Our latest First Friday Feast was at Lozio Osteria, an Italian restaurant serving excellent pizza in Redondo Beach, California.

First Friday Feast is a monthly series debuting on the first Friday of each month and elaborates on a recent dining experience. For avoidance of doubt, this post was in no way sponsored by the restaurant.

We’ve been trying to have a date night each month this year (and post about it on the first Friday of every month). Sometimes we bring the kids along for date night and sometimes they stay at home. But that’s fine by us–the kids are more than welcome to tag along if they want. This time we spent Mother’s Day at a cute Italian restaurant in Southern California.

Arrival to Lozio Osteria (Redondo Beach, CA)

Official link to Lozio Osteria: https://loziopizzeria.net/

We arrived in Redondo Beach but immediately found some free parking on the street. Normally, in this area of Redondo Beach that’s actually near the beach, it’s hard to find street parking. So, when you find it, you take it. Of course, as we approached the restaurant, we saw a sign saying there is some restaurant parking behind the restaurant. Good to know for next time.

As mentbleioned above, we were here for Mother’s Day and brought along Jenn’s parents with us. I made a reservation for our dinner, which was necessary given how crowded the restaurant was. While there are seats inside, the restaurant is small and feels a bit cramped inside. Given we had a bigger party, we got a table outside in the rear of the restaurant. Given how warm it was this day, it made for a nice day outside, though the sun got in our eyes a little bit.

The menu

As you might expect, this pizzeria and bar has plenty of pizza, but it also has other Italian options. While we were supposed to be celebrating mom, the kids were happy to be here as they both love Italian food. On top of the written menu, ask your server for the unlisted daily specials.

They have an extensive drink list that includes all their cocktails on the front of the menu.

The rear of the menu is dominated by wine and beer, but there’s also a small section for non-alcoholic drinks.

Drinks

We’ll start out with drinks. I kept things easy with a Hermosa Hazy IPA, a local option that’s crisp and not too hoppy. Jenn went with the vino di frutta, which you can think of as an Italian sangria. It was fruity and refreshing, which is really what she was looking for.

We got seconds. I stuck to the same beer while Jenn switched over to the Lozio Gold Rush, which she found a bit strong in bourbon. Granted, she is still looking for a bourbon-based drink that she likes. That said, I liked it and thought the honey gave it a good amount of sweetness though not too much.

The food at Lozio Osteria

Caesar salad

We started with the stereotypical Caesar salad, and it didn’t surprise or disappoint. Rather than give shavings of parmesan cheese, this version is grated. I’d argue it tastes a little more satisfying as shavings, but that’s just my own tastes. The croutons were crunchy and the dressing wasn’t overpowering. In all, it works as an appetizer.

Shrimp spaghetti diavola

This shrimp pasta was actually one of the daily specials. As expected, the shrimp was properly cooked and while the spaghetti was simple, the flavors work well together. The fresh basil sprinkled on top added some much needed freshness to the dish. Ultimately, this dish hit the spot and met what we were looking for.

Fettucine Bolognese

This fettucine bolognese is a guilty pleasure, plain and simple. The meat in the dish added lots of flavor, the portion size was perfect, and the cheese made it satisfying. Who doesn’t like freshly-made al dente pasta? You even get a few globs of pesto on the side in case you want to transform the sauce a bit. Between this one and the shrimp pasta above, this was the consensus favorite in our group.

Prosciutto e Rucola pizza

Lozio Osteria specializes in pizza and it doesn’t disappoint. While we haven’t tried out all the pizza spots in the South Bay yet, this is a strong front-runner for one of the best in our books. You won’t get much of a cheese pull with this pizza. Instead, what you get is a truly excellent crust and delicious toppings. The dough isn’t very rigid and sags a bit when you hold it, but we don’t count it against it. This pizza tastes more like what pizza should be like. Heck, even the arugula on the pizza isn’t strong in flavor and works with the huge slices of prosciutto.

If you can’t decide which pizza to get, this one is an easy recommendation from us.

Salmon, potatoes, and asparagus

Not everything we need to order from an Italian restaurant needs to be a pasta or a pizza. For example, we opted for this salmon dish, which was well-prepared. It has a nice, crisp texture on top, which mirrors how I tend to make salmon at home (just without all the extras). And the kids loved this version too. The fish sits atop a bed of mashed potatoes, which were delicious as well. It’s a deceptively heavy dish, thanks in large part to those potatoes.

Italian gelato (vanilla)

After dinner, we chose a couple of desserts because reasons. First up is some vanilla gelato. It comes upside-down in a cute bowl. Naturally, the kids liked the cone. It’s a simple dessert but sometimes you just crave vanilla ice cream and need to give in.

Pistachio cake

The other dessert we ordered was this cake. If you’re looking for a light dessert after your meal, surprisingly this works. This cake isn’t too sweet nor is it too dense. It’s light and airy, which really is all we wanted after all the carb-heavy food for dinner.

Take a pitstop across the street while you’re here

If you haven’t been to the Redondo Beach Pier, this is a nice opportunity to give it a look. Sure, it’s no Santa Monica Pier, but it feels a bit more authentic. And if you happen to be here with children, immediately across the street from the restaurant is a large playground.

In our case, we loved the opportunity to release some energy after a heavy meal. The kids had a chance to run around here while the adults got a nice walk along the beach. Be on the lookout for dolphins in the water, as they were splashing around when we were walking by. Naturally, I wasn’t successful in snapping a picture of them.

We like trying different Resy restaurants

Yeah, we like trying out different Resy restaurants every now and then. American Express would love for us to do it every month (based on their credits on the Delta American Express credit cards). However, it’s a little tough with schedules and the price can add up quickly. Resy restaurants tend not to be cheap. But it’s a good thing I had so many gift cards to Lozio Osteria to help reduce the price! #IYKYK

Recommendation: Yes

Lozio Osteria has quickly become one of our favorite Italian restaurants in the South Bay, though we would love to check out more and compare. In particular, the pizza here easily earns a recommendation from us, but we enjoyed everything we ordered. Prices for everything can feel a bit expensive these days, but having Resy credits to help offset the price helps. We probably wouldn’t have visited the restaurant if not for those credits, so it’s nice to find a new favorite.

On top of that, it was a pretty successful Mother’s Day for both mothers at our table that evening. What could be better?

Where do you like to eat Italian food?

Suggested reading:

• Other Destinations and Restaurants We’ve Visited
• Quick Hit: Earning Amex Resy Credits
• Bottega Louie WEHO: Great Italian Food for the Whole Family