Eatalian
West Compton, East Gardena, the Harbor Gateway, whatever you call it, it’s not the place you’d normally expect to eat an upscale Italian lunch. It’s definitely worth the venture south on the 110 for the cavernous vault of authentic Italian food. Here you’ll find Eatalian, a factory where they make their own bread and cheese and pastries for days and days. It’s the Willy Wonka factory of Italian food and you’re invited in to take a look.
Surrounded by metal factories, car repair shops you’ll find a HUGE sprawling culinary heaven. Eatlian is an Italian eatery like no other, the owners came from Italy with the intention of opening up a distribution center for Italian ingredients, thus the massive space and loyal fans of their food asked them to open a restaurant.
In addition to the cheesemaking area and large bakery, the large open area allows you to become a part of the cooking circus. On any given day you might see the chefs making pasta from scratch or sliding homemade pizza into the oven in the center of the room.
Here the pizza is Italian style, as thin as a cracker you’d think it’d break from the weight of all the fresh toppings but somehow the crispy crust holds on long enough to shove it into your mouth. It’s so light and crispy you’ll find yourself eating half the pizza before you know what hit you.
In addition to fresh pasta and pizza you definitely need to hold out for dessert. Tiramisu is usually the a staple of all Italian restaurants and there are some bad ones, but this, this is heaven. Unlike other tiramisu this is NOT soaked within an inch of it’s life and the mascarpone is light and airy. A second to the tiramius is the House Cake, layers and layers of the same airy tiramisu but with texture and crunch.
After dinner coffee is key to enjoying dessert after an Italian meal and luckily the espresso bar is located right in the center of the space, ready to fill your caffeinated dreams.
Wait, did I mention gelato? They MAKE THEIR OWN GELATO. The kids love to walk up to the gelato bar and gaze at all the beautiful colors. Mounds of fresh fruit flavors and creamy Italian favorites like Stracciatella (chocolate chip) and Bacio (chocolate hazelnut). Feel free to taste a few, I always walk away with a mix of flavors wondering if I made the right choice. There’s always next time for more.
For such a large space Eatalian is often crowded, I suggest going early if you don’t want to wait. Luckily they’ve also added two smaller outposts, exEat on Crenshaw in Gardena and enjoEat in Culver City. Both places are nice in their own way, but nothing compares to dining in the original factory. One look at the menu and you’ll see, this is the closest thing to wonderful authentic Italian food right here in Los Angeles. If you need me I’ll be at the bar, the gelato bar….
Eatalian
15500 S Broadway
Gardena, CA 90248
