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The pizza wars continue to heat up around Los Angeles these days, thanks in no small part to the ongoing pandemic and desire for inexpensive, delivery-proof comfort food. Now another entrant has entered the fray, though the latest operation — Oste on West Third Street — had already planned its arrival well before things started to fall apart last year. The restaurant takes over for the former Little Next Door at 8142 W. Third Street.
Oste (a truncated version of Osteria) is a new Roman-style pizza option opening on Wednesday, January 13 along one of LA’s busiest restaurant stretches. The restaurant comes by way of owners Jocelyn Bulow and Alessandro Iacobelli, who both have prior experience up in San Francisco with spots like the laid-back Chez Maman and Pantarei. Now they’ve situated themselves in Los Angeles, with plans to grow from pinsa (thin pizzas) and Italian wines from sommelier Tiffany Bulow, formerly of Otium.
The restaurant had planned to open in the spring of last year, but got derailed as a result of the pandemic. For now ownership says they’re going to focus on the pizzas and wine, doing delivery and takeout per regional public health orders. There are plans for a more robust menu of Italian options down the line, including crudos, salads, pasta, and more — but don’t expect much movement on that front until sit-down dining is allowed in Los Angeles County once again. In the meantime, a look at the pinsa menu can be found here.
Oste opens wide for takeout and delivery (available on all the usual apps) on Wednesday, January 13, keeping hours from Wednesday through Thursday, noon to 9 p.m., with an extension to 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night. The restaurant joins a slew of other recent pizza additions around town, from the personal-sized Pizzette in Culver City by Nancy Silverton to Bootleg Pizza on Pico and new neighbors La Morra, who are now selling pies further east on West Third Street.
