Centanni Trattoria Brings Gourmet Italian Cuisine to Burbank

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Posted by contributor, Lisa Robertson

I don’t know about you, but with only a handful of restaurants close by offering food worthy of date night (aka: making the night out worth the cost of a babysitter), I have been hoping for (make that yearning) for a new restaurant that brought gourmet food to our fair town so that we didn’t feel the need to drive over the hill and through the woods to get something special.

When Centanni Trattoria recently opened its doors on the corner of Clark and Victory foodies and folks just hoping for a really good meal celebrated with a unanimous “yum.” Co-owned by Burbank residents Alex and Helen Paez and their business partner Marin Santos, who has been an executive chef at some of Los Angeles best restaurants, Centanni offers gourmet, high-quality, from-scratch Italian dishes, panini and salads with only the finest ingredients, as well as a nice selection of wine and beer. This is the second Centanni for the trio; their first restaurant has been successfully operating in Venice for more than six years and has become a staple for many of the community’s foodies–much as it is soon to be for Burbank folks.

The newly renovated restaurant is a breath of fresh air for Burbank and serves incredible entrees like steak ravioli, pesto gnocchi that melts in your mouth and a tagliatelle al ragu that is so comforting that I swear you’ll feel like your grandmother has wrapped a warm blanket around you as you take the first bite. There is a reason this beef dish is one of the most popular dishes at both of the Centanni locations.

The ultimate comfort food on the planet is this dish: tagliatelle al ragu.

Children at Centanni

Although I consider Centanni the perfect date-night/moms’ night out/night out with friends restaurant, they do offer kids’ meals and my kids LOVED the food. Two of my boys order kid-sized pasta dishes and another one of my boys ordered a panini off the regular menu. The restaurant offers highchairs, but in my humble opinion the restaurant may be best for “experienced diners” who are used to going out to eat often so as to not ruin the ambiance for others who are out for their night on the town.

Families should ask their server for info on the kids’ portions, as they are not printed in the menu. Kids’ size penne or spaghetti with marinara, butter or alfredo is $4.95. Kids’ pasta with meatballs is $5.95.

Lunch and Take-out
Centanni has fantastic lunch portions. Notably, they offer a $10 lunch which includes most of the pasta dishes on the menu with a salad (all meals are served with bread and oil and balsamic vinegar). The lunch portion of the Farfalle Salmone and salad is featured here and it was just right for lunch. Although it may not look like a lot in the picture, I actually took some of it home with me. (The salad, by the way, is perfectly dressed and incredibly delicious.)

If you can’t get out for the night (aka: the babysitter’s busy), you can order take-out (you’ll have to pick it up) so you can have a night at home with a great meal–maybe after the kids have had their dinner and have gone to bed. We have ordered take-out out and it has been such a treat after a stressful work day.

Prices, Reservations and Location
Dinner prices start at about $9 for a panini and go up to about $18.50 for steak and seafood dishes. Some specials may be a bit more. Sides are additional. (See the full menu by clicking here.) Reservations are encouraged, although walk-ins can usually be accommodated. The restaurant is located at 117 N. Victory Blvd., Burbank. (Across from Nickelodeon where South Street used to be.) You can make reservations or order take-out from their full menu by calling (818) 561-4643. Reservations can also be made through Open Table.

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