Here’s where to find the best cacio e pepe in L.A.

The pasta at Felix is the silkiest and most salivating in Los Angeles, and chef Evan Funke is the master behind it all. Funke specializes in old-school handmade pasta, which he learned in Bologna, and all the hard work has certainly paid off. His cacio e pepe gets made with al dente tonnarelli noodles, and pecorino romano DOP (“denominazione d’origine protetta”), meaning this cheese is sourced from the official “protected designation of origin” (PDO, in English)—so you know it’s the real thing—plus ample toasted tellicherry peppercorns. They all combine to make your taste buds pop in all the best ways. It’s No. 1 on this list for a reason. $23.

Though it seems like they coined the term themselves, “dalla forma” is Forma Restaurant’s method of finishing off their pastas tableside in a cheese wheel. When it comes to cacio, the restaurant uses chitarra spaghetti, which is a thicker noodle, along with extra virgin olive oil. Once cooked, it’s dipped into an enormous wheel of pecorino romano for the cheesiest, gooiest, most sumptuous cacio e pepe. The dinner portion runs a steep $24, but their happy hour—from 3 to 6pm—has a $10 version that will fill you up just the same. $24.

Part of the Factory Place Hospitality Group, which includes the Factory Kitchen and Brera, Sixth + Mill is the more casual cousin, a restaurant that’s more trattoria then ristorante. Inside, the magic of chef Angelo Auriana extends beyond the spot’s signature pizzas and into some mouthwatering cacio e pepe. Auriana uses spaghetti alla chitarra along with PDO parmigiano, pecorino romano and four separate peppers, including tellicherry, pink, white and a secret one that you’ll need DNA testing to figure out. The end result is velvety perfection. $18.

“Uovo” means “egg” in Italian, and the restaurant is so named because it sources fresh pasta made daily with Italian eggs in Bologna, and ships it to Los Angeles (yes, seriously). In spite of whatever that costs, the end result is perfectly prepared pastas and one of the best cacio e pepe dishes in town, and at a great price for customers. Uovo rolls a thick tonnarelli noodle, sprinkles in black pepper, and uses the pasta water to create a creamy concoction that’s worthy of your time and your taste buds. $16.

Chef David Chang of Momofuku fame opened his first L.A. restaurant in a nondescript, warehouse-dotted edge of Chinatown, and hungry Angelenos and tourists alike have been flocking to the area ever since. You won’t find “cacio e pepe” spelled out on Majordōmo’s menu, but Chang’s macaroni and chickpea pasta—with his signature Hozon seasoning and black pepper—tastes just like the real thing. To top it off, they shave enormous black truffles all over the noodles, in case you didn’t think it was decadent enough. $19, with truffle $46.

This chic Los Feliz restaurant is an ideal date spot for happy hour, dinner or weekend brunch—and while you’re on that date, make it a point of ordering the uni cacio e pepe. Atrium chef Hunter Pritchett dishes out squiggles of trofie noodles enveloped in tellicherry peppercorns and pecorino cheese, and then tops it with drool-worthy morsels of sea urchin. To do it justice, mix it all together in those sleek black serving bowls; the uni melds into a creamy mixture that will have you coming back for more. $23.

You won’t see the Rose’s cacio e pepe on the printed lunch menu, but in-the-know diners can still call in a special order of the creamy concoction pre-dinnertime. For those not in-the-know, what Rose does differently is worth inquiring about: On top of the usual spaghetti, pecorino and black pepper, chef Jason Neroni throws in parmesan, mozzarella and ricotta, and then finishes it off with miso for a totally unique flavor. Swoon. $23.

Born and bred in Naples, Italy, chef Daniele Uditi is a master craftsman when it comes to Neapolitan pizza. His signature slow-dough process takes two days to form the perfect crust, and it’s well worth the wait. While there are a dozen pies to choose from, the standout is the cacio e pepe variety. Using only the best ingredients—such as fior di latte mozzarella from Naples, provolone from Agerola, parmigiano cream, and cracked black pepper—the slices ooze with so much cheese and it’s such a successful interpretation, it’ll make you forget the original take was a pasta dish to begin with. $21.

Not to argue semantics, but Union Pasadena’s version is more carbonara then cacio e pepe—but not ordering it on a technicality would be a huge mistake. Union’s dish takes the traditional pecorino romano and black pepper, then adds a 63-degree egg. What is a 63-degree egg? It’s an egg cooked in its shell, heated in a vat of water held at 63 degrees. Once you mix that yolk with the cheese, however, the definitions will blur as you swipe the last bits off the plate with your finger. $21.

Formerly of 71Above, chef Vartan Abgaryan outdoes himself with his Abbot Kinney joint, Yours Truly. The menu is a spectacle of global tastes and traditions with every twist imaginable, and no dish more so than his version of cacio e pepe. Hidden on the menu as simply “fingerling potatoes,” Abgaryan’s cacio is a mix of pecorino, parmesan, black peppercorns and egg yolk—which, to be fair, makes this entry also carbonara-leaning. The potatoes act as a delectable base, and when blended with the cheese and yolk, provide a taste explosion that might make you rethink the pasta version (at least for a minute). $14.

Chef Stephen Kalt’s joint along this particular stretch of Melrose Avenue feels out of place, but the knock isn’t on the restaurant: It just seems so refined for its locale. Once you get past the head shops and tattoo parlors, you’ll find a hidden oasis at Spartina, where they whip up an extra creamy cacio e pepe with freshly made bigoli pasta (think: an extra-thick spaghetti) with salty pecorino cheese. The pepper here is what separates it from the others, as it’s laid on so liberally that it packs enough punch to clear your sinuses with every bite. $18, or $6 during happy hour (5:30–7pm daily).

Osteria La Buca is now so far removed from its Osteria Mamma connection, it would be hard to know they were ever linked. Today, chef Cameron Slaugh defines his own pasta with pure techniques gleaned from mentorships at award-winning haunts like Alinea in Chicago and Eleven Madison Park in New York. He brings that control and technique to the cacio e pepe, a simple and refined take that’s properly creamy, properly peppery and properly cheesy. And it’s perfect for the coldest of California days. $11.