Nab a table or some takeout at Union for a taste of chef Christopher Keyser’s cooking. The torchetti is topped with a Calabrese pork ragu, ricotta, crispy rosemary leaves, and best of all, an intense dried chile oil that the chef calls “pizza grease,” while the squid ink lumache comes with Maine lobster and truffle butter.

With its show-stopping marble bar and lush red interior, Evan Funke’s Hollywood restaurant is equal parts Old Hollywood glamour and the chef’s love letter to Roman cuisine. Pasta dishes put his signature stamp on classics like cacio e pepe (paired here with homemade tonnarelli and a hefty dose of black pepper) and a rigatoni all’amatriciana studded with hunks of smoky guanciale. Pairing your pasta with a fondatore spritz or a selection from an extensive selection of Italian wines by the glass drives the Eternal City vibe home.

Indian and Italian flavors mingle beautifully at this self-billed “Indian sports bar” decked out in neutral tones (and, yes, some requisite TVs for game-viewing) in the former Happy Foot/Sad Foot clinic in Silver Lake. Pasta offerings from a Roberta’s alum include rigatoni with coriander-spiked tomato masala and cream, and shells with saffron, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Fruit-infused creamed sodas from a restored 1940s soda fountain add a playful vibe to your plate of pasta, but there are also 10-plus beers on tap and a California-leaning list of wines by the glass to choose from.

In addition to perfect Negronis and choice West Hollywood people-watching from sidewalk tables, Terroni offers an extensive selection of homemade pastas that range from citrus-kissed spaghetti al limone to cavatelli alla norma made with a rich tomato ragu and fried eggplant. The standards are always solid, but a handful of specials always pushes the pasta selection into more seasonal territory.

Angelini Osteria is a Beverly Boulevard legend thanks to chef Gino Angelini and his incredible pasta making skills. From the restaurant’s signature lemon cream pasta to ones made with sea urchin — this is a true pasta haven. The fried basil-topped lasagna is notable as well.

This former pop-up, which ran for several years as a lunch residency at Downtown’s Mignon, landed a brick-and-mortar location with generous outdoor seating in West Adams in 2021. Pasta preparations include spaghetti topped with a generous dollop of burrata and golden slabs of Santa Barbara sea urchin, as well as linguini bathed in sweet corn carbonara.

Whether in the mood to hop behind the stove or just simply reheat, Pasta Sisters has noodle lovers covered. Freshly made spaghetti, tagliatelle, pappardelle, and lasagna sheets are available for sale, along with composed dishes like pasta with bottarga and pasta with porcini mushrooms.

Chicago import Etta has a sturdy handmade pasta portion of its menu that riffs on classic Italian dishes. The agnolotti should be filled with corn or cheese, but instead gets a cacio e pepe sauce while the cassarecce has a delightful, bouncy texture with a meaty, savory bolognese. Snail shell lumache pasta comes with bright sungold tomato and basil for something that will remind you of a spring day in Italy.—Matthew Kang

Sugarfish co-founders Lele Massimini and Jerry Greenberg have created a standalone sensation in Uovo, the pasta-focused restaurant that aims for quality and speed. The company actually ships in pasta overnight from a kitchen they run in Bologna, Italy, serving it out of their sparse, well-appointed spaces across the city. The amatriciana is a popular order, as well as the tortellini finished with Parmesan cream or swimming in brodo.

Fans of El Segundo’s Jame Enoteca are sure to embrace chef Jackson Kalb and partner Melissa Saka’s new Venice spot Ospi. The southern Italian menu features a dozen house-made pastas including a spicy rigatoni alla vodka, cacio e pepe, and lemon tagliolini.

Straightforward and satisfying Italian-American fare is the specialty at Sunday Gravy. Look for red checkered tablecloths and the genre’s greatest hits like cheesy garlic bread, New York-style cheesecake, and fettuccini alfredo.