If there's any problem with this intimate little neighborhood restaurant, which is immensely popular and doesn't take reservations, it's that you almost always have to wait for a table. The solution? Get here as close to opening as possible. The interior is as attractive as that of any other upscale restaurant here on Restaurant Row, but the prices are less expensive, which is why Caffé Mingo is so popular. The quality of the food also has a lot to do with the popularity. The menu is short, and focuses on painstakingly prepared Italian comfort food. Just about all of the items on the menu are winners, from the antipasti platter, which might include roasted fennel, fresh mozzarella, and roasted red pepper, to an unusual penne pasta dish with tender beef braised in Chianti and espresso. The panna cotta dessert ("cooked cream" with fruit) is reason enough to come back here again and again, even if you have to wait in the rain to get a seat.