Pizzeria Mozza 1.35

Widely recognized as one of the best pizzerias in the country, Pizzeria Mozza is known for its California ingredients and a much-talked-about crust. In the words of the New York Times’s Frank Bruni: “[the crust is] soft chewy in spots, crisply charred in others, ever so faintly sweet, even more faintly sour.” “Both tender and crackling crisp on the bottom, blistered and smoky from the wood-burning oven” wrote the Los Angeles Times in its 2007 review. And in the words of Mario Batali: “a lightbulb crunch and a bagel-like pull.” It’s a dichotomy that only Nancy Silverton can achieve. Pizzeria Mozza is the brainchild of Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich and Los Angeles bread maven Nancy Silverton. In an origin story that has become restaurant lore, Mario asked Nancy to lead the pastry and bread department at the nascent Del Posto in New York. Nancy declined. Two years later, the two set out to collaborate on a Los Angeles project, and Mozza was born. Pizzeria Mozza is an expression of Nancy’s unique aesthetic and approach to cooking: focused but not fussy, straightforward and always uncompromising.