‘There’s magic in here’: Look inside an Italian eatery before it opens in DC

Take a sneak peek inside soon-to-open Italian eatery Osteria Mozza

A new venture between chef Nancy Silverton and restaurateur Stephen Starr is set to open in D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood on Nov. 10, and WTOP got to take a sneak peek inside.

Osteria Mozza is an upscale Italian restaurant located in the same space that was formerly inhabited by Dean & DeLuca and originally constructed in 1865 as a market. It is massive, spanning 20,000 square feet, and transformed by New York-based interior decorating firm Roman and Williams into a glassy, warm, wood-beamed space with marble tables, floor-to-ceiling windows and gleaming terrazzo floors.

Starr, who is known for his popular restaurants like Le Diplomate and St. Anselm, told WTOP, “There’s magic in here, and it’s the magic I feel and the customers feel when they walk in. It’s not one thing. It’s the ceiling height. It’s the lighting … You walk through, and you just feel like you’re somewhere else, somewhere special.”

Located at 3276 M Street NW, Osteria Mozza is planned to include a market, mozzarella bar, solarium patio space and private dining spaces that altogether plan to be as innovative as the Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles. Since the California restaurant opened in 2007, it has been recognized with a Michelin Star for being an “iconic centerpiece” in the local dining culture.

This D.C. site is the first East Coast location of Osteria Mozza, which already has locations in Mexico and London.

Starr, the founder and CEO of the Starr Restaurants group, has over 30 establishments around the globe, including New York City, Florida and Paris. In 2017, he won the “Outstanding Restaurateur” James Beard Foundation Award and was named one of the 25 most powerful multi-concept operators across the country.

As the co-founder of Los Angeles restaurant La Brea Bakery, Silverton is highly regarded for her artisanal baking, Italian cuisine and ability to reach larger audiences through her authenticity and craftsmanship. She is the author of 11 cookbooks and has been featured in Netflix’s “Chef’s Table” documentary series, appears often on the reality competition series, “Top Chef,” and has been seen on several other TV series, such as “MasterChef” and “Tournament of Champions.”

“I think it’s one of the most stunning restaurants I have ever been in, and now I’m very nervous that the food is not going to be at the level of the design, so I have to go back in the kitchen,” Silverton told WTOP on Osteria Mozza’s D.C. location.