Southern Italian Restaurant, LA Puglia, Opens In Santa Monica​

SANTA MONICA, CA — Among Santa Monica's newest restaurants, LA Puglia is serving up authentic southern Italian cuisine and other dishes with a Mediterranean flair.

The new restaurant, located at 1621 Wilshire Boulevard, said on Facebook that its menu includes authentic foods from Puglia, a region in southern Italy known for its olive groves, sunny beaches and stark cliff faces.

Its extensive menu, which can be viewed online, claims the restaurant's most popular dishes are its "Castel del Monte," a combination of mushrooms, Italian ham and parmigiano reggiano; its "Arret | Polpette," meatballs served in tomato sauce with mozzarella; and "Iapr’ l’ecchie | Parmigiana di Melanzane," an eggplant parmigiana with mozzarella, crushed tomato and grana padano cheese.

LA Puglia celebrated its grand opening on Dec. 21 and has already garnered a 4.5-star rating on Yelp.

One reviewer, Adam W., described the restaurant on Yelp as "an extraordinary and unexpected restaurant that no initial review can do full Justice."

Another, Ali M., lauded the restaurant's sundried tomato focaccia and wrote, "Check them out- they're so nice, so authentic, and they're a wonderful addition to the neighborhood!"