Pizzeria Mozza

People debate about Pizzeria Mozza being the best pizza in Los Angeles, and it’s a close call. The dough is thin, irregular as it should be — which allows it to be crispier in some parts and softer in others. Nancy Silverton, the lovely Madonna who gave birth to Osteria Mozza and Chi Spacca, has an obsession for dough: she mixes it with rye flour, and allows to rise for 36 hours. The pristine pizza bianca (covered with a mixture of fontina, mozzarella and a few leaves of sage) shares the spotlight with the goat cheese, leeks, onions and bacon pizza. The antipasti, though sometimes pricey, are very tempting: squash blossoms with ricotta, fried cauliflower with aioli, bone marrow al forno… If you managed to save room for dessert, the butterscotch budino is a bestseller – with Maldon sea salt and a dollop of whipped cream. We applaud the wine list, which favors small Italian wines over the classic Chianti or Barolo. And we’ve kept the best for last: for lunch, the pizza + wine + dessert combo costs only $30 if you’re seating at the bar. Now you have no excuse!