Nancy Silverton

Reviver of artisanal bread, co-founder of LaBrea Bakery, magician behind the Mozza crust, Nancy Silverton is a culinary queen. The chef shares her top hotels, from her hometown of LA to Paris, New York and Rome.


Silverton began her career in a vegetarian kitchen in Sonoma, California. And though she trained in Europe, both at Le Cordon Bleu in London and Lenotre Culinary Institute in Plasir, France, she inevitably brought her talents back to the left coast. In 1989 she opened Campanile on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, and not long after, La Brea Bakery next door.

Her latest ventures, Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza, have become perennial favorites — five years since opening, you’re still likely face a two hour wait. It’s well worth it, of course, but if you are looking to cheat the system, Silverton has given away many of the restaurant’s secrets in her new Mozza Cookbook, published by Knopf.

We asked Nancy to share a few of her favorite hotels, and she happily obliged. Consider the occasional dining recommendation icing on the cake.

Hotel Vitale
San Francisco, California
“There are so many good hotels in San Francisco, but my favorite place to stay is the Vitale. The rooms are very nice, the service is very helpful, but it is the superb location that keeps me coming back. A 150-yard walk and I’m in the coolest food court in America, the Ferry Plaza, a food lover’s paradise. I can spend half a day there knowing my hotel is just down the block. On top of it, one of the city’s best restaurants, Boulevard, is even closer, being right across the street.”

Plaza Athenee
Paris, France
“Every once in a while, it’s nice to pamper yourself, to be able to live it up. Paris is the city to do just that and the hotel I like to treat myself to is the Plaza Athenee. It’s luxury personified. The rooms are among the most elegant I’ve ever experienced and the service is at your beck and call. I really enjoy sitting in the grand hallway off the lobby, deep into a cushy couch, sipping on a Bordeaux or Burgundy or Rhone and watching the elegant crowd coming and going.”

Ace Hotel
New York, New York
“After a visit in spring of 2011, I moved the Ace to the top of my list. It is not a luxury hotel like, say the refined, old-world Carlyle, but it is cool. It is like the hotel you wished for when you were young and just starting your travels. And it is one of those rare hotels where I don’t have to leave for breakfast, lunch or dinner, which is what I did recently. Breakfast was the excellent coffee and pastries at Stumptown in the lobby. Lunch was absolutely memorable at John Dory where my friends and I relished the seafood specialities and the fascinating street life view through the restaurant’s large windows. As for dinner, we had a feast at the Breslin. As much as I love to walk (and I did), I also enjoyed knowing that the Ace had everything I needed to make for a lovely day in New York.

Hotel de Russie
Rome, Italy
“The Russie is my top pick for Rome. I like that it is modern, yet classy, in this ancient city. I can walk out the door and any way I turn, Rome is waiting for me in all its glory. The rooms are sleek and service is spot-on. The patio inside is among the most tranquil places in city.”

Sunset Marquis
Los Angeles, California
“Once a year I take a vacation to the city where I live, Los Angeles. My favorite place for this getaway is the Sunset Marquis, located on a quiet street off the not-so-quiet Sunset Strip. Once inside this two-story hotel, it is like you are far away from the hustle and bustle of the town. There are two pools to enjoy and a rocking bar that gets going late at night. The rooms are very large and secluded. So secluded that the Sunset Marquis is as much as hideaway as a getaway.”

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