What a disaster! The old Barone's on Ventura had great pizza, mediocre food and interesting decor. This new attempt is a nightmare. Great pizza is now only good, and that's when you get the right order, the other food is hospital cafeteria awful and they apparently couldn't affored to remodel the old Hoppe's/Matterhorn Chef, so the Bavarian decor is ludicrous for a red-sauce "joint". But the real problem is the service. Apparantly, the son of the former and ledgendary owner now owns it and seems barely able to keep things together. The two kids in ill-fitting white shirts and poorly tied black ties who try to run the takeout counter still, after two years, have no clue what to do next. I live two blocks away and was initially delighted at the prospect of having this valley gem literally at my doorstep. But excitement turned to horror as soon as I tried them out - DISASTER. I gave up on dining there - the food is just too bad - but the takeout pizza is still worth the trip. But two times out of three they get the order wrong then make lame excuses about why. So try getting the pizza - but be sure to check your order. And when you find a place with professional staffers, think Musso Frank or the old Martoni's, go often and keep them in business. This place deserves to sink.
Pros: Walking distance close
Cons: The food, the owner, the children trying to be the staff...
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