Spina is the best pasta in Atwater Village

There is a specific kind of satisfaction that comes from watching someone make your food. Spina, on Glendale Blvd in Atwater Village, is built around that idea. Every seat in the small, warm dining room faces the open kitchen, which means you see the pasta come together before it reaches you. That is not a gimmick. It is a promise.

The noodles come from Mani In Pasta, the handmade pasta company founded by one of the partners, and Chef Pablo Cruz puts them to work in the ways that matter most. The cacio e pepe is the benchmark, the kind that makes you measure every other version against it. The carbonara holds up. The ricotta-stuffed ravioli in brown butter and sage is the dish you will talk about on the way home. Seasonal specials rotate through, so the menu moves with what is good right now, not what is safe year-round. The antipasti and burrata with seasonal accompaniments fill out a meal without crowding it.

The natural wine list is short and chosen with real intention, which fits the room. This is a $$ operation at 3193 Glendale Blvd, meaning the cooking is serious without the pricing that usually comes with it. A 4.5 rating from nearly 200 people who actually ate here backs that up.

Spina is walk-in only, the room is small, and the word has gotten out. Go early, or accept that you may wait a bit. Either way, it is worth it. Order the cacio e pepe first, and then let whatever the seasonal pasta is that night make the decision for you.

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