Chi Spacca

The story

Chi Spacca in Los Angeles: A Meat-Focused Italian Steakhouse by Nancy Silverton

Chi Spacca: An Ode to Meat, Beautiful Meat

On the corner of Melrose and Highland, Chi Spacca is Nancy Silverton’s small, intimate restaurant — a place where the Italian steakhouse tradition meets the craft of the butcher. The name, Italian for “she (or he) who cleaves,” is a direct nod to the philosophy: cook like an Italian butcher would. The restaurant grew out of the wildly popular family-style salumi nights held in the same space, which led to the creation of Los Angeles’s first “dry cure” program. Today, that dedication to in-house charcuterie techniques remains central to the experience.

The dining room is warm and candlelit, with walls lined with wine and a wood-burning oven casting a glow over marble countertops. The menu changes daily based on the best produce available, but the focus is clear. From the Macelleria section come boldly seasoned dishes like porcini-rubbed short ribs, lamb shoulder chops, and the show-stopping Costata alla Fiorentina — a 36-ounce dry-aged, bone-in New York steak. The Bistecca Fiorentina, a 50-ounce dry-aged Porterhouse, is for serious appetites. Fish is not an afterthought: whole branzino alla piastra and a rich cioppino with rock cod, prawn, mussel, clam, and scallop are fixtures.

Beyond the meat, the kitchen excels at vegetables and salads. The Spacca Caesar uses escarole and shaved cauliflower, while a wedge salad gets a Gorgonzola vinaigrette. Savory pies — a beef and bone marrow pie with beef cheek and cippolini, or a chicken pot pie with glazed carrots — are hearty alternatives. On Monday and Tuesday nights, the Chef’s Counter offers the Melrose Smash Burger, made with dry-aged beef. And for groups of four to eight, the Pig’s Head Dinner is a communal celebration of the Berkshire pig, featuring a crispy roasted pig’s head with seasonal sides.

Chi Spacca has earned a Michelin Recommended distinction, a fitting recognition for a restaurant that has been called a “meat speakeasy” by Food & Wine and one of the best new openings by Bon Appétit and Angeleno Magazine. It is an Italian steakhouse that honors the ingredient, the fire, and the craft.