Ospi offers an elevated dining experience here in Los Angeles that embraces both modern twists and classical Italian cuisine. With two locations in the city (Brentwood and Venice), they’ve transformed the Italian dining experience, making it feel like one’s eating a homemade meal. Serving fresh house-made pasta to sourcing sustainable and locally grown ingredients, their commitment to quality is felt in every bite. As Ospi prides itself on lacing Californian tastes into its Italian core, we were eager to sample its curated Dine LA set menu.
During the day, the Brentwood location operates as a casual lunch spot where families, co-workers and friends gather over plates of pasta and pizza. By dinner, however, the space transforms into a dimly lit, ambient setting. The warm wooden interior lends a cozy intimacy to the dining room, making it equally fitting for catching up with a friend or hosting a business meeting.
From Jan. 23 to Feb. 6, Ospi participated in Dine LA Week, an event during which restaurants curate set menus that allow guests to try their food at a predetermined price. We visited during lunch, where for $25, diners could choose a starter and a main dish. Over the course of the meal, we ordered the crispy provolone, ricotta fettunta, small Caesar salad, eggplant parm sandwich, spicy rigatoni alla vodka, Copione pizza and an additional Light and Stormy drink on the side.
The small Caesar salad was tangy and fresh. It shone with its simplicity, highlighting the peppery, salty, cheesy and tangy flavors that a Caesar salad has. Topped with loose breadcrumbs that added texture to the salad, it was a simple start to our meal, but lacked that wow factor. Perhaps a creamier dressing would serve as a better way to mix between the crispy lettuce and flaky breadcrumbs.
It was a consensus among us that the crispy provolone shone as the best appetizer; it was like receiving a beautifully wrapped gift you’ve been wanting. Perfect on the outside with its golden exterior, and a hearty inside of melty provolone cheese. Each bite was a savory experience, it offered a satisfying stretch and indulgent bite. Dipped into the side of vodka sauce, the smooth, slightly tangy flavor added a subtle heat that complemented the richness of the cheese and rounded out each bite perfectly.
The ricotta fettunta arrived with high expectations. We anticipated a light, airily whipped ricotta paired with a crunchy toast base. Instead, what appeared was a weighty slab of ricotta slathered atop a slice of bread. The texture resembled more of a yogurt-like denseness than a whipped consistency, making each bite feel thick rather than airy. While the flavor itself was pleasant, the overall bite felt overwhelming and not particularly enjoyable–especially as a starter. The bread underneath was soggy and drenched in butter, leaving a lingering oily sensation and lacking the crisp structure needed to balance the ricotta. A drizzle of olive oil over the top only added to the dish’s messiness and intensified its heaviness.
If the ricotta felt imbalanced, the Copione pizza similarly sounded better on paper than it translated on the plate. Described enticingly as slices of sopressata finished with a drizzle of hot honey chili oil, it initially seemed like a foolproof choice. The thin, Roman-style crust delivered an impressively crackly crispness, leaning almost paper-thin. However, that very thinness made it feel more like a cracker than a traditional slice of pizza. The honey chili oil was generously—perhaps too generously—drizzled across the entire pie, overpowering the other flavors. Combined with the excess oil, the pizza tasted somewhat dry in places and even the sopressata itself felt slightly dried out. While the crust’s crispness will certainly appeal to those who prefer a thin base, the overall flavor balance lacked delicacy.
Of the three mains we ordered, the spicy rigatoni alla vodka, supposedly a fan favorite, emerged as one of the stronger dishes. Though leaning on the saltier and heavier side, the first few bites of the velvety vodka sauce were undeniably satisfying. The pasta itself was cooked perfectly al dente, offering a soft yet chewy texture that offset some of the sauce’s richness. As we continued eating, however, the heaviness of the sauce began to build, making it harder to return for more.
The eggplant parm sandwich, on the other hand, was a messy delight. The eggplant was perfectly cooked, delivering a creamy consistency with each bite. A spread of tomato sauce nestled between chewy and toasted bread created a tangy, slightly fruity contrast to the saltiness of the eggplant. The sandwich offered a satisfying fusion of rich Italian flavors and varied textures. A subtle spiciness woven throughout enhanced the overall depth of flavor, making this dish one of the more enjoyable components of the meal.
Overall, while Ospi’s dishes showcased moments of strong execution, the flavor pairings were not as complementary or delicately balanced as they could have been. Instead, many leaned toward heaviness and saltiness, with grease occasionally overwhelming the palate and tiring it over time. The Dine LA meal felt substantial and filling; in terms of satiety value, Ospi’s set menu certainly delivers, as all of us left quite stuffed. The set’s price also fell on the lower end of the Dine LA spectrum, making it an affordable opportunity to sample multiple dishes and determine whether Ospi warrants a revisit. Still, the meal left us craving something lighter and more refreshing to cleanse the palate after such a rich experience.
