LA Michelin Star Experience: Osteria Mozza ⭐️

⚠️ Extremely subjective & negative review ahead. TL;DR: Maybe I just don’t appreciate fine dining enough. Proceed with caution. It’s been almost a month, and I’m still not over the disappointment. This was supposed to be special: an Italian place I’d been excited to try, recommended by two separate friends (one even sent a photo of their cleaned plate!). I saved it for a meaningful occasion—a reunion with a friend visiting from Canada. But reality hit hard: while nothing was terrible, nothing was memorable either. Just… average. Far below my expectations. 🫤 Portions were “healthy”—you won’t gain weight here, that’s for sure! 👍 • Burrata & Peach: Basic. Could’ve made this at home. Regretted not ordering ham and cheese instead. Firefly does it better. • Beef Tartare: ✅ Solid. For a dish every restaurant has, doing it well deserves credit. • Grilled Octopus: Well-cooked and flavorful, but too salty. Vaca’s version wins. • Maltagliati Verdi (Lamb & Mint Pasta): A somewhat novel attempt. Mint cut the gaminess well… but where was the lamb flavor? Verse tops this. • Tagliatelle with Oxtail: Mediocre. My homemade version tastes better. Try Oste instead. • Braised Beef Cheek: Not bad—tender, saucy—but not remarkable. Removing all the fat made it lack depth. • Beef Tagliata: Good quality meat, cooked nicely. But the salad was so acidic, no one took a second bite. 😖 We didn’t even stay for dessert. Afraid the tiramisu would disappoint too. Drinks were good, service was attentive, pacing was slow but acceptable. No major flaws—everything was “okay.” But when you expect magic, “okay” feels like failure. Especially when you wanted to impress an out-of-town friend with LA’s finest. Hence… this rant. 🙃 Will this chubby cat ever find satisfying upscale Western food in 2025?! #HonestReview #LosAngeles #LA #LAFood #LARestaurants #LAItalian #LAMichelin #MichelinStar #FoodDisappointment #NotWorthIt #FineDiningFail #OsteriaMozza #EaterLA #FoodCritic