Dining & Local Life

Casalena: An Evening Worth Remembering

From the outdoor bar to the upstairs dining room, this Italian restaurant gets the details right — down to the texture of the napkins.

Some restaurants are built for a quick meal. Casalena is built for an occasion. Whether the evening calls for a celebration with a full table of friends or a quiet dinner for two, the room itself seems designed to rise to the moment — a wonderful atmosphere for an event, and an excellent setting for a date.

The options begin before you even step inside. A covered outdoor seating area comes with its own outdoor bar, letting guests enjoy the evening air with a drink in hand. Step through the doors and the centerpiece reveals itself: a huge indoor bar with generous space all the way around it — room enough for everyone to have a good time without surrendering their privacy.

That same sense of space carries into the main dining room, which is large and thoughtfully arranged. Tables are spaced so that a conversation stays at the table where it belongs — a rarity worth noting, and exactly what a date night deserves. And for those who want a different vantage on the evening, there is more above: an upstairs bar and a second dining room on the upper level.

“Even the cloth napkins are textured like a fine dress shirt.”

Where Casalena truly distinguishes itself, though, is in the service. The attention to detail is evident in things most restaurants overlook. The cloth napkins are textured like a fine dress shirt. With every appetizer course, a fresh plate and new silverware arrive at the table. Nothing lingers; everything is immaculately clean.

It adds up to the kind of evening that stays with you. Casalena is an excellent place to mark a milestone, impress a date, or simply remember what a well-run dining room feels like — and to have a very good time doing it.

Casaléna a radiant Mediterranean-Italian restaurant located in Woodland Hills, CA

Good Shepherd Media — Dining & Local Life