North Italia is the perfect brunch spot in Santa Monica
By Carla Snuggs

North Italia opened in Santa Monica in late May and is devoted to perfecting handmade pizza, pasta and fresh flavors from the garden, farm and sea, bringing the traditions of Italia to life for a modern palate. The atmosphere is warm and inviting and the food is meant for sharing.

The outdoor patio is the ideal place for brunch on a warm, sunny day. It’s the perfect place for people watching while dining al fresco. There’s also a beautiful bar outdoor bar adjacent to the patio and plenty seating inside which has a light an airy feel.

My experience at North Italia was top notch! I could not have asked for better customer service from the time I arrived until the time I walked out the door. My +1 and I went in for brunch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and indulged in just about everything!

What’s Sunday without mimosas? We ordered a bottle of prosecco with a variety of freshly squeezed juices while we drooled over the menu.

Everything looked delicious! The brunch menu includes a careful selection of small plates, breakfast items, pizzas, salads and freshly made pasta dishes. There is also a generous assortment of specialty brunch cocktails, bubbly and espresso drinks.

The small plates looked amazing and included everything from crispy calamari to grilled artichoke. We started with a beautiful farm fresh chef’s board. It was overflowing with prosciutto di parma, artisan cheese, marinated eggplant, roasted pepper, castelvetrano olives and marcona almonds. It was almost too pretty to eat, but we enjoyed every bite.

Naturally we had to try a handmade pizza as we had heard impressive things from friends. We opted for the prosciutto pizza with mission figs, goat cheese and arugula. It was the perfect combination of sweet, spicy and salty with a crust to die for.

Finally, it was time for something sweet. Even though we were thoroughly stuffed, our server suggested the baked french toast. It’s made bread pudding-style (soaked overnight) and topped with THE most incredible vanilla maple syrup, berries, whipped cream. It was melt in your mouth good! And because I LOVE all things lemon, we enjoyed warm lemon donuts – extraordinarily good! They’re slightly crispy on the outside and super-moist on the inside with the perfect amount of lemon sauce inside.

This is now one of my new favorite brunch spots. I can’t wait to try lunch!

Visit North Italia: 1442 2nd St Santa Monica, CA 90401 Reservations (310) 382-2460  Northitaliarestaurant.com