Who has the best pizza in LA? I spent some time this February on the west coast doing my due diligence to find out for myself. Even though I only had time to hit about a dozen spots, it quickly became clear that something big is happening in the Southern California pizza scene. Here’s my recap of the pizzerias I visited last week in Los Angeles plus a bonus stop in Dana Point. I’m not a reviewer, so there won’t be scores or anything like that. Instead, I’ll give you a summary of my visit plus some context so you’ll be better prepared to visit these places yourself. And just because I’m checking out pizzerias in LA doesn’t mean I have any plans to start running regular pizza tours out there, although stay tuned for a possible pop-up tour at some point in the future.
STOP #1 Sonny’s in Hollywood
We hit this place straight from the airport. I hadn’t heard much about it until a pizza buddy called it out via text message (thanks Alan!). By the end of my trip, I had received dozens more recommendations to check them out. So this place is definitely buzzy. They only do whole pies, no slices. The pizza is reminiscent of pies I grew up with in NJ, only much higher level. They clearly use high end ingredients (bags of flour and cans of tomatoes are all stored in public view) and the owners clearly care about their product. Notice in the photo above how the basil is off to the side for takeout pizzas so the basil won’t wilt. Classy move!!! Very good pizza and a very nice welcome to the current Los Angeles pizza scene.
This place has a few high-top tables and a small counter around the pizza station. We grabbed a seat at the main counter and had a nice chat with some of the other customers. They had some kind of connection with one of the owners and were very excited to be there and support the fairly new shop. Very cool to see so much positive energy behind a new place like this!
STOP #2 Fiorelli Pizza in West Hollywood
The next morning we had a lovely pancake breakfast with my pizza-nerd idol Ed Levine at Du-par’s in the old farmer’s market. Of course our conversation veered into pizza territory and he told me about this new spot nearby in West Hollywood. He was impressed with the pizza and loved meeting the owner, so we decided to check it out immediately. It’s a cozy little takeout spot with enough room for 2-3 small groups to dine-in at the indoor countertops or small outdoor area in the front. Not knowing anything about the place or its pizza beyond the fact that Ed liked it, we proceeded to order a regular cheese pizza. It came out a few minutes later and we were definitely impressed. The crust had great flavor and texture! But we only realized our mistake when two pizzas landed in front of another group just a few feet away from us. I snapped a quick picture because what I saw made it clear that the thing to get here are the specialty pies.
As we later found out, owners Mike and Liz were chefs before they got into pizza. In the past, when a chef opened a pizzeria you could pretty much count on it being a bunch of fancy ingredients on top of a lame crust. Now that’s all changed. Mike and Liz not only know how to layer flavor and texture, they ALSO know how fermentation and dough handeling technique are crucial to a great pizza. Our cheese pizza was very good, but those specialty pies on the other table looked incredible.
Stop #3 Apollonia’s Pizzeria at Miracle Mile
This was in my top 2 for most recommended pizzerias and it didn’t disappoint. I’ve known owner Justin De Leon for a few years and had his pizza a couple times at off-site events but never in his actual pizzeria, so this was a big deal for me. Ironically, I didn’t get to see him at the shop when I stopped by because he was opening another store that night! Wild. I got to meet his wife and partner Linda and she was awesome. Big thanks to Linda for letting us take up so much space in this little shop!
Everybody talks about the squares at Apollonia’s. Even though Justin doesn’t like the label, they are most certainly Detroit Style. That means they’re rectangular, sauce on top, and sport a charred cheese edge. These are par-bakes, so Apollonia’s bakes the shells when they’ve reached their maximum proofing height and they’ll get topped and baked again when needed for service. I tried a couple squares and enjoyed them both, particularly the one with vodka sauce (slightly out of frame in the pic above). As much as I liked the squares, I enjoyed the regular slice even more!!! This is just a rock solid pizza and the fact that it exists in LA proves wrong anyone who thinks there’s some requirement for magical New York tap water.
Stop #4 DTown Pizzeria from a Truck
I wish I had time to stop at this pizzeria but I ended up trying it out of a truck. There was some kind of event happening outside the NBA Allstar Game and a friend of mine, the one and only David Turkell, was running the show at a pizza giveaway. I prepared myself to not judge the pizza too heavily, but the slice I scarfed as I ran to check on my illegally parked rental car was actually quite outstanding! I’d say it was my favorite Detroit style pizza in LA, with an edge that baked fully into the pan with no gaps. If DTown was this good out of a truck, I can only imagine how delicious it would have been directly from the pizzeria.
Stop #5 Little Dynamite in Venice
One of the big takeaways from my week in LA is that most of the new pizza in town isn’t referencing New York City as its point of inspiration, it’s all about NEW JERSEY! That’s right, my home state aka the Garden State is repping strong out here. Sonny’s felt like a Jersey pizza. Secret Pizza, which I didn’t get to, is owned by a New Jerseyan, and this place Little Dynamite is ALL ABOUT THE JERZ! They told me themselves, so this isn’t just me reading into things. Sauce on top of cheese is often accredited to old school NJ “tomato pie” joints like Delorenzo’s and Papa’s (even though this was clearly also common at NYC pizzerias in the early 1900s). And the name of the place itself comes from The Boss, Mr Bruce Springsteen, amid the frenetic closing of his explosive tune “Rosalita.”
And the pizza’s super good! This is very much the style of this moment and it’s a style I happen to love. Hard bake, sauce-forward, and grated hard cheese added after the bake. Love it. This is very good pizza out in Venice and based on what I’m hearing that’s a neighborhood that’s about to get slammed with even more great spots! This could be the LA pizza scene’s answer to NYC’s West Village.
Stop #6 Angel City Pizza in Venice Beach
This is a classic East Coast pizza served up the block from the High School where they shot Grease. If you really need to know more, read on. But many of you already know everything you need to know about this place. I scarfed these down so fast I wasn’t able to give them a ton of time but they all tasted spot on for the typical slice in NYC. The secret weapon here was the buffalo chicken square, which we ordered as an afterthought. I felt safe eating this in California, but it still always feels a little illegal in NYC. But it was great and I’ll porobably have it again next time I’m in Venice. The Grandma is also great, but next time I’ll ask for it to be extra crispy.
Stop #7 La Sorted’s in Chinatown
Here’s another highly recommended place in LA. I went out to their Chinatown location, which is a full service pizza restaurant. It feels like LA’s answer to the vibe of John’s of Bleecker Street. Pictures cover every inch and it’s pretty much 100% LA Dodgers material. I’m no baseball expert, but I do know there was a guy named Tommy Lasorda who was apparently a big deal in LA Dodgers lore. So this place is a temple to the Dodgers and Los Angeles in general. Very cool to see this rather than the tired trope of honoring NYC pizzerias from afar.
The pizza at La Sorted’s is classic, comfortable, and accessible. What makes the place so special is that it feels so organic, like it’s been here for decades. Being there feels good, and that’s exactly what a restaurant should do. This place is a great sign of what’s to come in the LA pizza scene.
Stop #8 Triple Beam in Echo Park
I’d been wanting to check this place out for years! It’s the brainchild of THE Nancy Silverton and Matt Molina but Chef Juan Robles is running the culinary team. It’s essentially Roman style bakery pizza. Not the thick and puffy “pizza al taglio” you’ll find at Pizzarium and the various Bonci-inspired pizzerias, more like a softer and slightly puffier version of Forno Campo De Fiori. The crust has life and the toppings are in the realm of what you’d expect from such high level chefs. I tried the mushroom and shallots pizza, which I thought was good but could have used a harder reheat. But this was my only visit and I think this pizza sat in a box for a couple minutes before I had it in my hands. Next time I’ll order a flight of slices and try them all sans box.
Stop #9 Naughty Pie Nature in Echo Park
I had this place on my hit list but figured I just wouldn’t have time to check it out. Then it hit me. I was sitting at a traffic light waiting for the green light to allow me to cross the intersection so I could pull into the grocery store parking lot and get my kiddo some emergency dinner. I looked up and noticed Naughty Pie Nature sitting right there in front of me. We pulled across the street, into a sweet parking spot, and ran over to try to get a very quick pie before the kiddo hit the point of no return.
Owners Bronwen and Jose are the entire team here. It’s seriously just them. The place is so tiny, it’s just a take-out delivery spot. But the kiddo and I managed to sneak inside to hang out while our pies baked. This place makes a style that’s popping up all over the place right now. It’s essentially a small format (14″ at NPN) New York style pizza, which means it’s thin in the center, puffed on the edge, and has enough stability to get some nice bite and substantial toppings. The crust has great depth of flavor and that shattering micro-blister bite! This is another excellent pizza that proves LA has nothing holding it back from pizza greatness!!!
Stop #10 Hot Tongue in Silverlake
This was one of my most highly anticipated stops of this trip. I’ve known about Hot Tongue for years but never was able to make it out here on previous LA trips. Owner Alex Koons has an excellent podcast called Pie 2 Pie, so I get a weekly reminder of how badly I want to check this place out when I listen to new episodes. But this is a restaurant, so I should stop talking abotu podcasts already!
The biggest takeaway from my LA trip is that you NEED to check out Hot Tongue. It was easily in the top tier of pizza I ate in LA yet very few people beyond the pizza biz recommended it to me. This place is FANTASTIC! Great slices, great Sicilian, great Grandma pies, and even a perfect tavern style. Just like Naughty Pie Nature, this crust has that delightful shatter. Cheese-to-sauce ratio is perfect. Flavor and balance on this pizza is exactly what I like. Most importantly, I feel great when I’m eating this.
I need to dig into why this place isn’t on the minds of more people. They used to be a 100% vegan pizzeria but shifted a couple years ago to serve all the animal ingredients. That message probably hasn’t made it all the way through people’s brains, so that’s probably significant. Then there’s the fact that the name doesn’t include the word “PIZZA.” It’s in a strip mall location, not a spot with foot traffic, so maybe the name and signage are getting in the way. Whatever the reason, don’t let it stop you from checking this place out. It’s excellent.
Stop #11 Pizzeria Sei in Pico-Robertson
Last but not even close to least is the one pizzeria for which I made a reservation. Actually I didn’t even make a reservation, I failed at this. PIzzeria Sei has received extremely high accolades and awards as one of the top 3 pizzerias in the USA by 50 Top Pizza. They have one of those reservation systems that opens up 2 weeks prior, but fills up so incredibly quickly. I tried two days in a row before giving up and shooting my shot in a DM to owner William Joo. He managed to get me a counter spot so we could check out this herladed pizzeria the night before leaving town.
Pizzeria Sei is essentially a Neapolitan pizzeria, but with a couple twists. First of all, their stretching technique comes from Tokyo Neapolitan pizzerias like Savor, Seirinkan, Pizza Studio Tamaki, etc — they all use a pinch technique to create variation on the crust. The second twist is that William is prepping to open a second location, transforming the current location into a takeout only spot. When we visited, he was testing out a bunch of ideas for the new location, so we had the opportunity to try them. That means we didn’t necessarily have an experience accurate to the current Pizzeria Sei identity. What I can tell you is that William’s food is fun, interesting, unexpected, yet still approachable. He’s not stuck on mastering one single pizza style, but happy to experiment with multiple ideas like fried pizza, thin crunchy pizzas, and some truly wonderful side plates.
I definitely see why people are so excited about Pizzeria Sei. It’s a really special place and it’s about to become 2 special places!
