I Went to Rihanna’s Favorite Restaurant in LA – Giorgio Baldi – & Ordered Her Favorite Pastas

By Mariana February 10, 2023November 19, 2024

I can’t believe that after 7 years, I finally went to Rihanna’s holy-grail restaurant in LA: Giorgio Baldi. I recently came across Business Insider’s article by Anneta Konstantinides “I Tried Rihanna’s Regular Pasta Order at Her Favorite Restaurant, and Now I Understand Why She Eats There up to 3 Times a Week.” Also, because Rihanna will be performing at the Super Bowl halftime show on February 12, 2023, I thought it was the perfect timing to finally take the leap and check Giorgio Baldi off my list.

Even when I lived in Spain, I remember seeing Rihanna’s paparazzi photos leaving the restaurant: “Rihanna spotted another night at Giorgio Baldi.” One could almost say it’s like her second home in LA!

Before I talk about my experience there, here’s some information regarding the story of the restaurant.

Born in the Italian seaside town, Forte dei Marmi, Giorgio Baldi moved to LA in 1985. After working at different Italian restaurants across LA, he opened two restaurants of his own: one in Santa Monica and one in Malibu. In 1995, he opened his eponymous restaurant on West Channel Road in Pacific Palisades. According to the NYTimes, Giorgio spoke no word of English, but was able to connect with his American customers through his creative dishes. Even in the 90s, celebrities like Tom Hanks, David Geffen and President Clinton could be seen dining there.

Giorgio passed away in 2011, but his family continues to carry on his legacy. His son Eduardo runs E. Baldi in Beverly Hills while his daughter Elena runs Giorgio Baldi.

From 2012 to 2016, Rihanna purchased this multi-million dollar mansion in Pacific Palisades. Admittedly, she said she wanted to be closer to the restaurant where she was spotted going in and out up to three times a week.

Whenever Rihanna steps out of her black Suburban, it’s a fashion show. Whether it’s her gaudy outfits or her baby bump, her pictures end up circulating in fashion articles and magazines.

The NYTimes wrote a very thorough article on the backstory of Giorgio Baldi, and even went as far as speaking with the Baldi family, Rihanna’s waiter at the restaurant, Marco, and Cesar Pena, one of Rihanna’s usual paparazzi.

Elena Baldi said that this location was the worst in the 90s because it was far from everything. “The menu technically hasn’t changed much, even inside it kind of still looks the same,” she said.

Regarding Rihanna: “She started coming when she was like 18 or something, I remember when she couldn’t even drink.”

Cesar Pena shared with the NYTimes: “When I was in L.A., I knew I had to be there on a Sunday just after 5 o’clock.”

Fun fact: The guy behind Rihanna was my valet the night I went there!

Rolling Stone‘s writer Josh Eels interviewed Rihanna for the April 2011 issue. Below is an excerpt of the interview:

“She’s at an Italian restaurant off the Pacific Coast Highway, digging into a plate of fried calamari. The place is called Giorgio Baldi, and it’s her favorite restaurant in Los Angeles, maybe even the world. If she’s home for a week, which is rare, she might eat here four or five times. She usually gets the spaghetti and sometimes the gnocchi. Tonight, she gets both.”

Marco, Rihanna’s waiter, told Rolling Stone that she loved Parmesan cheese and the fried calamari, as you read above, but that she hated truffles.

She loves the restaurant so much that even rapper Drake dedicated a line of his song “Diplomatic Immunity” to her: “Caterin’ is from Giorgio Baldi’s, Robyn’s favorite.”

Rihanna and Drake dining at Giorgio Baldi in 2014. Photo Credit: SplashNews

So, what is it about this place that keeps her coming back over and over? Is the food that good?

The restaurant sits very inconspicuously on a street off the Pacific Palisades. With the winding lanes of PCH, the views of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, one could easily be transported to an Italian coastal town.

Unless you know about Giorgio Baldi, you won’t find it. The outdoor seating is buffered by tall bushes to protect the guests’ privacy, and the only identifiable feature is a green neon sign that is lit at night and reads “GB”.

I went there on a weekday at 6 pm. It was just me and two other guests who were dining inside. The first thing that struck me about the restaurant was how close the seats were from one another. It felt too cramped, almost as if you were in a European restaurant, but I guess that is the essence of Giorgio Baldi: to bring Italy to LA.

My waiter’s name was Filippo, who was from Northern Italy. After he served my meal, he made conversation with another waiter, who was also Italian. I was surprised to see actual Italians working there. I honestly wasn’t expecting this! Then, I could hear Spanish being spoken between the busboys and the cooks.

People on Yelp who reported that they were left hungry, said that they ordered their bread in order to fill themselves up. Many reviews state that pasta portions are toddler-sized and that you will leave starving.

The pastas Rihanna orders are the Spaghetti Pomodoro with Basil, which is not on the menu but it’s available upon request, the Gnocchi with Meat Sauce and the Ravioli con Asparagi. The latter is homemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and asparagus sautéed in a butter sauce.

Spaghetti Pomodoro with basil

In the Business Insider article I read, the author said that this was by far her favorite pasta, but I beg to differ. The noodles were too overcooked. I like my spaghetti al dente. That was the first thing I noticed. Secondly, the sauce was very reminiscent of Rao’s tomato sauce, but this one had hints of cheese from the Parmesan. It was very tasty, but far from jaw-dropping.

I had three bites of this pasta because I wanted to make sure I had room left for the gnocchi with meat. However, I had the Pomodoro the next day for lunch, and as you might guess, I had to eat something else because that portion wasn’t enough to constitute a full-meal. The tomato Pomodoro was ok, but I can honestly say that I’ve had more exciting Pomodoro pasta at the Cheesecake Factory.

After I went to Giorgio, I visited Fabio’s Pasta, located on the Venice Beach boardwalk (a hidden gem!) Fabio, the owner, is from Turin and he knew about Giorgio Baldi very well. I looked at his expression of utter horror as I showed him the pictures: “Ugh! My God! Look at the sauce, it’s all water. I would never make that pasta, not even for myself at home,” he said about the Spaghetti Pomodoro.

Gnocchi with meat sauce

Unfortunately, this one failed to make a lasting impression on me. I’m not a good cook, but this was a dish anyone could have made. When you use fresh ground beef, at least the flavor stands out. But nothing about this pasta stood out. The gnocchis were also forgettable.

They didn’t even bother to add seasonings to the ground beef to make it taste better. Maybe some herbs? Tomato sauce? Minced garlic? This gnocchi with meat sauce was by far the worst pasta I’ve had in LA. I can’t believe for the life of me that this is one of Rihanna’s favorite orders.

Ravioli con Asparagi

Out of the three pastas, this one was the best one but had the least quantity. The butter sauce was very subtle and paired really well with the asparagus. The texture of the raviolis was very fluffy and soft, and I loved the ricotta cheese filling. Amazing! Based on the delicate texture of the raviolis, I suspect that this is probably their only handmade pasta.

So… what does Rihanna order for dessert?

I asked my waiter Filippo this. “I’m not sure, let me double check.” He came back 1 minute later: “She doesn’t order anything specific,” he said. There isn’t a dessert menu, so he gave me a quick rundown: Gelatos, tiramisu, Nutella crepes, creme brulee and flans. I wanted something on the lighter side, and he highly recommended the lemon gelato… I promise I’m not writing this review with malicious intent, but I was deeply disappointed by it.

It had a very odd presentation. “You’re supposed to wait for the gelato to warm up and then you can take off the lemon top and start eating it.” Filippo said. After waiting for 4 minutes, the top wouldn’t come off and the gelato was very hard. He took it away and then brought it back to me without it. The consistency was still hard, especially on the inside, but I managed to eat it. I was livid to pay this much money for a brick-like gelato that was obviously not made in-house. What in the world?

In retrospect, it was a good thing that I ordered the gelato and took my time eating it because it was specifically during this time, around 7 pm, that the action started to happen. As more people started coming in, the cooks (and I) looked expectantly to see who would walk through the door. Although Giorgio Baldi is a celebrity hangout, it’s also very family-oriented. I was surprised to see a family with a young infant. In general, I could tell that most people that walked in were old-money.

Someone who looked exactly like Sarah Michelle Gellar was dining with a teenage girl and boy. It wasn’t her, but the resemblance was uncanny.

If we were to compare Giorgio Baldi and Mother Wolf, the latter wins by a very long shot. If you’re not familiar with Mother Wolf, it’s one of the most important restaurants in LA right now: the presentation of the dishes, the execution of the pastas and of course, their star-studded clientele like the Obamas and Beyonce. The pasta dishes are pricier, but they’re so worth it and actually filling.

Regardless of my opinion, it seems that Giorgio Baldi has a very loyal following. Does this place have the best Italian food in LA? No, but it’s the place to go if you want to be seen.

At the end of January, Sarah M wrote this review on Yelp:

“Living in Atlanta and strongly considering moving to Santa Monica to be a regular here. Visited this place a few months after being in Italy and nothing I had in Italy came close to how incredible this spaghetti pomodoro was. I think about it way more often than I care to admit.

The restaurant is TINY. You’re practically on top of the table next to you but it’s not weird? Extremely knowledgeable servers who made great recommendations. But did I look up what Rihanna gets here and order some of those pastas? Sure did. And don’t regret it.”

Do you agree with this? The only way to know is to try it yourself!

Update: Even when Rihanna is pregnant, her pregnancy cravings include her beloved pastas from Giorgio Baldi! On March 29th, she shared on her Instagram stories the Spaghetti Pomodoro with basil, the gnocchi with meat, and the raviolis with meat sauce. I didn’t order the latter, but now we can add them to Rihanna’s favorite pasta dishes! Hopefully these raviolis are better than the gnocchi.

For the record, Giorgio Baldi does not have a drive-thru. But could you imagine pulling up to your favorite restaurant and having your bodyguard bring out the food on a plate to your car? Here’s the video!