ATXReview
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L’Oca d’Ora almost sounds like a fictional place. It’s an impossibly cute little cafe with floor-to-ceiling windows tucked between a small pedestrian-only shopping center and a picturesque park with a lake in Mueller. And that’s just the building itself—it only gets better when you step through the doors and take in the sounds and smells of this Italian-inspired neighborhood cafe with a name that we can only imagine was dreamed up by a broken caps lock key.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Start with an order of fresh mozzarella topped with chile bomba and local peaches, then move on to white bean dips, heirloom tomato salads, and sourdough focaccia with cultured honey butter. These are mostly classic Italian dishes accented with modern twists and Texas turns. And it changes all the time. There’s a decent chance that none of the dishes we just described will be on the menu you get. That’s OK, just go with what’s in season. If in doubt, ask your server, or just order every pasta on the menu. Fortunately, this is a “shared small plates” kind of place. Which just means you get to sample more pasta. You’ll get to choose between bucatini, gnocchi, spaghetti, and any of the other half-dozen different pastas on the menu at any given time, which is where L’Oca d’Oro is at its best.
photo credit: Richard Casteel
The wine selection here is great, with plenty of options available by the glass—including some fun orange wines—with a heavy lean on Italian reds. The cocktails are creative and sound a bit garden-inspired—incorporating things like a parsley-carrot cordial and cucumber-celery-basil shrub—that seem to taste even better when you’re sitting on the cozy patio looking out over the lake. There’s even a small menu of equally inventive no/low abv cocktails. And if you’re looking for a very Texas-meets-Italian finish to your meal, try the house-made Nocino—it’s typically a walnut-based liquor, but instead, they sub in green Texas pecans for a bit of local flair. Afterward, full of wine and pasta, go for a walk and enjoy one of the few pedestrian-only shopping centers in town. It makes the whole experience feel just a little more like you’re actually in Europe somewhere.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Fresh Mozzarella
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Tagliatelle
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Ricotta Cavatelli
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Mafaldine
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Cannoli