Bigger doesn’t always mean better. The original Dumb and Dumber is a classic piece of cinema, but absolutely no one needed the longer director’s cut. And we’d much prefer a 600-square-foot bungalow in Venice to one of those giant houses in Beverly Hills with both Roman columns and French Provincial shutters. The Pasta Sisters in Culver City, though, is different. This place is bigger than the original Pico-Arlington location and, in many ways, it’s better.

We love the charm of that original strip mall shop, where you can chat with the owner, watch them make your pasta in the back, and sit at one of three tables to eat it. But there’s also a pretty good chance that you’ll have to eat your gnocchi in the car if someone is taking too long to eat their pappardelle bolognese. We can guarantee this will not be a problem at the new location of Pasta Sisters in Culver City.

photo credit: Jakob Layman

The space is huge, with a big dining room, and two enormous patios - so if you spot your boss out front, you can easily avoid awkward lunch conversation. You still order at the counter here, picking the type of pasta and a sauce to go with it, but there are a few additions - like a fantastic beef stew with polenta, and maybe more importantly, alcohol. The pasta itself is just like what you’d get at Pico-Arlington - perfect noodles, topped with simple sauces made with fresh-from-Italy ingredients. Getting to eat it on a sunny patio, without anyone shaming you into shoveling it into your face as quickly as possible, is the kind of bigger thing we can get behind.

Food Rundown

Spezzatino Con Polenta

You’ll notice a lot of similarity between the food rundown here and at the Pico-Arlington original - the food menus aren’t all that different. This tomatoey beef stew, though, is a Culver exclusive, and it’s the only thing we ever want to eat on a (60 degree) winter night, ever again.

photo credit: Jakob Layman

Pesto

It’s pesto pasta. You should order it.

photo credit: Jakob Layman

Bolognese

Old-fashioned meat sauce that doesn’t bother with anything extra like vegetables or bone marrow, because it doesn’t need to. This sauce goes very well with the pappardelle.

Carbonara

Only available on Sundays, and worth making a pilgrimage for. Yes, that’s a religion joke.