Osteria Mozza

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CLOSED NOW - Opens at 5:00pm

People - the food just isn't up to par! And at these prices, it'd better be! Yes, the service is impeccable, but it can sometimes be overwrought. The decor is top-notch: rich woods, veneers, great lighting, tablewear, silverwear - an overall great atmosphere. But the food . . . was I ever disappointed. Bland and uninspired. We had numerous appetizers that were just halfheartedly passed around. Enter the entrees. The pork was half fat, half meat. Really. I was dumbfounded. Sure, a little bit is always good (the Japanese do this right), but I was left feeling cheated. And $7.50 for valet?!?!? Huh? There's plenty of street parking nearby. And the way they stack the cars with only one way out, you can get stuck waiting for the numbskull ahead of you saying all their longwinded goodbyes. But the staff is superb! Very professional and competent. Good job on this. We will return, but choose our food a little better and self-park.

This place is fantastic! Besides food quality, the service is impeccable. We ordered far more food than we should have b/c we couldn't finish any of it, but we wanted to try everything (and NOTHING seemed to disappoint.) One dish isn't likely to fill you up so you should definitely get at least 2. Also, pastas can be split (but not entrees). It isn't cheap (from about $55-$65/70 a person) but the price is worth it for the quality. I highly recommend any of the apertives and wines. We began with the Mozzerella Tapenade dish that was complementary (delicious of course.) We ordered an appetizer- figs wrapped in pancetta (one of my favorites of the night) and another mozzarella- started with a ""B"" and had mint, pine nuts, artichokes on a crostini (now this was incredible!) We ordered 3 pastas- the Orecchiette with sausage and swiss chard (interesting flavors but quite good), one that was similar to a bolognese (best bolognese I've ever had), and one more with pork and a red sauce. Our secondis included the quail (great flavors), the beef burata with polenta (best beef I have EVER had), and the pork, which came recommended but wasn't for me. However, many people seemed to love it. Lastly, we order some cappuccinos (delicious) and the hazelnut blackberry jam torte with gelato (get this!) and the Bittersweet chocolate cake (very rich and for those who LOVE chocolate.) Overall, a great experience! Will come back again!

I DONT SPEAK ITALIAN BUT OUR SERVER TRANSLATED THE ENTIRE MENU FOR US.fROM THE APPETIZERS TO THE SALTED GELATO DESERT IT WAS GR8.MATT MOLINO,THE EXECUTIVE CHEF INVITED US TO MEET THE BACKBONE OF HIS ORGANIZATION,A FINE CREW OF HARD WORKING YOUNG MEN IN THE KITCHEN,WHO SHOWED A STRONG DESIRE TO PLEASE THE PATRONS.
ONLY ONE NEGATIVE OF THE PLACE IS THE LOUDNESS OF THE DINING ROOM/BAR..THIS SHOULD BE EXPECTED DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT.
THE ATTENTIVENESS OF ALL THE FLOOR PERSONEL WAS EXEMPLORY.

Umm, ok I have to admit it was great italian. But seriously 300$ for 2 for italian. A bit too much for me. Snooty service because i wasnt some a list actor that was sitting beside me..Typical of this town. Oh well, give it a shot and judge for yourself.

We were very excited to have a new restaurant opening in the neighborhood. Someplace close to home. What a disappointment Mozza turned out to be. I din't mind the fact that it took 6 weeks to get a reservation, I figured it would be worth the wait. We were greeted promptly and friendly enough, taken to our seat in the far back corner at about a 2 1/2 foot table to be shared by 2 side by side dining. We were scrunched so tight together (which if this is a first date might be uncomfortable) they had a limited selection of vodkas, once we decided on a brand we had never heard of we waited and waited and waited some more for our martini's to arrive. We finally had to remind the waiter. The food was cooked in way to much butter, and not clear enough descriptions on the menu. I ordered the Agnolotti which to my vegetarian surprise had beef inside of it. No where on the menu did it say anything about the filling being a meat. They brought bread about 20 minutes into the evening but never brought olive oil or balsamic to enjoy with it. ( what are you supposed to do with a dry piece of bread) All in all we could hardly wait to finish our meal and leave. Very disappointing. I guess it will continue to be Wolfgang puck regulars. I think once health conscious Angelinos taste the butter the food is swimming in will opt for something a little healthier.
I would opt to go next door to eat at the pizzaria which I found to be much better food and service.

This has to be the best meal I have had in a while - and the best italian food since Italy (although it was less expensive in Italy). They brought us these starters - mozzarella with black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil and basil and pesto. Those little starters set the mood for the evening. The mozzarella was so clean and fresh tasting. Then they brought us bread. They had three options - White, wheat and multi-grain. The bread was also amazing but seeing that Nancy Silverton was La Brea Bakery it was no surprise. We heard from the gentlemen next to us that EVERYTHING they ordered was fantastic and we wanted to order stuff to share. I started with proscuitto de parma and mozzarella and my sister had this artichoke with mint pesto and ricotta. Both dishes were breathtaking. The mist pesto was refreshing and crisp. I highly suggest that starter. The portions are not large but because the food is so good it is a different eating experience. We did not order any meat or fish plate but did both order pasta. The server suggested a spaghetti dish with a bacon like meat and pepper (I don't remember the names of the dishes but it was the last item on the pasta menu). I ordered my favorite food - Gnocchi with a light tomato sauce with fresh basil. Again, my choice was great but the plate my sister had was one of the best food items I have ever had. It was unique and the flavors all went so well. We are not really desert fans but we thought - what the heck lets go for it. My sister picked the chocolate dish. It was a bittersweet flourless chocolate cake with the taste of espresso. I loved it. My sister was indifferent about the cake park but enjoyed the candies that decorated the cake and plate. I had a cappuccino. The cake and the beverage was so good and a perfect end to a great meal.I also have to comment on the service. It was top notch. Whenever we had a lapse in dishes, someone was there to make sure their was no issue.
If you can only do it ONE time.....do it.

The food was good as expected. It took us a while to get seated, but 30 minute wait on a Saturday night is not bad at all. Ordered the prawns, which were done perfectly. It did seem kind of loud at times in the restaurant, but it was bearable. The service was inline with a restaurant that is to be upscale in food quality.

Well worth the hype. There should be more of it! Angelinos should be thanking their lucky stars every day. I know I do.
As a huge Mario fan (can you tell?) and habitual customer, I can say that the Osteria is just as good as his other restaurants - maybe even better because I don't have to take a plane to get there! (Pizzeria aside, it is just as sublime) Unbelieveable food, service, atmosphere. The spectacular food elevates everything. Life is good. Sooooooo good.
Thank you, Mario. Thank you.

We skipped the ideas of primi and secondi and ordered multiple pastas. Agnelotti with butter and sage sauce was to die for. The buttery Raviolo, with its oozing egg-yolk center (arguably the most blogged about item on the menu) was everything we'd hoped for and more. The Bucatini all'Amatriciana, however, was a slight disappointment. We ordered 2 serivings, thinking the Bucatini might compare to the the dish of the same name at Lupa, but fell short. All in all, the food was worth the hype.

Con: extremely noisy; tables were too close together

I was eagerly awaiting the opening of Osteria. My friend and I arrived very excited and ordered the figs wrapped in bacon (panchetta) which were divine, artichoke hearts with mozarella on grilled bread (very good) and my favorite of all the octupus which was cooked to perfection. Onwards to the pasta, we had the orriechetti (pardon the spelling) with sausage which tasted overcooked and drab with the bevati which had a nice peppery taste and pasta cooked perfectly to al dente but nothing that memorable. Our entree was the quail which again was good but nothing special.
Dessert was the nona torte, very bland and doughy tasting along with a cannoli-type trio sent out by the chef which we didn't like at all. Service was great but the food was not as good as we had hoped. They need to do some fine tuning. More creativity would be nice.

This was the most wonderful restaurant we have been to in a very long time. Pizzeria mozza is fine, but not worth the hype. Osteria Mozza on the other hand is sublime. My husband hates vegetables, and was floored by a buffala mozzarella appetizer with 4 dipping sauces. He ordered the flank steak which was marinated in rosemary and balsamic vinegar with a side of bitter arugula and it was delicious! i ordered the orichette with fennel sausage and swiss chard and was in love. They offered us a melon platter with proscuitto - the melons were bursting with sweetness and complemented the saltiness of the prosciutto perfectly. Speaking of which, we also ordered grilled figs with proscuitto and bitter dandelion greens - another AMAZING dish. I know it takes a long time to get reservations, and on top of that they were running late with tables, but they were much nicer than their pizzeria neighbors, and the food is FANTASTIC. you must go, you won't be disappointed!

Wow. Osteria Mozza, Batali's newest baby along with the Pizzeria next door, knocks the Italian scene in LA on its head. The menu is extensive offering something for everyone and everything done perfectly. Perfect grilled figs, creative meat and cheese tastes (what is that salame that tasted of lemon?! I must have more...it came with the Gnocco...), complimented with a stunning all-Italian wine list. The four of us ordered five entrees (we wanted to try everything) and dessert which included a variety of cheese plates, not just one. Save up your ducats for this place -- it's not cheap, especially if you're foodie explorers like us who want to taste it all. The scene is a friendly snob-free place, but the decor -- well -- if Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn had a love child, this place would be it. Just slightly sterile.

Not greeted promptly, not offered drinks until after 3 different people said hi to us (I wasn't even sure who was our actual server). SNOB CITY! I actually am an East Coast foodie and appreciate the menu and even the appeal they are trying to add to the LA food scene but the attitude has to go (including a bitchy server who looked down her nose at us through our whole experience; I'm normally an over-the-top tipper, huge mistake for her). If it was upscale fine dining where the couple next to me wasn't 3 inches away and wearing jeans then I could see serving up some snobbery with my Primi... in such a casual environment, it just seemed like it is trying to be something it isn't. Sadly, on my next visit I won't be checking in to see if the identity crisis has been resolved.

In short, if you like being ignored by your server, then talked down to, and if you don't mind sitting shoulder to shoulder with the couple next to you (as they examine/discuss your food as you eat it and eavesdrop/join in on your conversation) then you'll love this place. Bon Appetit.

Maybe the most fantastic meal I've had in LA. I was coerced into ordering much more than I usually do but it was worth it. Started with the orecchiette pasta--perfectly al dente nubbins of pasta with spicy sausage and swiss chard. Delicious with a glass of La Mozza red. Next I had the beef bresato which was the most tender slow cooked short ribs with soft polenta. Unreal. A friend ordered the caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes which was fantastic quality, another had the prociutto and melon which was a generous portion of meat compared to the melon. Our mouths truly dropped at the desserts--we followed our waiter's suggestion and had two: the bombolini (small fried packets of dough coated in sugar that you dipped in a pool of lemon curd raspberry gelato) and the olive oil cakes (which sounded weird but were fantastic--tiny sweetly mild cakes with a muffinlike texture served with a faintly salty, faintly sweet creamy white gelato--came with a sheet of semi-hard sugar with rosemary that you were to break and mix into the gelato). Bizarre but incredible-I'll order again. The service is amazing--four servers brought us our appetizers! -- and our waiter was truly charming. They say the dishes are small but honestly i would have been fine with my pasta. Not cheap but worth the hype and the price.

My meal at the Osteria transported me back a couple of years to Babbo in NY -- completely and utterly outstanding, certainly some of the best Italian food I've ever tried in L.A. Everything was top notch, not just the food, but the service, the space, the bar, the camaraderie, the wine! Viva Mozza!

We split 5 dishes off the menu, one from each section of appetizers, mozzarella bar, primi, secondi and dessert. Not a bad seed in the bunch. Note, though, that the octupus at first came out too salty, but once we sent it back it was magnificent (charred in a lovely fashion on the outside and lemon-y). Our stracciatelli was creamy and delicious, served atop a salad-like presentation of scallions, celery and herbs.

Our orrechiette with sausage and swiss chard was dramatic, a bit spicy and nicely cooked. The grilled whole orata was presented tableside, then split in the kitchen. Wrapped in fig leaves and stuffed full of aromoatic herbs, it was great. I got the head piece and enjoyed poking around for bonus pieces of cheek, etc.

Desserts were nice but if the restaurant has any room to grow, it's here. These were good but not great.

The wine list is nice, and like the Pizzeria next door, small pours are by the quartino, not the glass.

Prices I think are reasonable for this level of food, but certainly not cheap and they can really add up if you pair wines. Our wine was nearly as much as our food. Altogether, with tax and tip, it was just under $100 per person.