LAReview
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Milo & Olive
Included In
If we were designing our dream house, the first thing we’d draw up would be a big, modern kitchen, with a jet-propulsion oven, an aquarium knife block, and a nook to recharge our robot butler. There’d be a beer tap in the shower, a tiny house for our dog that’s an exact replica of our own house, and a bed so big we could sleep in it lengthwise.
We wouldn’t go crazy with the living room, though. Maybe we’d get a bigger TV, but we’d keep our couch and coffee table. They’re cool, comfortable, and a big part of why we spend so much time in the space. And Milo + Olive is the living room of LA restaurants - we wouldn’t change much about it, and we’d gladly spend hours there, no matter the time of day.
They haven’t messed with much since Milo + Olive first opened in 2011. The hand-drawn pictures are still on the wall. The dining room is still busy, the bar is still buzzing, and the people in the kitchen still function like a human Rube Goldberg machine, cranking out pastas, salads, and garlic knots at an incredible pace. Most importantly, they still have the best pizza in Santa Monica.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
There’s no wrong answer when it comes to pizza here, but there are some particularly right ones. The mixed mushroom is a must-order - it has an entire woodland’s worth of mushrooms, and is topped with lemon zest and fontina cheese. You’ll also want to get the pork belly sausage with kale, and the roast potato pie that comes with rosemary cream. All of them pair well with a bottle of wine, and Milo + Olive’s garlic knot, a tiny bread pouch full of olive oil and roasted garlic. We also recommend ordering some olives and the arugula and radicchio salad, just to take a break from the large amount of bread you’ll be eating.
They also serve the whole dinner menu at lunch, and for breakfast, there’s polenta with egg and bacon that makes us wish we grew up in Tuscany, or wherever polenta came from. As great as the dinner pizzas are, the breakfast-only potato and egg pie might be our favorite.
A lot of new restaurants have appeared on the Westside since Milo + Olive first opened - some of them may even have aquarium knife blocks. But like our living room, this is a place where we’ll continue to spend a whole lot of time. Even if there is a bed the size of Rhode Island waiting for us at home.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Garlic Knot
Arugula & Radicchio Salad
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Mixed Mushroom Pizza
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Creamy Polenta
photo credit: Jakob Layman