Alejo's Presto Trattoria

A couple of friends and I had to make the trek out to Marina del Rey to pick up a hard to find video game. Since we were going over there anyway and it was dinner time, I suggested we eat there. A friend had suggested a delicious Italian restaurant so I decided to give it a try.

Alejo's isn't in a really great neighborhood and aesthetically, not a great location. It is hidden next to a convenience store in a small strip mall. We were lucky to find parking there, but there may also be some parking on the street, although, I wouldn't park a Mercedes in the neighborhood.

We got right in and were seated immediately. It probably helped that it was a weeknight and not exactly the dinner hour. After we were seated they brought us a basket of fresh, cut bread pieces. The bread was incredibly fresh and delicious. The dipping sauce offered was olive oil with a TON of garlic in it. I thought the garlic was a little spicy and bitter, but that didn't stop me from eating it. I think roasted garlic would be better because it would add a little sweetness. We got our drinks and looked over the menu as we ate the bread. If you are so inclined, the restaurant allows you to BYOB.

The menu has a lot of seafood on it and the restaurant smelled a tiny bit like seafood, but it wasn't bothersome (even to those in my party that do not eat fish). I ordered the veal ravioli in white and red sauce. I like that they serve it with two sauces because mixing Alfredo sauce and Tomato sauce is one of my favorite things to do. The pasta was cooked perfectly. The veal flavor wasn't my favorite--but only because it is veal--I just really wanted ravioli and it was either that or chicken. Even though veal wasn't my favorite, the flavors of the ravioli and sauces were delicious. The portion was also really large and I had to take a fair amount home with me.

The other two people I went with ordered a Pepperoni pizza. The pizza was large with a thin crust and a little bit of that grease that makes it so good. The pizza came with a little shredded basil on top for extra flavor. I only had a bit of crust but it was pretty delicious all the same.

I noticed some other people got a large family style salad before their meal and then spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were the size of baseballs! I want to go back to this restaurant so that I can try them, they looked delicious!

The service was pretty quick and the food was good and the restaurant was clean. I wouldn't go for a walk in the neighborhood after dinner, but I would definitely go back to that restaurant night or day for the food.



Alejo's Presto Trattoria
4002 Lincoln Blvd
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Map