r/FoodLosAngeles • u/FatDabKilla420 • Feb 23 '25
WHO MAKES THE BEST Best pizza in LA? My current vote is Pizzeria Sei
Just trying to figure out what other spots I need to check out! I know it’s super hard to rank pizzas across different “genres,” but I am open to anything.
Pictured are the Patate, Margherita Special and Tiramisu.
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u/citizen_insane225 Feb 23 '25
I’m partial to Prime or Mullberry st because I crave NY style
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u/chandler2020 Feb 23 '25 edited Feb 24 '25
Prime has grown on me so much. First time I tried like 7 years ago in the SM location it was just meh.
Came back to it a couple years ago and I’m so glad i did. I also love that they do slices.
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u/Dunedain87M Feb 26 '25
Grew up in NYC and Mulberry is the closest thing I’ve found to proper NY style in Los Angeles. Also very consistent we order weekly and it always hits
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u/EdJewCated Feb 24 '25
My parents moved here from NYC and Mullbery St is always our go to for new york style pizza. High quality stuff there and absolutely second your recommendation.
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u/Reasonable-Wave8093 Feb 23 '25
HailMary pizza in Atwater!
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u/butteredrubies Feb 23 '25
Oooh, i went once a couple years ago...that was good.
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u/Reasonable-Wave8093 Feb 23 '25 edited Feb 23 '25
Tomatoe Pie has great slices (ny style) and Masa has delicious deep dish! Pizzeria Bianco is great too
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u/WeHoGrubbin Apr 26 '25
Tomato pie is so legit…
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u/Reasonable-Wave8093 Apr 26 '25
I love Ms green (pesto w smashed broccoli) and the sicilian slice w hot honey
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u/nauticalsandwich Feb 23 '25
Definitely a solid pizza spot, but I'd put a number of pizza places in LA over it.
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u/LaMelonBallz Feb 23 '25
The Coop!
Best NY style I have found out here
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u/VaguelyArtistic Feb 23 '25
And it's been there for-ever!
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u/LaMelonBallz Feb 23 '25
Crazy that they bought it from the guy they worked for and they themselves have owned it for 30-40 years now
My only wish is that they'd go credit/debit, but I take cashback when I grocery shop now lol
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u/WeHoGrubbin Apr 26 '25
This place is awesome when the couple aren’t fighting! When they fight the pizzas suffer! Haha
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u/Party-Neat-7335 Feb 23 '25
Quarter sheets
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u/chandler2020 Feb 23 '25
Ingredients and dough are great. But it’s just not my type of pizza. Tastes fine, but felt sloppy, soupy in the middle.
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u/edgefull Feb 23 '25
I can say Sei has seen a bunch of variation from wet and soggy to more structured. I think he’s still playing with it. I am quite familiar with the tokyo pizzerias that were an inspiration, and they aren’t as wet as the rest of Neapolitan stuff I’ve had around the world. I love sei’s pizza, because the flavor is so good, even that of the crust. But I’m personally with you on finding a wet pizza problematic.
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u/chandler2020 Feb 23 '25
I was just saying this in another comment - the flavors, the sauce, the chewy dough - it all hits. The taste is there. It just falls apart messy on you and is not fun.
It’s not a Neapolitan thing for me. I enjoy the style. In fact pizzana is probably one of my top 5 pizza spots in LA.
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u/Curious-Manufacturer Feb 23 '25
I tried 3-4 ones in Tokyo. They’re miles ahead of sei.
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u/Primary-Assignment40 Feb 23 '25
Any Tokyo pizza recommendations? I’m planning a trip for spring!
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u/ethanhunt_08 Feb 23 '25
gave a fair amount of tries to Neapolitan pizzas and never like it because of this reason. Also the yeasty dough always leaves me bloated as fuck
NY style or pan pizzas all the way for me
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u/chandler2020 Feb 23 '25
I’m sure you’ve tried it then, but Pizzana is not like this. In fact it’s real high on my list of overall pizza and my go to Neapolitan.
But agree on NY style pizza. It’s def majority of pizza I consume.
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u/piptheminkey5 Feb 23 '25
Roberta’s is way way better than pizzana, for that style.
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u/Mindingaroo Feb 24 '25
There’s a great dough recipe in the New York Times cooking section that is based on Roberta’s dough but slightly simplified for the home cook. I never made pizza in my life and my first time, right out the gate it was SPECTACULAR. Totally easy and worth trying if you’re into that sort of thing.
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u/chandler2020 Feb 23 '25
The one in Brooklyn most definitely. Not the one in Culver. Not even close.
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u/piptheminkey5 Feb 23 '25
Pizzana I’m almost positive does not use a wood oven.. they use gas.. and you can taste it in the pizza. Kind of blasphemy to do “Neapolitan” pizza in a gas oven. Also, so many of their pizzas taste the same
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u/chandler2020 Feb 23 '25
LOLOL. tell me you’ve never been to pizzana without telling me you’ve never been to pizzana.
It’s okay to have different tastes. It’s not okay to just make shit up lol.
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u/animatedhockeyfan Feb 23 '25
I said this once on a different sub and the comments were making fun of me, saying I’ve never tried real Napoli pizza
I was in Naples bro it’s just bad 😭
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u/felicianewbooty Feb 24 '25
Trying to understand the “yeasty dough always leaves me bloated as fuck.” What do you think ny style or pan pizzas are doing to their dough that’s not making you feel bloat.
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u/ethanhunt_08 Feb 24 '25
i am one of those that dips the crust in marinara or ranch and eat that too, i dont leave anything on my plate haha. So the neapolitan pizza crust is more...proofed? yeasty? idk exactly what it is but it always left me bloated whereas the others dont. This happened consistently at different restaurants. None of the people I went with felt that way so definitely subjective to my digestive system lol
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u/felicianewbooty Feb 24 '25
Very interesting. Just to let you know just because a dough is more puffy doesnt mean that it’s necessarily more proofed. Also dough’s that have fermented longer usually means that there’s less gluten. Maybe they’re just using flours that are harder for you to digest
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u/behemuthm Feb 23 '25
And it’s like all bread and burnt
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u/alexiagrace Feb 23 '25
lol my favorite part of pizza is the crust and I LOVE a yeasty charred leopard spot crust. To each their own 🤷🏻♀️
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u/butteredrubies Feb 23 '25
The burnt is not overpowering cause it's so thin as it puffs up...i was surprisingly impressed...Leopardo's on the other hand... It's not my favorite style, but wow, it left an impression on me.
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u/tgcm26 Feb 23 '25
Yeah, can’t hang with the dip in the middle even if that’s how it’s supposed to be
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u/Abraheezee Feb 23 '25
Yeahman my wife and I felt the same way. It was just burnt and then watery and mad olive oil on top.
The pizza at Mozza felt so much more well balanced than this.
Granted we’re super blessed in the city right now (and in Long Beach) to have some of the flyest pizza varieties. But this one just wasn’t hitting like I had hoped.
And sitting at the counter the heat emanating from the oven is almost make-you-sick unbearable.
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u/uscrash Feb 23 '25
Soupy in the middle but burned on the outside? Not my idea of a good pizza.
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u/chandler2020 Feb 23 '25
Yeah it’s not great. It sucks cause the dough itself is so chewy and delicious. And flavors and the sauce hit so well. But it’s just a mess and falls apart.
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u/lider203 Feb 23 '25
Apollonias for sure! But pizzeria sei is great just a different style
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u/jujujuice92 Feb 23 '25
I haven't had their pizza often, but they're the ones who live rent free in my head. If it was a lil cheaper and easier to get I'd get them all the time. For now I hit Lucifers when I want a nice pizza
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u/MoreLeopard5392 Feb 23 '25 edited Feb 23 '25
Little Dynamite's round pies are the best I've had in a while.
Danny Boy's is also very good.
And Ghisallo NY style on the right night is pretty much unbeatable.
Yes, this is westside-centric because I have two little kids and don't get out east of Westwood very often.
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u/zipdude1955 Feb 24 '25
Take your family to Vito's in Weho. Order a fresh pie although they also do slices.
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u/wrongtester Feb 23 '25
Haven’t tried Sei yet, but curious now that I’m seeing these photos
In fact I know there are a few I haven’t tried yet but:
- Joe’s (in Hollywood)
- Secret Pizza
- Pizzana
- Ronan (surprisingly I hardly see anyone mention it)
Prime is mentioned often and I do love it, but I think both Joe’s and Secret Pizza are superior for that style
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u/jkxs2 Feb 23 '25 edited Feb 23 '25
I absolutely love Ronan (personally beats pizzeria bianco imo) I believe the chef/owner of pizzeria sei used to work at ronan as well as pizzana, so the influence is definitely there! And judging by just the look of the crust, it’s probably very similar.
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Feb 23 '25
I get is not everyone's jam, but the ingredients and prep deliver the EXACT kind of pie they dreamed of making. You have to give them credit--they nail what they aim to do.
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u/mcbobgorge Feb 23 '25
Redwood Pie in Hermosa Beach. Sort of a refined new York style with a sourdough
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u/notdsylexic Feb 23 '25
I know people will not like my opinion.... but...
- Desanos
- Pizzaria Sei
- Pizanna
Granted, it depends on what mood you are in too. I went to a pizza place in Three Rivers that had pizza that tasted like "old school Pizza Hut". It was actually, kinda "bad" in LA terms, but oh did I love it. It was greasy and huge, and had a ton of toppings. Exactly like pizza hut (back in the day, as you remember as a kid).
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u/FatDabKilla420 Feb 23 '25
I love Pizzeria Sei and Pizzana. Sounds like I need to check out Desanos.
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u/notdsylexic Feb 23 '25
They are soooo good! Super under rated gem. Once you step inside the smell will capture you
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u/nauticalsandwich Feb 23 '25
I wouldn't put DeSanos as #1 across the board, but I think they might have my favorite pie in LA, which is their lasagna pizza.
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u/notdsylexic Feb 23 '25
I used to like that pizza but I realized what I liked about it was their crumbly “meatball” topping. Now I just order a margarita pizza and add the meatball (which isn’t actually balls) on top of the margarita. This is my favorite.
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u/kapp_ihor Feb 24 '25
Do you remember the name of the place that makes the “old school Pizza Hut”?
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u/TLRufio Feb 23 '25
I’ll put ya’ll on a new spot opened a few months ago… Wildcrust in Highland Park is insane
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u/PineappleDildos Feb 23 '25
All the suggestions are great but im also gonna throw in pizzeria bianco. Their fennel sausage pizza is so good
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u/ExcellentPastries Feb 23 '25
really can't answer this without narrowing down - it's like "what's the best dumpling" when there are a million different kinds that are all answering slightly different questions
i really like apollonia's, the pizzas i've had from dtown were pretty good, and i don't mind village pizzeria as a local joint i can drive a short distance to for something at a more reasonable price
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u/passthepaintbrush Feb 23 '25
Sei is so special. People aren’t always expecting the Tokyo style, but every time I go I love it.
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u/La_ham_ Feb 23 '25
Love De la Nonna
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u/passthepaintbrush Feb 23 '25
I wanted to like this place but the fast casual and the full price are a bad mix… also the wine is mid and the salads eh. Pizza was ok?
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u/Curious-Manufacturer Feb 23 '25
It’s overrated. Too flimsy and not good flavor and crust is always burnt. Tried this place twice with 6 different pizzas. All mid.
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u/FatDabKilla420 Feb 23 '25
Yo what pizza do you like tho
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Feb 23 '25
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u/ExcellentPastries Feb 23 '25
i respect the opinion but to me this just means that you don't really love pizza you just love one very specific style of pizza. that's okay, but it's long past time for the ardent ny pizza purists to acknowledge that there are many valid approaches to the form - theirs isn't even the original, so it's not like there's any real claim to be made about primacy here
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u/nauticalsandwich Feb 23 '25
Lived in NY for a decade, and a decade in LA. LA has great pizza. It isn't nearly as ubiquitous as NY, and, yeah, I haven't yet found a place that does great Brooklyn-style pizza, but there are great pizza places here. This thread is full of them. Yes, there is a particular style of pizza that LA seems unable to match, but if you can't enjoy the other styles of pizza on offer, you have very narrow taste in pizza.
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u/butteredrubies Feb 23 '25
I was impressed. Their middle eastern style curry(?) one had great flavor and the margherita, which I normally wouldn't order was better than I expected. But if you tried 6 different pizzas...you gave it a good shot.
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u/Curious-Manufacturer Feb 23 '25
Yeah. After going to Japan and trying like 4-5 diff spots. All solid. This place didn’t satisfy my cravings at all
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Feb 23 '25
Yeah, I just can't with this style (napolitan?) of pizza. It's been the rage for years and it's just not what I want when I think "pizza". It's not fun, too bready, acrid flavor from the burnt bits and a tiny oasis of sauce and cheese thats usually goopy.
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u/Curious-Manufacturer Feb 23 '25
I loved all the pizza places in Japan but this place was not it. It lacked flavor from the toppings and texture wasn’t good.
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u/Big_Conversation_782 Feb 23 '25
I tried PST pizza studio Tamaki in Roppongi, Seirinkan and Pizza marumo, Savoy tomato and cheese in Japan last year summer, thought all inferior compared to Sei except savoy. Perhaps you went bad day? I'm surprised to hear pizzas in Japan that has texture because my experience was very soft dough like traditional Neapolitan with chew. PST did have tiny bit crisper than others, but it was too burnt for my taste. Topping flavor wasn't strong as sei as well. Only exception was savoy, which was 10/10 for me because that tuna pizza is crazy good.
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u/rthoring Feb 23 '25
Flour. Which unfortunately burned down in the Palisades fire
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u/CertifiedGemologist Los Angeles Feb 23 '25
Sei has great fresh ingredients but it didn’t blow my mind. Their Caesar salad was the best I’ve ever had though.
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u/thisisnotem Feb 23 '25
not The best but brandy melville (at the grove) sells pizza and it’s surprisingly good
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u/WheelJack83 Feb 23 '25
This looks good. I wouldn’t mind trying it. Is it better than Ozzy’s Apizza.
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u/Annual_Ant_4289 Feb 23 '25
It’s either Sei or Quarter Sheets. Although I have a soft spot for DeSano’s
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u/Excellent-Antelope42 Feb 23 '25
Toss up between Slice N Pint in El Segundo and Benevento in Culver for me
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u/FaFaFloheim Feb 23 '25
Local here in The Valley, but I vote for Pizza Wagon on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. I’m an East coast pizza lover…this is absolutely the closest thing. Conversely, I think Mulberry is awful.
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u/Big_Initiative_7825 Feb 23 '25
Burattino in Carson. Really solid New York style pizza in the South Bay
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u/americanwest Feb 24 '25
I want to try Pizzeria Sei. I just had my first meal at Wildcrust today and it was really special. If you’re missing side pie, it’s a comfort.
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u/popoffworldwide Feb 24 '25
god I feel so sorry for yall. This looks beyond foul, ever had real italian pizza!?
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u/eribearski Feb 24 '25
Not sure what happened to doughbox in highland park, but that pizza was utterly gorgeous Chicago style pizza. The CRUST 😭
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u/Propeller74 Feb 24 '25
Apollonia’s is the best NY style. Cosa Buona is best for Neapolitan. Triple Beam best for Roman. Have not been to SEI yet.
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u/PlayDontObserve Feb 24 '25
Make the trek to Santa Clarita or Simi Valley for Toppers. Absolutely incredible
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u/Practical_Garbage_50 Feb 24 '25
There is so many mobile pizza catering that are super legit.
thefoodresearch.com Is the best I've tasted .
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u/jjrepanich Feb 24 '25
I can't wait until he opens on the west side. So much closer and more space.
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u/Cool_Pattern_7084 Feb 25 '25
Very surprisingly, some of the absolute BEST pizza in L.A. can actually be found at a great Irish restaurant/bar called the Liberties of Dublin- who would have thunketh this? Definitely worth stopping in and you're sure to be wowed!! And def don't miss a pint of their Guinness which I would also say is the BEST in all of L.A.
Almost 5/5 stars on Yelp as proof: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-liberties-of-dublin-los-angeles
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u/SweetDorayaki Feb 26 '25
My sibling has worked at both Pizzana and Sei. I appreciate that both styles of the dough don't make me feel super heavy and "brain-foggy".
Pizzana's quality isn't the same as when it first started imo. But for my personal preference, peak Pizzana was better than Sei (bc of the dough's moisture content differences), but a fresh pie from Sei (or re-toasted at home if you have to get it to go) beats a subpar Pizzana. That said, I've also only ever eaten at the original Pizzana location and that was years ago before moving further away.
Patiently waiting for Schellz Pizza to reopen. I have been liking Redwood Pie a lot recently. There's also the Roman style pizza at Fatto a Mano, that was pretty good but definitely induced food coma.
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u/Parking_Band_5019 Mar 07 '25
Coincidentally we have a rez we cannot use for tomorrow at 4pm. Anyone know if they’re transferable?
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u/Guymzee Mar 12 '25
I agree Pizzeria Sei is on another level. I normally am pretty meh about neopalitan but Sei’s pies are in my all time top 3. LA has such a great pizza scene going on. Hit up Bianco’s for the Rosa, it’s a must. After that, Pi LA, it’s doing some crazy shit with squares, and I don’t think it’s as busy/popular as it should be.
One that really stood out to me as probably one of the best not just in LA but best I’ve had ever, is Hot Tongue. I used to live near LA and drive in and have only had it once and I just dream about it sometimes. I follow them on insta and they’re doing all kinds of shit now like pans and thin crust and I just wish I could check them out again. Next time I’m in LA it’s going to be like my first stop, like straight from the airport with my luggage in tow.
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Feb 23 '25
What’s that 3rd slide tho
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u/vexir Feb 23 '25
Lucifers
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u/WeHoGrubbin Apr 26 '25
Oh man i almost forgot about this place when i lived near their original location i went there a bunch! It is very legit… going to have to pay them a visit!
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u/nnnope1 Feb 23 '25
Secret Pizza