Pizzeria Mozza

Doesn't Recommend

Chubblewub

Joined 4 years ago

Cupcake incident. I've been a avid fan of this place for years now. I've gone for every Valentine's Day, birthday, Anniversary and whenever out of town friends are in LA. Just went for my birthday and had a very unfortunate experience which I will refer to as the "Cupcake Incident"

My friends and I went on Saturday night to what used to be my favorite place. we each ordered a pizza, and got a couple appetizers and got THREE bottles of wine. Around dessert time, my fiance asked the waitress as a heads up that we brought 5 cupcakes from my favorite bakery in Bakersfield. She said that we could eat them but that if we needed a plate, there would be a $5 plate charge per person since it's outside food.

Since we didn't want to pay the ridiculous $5 per person charge, the 5 of us, shared 2 cupcakes. A busboy came boy and offered us plate (which we did not ask for), so we took 2 plates. We even ordered ice cream as dessert. The bill came out to $300 for 5 of us and the bill had $25 extra on it for the plate charge. (of which, we didn't even get 5 plates and 3 of us didn't even eat the cupcake).

Mind you, I had had a bit to drink at this point, but i was upset that they would be ridiculous w/ this add'l charge. I demanded I speak to the manager and we got the $25 taken off but only after I talked to the manager about the $25 charge. The manager said that bringing cupcakes is like bringing pizza from another restaurant and is in "poor taste". F u manager. It's not like I brought a Domino's pizza in for 4 ppl and then 1 person ordered an appetizer at Mozza. We ordered 3 bottles of wine, each got a entree, got appetizers and a dessert. 2 of us ate a cupcake from my favorite bakery for my birthday! (mind you, Mozza doesn't even carry cupcakes). I'm re-thinking this whole place all together.

It ruined my birthday and my perception of this place. It had been my very favorite restaurant to go to for 2 years. I have been to this place at least 20 times.

Also, every single time I go, the valet cost seems to go up. Every single time. Soon, it'll be $20 to park there. Just saying.

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JAG099

Joined 4 years ago

The BEST!. As long as you phone ahead and speak to someone, you will get a reservation and believe me, there is no wait once you have one. You arrive, you sit, and like me you'd enjoy a glass of Prosecco and begin tasting what Mozza has to offer on the menu! My fav dish is the Burratta Caprese and the Pizza with Prosciutto! Try it.. you will LOVE everything! OH.. Don’t forget the Chop Salad!

Doesn't Recommend

destroe

Joined 4 years ago

felf unwanted and a bit akward. So we ended up going because a co-worker said it was the best pizza in town. Rushed home after work, picked up the wife and went to the restaurant. I guess from reading all the other reviews we were lucky to be given a 30 minute wait. That wasn't the end of the world but the host told us we can wait at the bar but the bar was packed. No were else to wait so we left. The other reason we left was because everybody there was so overdressed and we felt like we were being eyeballed. Anyways, we went to the take out section where the guy told us the pizza here was different than we were used to and we'd probably be best going to Numero Uno. I acknowledged that I knew the pizza wasn't the norm and had heard great reviews from this place so we wanted to try it out at least once. I told us it was expensive. I repeated my statement to him. He asked if I spoke spanish and started speaking to me in spanish calling me homie or something. He told us he'd even throw in an extra desert. I was okay with it but it almost felt like charity. Whatever. Pizza was alright I guess but not going back.

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mancina

Joined 7 years ago

Hurrah! for Nancy Silverton. Oh, my. The first time I ate here it literally changed my life (in a small but significant way.)

I am a pastry chef myself, and for the last two years I've been forced, in my current job, to make all the pizzas at a very busy hotel/bar/restaurant in addition to the desserts. I used to resent the pizzas and give them no love at all, but after eating at Pizzeria Mozza I have been on a quest to replicate Nancy's beautiful dough.

It probably doesn't matter much which toppings you order. It's all about the crust. Having said that, I did have my preferences. The toppings are very, very good. The quality of the ingredients is almost palpable. The salami/tomato/mozzarella pizza excellent, but the slow-roasted broccoli pizza was a revelation. In addition to being delicious, it was fascinating. I was eating it with a level of concentration I've rarely given any food. The crust was very crisp outside, but airy, steamy, and webbed with moist, open bubbles inside. It was everything a pizza crust should be. I think I understand the complaints about the cornice being too wide, because sometimes it seems the toppings are falling into the middle of the pie and the crust dominates. But I think that's just a style choice that this particular genius of a baker has made. Or maybe sometimes it just goes a little far. Keep in mind that bread dough is actually a living thing; it can't be 100% predictable.

People who don't understand the process have made comments about how the dough is "nothing special," but that is obviously not true. It may not be what you expect, but it is absolutely special.

The other two times I went to Mozza, I was slightly less amazed, but I think I know why. I sat at the pizza bar each time, saw my own pizzas being made, and timed how long they baked. The first time, the amazing time, they pizzas were in the oven only four minutes. The next two times, they were seven and twelve (!) minutes, respectively, with correspondingly diminishing quality.

The way I got a seat in the place was by waiting out front at 11:30 and being among the first to step through the door. I think some slacker had failed to light the fire on time (or tend it properly) and it just wasn't hot enough yet those two times.

Keep in mind, Mozza has never promoted itself as "vera pizza Napolitana," so don't expect Naples on a plate. Her pizza is different, but, I believe, every bit as good.

Doesn't Recommend

martinilvr

Joined 5 years ago

who books for a slive of pizza a month in advance ..?. How many of you have gotten this restaurants "we dont have any reservations available except 5pm and 10pm?" ... well I can say I have gotten this everytime I have called. I call horse pucky. I am in this business and know that there is not any way this restaurant is COMPLETELY reserved months in advance. I wish them luck with their 15 minutes and hope they have a plan beyond this common "lets pretend we are oh so popular" restaurant game. This is only going to work for them for so long. These New Yorkers will soon learn that Los Angelinos have a long memory.

I have actually "gotten into this side" one time and honestly it was pleasantly unmemorable. It was bad beet salad and pizza. Dont buy the hype.

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tyro1

Joined 5 years ago

best pizza in la. freshest ingredients makes this the best pizza in los angeles, especially when the owner is there to oversee the pizzas that come out the oven.

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troywarkentin

Joined 5 years ago

Great Pizza!!. Really enjoy the pizza and the atmosphere at Mozza. Over the course of my visits there I have had the Fennel Sausage, the Prosciutto, and the Tomato Mozzarella pies, all very good. Sit at the bar if the wait for a table is too long, the food will taste the same.

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jerrymcgwire

Joined 5 years ago

bomb. This place got the bombest italian food. I think its even better than the food in italy. Its on the corner of melorse and highland. Very nice spot!

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billie1980

Joined 5 years ago

it's true :(. I have been to Osteria Mozza several times and have had nothing but excellence. I've always read countless scathing reviews of the host staff and could never relate. Well, I had lunch at Pizzeria Mozza for the first time today and discovered that, perhaps only on their side of the building, the hostess was one of the most overtly rude and and pretentious I've ever met. Half of us arrived for our 12:30 reservation on time to a near-empty restaurant. The hostess said she would do us the "favor" of seating us then, but if the rest of our party didn't arrive within 10 minutes, we would be forced to order for them. I fully understand not seating incomplete parties, but we did not need the speech that followed of how popular the restaurant is, how many other reservations there were, etc. (Cut to an hour later: now half-full.) It was a complete turn-off. I ask that any hostess fulfill their job of controlling the flow of seating for the kitchen andwait staff WHILE being warm and inviting. As a 6-year service industry veteran and now frequent diner, no place, no matter how popular, should make you feel like they're doing you a favor. I don't think I will be back.

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winey1

Joined 5 years ago

BEST PIZZA EVER!!!!. I've been wanting to go here since it first opened over a year ago. I live a block away and every time I drive by I see the line out the door, and I won't wait in line for ANYTHING! Finally, I decided that I would try to get a reservation sometime before 11:00 pm on a weekend!!! Well all they had was a 10:00 pm on Saturday so I took it. When my date and I walked in the door it was jam packed but we were seated right away...major points for that!! Our waiter was very helpful, and adorable as well : ) he recommended his favorite pizza and since they all sounded so yummy and we couldn't decide, we chose to go with his suggestion. We started with Nancy's chopped sald and it immediately brought back memories of my nana's salad, the best!!! We tried the squash blossom appetizers and they were good, if a little greasy. We had a great quartino of wine and the pizza came out soon after. We had been drooling over everyone's pizzas around us and couldn't believe the girl next to us was leaving the crusts behind!!!! the best part!!! our pizza was FANTASTIC!!! and this is from a new yorker...we couldn't get over it and already made another reservation to go back...it was definitely worth the wait!!!