La Scarola has been serving Italian-American food out of a modest storefront on Grand Avenue in West Town for close to 28 years. The menu leans on old-school staples: a pasta fagioli of cannellini beans, pasta, and cheese finished with basil and wine, breaded pan-fried calamari, broiled white fish set over sundried tomatoes and spinach, penne alla vodka with shrimp, mushrooms, asparagus, and arugula, and a grilled veal chop alla Armani served over risotto with roasted tomatoes and mozzarella.
The dining room is small and fills up fast, with a reputation for getting loud and crowded on busy nights — part of the old-school charm regulars come back for. The restaurant's walls have become enough of an attraction that they get their own dedicated page on the restaurant's website.
Portions run generous, and the pasta and desserts in particular have built a loyal following among regulars who treat this as a neighborhood standby.
The dining room is small and fills up fast, with a reputation for getting loud and crowded on busy nights — part of the old-school charm regulars come back for. The restaurant's walls have become enough of an attraction that they get their own dedicated page on the restaurant's website.
Portions run generous, and the pasta and desserts in particular have built a loyal following among regulars who treat this as a neighborhood standby.