Find bubbly, chewy, perfectly crusted pizza at Cosetta, LA’s new Westside Italian gem
Located in a slightly industrial area by the Santa Monica airport, Cosetta, from pizza maestro Zach Pollack, champions the local Italian dining scene with tradition and innovation

Zach Pollack is known for shaping LA’s Italian dining scene through his former restaurants, Alimento and Cosa Buona, in Silver Lake and Echo Park, as well as for crafting elevated pizza during his earlier days at Sotto on Pico Boulevard near Beverly Hills, with former partner Steve Samson. His latest sleek Italian spot in Santa Monica is now open, generating excitement among LA’s Westside diners, who no longer need to make the trek east.
Wallpaper* dines at Cosetta, Los Angeles
The mood: a sunlit patio in Italy
Next to the industrial complex housing the small private Santa Monica airport, Pollack worked with Studio Unltd to create a ‘design that breathes’ – a spacious, sun-drenched, and welcoming space. Upon entering, the main dining room’s textured stone walls lead to a striking sequence of arched colonnades over the bar, paying homage to modern classical Italian architecture. The olive trees inside flow out onto the leafy 100-seat patio, which is encased in glass walls and features colours of earthy rust, green, and peach – suggested by Pollack – along with rounded edges that echo the building’s structure and enhance its warm features.
The food: mouth-watering pizza and Italian raw bar
Pollack is a pizza guru, so be sure to order one of the bubbly, chewy, perfectly crusted Neapolitan pies. Options range from smoked coppa ham, pineapple, and jalapeño to uni butter and Spanish clam conserva, or you can go to ‘Funghi Town’ with mushrooms, mozzarella, and fontina cheese. Be sure to save some room for the bread service, which includes focaccia – a great complement to something from the raw bar, like kampachi with Ligurian olive oil, capers, and lemon, a small plate of peel-and-eat shrimp scampi, or an Italian dumpling salad with burrata agnolotti, arugula, and Calabrian chilli crisp.
Larger plates include the fried eggplant, a thinly pounded slab that’s large enough to easily share among several people. For something lighter, try the seasonal market fish with caper-olive tartar sauce or the half lobster stuffed with creamy risotto – rich but not too filling unless you’re soaking up the bagna cauda bianca sauce with more bread (and no one would judge you for it). The chocolate peanut butter budino with crushed pretzels and whipped cream is a must for dessert.
For drinks, try the ‘Meadowlark’, made with vodka, Cosetta Meyer Limoncello, thyme, and honey, or the ‘Berlinetta’, featuring raspberry Campari, white chocolate-washed Punt e Mes Italian vermouth. And, of course, there’s always a Negroni.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Cosetta is located at 3150 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405, United States; cosettala.com
Dine out with our guide to the best new LA restaurants
Carole Dixon is a prolific lifestyle writer-editor currently based in Los Angeles. As a Wallpaper* contributor since 2004, she covers travel, architecture, art, fashion, food, design, beauty, and culture for the magazine and online, and was formerly the LA City editor for the Wallpaper* City Guides to Los Angeles.
-
Serious cyclists now have serious options, courtesy of two new models from Canyon
With two new bikes, the Endurace: ONfly e-bike and Endurance: AllRoad, Canyon is innovating with both price and performance
-
New members’ club Beihouse revives Beirut’s architectural heritage
Following the devastating 2020 explosion, three 19th-century homes in Gemmayzeh become a social hub balancing cultural memory with contemporary luxury
-
Aman New York unveils exclusive US Open-themed experience
Aman’s ‘Season of Champions’ pairs Grand Slam action with personalised recovery and performance treatments designed by Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova
-
Aman New York unveils exclusive US Open-themed experience
Aman’s ‘Season of Champions’ pairs Grand Slam action with personalised recovery and performance treatments designed by Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova
-
Caribbean cool meets mid-century glamour at this new LA hotspot
From golden mirrored chambers to jerk-spiced tomahawk steaks, Lucia reimagines Afro-Caribbean dining and design
-
Classic New York restaurants for delicious food and inspired design
From Michelin-starred fine dining to reimagined retro diners, these are the most emblematic (and easy-on-the-eye) places to eat in the Big Apple
-
Inside Hotel Chelsea’s secret basement sushi restaurant
Teruko, a new Japanese restaurant and sushi bar in Hotel Chelsea, marks the final jewel in the hotel’s years-long transformation
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Fouquet’s New York: a lush, urban cocoon for the 21st century
Set in the heart of Tribeca, Fouquet’s New York balances French-inspired refinement and cosiness
-
This surreal new seafood restaurant in LA is the stuff of mermaid’s dreams
At Cento Raw Bar, delectable fare is complemented by playful, oceanic interiors by Brandon Miradi
-
At The Ned Nomad in New York, home comforts meet a lively atmosphere
This hotel and social club is a vibrant hub of hospitality that evokes 1920s glamour for members and visitors alike
-
How Melrose Hill became LA’s hottest art district
A billionaire developer, renowned art dealers and cutting-edge restaurateurs have come together to reinvigorate this vibrant – and walkable – neighbourhood