By 
Angelenos love a cozy Italian neighborhood spot. A few examples are Little Dom’s in Los Feliz, Spina in Atwater Village and Met Her at A Bar on La Brea Avenue.
In 2025, Mar Vista finally got theirs: Beethoven Market.
Mar Vista is a small residential pocket tucked between Venice and Palms. The overall consensus is that it is very safe and great for families, albeit very sleepy. Additionally, Mar Vista has often been overlooked and hard to pinpoint by those who are not familiar with the Westside. It’s not Culver City, it’s not Venice or Sawtelle.
With Beethoven Market, Mar Vista residents will no longer have to drive to Venice or Santa Monica to indulge in a great selection of food and drinks in an upscale yet laid-back setting. The former space, Beethoven Market, was a grocer and butcher shop that served the neighborhood for 75 years!
In 2023, the vacant space was acquired by chef and restaurateur Jeremy Adler.
During the demolition of the old supermarket, the original wood ceiling and steel beams were restored.
Jeremy, who was born and raised in LA, has been living in Mar Vista for a decade with his wife Susan. After graduating from university, he spent some time in Italy working as an apprentice under various chefs. Eventually, Jeremy went back to the States, New York specifically, where he ran several restaurants for 9 years. Although Jeremy works in tandem with other restaurant owners around LA, Beethoven is his first solo project.
Since Jeremy and his wife are also raising their daughter in Mar Vista, it was very important for him to give back to the community in a meaningful way. In this new iteration of Beethoven Market, Jeremy aimed to create a neighborhood gathering place rooted in simplicity and quality. The menu, featuring Italian fare with California’s bounty of produce, is relatively affordable.
Jeremy shared on Instagram: “When our daughter was just born nearly a decade ago, we searched all over LA to find a place to raise our family. We are so lucky to have found Mar Vista. When we walk our dog around the block, we say hello and chat with our community. We feel so connected to this place and love so many people here.”
To design the space, Jeremy wanted to blend Southern California’s laid-back lifestyle with the rustic charm of the Italian countryside. To complete such task, he enlisted the help of Tara Bean Designs. The main goal was to create a warm and inviting atmosphere, to the point that if you’re swinging by for a few drinks, the space feels like an extension of your living room.
I loved how the afternoon sunlight permeated throughout the space. The outdoor patio didn’t feel detached from the indoor space, but rather an extension. Creating a harmonious balance between indoor and outdoor is something not many restaurants and bars are able to achieve.
The crowd was an interesting mix: guys who looked straight out of an Abercrombie campaign, dappered in beachy yet stylish outfits, women sporting elevated casual outfits, alongside young families and baby boomers.
On the breezy outdoor patio, among the clinking glasses and conversations, a 30-year-old olive tree took center stage. It was an al-fresco haven.
Prior to visiting Beethoven Market, I was corresponding with Manager Tessa Naso, who was nice enough to squeeze me a reservation on a FULLY BOOKED night! When I got there about 15 minutes before 5, the place was packed.
Beethoven opens at 4 for happy hour and the kitchen starts operating at 5. Everyone was gathered around the bar and the outdoor patio while the servers were adding the finishing touches to the tables.
While I was waiting to check in, ahead of me was a blonde girl with a British accent who was confused when her reservation for a party of 5 didn’t show up on the system.
After the host located my name, I requested a table but that would have been an hour wait, so I waited for a seat at the bar to open up.
In the meantime, a middle-aged couple walked in but they were kindly turned away. When the man requested a table for two without having a reservation, the host replied, “I’m sorry, but we’re fully booked for the night”. “You have to make a reservation on Resy, preferably two days in advance.” The woman got snappy at him, “See? I told you!”
Finally, by what seemed a stroke of luck, someone left their seat.
Something I noticed is that even though the bar is the most congested area of the restaurant, I didn’t feel crammed at all. By the time I ordered my meal, people were already being ushered to their tables. Either way, the earlier you get there the better!!
Tessa came to my seat and greeted me. After exchanging pleasantries, I told her about my pasta choice, the Bolognese. For pizza, I was unsure of which one to order, but she highly recommended the Zucchini and Ricotta, so I heeded her advice!
Bolognese pasta
Prior to going to Beethoven, I couldn’t find any pictures of what this pasta looked like, but it had been a while since I’d had handmade pasta with a meaty sauce.
This pasta is called Campanelle, which is the best to pair with hearty sauces because of its hollow center. Unfortunately, the pasta shape and the Parmesan cheese weren’t enough to redeem the overall pasta.
Beethoven’s Bolognese is called White Bolognese, where tomato sauce is omitted and instead, the ragu is seasoned with herbs, aromatics and wine. Whenever I make Bolognese, I lightly season the meat as the tomato sauce does all the heavy lifting. That’s why in the White Bolognese, proper seasoning of the meat is paramount, since that’s where all the flavor lies.
Here, all I could taste was the pasta and the pork, which was tender and very well cooked, but it lacked depth. When I ordered it, I was expecting a slowly simmered sauce with ground meat and aromatics – thick and intensely flavorful.
A girl two seats next to me was also having the Bolognese. I leaned over and asked her if she was enjoying it. To my further disappointment, she said: “Honestly? Not really. I’ve had better.”
Meatballs
Crunchy meatballs filled with shredded beef atop a small spread of salsa verde. The tender beef inside fell apart effortlessly, but I missed some sort of kick in the meat. Instead, I had to rely on the salsa verde to amplify the flavor. The salsa was light and zesty, albeit it clashed with the crunchy exterior of the meatball.
Zucchini and Ricotta pizza
My concept of vegetable pizzas is that they’re boring and the slices are often too soggy since vegetables retain a lot of water. However, this pizza is proof that that isn’t always the case.
Beethoven’s lively vegetable pizza is bursting with fresh zucchini, complemented by small dollops of pesto, studded with ricotta balls and two types of grated cheese sprinkled throughout: Pecorino and Parmigiano.
I love zucchini and its mildly sweet flavor. When baked, it’s even sweeter! Here, I loved how the rest of the ingredients enhanced the zucchini without overpowering it. The ricotta balls, creamy with a delightful melt-in-your-mouth texture, were the perfect garnish to play off with the robust herbaceous pesto sauce. The combination of these two distinct cheeses – Pecorino, known for its salty and sharp taste, and Parmigiano, which is sweeter and nuttier – completely elevated the pizza.
These luscious ingredients were held by a thin, bubbly crust. After the previous meat-loaded dishes, I couldn’t have asked for a better pizza.
When Tessa was helping me decide which pizza to order, she said that this was her favorite because it was very special and very unique. You won’t find this pizza in other places. It is a must-order for sure!!
Desserts
This meal had a very interesting progression. It didn’t get off to the best start but ended with a spectacular bang. Beethoven is a dessert lover’s dream. My hat goes off to the pastry chef!
Tiramisu
As someone who could not be more indifferent towards tiramisu, Beethoven’s tableside tiramisu has made me a convert. When I saw this mouthwatering picture on Instagram, I knew it wouldn’t disappoint. This hunch was confirmed by Tessa, who said that I had to get it.
Tessa brought a large baking dish and served me a sloppy piece of tiramisu.
This one was a stark contrast from the traditional tiramisu, which is usually very structured and well-defined. It was a whipped cloud of creamy goodness that my taste buds still remember so vividly.
The prominent coffee flavor was embraced by fluffy mascarpone custard cream. The studded chocolate chunks combined with the moist layers of lady fingers (biscuits) created an exceptional interplay of flavors and textures. It was also very light! The biggest standout was the mouthfeel of the cream.
As I was reading the Yelp reviews, someone said: “This was the closest tiramisu I’ve had to my husband’s recipe, which he learned from his grandma in Italy.”
Do not miss it!
Mint gelato (complimentary)
When Tessa brought the gelato, she proceeded to pour hot liquid chocolate on top of it, which magically turned into a hard shell.
The minty-fresh gelato, with its granular consistency and small chocolate chips, was enveloped by the crunchy and decadent chocolate shell – which satisfyingly broke apart as I tapped it with the spoon. You can’t go wrong with mint and chocolate, and this gelato was nothing short of delicious. It was incredibly refreshing and not overly sweet!
Beethoven’s wide-ranging Italian dessert menu includes two more gelatos (Italian chocolate and vanilla), an affogato, a sorbet made of blood orange, lemon and strawberry, and lastly, Zabaglione. The latter is an Italian custard dessert that can be paired with either chocolate sauce or fruit. With this being said, don’t skip the tiramisu!
Overall thoughts
Although Beethoven’s Market has only been open for less than two months, it’s already become a mainstay in Mar Vista. The incessant flow of people and hard-to-get reservations proved that indeed, Beethoven’s is the hottest spot on the Westside right now.
Some dishes were a hit or miss, but there’s still room for improvement as they’re only in the beginning stages. It’ll be interesting to see how their menu evolves in the near future. I will definitely come back to explore it further and relive the experience of eating that tiramisu, which lives rent-free in my mind.
Besides the desserts, Beethoven’s dough is one of their strongest suits. One of the chefs actually worked for LA’s pasta king Evan Funke, and according to Eater LA, the team at Beethoven spent months perfecting it. An appetizer that seemed to be a real crowd-pleaser was the focaccia with whipped ricotta. Someone next to me highlighted the incredible texture of the focaccia. Another worthy mention is Beethoven’s impressive wine and cocktail offerings.
Whether you want to linger on Beethoven’s lush outdoor patio for a cocktail or indulge in a delicious handmade pizza in their airy and comforting indoor space, you’ll be in for a laid-back yet elevated dining experience. Given the residential area, the restaurant adheres to noise ordinance guidelines by closing at 9 PM during the weekdays and 10 PM on the weekends.
Make your reservation HERE.
Beethoven’s address: 12904 Palms Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066
What do you think?