Went to Mora Italiano after reading several reputable articles on their website about the restaurant and its original chef direction, so my expectations were probably shaped by that going in. The restaurant itself is cute, with checkered tile floors, black-and-white photos, and a cozy atmosphere. Service was attentive throughout the meal, and the wine was probably the highlight of the night.
We ordered the focaccia, salad, cacio e pepe, and arrabbiata. The focaccia was fine, but not especially memorable. The salad was very simple — mostly tomato, cucumber, breadcrumbs - good dressing!
The cacio e pepe was very pepper-forward with thinner noodles than expected. The arrabbiata leaned heavily into tomato flavor, to the point where we kept trying to figure out the balance of the sauce. Portion sizes were fine!
Nothing was bad, but the food felt more average than expected based on the restaurant’s online presence and older press coverage. I do think the website and articles should better reflect the current kitchen leadership, since the chef associated with many of the published articles is no longer there.
Overall, a pleasant experience with good service and atmosphere, but the food itself did not stand out as much as I expected.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Dr.Foodie
Small and quaint spot for hidden gem of a place for decent italian food. Only thing with the indoor seating is that the benches are way too high for the table. I felt like a dog eating out of a bowl and had to be switched to the patio seating. Very limited parking in the lot. Calamari was delicious and not overcooked with too much breading. Pizza was delicious with a good crisp and quality ingredients. The bass was a bit too oily for me and the vegetables were drenched in the oil. Asparagus was either overcooked or in the oil for too long I dont know. Bread service was... interesting. Focaccia was very thin and almost like a cracker. Would maybe add a bit more in the dough and bake a little less? The star was the tiramisu. Light moist with all of the flavors i want in a tiramisu. Will come back and try the pasta.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Dan B
Tasty food. I would highly recommend the vodka pasta. Service is always very pleasant too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ryan.seif83 Seif
Cold food, snall portions, bad services, and pneumonia more thing!
Mayra Clark
Great place to catch up with friends over a glass of wine 🍷, food was equally as great. Nice spot for quiet and laid back dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
William Gerace
The rigatoni was excellent and service was pleasant. However, they didn't serve italian bread before or with the meal. We had to ask for bread and as an alternative they served focassia bread in which they felt the need to charge us $3 when the bill was over $100 per person. Finally, the didn't have coffee or tea with dessert. We were told they were cleaning the coffee pot.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Dog kid
The toppings were generous and flavorful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jon Simmons
This is a lovely quaint small very good Italian restaurant. I loved it because I got extra American Airlines miles through aadvantagedining. Good steak. Great Ceasars salad. And my friends liked the pizza. I thought it needed more stuff on it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bridgitte
Cozy Italian spot with great food and excellent service. Our server was super welcoming and even remembered us from past visits, which made it feel extra special. She noticed I love spicy food and gave spot-on recommendations. Always a great experience!
Sapna
What a lovely little spot in Encino! The food was great and service was attentive and friendly. The beet and burrata salad was delicious and the funghi pizza was also good. My three old enjoyed his pomodoro pasta as well. We'll definitely be back.
Had a lovely evening here with my Wife. Food was excellent. Carbonara to start followed by the lamb. We shared an olive oil cake for dessert which was fabulous. Great wine , lovely people and really great value!!
COREY
We have been wanting to try it here for a while. It was more than we expected. The service , food and wow .... The wine!.... Everything was perfect. Can't wait to go back. We are locals so this is our new fav !!!!
Anitra
I've been here a few times, and this time will probably be my last. The food was not as good as it was the last few times. A few of the dishes were oversalted, and there was just too much dressing. I also felt the service could've been better. Overall, the experience was not a great one.
Linda
This is an Encino gem!! The food is wonderful, and the servers are so helpful and friendly! We had the most delicious wine, salad and incredible pizza dinner and loved dining on the patio! Great experience all around!!!
Daniel Noah Ahal
The steak was pretty good like a 1980s old school grilled filet , the french fries that came with for nice but
Went to Mora Italiano after reading several reputable articles on their website about the restaurant and its original chef direction, so my expectations were probably shaped by that going in. The restaurant itself is cute, with checkered tile floors, black-and-white photos, and a cozy atmosphere. Service was attentive throughout the meal, and the wine was probably the highlight of the night.
We ordered the focaccia, salad, cacio e pepe, and arrabbiata. The focaccia was fine, but not especially memorable. The salad was very simple — mostly tomato, cucumber, breadcrumbs - good dressing!
The cacio e pepe was very pepper-forward with thinner noodles than expected. The arrabbiata leaned heavily into tomato flavor, to the point where we kept trying to figure out the balance of the sauce. Portion sizes were fine!
Nothing was bad, but the food felt more average than expected based on the restaurant’s online presence and older press coverage. I do think the website and articles should better reflect the current kitchen leadership, since the chef associated with many of the published articles is no longer there.
Overall, a pleasant experience with good service and atmosphere, but the food itself did not stand out as much as I expected.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Small and quaint spot for hidden gem of a place for decent italian food. Only thing with the indoor seating is that the benches are way too high for the table. I felt like a dog eating out of a bowl and had to be switched to the patio seating. Very limited parking in the lot. Calamari was delicious and not overcooked with too much breading. Pizza was delicious with a good crisp and quality ingredients. The bass was a bit too oily for me and the vegetables were drenched in the oil. Asparagus was either overcooked or in the oil for too long I dont know. Bread service was... interesting. Focaccia was very thin and almost like a cracker. Would maybe add a bit more in the dough and bake a little less? The star was the tiramisu. Light moist with all of the flavors i want in a tiramisu. Will come back and try the pasta.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Tasty food. I would highly recommend the vodka pasta. Service is always very pleasant too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cold food, snall portions, bad services, and pneumonia more thing!
Great place to catch up with friends over a glass of wine 🍷, food was equally as great. Nice spot for quiet and laid back dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The rigatoni was excellent and service was pleasant. However, they didn't serve italian bread before or with the meal. We had to ask for bread and as an alternative they served focassia bread in which they felt the need to charge us $3 when the bill was over $100 per person. Finally, the didn't have coffee or tea with dessert. We were told they were cleaning the coffee pot.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
The toppings were generous and flavorful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a lovely quaint small very good Italian restaurant. I loved it because I got extra American Airlines miles through aadvantagedining. Good steak. Great Ceasars salad. And my friends liked the pizza. I thought it needed more stuff on it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cozy Italian spot with great food and excellent service. Our server was super welcoming and even remembered us from past visits, which made it feel extra special. She noticed I love spicy food and gave spot-on recommendations. Always a great experience!
What a lovely little spot in Encino! The food was great and service was attentive and friendly. The beet and burrata salad was delicious and the funghi pizza was also good. My three old enjoyed his pomodoro pasta as well. We'll definitely be back.
Restaurantji Recommends
Had a lovely evening here with my Wife. Food was excellent. Carbonara to start followed by the lamb. We shared an olive oil cake for dessert which was fabulous. Great wine , lovely people and really great value!!
We have been wanting to try it here for a while. It was more than we expected. The service , food and wow .... The wine!.... Everything was perfect. Can't wait to go back. We are locals so this is our new fav !!!!
I've been here a few times, and this time will probably be my last. The food was not as good as it was the last few times. A few of the dishes were oversalted, and there was just too much dressing. I also felt the service could've been better. Overall, the experience was not a great one.
This is an Encino gem!! The food is wonderful, and the servers are so helpful and friendly! We had the most delicious wine, salad and incredible pizza dinner and loved dining on the patio! Great experience all around!!!
The steak was pretty good like a 1980s old school grilled filet , the french fries that came with for nice but
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
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