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GuideUpdated July 15, 2026

3 Best Places for Calamari Fritti in Los Angeles

Where to find the best calamari fritti in Los Angeles — each restaurant rated 4.0★ or higher. Top-rated at 9.0★. Spanning global and japanese kitchens. Curated by TastyPals.

The best places for calamari fritti in Los Angeles are Highland Park Bowl, North Italia Del Amo, Trattoria Daly. Start with Highland Park Bowl if you want the strongest overall first pick.

By Carlos Mendez•3 ranked picks•Published July 15, 2026•Updated July 15, 2026
Methodology•Editorial team
Highland Park BowlNorth Italia Del AmoTrattoria Daly
3 Best Places for Calamari Fritti in Los Angeles
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Top picks at a glance

#1Highland Park BowlGlobal • Highland Park • value#2North Italia Del AmoJapanese • Torrance • value#3Trattoria DalyItalian • Los Angeles • moderate

Who this guide is for

This guide covers the highest-rated spots for calamari fritti in Los Angeles. Whether you're a local hunting your next regular or visiting and want to eat well, these picks are sorted by quality and review depth.

Quick picks

Highland Park Bowl
Global • Highland Park
Highland Park Bowl has been around since 1927, and the fact that it's still pulling locals rather than living off nostalgia says something real.
North Italia Del Amo
Japanese • Torrance
There's a version of a mall restaurant that spends all its energy apologizing for the address — the forced hush, the muted lighting, the menu calibrated to distract.
Trattoria Daly
Italian • Los Angeles
Lincoln Heights doesn't get nearly enough credit as a dining neighborhood, and Trattoria Daly — a Latinx-owned Italian kitchen on Daly Street — is a useful corrective to the idea that Italian food…
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Editorial details
Published: July 15, 2026
Last updated: July 15, 2026

On this page

  1. 1. Highland Park BowlView →
  2. 2. North Italia Del AmoView →
  3. 3. Trattoria DalyView →

How the restaurants compare

Highland Park Bowl
Highland Park • Global
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
value
Best for
hidden gem
Mood
Highland Park
North Italia Del Amo
Torrance • Japanese
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
value
Best for
dinner
Mood
Torrance
Editorial restaurant image stand-in for Trattoria Daly
Google
Trattoria Daly
Los Angeles • Italian
9.5/10
TastyPals Score
4.9
Google
Price
moderate
Best for
Italian dinner
Mood
Casual

How we chose

We looked for restaurants that feel like a strong fit for the guide topic, not just the most obvious names in the city. The shortlist favors rooms with clear mood, dependable pacing, and enough distinction to help someone decide faster. Read our full methodology →

Room tone

Lighting, pace, and general energy all need to support the reason someone clicked this guide.

Food fit

We favored restaurants that feel best suited for the moment, not just restaurants with broad reputation.

Useful range

The final list tries to give readers enough variation in neighborhood, price, and style to compare real options.

3 ranked picks

Highland Park Bowl — Highland Park Bowl has been around since 1927, and the fact that it's still pulling locals rather than living off nostalgia says something real. The Art Deco room on Figueroa — original lanes, hand-painted murals, neon doing exactly what neon should do — functions as a genuine neighborhood institution, not a themed concept. What separates it from every other bowling alley with a menu is that the kitchen apparently takes the food seriously enough that people talk about the dishes by name. At price level one, that's not a given, and by all accounts the kitchen doesn't use the budget as cover. The Peach Caprese Pizza is what diners consistently flag first — sweet fruit against fresh cheese and basil, a combination that reads like a trend but reportedly lands like something more considered than that. The Calamari Fritti has a reputation for coming out properly rather than as the obligatory bar-kitchen afterthought that soggy calamari usually signals. The Braised Meatballs are described in terms that suggest low-and-slow technique rather than something kept warm in a pan, which matters at this price point. The Zeppoles close things out as the kind of dessert people mention regretting not doubling up on. The Contadina is the underrated call — diners who steer toward the safer options tend to overlook it, and that's reportedly the wrong move. Practical notes: the mezzanine level gives you a sightline to the lanes without putting you in the middle of the action. Weeknights are the move — weekends get loud in a way that shifts from fun to chaotic depending on your tolerance. Walk-ins on Fridays are a patience exercise. Book ahead. View restaurant →
North Italia Del Amo — There's a version of a mall restaurant that spends all its energy apologizing for the address — the forced hush, the muted lighting, the menu calibrated to distract. North Italia Del Amo in Torrance operates on a different assumption entirely. Anchored inside the Del Amo Fashion Center, it's part of Fox Restaurant Concepts' national Italian-American operation, a group that has staked its reputation on treating pasta and antipasti as daily disciplines rather than branded wallpaper. What the South Bay location has built, according to a consistent pattern of diner feedback and the restaurant's own menu architecture, is a room that moves with purpose — bright sightlines, confident pacing, and a kitchen that doesn't appear to be coasting on the parent company's name. The menu gives you a clear picture of the kitchen's priorities before you've ordered a thing. The White Truffle Garlic Bread — layered with house ricotta, mozzarella, grana padano, and fresh herbs — is reportedly the kind of opener that justifies the decision to start there rather than go straight to pasta. The ricotta, according to diners who return to it regularly, does the structural work that keeps the dish from collapsing into richness. The Cacio e Pepe Arancini are consistently cited as a high point: a composed bar snack that leans on restraint rather than spectacle. The Calamari Fritti has a reputation for holding its fry across the length of a meal, which is a kitchen detail worth noticing. The Chicken Parmesan and Strozzapreti are the dishes regulars reportedly order without consulting the menu — not because they're cautious choices, but because they've proven dependable across many visits. Practically speaking, the room fills quickly on Friday evenings, and a reservation is the difference between a table and a long wait at the bar. Seating near the front puts you in the middle of the room's pace; toward the back offers more quiet. Ask your server about daily chef offerings before defaulting to the printed menu — the rotation is real and worth your attention. View restaurant →
Trattoria Daly — Lincoln Heights doesn't get nearly enough credit as a dining neighborhood, and Trattoria Daly — a Latinx-owned Italian kitchen on Daly Street — is a useful corrective to the idea that Italian food in L.A. only happens west of the 405. What distinguishes this place isn't just the geographic surprise; it's the specific combination of an open kitchen concept and a tight, ingredient-focused menu that positions the restaurant as a neighborhood anchor rather than a destination stunt. Diners come for the kind of Italian cooking that prioritizes freshness and care over ceremony — the restaurant explicitly grounds its identity in high-quality ingredients and approachable execution, which at a mid-range price point is a harder balance to strike than it sounds. The menu's most-referenced dishes give a clear picture of what the kitchen does best. The calamari fritti is cited across reviews as a signature opener — tender rather than rubbery, which suggests the kitchen is precise about timing and oil temperature. The lasagna is the centerpiece most diners talk about: layered with meat, fresh herbs, and what reviewers consistently describe as a velvety sauce — the kind of slow-built ragu that makes lasagna worth ordering at a restaurant rather than just at home. For those leaning toward lighter proteins, the Pollo alla Funghi (chicken with mushrooms) rounds out the Italian-American comfort register the kitchen seems to own. Tiramisu and affogato appear frequently in positive mentions, suggesting the kitchen doesn't treat dessert as an afterthought. The open kitchen means the room has ambient energy from the cooking itself — worth noting when you're deciding where to sit; closer to the kitchen is the move if you want to feel the rhythm of service. The zucchini soup is worth asking about as a seasonal option. Given the restaurant's reputation and compact footprint, booking ahead — especially for groups — is the practical call here. View restaurant →

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Personalized city picksCleaner shortlistsBuilt for iPhone and Android
TastyPalsTonight
Your taste. Our picks.
Smarter follow-through after the guide: better restaurant context, quicker narrowing, less second-guessing.
For tonight
Date night spots with warm rooms and polished service
Next step
Keep exploring in the app when you want a tighter shortlist