Entry No. 102 — the New Orleans file — filed under: creole-italian
Mosca's
The building sits alone on a dark stretch of US-90 with almost nothing to announce it, which is roughly how it looked when Provino and Lisa Mosca opened in 1946 — in a building owned by New Orleans crime boss Carlos Marcello, who then ate there regularly. Inside it's wood panelling, paper placemats, and a garlic smell that gets into your coat and rides home with you. Everything comes family-style and the list is short on purpose: Oysters Mosca baked under seasoned breadcrumbs, Chicken a la Grande sautéed with rosemary and whole garlic cloves, Spaghetti Bordelaise that is angel hair with oil, butter and yet more garlic. The James Beard Foundation gave it an America's Classics award in 1999 and the kitchen appears to have read that as an instruction not to change anything. The FAQ states the position plainly: no chicken parm, no fettuccine, no separate checks.
→ Three more weird eats & drinks in New Orleans — never the same twice
The story
Provino Mosca came from San Benedetto del Tronto on the Adriatic coast and ran a restaurant in Chicago Heights before he and his wife Lisa followed their daughter Mary to Louisiana in 1946; she had married an oysterman, Vincent Marconi. They opened on an empty stretch of US-90 on the West Bank, in a building owned by Carlos Marcello, boss of the New Orleans crime family, who then ate there regularly. Marcello's son still owns the building. The oft-repeated line that Provino cooked for Al Capone is one the family denies.
Provino died in 1962 and Lisa — by then Mama Mosca — ran it with their children Johnny and Mary, and with Vincent. Mama Mosca died in 1979, Vincent in 2004, Johnny in 2011. Johnny's wife Mary Jo Angelotti took over the kitchen when Mary retired and still operates the restaurant with family. Katrina damaged the building; it reopened in 2006 with a larger air-conditioned kitchen and almost nothing else altered. The James Beard Foundation named it an America's Classic in 1999, and Calvin Trillin wrote it up in The New Yorker in 2010, noting that when the family once floated moving somewhere handier, the regulars refused.
It is a low building alone on the highway, roughly seventeen miles out from the Crescent City Connection, with a gravel lot, wood panelling, and a garlic smell that follows you home. The menu is short and nearly everyone orders the same things: Oysters Mosca, whole oysters baked under seasoned breadcrumbs ($38 small, $58 large); Chicken a la Grande with rosemary, white wine and whole cloves of garlic ($22.50 half, $35.50 whole); Spaghetti Bordelaise, which is angel hair with oil, butter and more garlic ($20); and Pineapple Fluff for dessert ($8) — whipped cream, melted marshmallow fluff, crushed pineapple, graham cracker crumbs.
What it's like
You will think you've missed it, and then a low building shows up on the shoulder of US-90 with a gravel lot, and the garlic reaches you before the door does. Inside: wood panelling, paper placemats, a room loud with other people's dinners. Everything is family-style, so you order across the table rather than down the menu — two people ordering three dishes have over-ordered. Some things take real time; the menu warns outright that chicken cacciatore may run 60 minutes or more, so treat the pacing as deliberate rather than slow. It's cash only with an ATM by the door and they don't split checks, so sort that out before the bill lands. You'll smell like garlic for the rest of the night. That's the arrangement.
The move: Book a Tuesday or Wednesday 5 p.m. seating when the room is quietest, hit the ATM by the door before you sit, and order like regulars: an Italian salad, a small Oysters Mosca, a half Chicken a la Grande and a small Bordelaise between the two of you. Book the ride home before the food arrives — the drive back down 90 in the dark is much better as a passenger.
📍 Before you go Cash only, with an ATM on site, and no separate checks. Open Tuesday–Saturday from 5 p.m.; last seating 8 p.m. Tuesday–Thursday and 8:30 p.m. Friday–Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday (private parties Mon–Tues). Reservations are strongly recommended and weekends fill; there's an online waitlist if your night is gone. Portions are family-style, so two people ordering three dishes have over-ordered. Corkage is $30 per 750ml bottle, no dress code. About 25 minutes from the CBD across the river — the restaurant's own FAQ warns Uber will get you there but not always back, so arrange the return leg in advance. (504) 436-8950.
- 📍 Westwego (Avondale), LA
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 4137 US-90, Westwego, LA 70094
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- The Old Point Bar — Algiers Point is about twenty minutes back up the same bank of the river and the bar has no kitchen at all — which is exactly what you want once Mosca's has fed three people's worth of food to two.
- Gretna Observatory at Mel Ott Park — Gretna is on the way home along the West Bank, but it only opens Monday and Wednesday nights and Mosca's is dark on Monday, so Wednesday is the single date that combines them.
- Whitney Plantation — Further upriver on the same side, and the deliberate opposite of a garlic-soaked family-style dinner — do the plantation in the afternoon and eat afterwards, not before.
More weird in New Orleans
Good to know
Do I need a reservation, and when is it open?
Reservations are highly recommended and weekends fill first. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; last seating is 8 p.m. Tuesday–Thursday and 8:30 p.m. Friday–Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday, with private parties taken Monday and Tuesday. If your night is gone, their online booking system has a waitlist. Phone (504) 436-8950.
Is it really cash only?
Yes, with an ATM on site, and they don't do separate checks — decide who's paying before you sit down. There's a full bar and wine list, and outside wine is allowed at a $30 corkage per 750ml bottle.
How do I get there, and how do I get back?
About seventeen miles out US-90 from the Crescent City Connection, roughly 25 minutes from the CBD across the river. Their own FAQ is blunt about the return leg: Uber will get you there but not always back, so arrange the ride home in advance rather than standing in a gravel lot on a dark highway hoping.
What does dinner actually cost?
Italian salad $12, Spaghetti Bordelaise $20, Chicken a la Grande $22.50 half or $35.50 whole, Oysters Mosca $38 small or $58 large, Pineapple Fluff $8. Portions are family-style, so a couple ordering a salad, a small oysters and a half chicken has ordered plenty.
Is there a dress code, and can we celebrate a birthday there?
No dress code — business casual is the suggestion, not a rule. You can bring a cake and the kitchen will hold it until you want it, and table decorations are fine as long as everything you bring in leaves with you.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia
last checked: 2026-08-26