Gjelina delivered an unforgettable dining experience. Though the service was a bit on the slower side (understandable bc of how packed it was on a Wednesday night), the food more than made up for it. We ordered the beef tongue orecchiette, Japanese sweet potato (3 orders of this bc we couldn't get enough), and two different pizzas. Let me tell you, every dish was a hit! It was more of a tapas style restaurant. The orecchiette was rich and flavorful. The Japanese sweet potato was perfectly roasted and subtly sweet, a great balance to the rest of the meal. I especially loved the sauce they put on it. I'm not sure what it was but I was licking the plate clean. As for the pizzas, you can't go wrong... Will definitely be back!

Such a cute spot, in what must have been a home because the bathrooms still had showers in them. We were seated on the rooftop, which was nice, and with the heaters, still comfortable. The server we had was absolutely amazing, loved him, so friendly, and knew everything about the menu. Also, the food was delicious, such a fan and love how it's tapas style so we got to try a little bit of everything. The wine I chose was so good. Since I have been home, I haven't stopped telling people about this great spot.

VERY GOOD FOOD located, on abbot/kinney in Venice, so definitely a funky area to dine in. The restaurant has outdoor patio as well as rooftop seating--good for summertime. Indoor seating is a little cramped as well as loud and a bit dingy. First visit so I was anxious to sample the pizza. Mixed mushroom pizza was delicious, thin crusted and accompanied by Parmesan, red pepper flakes, thyme. I would build the meal around the pizza. The grilled lamb merguez was grilled with a slight char and coiled into an appetizing presentation. It is very tasty; not gamey at all so even those who are lamb-phobic will enjoy this. Served with mint, cilantro, and suspended on a nice cumin yogurt. The escarole sunchoke salad is a nice interpretation of a Cesar salad. Nice texture and crunch. The croutons are homemade--yum! Couldn't pass on the black mussels and asari clams. Little bit of a twist: cooked with tomatillo, cilantro to give a slight twang to this classic. Of note, the cook really likes cilantro. Service is efficient. Very businesslike, no chatting. There's a public parking lot nearby with meters. Bar is limited to wine and beer FYI.

Food gets 4 stars. Grilled Hanger Steak Banh Mi and Lamb Burger were delicious! There were 3 pizzas at our table and everyone who had them enjoyed them. There is a lot to choose from on their menu and it would take a lot of visits to try everything that looked good - we couldn't help but notice all the dishes being served around us. They're always busy. There's always a line outside. Make a reservation - we did and only waited 5 minutes for our table on a Sunday afternoon. Service was fast.

I cannot say enough good things about Gjelina! It truly is one of my favorite restaurants. I first started coming here about 4 years ago and the quality of the food is exceptional. It's on a corner off Abbott Kinney and is always packed. I'd definitely recommend making a reservation well in advance as walk-in's tend to wait a very long time. Even with a reservation I've waited up to half an hour. The restaurant itself is very small. The inside has a bar in the center and seats all around. A lot of the indoor seating is communal and the tables are very close together. It's also very dark inside. Outside is a cute little patio with more spacious tables and the vibe is much better. They also have seats on the second floor and the roof. You really can't go wrong with anything you order but here are some of my favorites. We love to start with their oysters. They usually have two to choose from so we do 1/2 and 1/2. Depending on the season they have a great peach burrata prosciutto plate that is mouth watering. The restaurant is farm to table style so the menu is constantly changing. The prawns are always on the menu and a fan favorite. The spaghetti bottarga is delicious, the chorizo pizza is amazing, but the mushroom toast is to die for! Sometimes we end up ordering two of them because we can't get enough. The service is also excellent. Everyone know the menu thoroughly so they can help walk you through your choices. There's also a sommelier which has helped us choose a bottle several times and they've all been fantastic. I would be here every weekend if it was closer!

Had an amazing date night at Gjelina. It lived up to the hype. There is plenty of public parking directly behind the building. Highly recommend making a reservation in advance because it gets quite busy. We sat upstairs indoors and there was a cute rooftop area with heaters for when it gets cold. We had the Brussel sprouts and charred cabbage for appetizers. Both had such unique and delicious flavors. For entrees we went with pasta - saffron spaghetti which was a little spicy from the chilies and the squash agnolotti with brown butter which was soo yummy. It's the perfect spot to celebrate and splurge on a nice dinner. We'll definitely be back. The only weird thing was they automatically put a 20% tip on the bill so we weren't sure if we were expected to add more. Pay attention when you get your check.

Came here for lunch but unknowingly didn't realize the vast difference in menu items as lunch is more pizza heavy (& sandwich) than other dishes. We were seated on the rooftop which was nice and there are space heaters for the colder days. The aesthetic is really nice with earthy tones and wood doors and panels. As you're walking up, you'll see on the 2nd floor bar area the ceiling hanging of dried figs which was beautiful but also brought out this pleasant smell to the room. We ordered: + Japanese Sweet Potato, Jalapeño Yogurt, Scallion - our favorite dish with nicely panfried potatoes and the jalapeno yogurt was a nice pairing to give a sweet and savory palette. + Beef Tartare, Sourdough, Dijon Mustard, Caper, Shallot - served on top of a toasty bread that was the perfect thickness so the ratio of tartare to bread was great. + Pizza Anchovy, Nardello Pepper, Cherry Tomato, Burrata, Caper, Parmesan - the ingredients read like a flavor explosion but it was pretty muted. The wood fired pizza crust and texture was great though and I really liked the lemon zest on top. + House Made Pickled Vegetables - would skip as it's nothing special and quite a small portion so not really shareable. + Braised Pork Meatball, Tomato Sauce, Parmesan, Sourdough Toast - I would potentially skip this if you're not obsessed with meatballs. My friends raved about the pasta during the dinner so I will need to make another visit for that!