Plateia

The food and the atmosphere is surprisingly good! We will definitely come back again ! I found a lot people complaining about their service, but I think it’s great! The waiter and waitress are are very friendly and helpful!

The wife had something to do up near UCLA so she invited me to lunch at Plateia in the Luskin Conference Center. We had tried to get in for lunch previously but there was always something going on or the restaurant was closed for one reason or another. This time, however, seeing as how it was summer vacation for UCLA, we were able to get a reservation easily. The Luskin Center is at the northernmost point of Westwood Boulevard. To park, you have to go in right in front of the center and down the ramp. They do not validate but it is an expensive restaurant in any case so the parking charge is just another drop in the bucket. The restaurant is quite pleasant. Floor-to-ceiling windows that open to some tables on the patio. Our day there was sunny but a little too warm to sit in the sun. Although we originally requested a table on the patio, all the tables with umbrellas were taken and we felt it would be too warm to sit and enjoy our meal. We requested a table inside and got one right next to a door that was open. It was a good choice. The wife ordered a chicken sandwich with a side salad and I had a pizza margherita. Sorry, we were too hungry to take pictures at the beginning of the meal but we did get to that before we left. The pizza was great. The crust was crispy but not dry and the pizza had just the right amount of tomato sauce and cheese. I was very pleased with it. The wife's sandwich was also very good, she claimed, and it looked good, too. However, if you can call this a complaint, the meal was too big. If you've got an appetite, this place is great. For us, we had lunch tomorrow, also. The service was excellent. The servers and other staff attend UCLA in their hospitality track. I guess there is nothing better for learning than doing. These people did very well, we were extremely satisfied. When we got the check, we were a bit perplexed. The credit card slip matched the original check but there was no place to add a tip. Then my wife started reading a bit more about the restaurant and found out that it is a "no tipping" environment. My wife and I have lived in Europe, so we were both used to the no-tipping rule but it is quite scarce in the USA. So we signed the slip, took the boxed food with us and enjoyed the stroll back to the car. Bottom line: a little bit pricier than your standard lunch but the service was good and the no-tipping rule was a nice surprise. In today's world, I like this way of doing business better than underpaying the staff and hoping that the customers will make up the difference. Just as in Europe, pay them a living wage and most will provide good service. Also, we would have no qualms about going back, providing we can get a reservation.

Very pleasant environment. Staff are friendly. Delicious pizza, well-made cocktails. I ordered Verdura Pizza and the Barcelona drink and I loved both of them.This is a gratuity free restaurant.

The restaurant has a great atmosphere. It's pretty fancy and next to a conference center. The food was good and the service was nice too. I recommend the berry dessert. The tip is already included so it helps with the price.

The ambiance is very nice and the food is fine, unfortunately I can not say this for the service. I really do not understand why it is not to possible to unite the tables or serve an empty table outside when the weather is so nice. There are other tables being served outside but is it so hard to switch a waiter from inside??