Felix started life in 2017 as a big-deal Westside restaurant—a serious Italian place on the quiet end of Abbot Kinney with a climate-controlled pasta-making room, a buzzy space, and impossible-to-snag reservations. These days, Felix is one of three LA restaurants from the same chef (Funke in Beverly Hills and Mother Wolf in Hollywood, which also has another location in Vegas), and has ended up somewhat overshadowed by its flashier siblings. But Felix, now more laid back, has quietly become the overachiever of the family, and easily the best restaurant of the group. It’s now possible to get a reservation a couple of days ahead, especially on a weeknight, or just walk in and have a meal at the bar—a pre-pandemic hack we’re thrilled they’ve reinstated. Unlike Mother Wolf or Funke, which can feel packed with out-of-towners or groups having a Big Night Out, the tables at Felix are full of locals stopping in for an early dinner with the kids or a relatively relaxed date night. And the food is as excellent as ever, including the bread we’ve written numerous odes to and handmade pasta that lives up to the (air-conditioned) temple it was made in. It’s worth mentioning that while the restaurant has transformed into something closer to a neighborhood spot, don’t expect neighborhood prices. Most of the pastas are around $30 and entrees are in the $70 range. So unless you sold those Snap shares at the right time, becoming a regular might be out of the question. This has always been a confident restaurant, sure that you’ll have a good night whether you’re here once a year for a fancy dinner, or just popping in for an incredible bowl of pasta at the bar. Now that Felix has left the spotlight, that’s only become more true.