Launches followed in Tokyo, Seoul, and of course Beverly Hills. Like the other three Gucci Osterias, this one, opened in 2020, serves contemporary Italian cuisine fused with local flavors and culture. It espouses Bottura’s culinary philosophy, founded on creativity, elegance, humor, and sensuality, interpreted in this case by young Italian Head Chef Mattia Agazzi. His cuisine is respectful of Italian tradition but at the same time playful, imaginative, and of course adapted to incorporate the best in fresh, seasonal Californian ingredients.
Guests arriving at Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills take a private elevator from street level to rooftop space the restaurant occupies above the Gucci Beverly Hills store, overlooking Rodeo Drive.
The main room features cherry red velvet banquettes, marble tables, handcrafted rattan chairs, and a herringbone-pattern wooden floor, while the covered outdoor terrace boasts marble mosaic flooring and an antique wooden pulpit as a bar. The overall effect of the décor, inflected with trademark Gucci touches, is to create an intimate, atmosphere steeped in Italian elegance and Hollywood glamour.
Agazzi was born in Bergamo, Italy, and began his culinary career at three-Michelin-star restaurant Da Vittorio in nearby Brusaporto. This was followed by a seven-year gastronomic world tour, working in restaurants ranging from the prestigious Plaza Athénéé in Paris to the vegan restaurant Yellow in Sydney, Australia. He has had the good fortune to work with some of the world’s greatest chefs, from Joel Robuchon and Alain Ducasse to Norbert Niederkofler and, of course, Bottura, whom Agazzi first encountered in 2018 when he was offered a job at Osteria Francescana. This was followed by a stint as Sous Chef to Karime López at Gucci Osteria Florence and then the move to LA in 2020 to open the new Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills as Head Chef. Signature dishes include Risotto Camouflaged as Pizza—which, as the name suggests, uses typical pizza ingredients like cherry tomatoes, stracciatella, and basil cream, but applies them to a risotto—and I Love Rock Climbing, which translates Agazzi’s hobbies of fishing and climbing into an original fusion of trout, foraged wild mushrooms and more, with a sauce based on Asian flavors.
Under Agazzi’s charismatic leadership, Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills became an instant success, winning a Michelin star in 2021, just a year after opening. This coveted recognition was followed by an appearance on 50 Top Italy’s list of the best Italian restaurants around the world in 2023, in which it took 28th place.
