The Best Pizzas in Los Angeles

Jon & Vinny’s

At Animal, chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo focus on all things meaty, while their namesake restaurants in Brentwood, Fairfax, and Windsor Hills bring blistered pies to the masses. Go for the LA Woman, a near-perfect margherita done up with local burrata, tomato, basil, olive oil, and sea salt, or the White Bronco, triple-cheesed with caciocavallo, fior di latte, and whipped ricotta. The Salad Days pizza is a little bit DIY, with each of the components (little gem lettuce, red onion, sungold tomatoes, pepperoncini, and caciocavallo) individually packaged so they’re at their cool and crunchy best on arrival.

Deli News Pizza

For the past 30 years, this Long Beach staple has been slinging and slicing pies for Cal State Long Beach students and more. Small pizzas clock in under $10, but the Pastrami X-Large pizza layered with the meat, red onions, sliced pickles, and light mustard can feed a whole dorm.

Pitfire Artisan Pizza

This multilocation empire with outposts in Culver City, Manhattan Beach, and beyond from founder Paul Hibler cranks out pockmarked pies with smart flavor-boosting ingredients. Think bee pollen in the ricotta-and-sausage-laden Honey Bear, and buttery, crunchy hazelnuts in The Burrata with tomato sauce, pesto, caramelized onions, and arugula.

Desano

With locations in Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, this East Hollywood restaurant continues to abide by strict VPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) guidelines as seen in the D.O.P. margherita. There’s a playful side too — just try the star-shaped ricotta-stuffed-crust Carnevale pie, or the loaded lasagna pizza with layers of San Marzano tomato sauce, meatballs, four cheeses, garlic, and fresh basil that still feels quite Neapolitan.

Cosa Buona

Zach Pollack, the chef behind soulful Italian bistro Alimento, turns out inspired wood-fired pizzas at this Echo Park spot. Whether it’s the mustard greens and chiles on the sausage (white) pie or the VEG Supreme with maitake mushrooms and spinach, you can taste peak California produce at its best. Cosa Buona is more than good — it’s great.

Lucifer’s Pizza

Followers of this mini pizza chain have been worshipping its creative pies for over a decade and across the city in Melrose, Hillhurst, Studio City, and Hollywood. You’ll understand why when you slice into the grandiose Greek Lamb pizza, which, like the Three Little Pigs pie (with prosciutto, sausage, bacon, and mozzarella) never sacrifices on flavor. An unexpected Zucha pizza puts pumpkin at the forefront — and you can devilishly add prosciutto to it as well.

Triple Beam

Chefs Matt Molina and Nancy Silverton take their Pizzeria Mozza experience and apply it to this pair of pizzerias in Echo Park and Highland Park. The focus here is crunchy Roman-style slices with masterful topping combinations. In the Acorn Squash pie, shaved and lightly roasted acorn squash’s sweetness is balanced by mild semisoft cacio di roma cheese, honey, and chili flakes. Thinly sliced, fry-like potatoes sing with sage, funky fontina, and umami-y black truffle cheese on the Potato Sage and Truffle pizza.

Sage Plant Based Bistro & Brewery

This trio of vegan restaurants in Echo Park, Pasadena, and Culver City has long been an advocate of local organic farms and regenerative agriculture. The team uses Sonora wheat from Roan Mills for their hand-tossed pies and Follow Your Heart is the vegan cheese of choice. Try the Buffalo Cauliflower pizza, which marries two saucy power houses (pesto and ranch); the Heirloom Tomato & Garlic pizza drizzled with cashew Alfredo sauce; and the Broccoli Mac & Cheese pizza that’ll have you clamoring for more “cheddar” cheese sauce on everything.

Tomato Pie Pizza Joint

It’s all about the details at this Pasadena spot. The Mac & Cheese pie is covered in the perfect mix of cheeses (cheddar, mozzarella, and asiago), along with crispy bacon, scallion, and bread crumbs. A drizzle of bright, herbaceous chimichurri elevates the mushroom-loaded Really Really Fungi pie, while the Syracuse-Style Hot Wing pizza both sears and soothes the palate with chicken marinated in buttermilk ranch and hot sauce.

Grá

The organic sourdough pizzas from this Historic Filipinotown spot come sprinkled with seasonal pickles and preserves made with farmers market ingredients. (Bonus: They pair perfectly with the restaurant’s vast natural wine selection, hint, hint.) The Banger Pizza lives up to its name; it’s an umami bomb of salami, spicy ’nduja, funky fermented mustard seeds, honey, and basil. And the Kimchi Pizza, covered with pungent kimchi, aged goat’s Gouda, and sesame seeds, is very LA (and very good with pét-nat or orange wine).

Gjelina Take Away

This beloved Venice restaurant pumps out wood-fired pizza to go alongside now-iconic farmers market salads and sides. The Blanco is straightforward and delicious, pairing garlic confit with four cheeses and salty green olives. If you want more of a classic, the Burrata pizza bursts with lots of creamy, curd-y flavor.

Town Pizza

This Echo Park spot is all about Detroit-style pizza. Its neoclassical square, complete with a pool of housemade tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, dried oregano, and a sprinkling of fresh basil is *chef’s kiss*. Round pies are also an option here. Don’t skip The Greek, a red sauce–-based pie strewn with spinach and a mezze-esque spread of kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, and feta, or The Pig & the Fig with prosciutto-wrapped figs, fried sage, ricotta, and mozzarella.

Garage Pizza

Calling all late-night eaters: This no-frills Silver Lake spot is for you. Sink your teeth into the namesake Garage Pizza, a burger-like creation with ground beef, tomato, red onion, and pickles, or the Garlic Margherita elevated with even more aromatics. Word to the wise: Get the chocolate chip cookies to round out your meal.

Slasher Pizza

Horror films from the 1980s feed the menu at this quirky Echo Park pizzeria with Freddy and Friday the 13th headlining. The Scream Queen is scary good — a piquant house-made pecorino sauce is the base for artichoke hearts, fresh burrata, garlic, and truffle oil — while the Predator pizza taps into carnivore cravings (Spanish chorizo, pepperoni, Italian sausage, and bacon). If you’re in the mood for foreign films (and sweet-savory leanings), try the Babadook with soppressata and maple–chile oil. Vegans, look no further than Gremlins with “meatball,” roasted tomato, basil, and “mozzarella.”

Joe’s Pizza

The iconic New York slice shop goes west with locations on Sunset Strip, Hollywood, Downtown, and more. It offers a democratic approach to ordering pizza with the signature Half & Half Pie: “two of your favorite pizzas side by side on one pie!” We’re pairing Caprese with a half moon of BBQ Chicken, and the over-the-top Meat Lovers with the simple yet satisfying White. However you choose, a side of homemade Gramma (tomato) sauce for dipping is a must.

Blackbird Pizza Shop

You can win over deep-dish lovers and thin-crust advocates — and figure out dinner, fast — thanks for this Melrose restaurant. It goes deep on deep-dish with its signature Balls Deep pie studded with big beef meatballs, while the eponymous Blackbird pizza piles on the veggies (mushrooms, artichokes, onions) with a good amount of cheese (ricotta and feta). Thin-crust lovers will inhale the Tie Dye, which melds vodka sauce, pesto, tomato, and mozzarella, while the El Chigon feels distinctly LA with house-made chorizo, pickled jalapeño, red onion, avocado, and cilantro.

Double Zero

You can find chef Matthew Kenney’s plant-based pizzas in New York and Baltimore, but nothing beats the original in Venice. His pizzas rely on cashew cream and rice mozzarella, but they don’t taste like subs. Case in point: His truffle pizza combines cashew cream, wild mushrooms, Tuscan kale, and a bracingly bright lemon vinaigrette. Don’t sleep on the salads, especially the Sunflower Caesar with wood-fired croutons and an almond-parmesan dressing that is the stuff of dreams.

Cauliflower Pizza

As the name suggests, all of the pies at this small chain in Melrose Hill and West LA are made with cauliflower crusts and are 100 percent gluten-, soy-, and nut-free. The Save a Pig, Eat a Turkey Pepperoni pie and the Hipster Butcher pizza prove that faux-meat is fantastic, but don’t miss the perennial fave: the Sweet Goat pizza with mozzarella, tomato sauce, roasted sweet potatoes, goat cheese, caramelized onions, and arugula. Throw on some cauliflower “wings'” with your choice of sweet chili, Korean barbecue, or creamy sesame sauce for a full-on feast.

Delicious Pizza

This part pizza shop, part music museum in West Adams and Hollywood has a hip-hop–inspired menu that’s brought to life by record label Delicious Vinyl (known for Tone Loc, Young MC, The Pharcyde). Whether it’s The WhoRidas’ Shot Callin’ Big Ballin’ pie with lamb meatballs, mozzarella, tomato sauce, and basil or the legendary Rick Ross pie (whose brother is a co-owner!) with ricotta, shallots, mozzarella, and olives, you’re in for a delightfully multisensory meal.

Pizza Sociale

This downtown LA destination imports New York’s famous Lioni mozzarella for its leopard-spotted Grand Margherita and smoked mozzarella for the Alla Vodka. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Go in on the Mamma Maria with Bava Brothers ’nduja, soppressata, and cotto (ham); the ricotta-fig pizzette for a little sweet and savory action; cheese-filled garlic bread; and pepperoni and cheese sticks.

Slice of LA

This globe-trotting pizzeria has been slinging slices in Studio City since the mid-’90s (and more recently in DTLA), and if you wake up early enough, there’s breakfast pizza. Be it of English, Italian, and/or Mexican influence, all said pizzas have scrambled eggs and mozzarella cheese as their base — and a bounty of global inspiration for the rest. But we’re partial to the lox and arugula pie that uses white sauce as a canvas for cream cheese, capers, and smoked salmon. Pro tip: Slice of LA sells many pies by the slice.

Upper Crust Pizzeria

This New England pizza chain may have expanded into new area codes (hello, Beverly Hills!), but it stays true to its Boston roots with the Harvard Street (margherita) and Fenway (Italian sausage, bell pepper, and sliced onion). Colloquialisms aside, the Patata Rossa, is a wonderful white pie encrusted in rosemary, garlic, roasted red bliss potatoes, caramelized onions, and fontina.

Shakey’s Pizza Parlor

It’s kind of amazing that Shakey’s was the country’s first pizza franchise, starting in the 1950s and setting the bar for quick, customizable pies as it expanded to Boyle Heights, Torrance, and other neighborhoods. The Shakey’s Special has it all: salami, pepperoni, Italian sausage, seasoned ground beef, mushrooms, and black olives. If you need more meat, try the Ultimate Meat Pizza, which has all the above and swaps in ham and bacon for the vegetables.

Pasadena Pizza Co.

If you’re looking to color outside the lines, toppings-wise, this Pasadena restaurant is made for you. The teriyaki chicken pizza comes with peppers and pineapple, while the pastrami pizza is a bona fide icon with its meat, mustard, pickles, and mozzarella. For a full meal in pizza form, try the Big G, brimming with Alfredo sauce, artichoke hearts, chicken, mozzarella, and Romano cheese.

Superfine Pizza

Inside City Market South, the original site for LA’s vibrant produce market in the Fashion District, high-quality produce still reigns at this pizzeria. Imagine with us: the wilted bitter greens, red onion, salt-cured olives, chiles, and mozzarella on the Escarole pizza; locally harvested buckwheat honey drizzled all over the Salami Honey pie; pork belly, mozzarella, smoked provolone, mushrooms, rapini, and chile oil in harmony on the Diavolina pizza. Now imagine this for dinner tonight.

BRERA Ristorante

Influenced by the artsy-cool Brera neighborhood in Milan, Italy, this osteria in the Arts District emphasizes the classics, as seen in the carefully crafted cornicione (crust). Enjoy its crisp edges in the margherita, which is made with imported San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte, and oregano, or the Bufalina with buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil oil. Biting into one will make you think you’re in Brera.

Cheech’s Pizza

It might be weird to start dinner with dessert, but you’ll soon get over that once you try the warm, gooey S’mores Pizza. Since 1993, this Los Feliz spot has been delivering much-needed munchies — and with vegan subs and gluten-free crusts. Make sure you get some homemade Alfredo sauce; it’s so good you’ll want to bathe in it.

Maria’s Italian Kitchen

Growing up in an Italian community in Hoboken, New Jersey, Maria Aflano learned how to cook the food of her home country from her mother. When she moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s, she continued her food focus, first buying a grocery store and then opening this restaurant. Now there are eight outposts in Northridge, Encino, and more areas around LA, and Aflano’s creativity shines in the pizzas, like the kalamata olive–topped Mediterranean pizza and the smoky, sweet BBQ Chicken pizza.

Jay’s Pizza

If you’re hungry, the whopping 28-inch Monster pizza from this Monterey Park spot is your lifeline. It’s the biggest pie in town, and dollar for dollar, the best deal out there. The Spicy Detroit, a thick, pan-style pizza with extra cup pepperoni and a garlic crust, is nothing to scoff at either.

Locale90 Neapolitan Pizza Market

In true Neapolitan fashion, this Redondo Beach pizzeria only uses 00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and Italian sea salt, and bakes each personal-size pizza in an oven that reaches over 900 degrees. The move is to pick a few pies to share, like the Puttanesca pizza rossa with tomato sauce, white anchovies, capers, olives, oregano, and chile flakes; and the Kale & Egg bianca that coats your palate with a sunny-side-up egg, parmesan, white sauce, and truffle oil. Add Rosie’s meatballs and fried cauliflower on top or as satisfying sides.

Ciccero’s Pizza

Since opening in 1993, the lunch-special pizzas at this West LA restaurant come with soup or salad and a drink, but the deal that’s gained a following is the BOGO (buy one get one). No need to choose between the zesty Sante Fe Chicken pizza or the Shrimp & Roasted Red Pepper pizza — go to town and see why they’re excellent examples of why Ciccero’s has such staying power.

Roca Pizza

With Roman roots and California ethos, this Glendale restaurant serves up slices “al taglio,” meaning they’re cut with scissors straight from the pan they’re baked in. Enjoy these airy, light pies in half- or full-sheet tray sizes and in toppings like soppressata and burrata, potato and Italian sausage, and mixed mushrooms.

Pieology

Five crusts (thin, thick, deep-dish, cauliflower, and gluten-free) and 40-plus sauces (a sampling: garlic herb butter, house-made red, three-cheese Alfredo, tree nut–free pesto, barbecue, ranch, fiery buffalo) gives you over 150 different pizzas at this pizzeria with locations in Monrovia and Lakewood. And that’s before you’ve even started on your toppings. Let your belly lead when ordering, but if the crust-sauce matrix is too much, try the ABC (Alfredo Bacon Chicken), supplement with the ooey-gooey garlic cheese bread, and end with Cinnamon Churro pizza for dessert.

MidiCi The Neapolitan Pizza Company

At this Marina Del Ray pizzeria, certified pizzaiolos bake pies within a mere 90 seconds, staying true to the shop’s Neapolitan heritage. The soft and chewy dough acts as an ideal carrier for the margherita and prosciutto, double pepperoni, and truffle vegetable combos. Oven-baked parmesan truffle fries are a good addition to pizza night — as are the tiramisu, cannoli, and Negroni.

Carasau Ristorante

Carasau is owner Vincenzo Procu’s ode to his grandmother’s Sardinian homeland. There’s pillowy saffron-filled ravioli, small-ribbed pasta shells called malloreddus and, of course, pizza. The Elisabetta is piled with porcini mushrooms, mozzarella, pecorino, and arugula, while the Napoli has tomato sauce, cheese, capers, and anchovies. A few bites, and you’ll feel like you’re on an Italian island.

Zelo Pizzeria

We love that this Arcadia restaurant’s gourmet pizzas are available “half baked” to finish at home — just warm them up in the oven when you’re ready. Of course, you can also get them fully cooked for immediate enjoyment, because who wouldn’t want piping hot corn pizza with sweet fresh corn, balsamic-marinated red onions, and two types of mozzarella (regular and smoked) sprinkled with a flurry of fresh chives? Tack on their top-selling beet salad with toasted nuts and biting blue cheese.

Tin Roof Bistro

The Santa Barbara mission architecture of this Manhattan Beach spot is certainly a draw for diners — but so is its Arugula Salad Foldover. The crust is topped with basil pesto, Drake Family Farms goat cheese and mozzarella, and a salad, then it’s folded in half to be eaten like a pita. If you’re looking for straight-up pizza, the Roasted Butternut Squash pizza has roasted maitake mushrooms, said squash, mozzarella and goat cheese, along with thyme, sage honey, and Calabrian sugo (tomato sauce). The only thing you need are some juicy Santa Barbara pinot noirs and Syrahs.

The Venice Whaler

This Venice watering hole is a local institution, hosting bands like The Doors and The Beach Boys and cranking out first-class fish tacos, house fries, and yes, pizza. Order the Fun-Guy P\pizza with garlic-truffle aioli, mozzarella, aged white cheddar, roasted oyster mushrooms, and caramelized onions, and never look back. 

The Slice

Go big or go home when you’re feasting on pies from this Playa Vista restaurant. There’s the over-the-top stuffed double crust pizza with double cheese, sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and a cult following — it’s popular both by the slice and in whole-pie form. But if you’re in the mood for lighter fare, The Slice has still got you with the salad pizza and oven-baked pizza fries.

Chill Since ’93

“Generous” isn’t enough to describe the sheer amount of pizza you’ll get when you try this spot inside The Grove in Fairfax. Just look at the rectangular proportions of the slices along with the piles of overlapping pepperoni! Each slice is loaded with ingredients in creative combos: zucchini flowers and anchovies, Yukon Gold potatoes with rosemary and oregano, and arugula and prosciutto. You’re getting your money’s worth here.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Courtesy of Carasau

Courtesy of Pieology

Garage Pizza by Jason Batten

Courtesy of Chill Since ’93

Courtesy of Grá

Courtesy of The Venice Whaler

Courtesy of Upper Crust Pizzeria

Courtesy of Sage Plant Based Bistro