since I was in line for the bathroom the whole group couldn't be seated. They are very strict about seating people only when the whole party is there. After this little glitch though, we were seated immediately.

Because it was Halloween weekend, all the restaurant staff was dressed up in costumes. This gave the restaurant a little bit of an amusement park feel and further cemented my feeling that this place is tourist-centered. Our waiter was Count Dracula, his fake teeth made him a little hard to understand, but you probably won't run into this problem.

They offer wine initially for $5.50 a glass but they also have a variety of soft drinks. The menu is large and varied. While you are looking over the menu, waiters come by and fill a bowl in the center of your table with piping hot garlic knots, unlimited garlic knots. Sometimes we felt like our table was ignored in regards to garlic knots, but other times there were too many.

I ordered some penne pasta with sweet Italian sausage, creamy cheese sauce and roasted red peppers. My dish was really delicious. It was warm, creamy, with a variety of textures and flavors. Another diner had delicious looking chicken ravioli and the penne arrabiata looked very good as well. The main-course style meat dishes ordered at our table didn't appear to match up as well. The chicken Parmesan looked like nothing special and didn't taste as good as the Olive Garden one that probably would make Italians roll over in pain. Someone else had the Chicken wrapped in prosciutto. They found it bland and found the side of green beans to over take everything else on the plate. It was disappointing that the food wasn't all excellent.

What was lost in the food, was made up in the atmosphere. Just before the hour mark, waiters came around with the words for the song Mi Amore. The music got louder and all the waiters and waitresses suddenly had a glass of wine. Everyone in the restaurant started singing the song Mi Amore. Even some people at my table joined in. I loved it! I mean, these waiters and waitresses come around and toast you and drink and sing. It is so not an American tradition that it makes me think of traveling. It is also a tad cheesy, but what can you do?

Overall, I think C&O is a fun place to go once, or maybe a couple of times but not every weekend. The food isn't marvelous and it isn't overly Italian but it is worth it for a bit of atmosphere.





C&O Trattoria
31 Washington Boulevard
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Map