All You Need to Know About Osteria Mozza’s Arrival in D.C.

Silverton and Starr are aiming to offer something completely different from Georgetown’s stuffy dining reputation. Instead of invite-only dinner parties, they hope to bring Italian comfort food to the masses with a menu of regionally specific dishes from across Italy, including that focaccia di Recco (a classic from the Ligurian town) also on Silverton’s L.A. menu.

“The origin of our partnership stems from a love of this dish,” Silverton says.

You will find it on the D.C. menu, with a combination of other dishes from Silverton’s Los Angeles restaurants, including the original Osteria Mozza, chi SPACCA and Pizzeria Mozza.

Their Georgetown restaurant is accepting reservations for tables starting in mid-November, and excitement is already building.

“Nancy brings everything to the table. She’s an iconic figure in the culinary world who is extremely successful in her own venture,” Starr says. “Look at the way La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles truly shaped bread culture. She is one of the most powerful female figures in the culinary world.”

Here are five essential things you need to know before booking a table at Osteria Mozza.

1. It’s one of the largest restaurants to open in Georgetown.

The new Mozza is truly massive, with more than 20,000 square feet of dining and market space, located along Georgetown’s busiest retail stretch. It is the first East Coast location for Silverton.

Expect copper finishes and bright fixtures to catch your eyes as you enter, inviting you to flow through the room while drawing you back towards the open-hearth kitchen.

Gorgeous arched windows look out onto M Street and fill the space with light, while gleaming terrazzo floors complement the marble tables and bar tops, dark woods, along with flashes of exposed brick.

“Each area of the restaurant is designed to create a unique experience,” Starr says, not unlike his buildout at El Presidente.

That includes taking in the Georgetown hustle and bustle from a wrap-around solarium, or perching at the mozzarella bar with a front-row seat to all the restaurant’s action, the latter a direct carry-over of one of the L.A. original’s beloved features.

Starr’s favorite seat in the restaurant? Just about any seat will do, he admits, but suggests booking the mezzanine-level private dining room, overlooking the main dining floor. This makes for an intimate space to break bread or host events with up to 20 guests.

2. Expect a menu of Italian comfort food, with a focus on housemade pastas.

Dishes found on Silverton’s L.A. menus that emphasize regional Italian cuisines will be found here too. That’s supported by a massive hearth for wood-fired cooking, a station for handmade pastas, and an entire section of the menu devoted to pizza. (Pizzeria Mozza in L.A. is next door to the Osteria.)

Top dishes to sample include Nancy’s Favorite Trio, with delicate mounds of mozzarella di bufala garnished with Cantabrian anchovies, sun-dried tomatoes and peppers, accompanied by Silverton’s crisp, golden brown fett’unta (think of it as the best garlic bread you’ve ever tasted).

Her devotees will also recognize legendary dishes like “stretch chicken,” or pollo alla diavola, and tagliatelle with oxtail ragu, which is Starr’s favorite. “It embodies the definition of Italian comfort food,” he says.

3. Also plan for the “in between” — everything from aperitivo hour to grazing antipasti.

Italians are known for making any occasion to celebrate moments “in between,” Silverton says, always with drinks or snacks. That’s no exception at Osteria Mozza. The bar is devoted to Italian flavors and producers, especially if it’s aperitivo hour.

There’s also an Italian-focused wine list that spotlights both classic and modernist offerings from Piedmont, Tuscany, Campania, and Sicily. (The wine program in L.A. has offered one of the city’s definitional Italian lists.) Cocktails include Negronis and spritzes, obviously.

Part of the plan: Antipasti, or what Italians refer to as the meal before the meal. There is practically an obsession not to spoil but whet the appetite, Silverton notes, which is why antipasti are usually very simple. To that end, chef Elizabeth Hong, the Mozza Group’s culinary director, has put together a menu of simple dishes that are nothing short of exquisite. Expect a classic salad, for instance, of Bibb lettuce, endive,  fennel, to perfectly jammy egg yolks and gorgonzola dolce. All together it’s enough to make a wonderfully snackable meal — or a prelude for bigger dishes.

One of the most popular picks is Nancy’s Caesar, a dish that riffs off the salad but comes deconstructed with eggs, leeks, and anchovy crostini.

4. Don’t skip one of the new Mozza’s unique features: an Italian market, with products picked by Silverton herself.

This is much more than a restaurant. Osteria Mozza DC features a walk-in market filled with Silverton’s essentials in the kitchen.

“The fact that Nancy has selected every item in the market should encourage Washingtonians to pop in for a treat,” Starr says.

The colorful shelves showcase specialty olive oils, spices, fresh fruit and vegetables, tinned Italian delicacies, sundries, and much more. It’s a compendium of “all of my favorite products from Italy, and all around the world,” Silverton adds.

5. The restaurant is a homecoming of sorts for Silverton.

Silverton brings West Coast sensibilities to a place where she’s always aspired to live. And since every city has its own buzz, Silverton says she’s looking forward to discovering the specific energy of the nation’s capital, especially after the upcoming presidential election.

But she also has connections to D.C.’s political universe.“My Aunt Evy Dubrow was a lobbyist, who I’m proud to say was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Clinton,” she says, “and this [restaurant] is also my way of honoring her.”

Starr’s deep knowledge of the market then provided an opportunity to open here. “I have known Stephen over the years,” she continues, “but it wasn’t until we joined forces that I realized what an intense force he is. His commitment to success is relentless.”

That, combined with Silverton’s skill as a restaurateur and chef, make clear this duo intends to have staying power in the nation’s capital.

Osteria Mozza opens Nov. 10. The restaurant will be open for dinner service Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Lunch and brunch service will be added in the coming weeks. 

Tim Ebner is an award-winning food and travel writer. He has contributed to The Washington Post, Eater, Thrillist, Travel & Leisure, and Edible DC. Follow him on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.