The Italian Restaurant Giada De Laurentiis Always Stops At In LA

We all have our favorite places to eat — celebrity chefs are no different. In a 2024 roundup by JP Morgan Chase's restaurant review site, "The Infatuation," Giada De Laurentiis detailed her favorite Los Angeles restaurant — Toscana. Located in LA's chi-chi Brentwood neighborhood, Toscana is the "Everyday Italian" chef's go-to spot for "pasta with garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes." In the interview, De Laurentiis extols Toscana's virtues, claiming the simple dish is the closest thing to an authentic Italian kitchen that LA has to offer.

Not surprising, since Toscana has been a fixture in the LA scene for over thirty-five years, (unlike these lesser-known hidden-gem Italian restaurants in Los Angeles). Described on their website as a "neighborhood trattoria (casual eatery), celebrating the rustic, authentic flavors of Northern Italy," Toscana has famously anchored the Brentwood community, providing a well-insulated home-away-from-home for its influential guests. Serving everyone from politicians, to Hollywood legends, and D.C. and C-Suite power brokers since it first opened in 1989.

Started by co-owners Mike and Kathie Gordon, who were inspired by their mutual love of food and Italy, Toscana was born of an impassioned foodie dream shared by the couple. Determined to start a restaurant, the Gordons planned a trip to Tuscany to fuel their inspiration, deep-diving the food, culture, and vibe of Italia and bringing back those discoveries to lay the foundations of Toscana. What once began as the small bud of a mutual dream, soon grew to five restaurants in the Toscana Restaurant Group.

With a reputation for non-intrusion in a city filled with glitz, glamour, and paparazzi, it's no wonder Toscana attracts those seeking comfort and anonymity alongside a warm, neighborhood atmosphere. Which is why De Laurentiis is not the only celeb tucking in to Toscana's Northern Italian offerings from pastas, salads, and wood-fired pizzas, to entrees like rack of lamb and veal chop, family-style meals, and its extensive wine list, this farm-to-table favorite boasts on its website a guest list of, "renowned entertainers, and elites from the worlds of entertainment, sports stars, fashion icons, and all our valued guests from around the globe." 

Those guests include longtime Hollywood power brokers like Disney CEO and Chair, Bob Iger, Imagine Entertainment Co-founder, Brian Grazer, Paramount CEO David Ellison, and Vice chairman of United Talent Agency, Jay Sures, who told The Ankler in 2024 that he'd been dining at Toscana, "Since Day 1," and estimated that he'd done so some "2,500 or 3,000 times." 

Toscana's other devotees include, director, Rob Reiner (RIP), actors Michael Keaton, Kiefer Sutherland, and Ben Affleck, and singer/actress/living legend, Barbara Streisand. Even queen of the pop charts, Taylor Swift, has been spotted enjoying the gnocchi pesto there. But Tinseltown isn't the only one sealing deals at Toscana, turns out former Second Gentleman of the United States (also a former Hollywood entertainment lawyer), Doug Emhoff made his own pitch to a blind date back in the day — his now, wife, former Vice-President of the United States, Kamala Harris.