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If you ever want to feel like a very important person, find your way to the marble mozzarella bar at Osteria Mozza. Geographically speaking, Nancy Silverton’s Italian restaurant in Hancock Park sits in the center of Los Angeles, and at one point in time, was the center of LA’s fine dining scene. And while the city has evolved since it opened about 15 years ago, the mozzarella bar still feels like the center of the universe.
Propped up high on your bar stool, elbow-to-elbow with your neighbors, the loud, dark dining room will swallow you whole. Fresh fruit makes itself known in pedestals, mozzarella and antipasti are plated with precision behind the counter, and other diners are having a good time. If we could afford it, we’d have a standing date here with a very close friend. We’d meet every other week, talk over each other, and share bites of decadent burrata, some pasta, and gelato without making a fuss. Yes. A low-stakes dinner at the mozzarella bar will make you feel whole.
But beyond the bar, the rest of the restaurant doesn’t quite hold up anymore. Great handmade pasta is now the standard at many serious Italian restaurants in Los Angeles. When menus tout seasonal produce, our eyes glaze over a little bit. And while Mozza gets points for being one of the first to bring incredible pasta and California-fresh Italian food to LA, many of their fan favorites are stuck in the past, oversalted, or both.
The main dining room is muted and serious. It’s filled with dressed-up couples who appear to hate each other, going through the motions of another anniversary or birthday. We were once captivated as a man scrolled on his phone and forked orecchiette into his mouth while his partner sobbed across the table. It’s so dark and loud that hardly anyone else seemed to notice.
Tables have tablecloths, servers wear ties, and those servers will recommend you order Nancy’s Caesar. For $25, you get about seven little gem leaves stacked neatly on top of each other beside a crostini piled high with hardboiled egg, anchovies, leeks, and chives. The deconstructed take on the classic would be cute for a bridal shower luncheon. But after you get through all of the laborious cutting and tossing, you’ll find the lettuce is lacking in crunch.
Onto the pasta, which are what put this place on the map. The giant ricotta and egg raviolo used to wow us with its carefully balanced brown butter sauce that seeps into the rich egg yolk. Now, the butter takes over, making it sweet and bland. But it’s the famed orecchiette that keeps us up at night, chugging water, wondering why Osteria Mozza just isn’t what it used to be. The handmade pasta is lost in the overpowering and oversalted, already-salty sausage. The pasta has become a disappointment.
photo credit: Aliza
As much as we’d love to have carefree evenings at the mozzarella bar, this restaurant is not your once-a-week hangout spot. The prices are too steep, the reservations too coveted, and the pasta too salty. Unless you’re in it for the nostalgia, Osteria Mozza shouldn’t be at the top of your list for a knockout special occasion meal. If you want to experience the best of Nancy Silverton in LA, head instead to Chi Spacca or The Barish. Osteria Mozza just isn’t what it used to be.
Food Rundown
Nancy’s Caesar
Mozzarella Tasting
Riccotta & Egg Raviolo
Orecchiette With Sausage And Swiss Chard
Pappardelle With Rabbit Ragu
Crispy Duck Confit
Meyer Lemon Gelato Pie
What our ratings mean
Pretty good: You’ll likely be satisfied by a meal here, especially for a specific situation. These are handy back-up restaurants and beloved local spots.