The Drago family has owned and operated some of the most famous high-end Italian restaurants in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, since the 1980s. They are known for their pasta dishes. The family includes four brothers:Tanino, Calogero, Celestino, and Giacomino. Giacomino is co-owner of 11 Los Angeles restaurants—including Beverly Hills' iconic Il Pastaio and Via Alloro, and referred to as the scion of the family's restaurant businesses.

Celestino Drago Celestino is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Anthony Celestino, the touring bassist for the ''Blink-182'' side project, Box Car Racer *Celestino Alfonso (1916–1944), Spanish republican and volunteer in the ...

immigrated to Los Angeles from Sicily in the mid-1970s, and held his first job with Osteria Romana Orsini on Pico Boulevard as a chef before leaving to launch Celestino, "his seminal Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills (now defunct but re-created in Pasadena under the same name)". He brought over three of his brothers from the family restaurant in

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

. Celestino parted ways with investor Art Vella in 1991. Some of their dishes have been featured in cookbooks.

Restaurants

*Celestino (in Beverly Hills until 1991; now operating in Pasadena) *L'Arancino (closed) *Celestino Steak House (West Hollywood, closed 2009) *Drago Santa Monica (closed) *Il Pastaio Harry Basch, Mark Hiss, Erika Lenkert, Matthew Richard Poole Frommer's California 2008 Frommer's, 2007 , 786 pages
Frommer's 2008
/ref> *Enoteca Drago Beverly Hills wine bar *Drago Centro (a Stanley Felderman designed restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles, opened 2009) *Osteria Drago (West Hollywood, opened 2012) (permanently closed) *Tanino Ristorante Bar Tanino Ristorante review
/ref> *Panzanella Ristorante Sherman Oaks

References

{{Reflist, 30em Restaurants in Los Angeles Italian-American culture in Los Angeles Italian restaurants Sicilian-American cuisine

Restaurants

See also

References