L.A. has its fair share of regional Italian restaurants that craft artful plates of pasta and delicacies year-round. But when it comes to Italian-American restaurants—the kind of place where the meatball’s the size of your fist and that oregano-heavy tomato sauce has been simmering all day—these days, we’re in shorter supply.

Thankfully, red sauce is making a comeback, and you can find it along with family-style portions of spaghetti and all the vibrant, loud, neighborly vibes at pop-ups and special nights happening around the city. So before your uncle Antonio (my actual uncle) can yell, “Whatsamatta with you? You eating? Come on and grab a chair. Hey, Vinny! Grab ’em a chair! You can’t stay? You gotta eat at some fancy restaurant in Los Angeles?” check out these primo red-sauce nights.