Let’s address the elephant in the room. When it comes to pizza, LA has never been and never will be New York or Chicago. We accept that and have moved on gracefully. But guess what? We also have some pretty great pies in our own right. The last 10 years have seen LA’s pizza scene go from unspeakable to something you actually want to be a part of. From old-school Sicilian slices in Eagle Rock to salad pizza in Venice to whatever category Mozza qualifies as, LA pizza has never been better. Here are our 21 favorite spots for it across the city.
the spots
Pizzeria Mozza
Hancock Park
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Hollywood
641 N Highland Ave
8.0
MAP
Things get ugly when Infatuation LA starts debating whether Mozza truly is the best pizza in the city. But either way, there's no debate over the goat cheese, leek, garlic, and bacon pizza. If you’re anything like us, you head to Mozza fully intending to try something different, but end up ordering this anyway. If there was such a thing as LA-style pizza, this would probably be it.
Photo: Aliza Sokolow
Jon & Vinny's
Fairfax
412 N. Fairfax Ave.
9.3
MAP
People talk a lot about the pastas at Jon & Vinny’s, and rightly so, but you shouldn’t forget about the pizzas here either. Chewy and crispy and extremely charred (in the best way), these are the kind of pizzas you can’t stuff in your face fast enough. The LA Woman covered with burrata is a good place to start, but the El Chaparrito with chorizo and red onion is one of our favorites.
Photo: Benji Dell
Masa of Echo Park Bakery & Cafe
Echo Park
1800 W Sunset Blvd
8.2
MAP
Some of the best pizza in Los Angeles is Chicago deep dish and Masa is our favorite in town. The neighborhood spot in the heart of Echo Park feels like your favorite aunt's house in the suburbs, there’s no corkage on wine, and that pizza? As good as any you’ll taste outside of the Windy City. These pies take a while, so if you’re hungry, do yourself a favor and call it in ahead of time.
Photo: Holly Liss
Sotto
Beverly Hills
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Century City
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Cheviot Hills
9575 W. Pico Blvd.
8.5
MAP
Say hello to the best Margherita pizza in Los Angeles. Located essentially in a basement along Pico in southern Beverly Hills, Sotto has long been one of the best date night spots in the city. Their pastas, chickpea fritters, and pork meatballs are all fantastic, but it’s their pizza (the Guanciale is also a must) that remains the star of the show.
Photo: Holly Liss
Pizzanista
2019 E 7th St
MAP
It’s not very often you find a pizza by-the-slice joint that’s worth getting in your car and driving across the city for, but Pizzanista is just that place. Located on the south end of the Arts District, this tiny little spot is absolutely cranking out the best by-the-slice pizza in the city right now. Everything from their margherita to their soppressata and mushroom is phenomenal, but it’s their white pizza that claims top prize for us. Looking to start your week off right? They do a mac & cheese pizza on Sundays only. Choose your best life.
Photo: Philip Guerette
Bestia
Arts District
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DTLA
2121 E. 7th Pl.
9.1
MAP
Securing a reservation at LA's most popular restaurant still takes several months, and even then you’ll probably end up with two seats at the bar at 11:15pm. But you put up with it because it’s worth it - their pizza is still as good as it gets. Super thin crust, fresh toppings, and not so massive you can’t eat the rest of your meal. The spicy Alla’nduja is a must.
Photo: Benji Dell
Prime Pizza
446 N Fairfax Ave
MAP
Prime Pizza offers pizza by the slice if you go to the restaurant, but it can honestly be hit or miss. So use Prime for what it does best - delivery. And if you live in Fairfax/Weho/Beverly Grove area, there isn’t a better option around. $28 might seem pretty steep for delivery pizza, but these babies are massive (and delicious) and could easily feed 3-4 people depending how sober everyone is. The sausage-kale pizza won't sound great at first, but it just might be the best one on the menu.
Photo: Philip Guerette
GTA (Gjelina Take Away)
Venice
1427 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Rating Coming Soon
MAP
Gjelina gets all the “best pizza in Venice” glory, but if you’re not willing to wait a thousand years for a table (only to have to yell at your date so they can hear you), GTA next door is where you actually want to be. The pizza menus are virtually the same, you can get a slice or a full pie, and as the name suggests, take it all home to eat on the couch and talk at normal volumes. We’re partial to the guanciale and mushroom pizzas.
Photo: Philip Guerette
Angelini Osteria
Beverly Grove
7313 Beverly Blvd
8.5
MAP
What do you get when you serve some of the best pasta on the West coast? Phenomenal pizza that nobody talks about. Angelini is one of LA’s great Italian restaurants, known for its lasagna, spaghetti with truffles, and a giant branzino they cut up in front you. But if you come here and don’t leave room for their pizza, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Their bianca pizza is pretty simple, but when you have the quality cheese and perfectly cooked crust that Angelini does, it’s more than enough.
Hollywood Pies
6116 1/2 W Pico Blvd
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Hollywood Pies sometimes feels more like LA food folklore than a real place you can pick up a pizza. But we’re here to tell you, the glorified pick-up window on a sleepy stretch of Pico is very real and serving some fantastic deep-dish pizza. They do have a tiny dining room now with a few scattered tables, but that’s not your move. You’re calling your pizza in from work, picking it up on the way home, and living out your greatest existence on your couch.
Casa Bianca Pizza Pie
Eagle Rock
1650 Colorado Blvd
7.6
MAP
This list is dominated by newer spots (LA recently realized it needed better pizza), but this Eagle Park spot has been doing its thing for over 60 years and is a flat-out classic. Stepping into this family-run operation is a time warp of the best variety: checkered tablecloths, Italian streetscapes on the wall, and adorable couples who have been going on dates there since the ‘60’s. This is thin-crust Sicilian-style pizza and while it’s certainly not as refined as other places on this list, who are we to turn down a fantastic slice of greasy pie? Whatever you end up ordering, just make sure their homemade sausage is on it.
DeSano Pizza Bakery
East Hollywood
4959 Santa Monica Blvd
7.9
MAP
DeSano wins the award for the best LA pizza you didn’t know existed. It also might win the award for the most authentically Italian as well. Everything from the ovens down to the dough at this East Hollywood pizzeria are shipped in from the motherland, and if that’s not enough, the large warehouse-ish space will most likely be dominated by middle-aged Italian men screaming at soccer on the television. Get the DeSano or bianca pizza, but don’t skip over that vesuvio calzone either.
Photo: Philip Guerette
Delicious Pizza
5419 W Adams Blvd
MAP
You'll find Delicious Pizza in between a bunch of auto shops on West Adams Blvd. It’s a pretty simple operation, with a few different thin crust pizzas by the slice every day, and a much bigger menu of whole pies, including brunch options on the weekend. One of the owners started Delicious Vinyl, so you can order a pizza named the Shot Callin’ Big Ballin’ while listening to some old-school hip hop. It’s the little things.
Photo: Delicious Pizza / Facebook
South End
Venice
2805 Abbot Kinney Blvd
7.8
MAP
If you want to pretend you’re actually in Italy while you eat your pizza, South End is the way to do it. This spot has a whole bunch of Italian waiters, a whole bunch of Italian wines, and not much more than pizza. The only real difference from your Italian vacation is that you’re in a strip mall in Venice, not a pizzeria in Rome. The pizza itself is kind of similar to Pizzeria Mozza - wide, thin airy crusts under the simple toppings. The move here is the mushroom, speck, arugula, and egg topped Boardwalk or the meat-loaded District 11.
Photo: Holly Liss
Prova
8729 Santa Monica Blvd
MAP
West Hollywood’s boystown has no shortage of on-the-go pizza spots, but for our money, the best is Prova. Sitting directly between a Five Guys and Gym Bar, Prova is one of those wood-fired, watch-your-personal-pizza-get-made-in-two-minutes type places, except way better than the others. Our move is their calzone/pizza lovechild called “Volcano Vesuvio," but it’s tough to go wrong with anything on the menu. Warning: They close shop when they run out of dough, which on the weekends our scientists have found to be generally around 11:30pm. Plan accordingly.
Photo: Prova / Facebook
Milo And Olive
Santa Monica
2723 Wilshire Blvd.
8.3
MAP
The Westside is pretty underrepresented in the pizza games, but that doesn’t really matter, because Santa Monica has Milo & Olive. This neighborhood spot works equally well for eating in or taking out - but curbside pickup/the ability to not leave your car is usually the best choice. Go for the mushroom or the pork sausage and do not ever forget to also order a garlic knot.
Garage Pizza
4339 W Sunset Blvd
MAP
If you’re ordering delivery pizza on the Eastside, Garage is the move you need to make every time. Located in a stripmall on the Los Feliz/Silver Lake border, this place's pizzas are affordable, delicious, and absolutely massive. Whether you’re throwing a big party or sitting on the couch by yourself retracing your decisions that lead to this moment, Garage hits the correct spot. Night owl watch: They’re open till 4am every night of the week.
Photo: Philip Guerette
Dough Box
1539 Fishburn Ave
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Located in a desolate industrial zone in far, far, far East LA, picking up a pizza at Dough Box is frankly half the experience. First, it's marked only by a door with a sign that reads “Office” above it. When you get there, you’re instructed to call them, after which they’ll bring the pizza out to you and do payments at your car. It’s weird and thrilling and the only way you’ll ever want to receive Chicago deep dish pizza ever again. Good news: they also deliver anywhere, with only a $5 extra charge if you’re over 5 miles away.
Photo: Dough Box / Facebook
Vito's Pizza
2455 Santa Monica Blvd
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By far the newest spot on this list, Vito's in Santa Monica is a shiny and fresh second location of the La Cienega staple. Unlike the original though, Vito's Santa Monica is huge, with lots of picnic tables to sit at, a full beer and wine list, and even a pool table for when things get crazy. The pizza itself is basic, but tasty New York-style, and comes in both full pies and slices. Pick a cheese or white slice, and go to town with as many toppings as you'd like.
Abbot's Pizza Company
1407 Abbot Kinney Blvd
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Abbot’s Pizza Co. is famous for two things: their bagel crusts and their salad pizza. Basically, it's like if New York and LA had a baby that was a pizza place. And even though it seems like it was invented for Instagram, this salad pizza has been on the scene since way before your camera had a phone, and it actually tastes good. Which is more than you can say for unicorn lattes.
Photo: Philip Guerette
Dino's Pizza
3520 W Burbank Blvd
MAP
Best pizza in the Valley? That would be Dino’s. The Burbank stand-by is probably best known as that delicious pizza you eat everyday on the studio lot and never realize it actually came from Dino’s. With over 38 specialty pizzas, their menu can feel a bit like the wild west at times, so let us help you - you want the sausage and meatball-topped lasagna pizza. Badly. Dining inside their old-school space off Burbank Blvd. is also very much recommended.
Photo: Dino's Pizza / Facebook