The Best Pizza In LA

The pizza at Not No Bar can be difficult to procure. The buzzy cocktail bar-pizzeria in Santa Monica is walk-in only and lines form quickly on the weekends. But your reward is bubbly-crusted, Neapolitan-ish pizza that goes toe-to-toe with the best on the Westside. The topping options are swapped out regularly, but if you see La Blanca, get it. The ricotta-layered white pie is squiggled with pesto and topped with a heap of frilly mustard greens that cut through the richness nicely. The room tends to be less packed on Sundays and Mondays, which means you might be able to glimpse spinning dough action at the back pizza counter from your seat.

It’s been a while since we said “amazing pizza” and “South Bay” in the same sentence, but here we are. Redwood Pie is a counter-service pizzeria in Hermosa Beach that prepares New York-leaning pies with crisp, nearly burnt edges and chewy centers. The tart and pulpy sauce—made from hand-crushed tomatoes—shines in the Jersey Pie, where it’s liberally splattered over stringy cheese. Redwood toppings tend to stay within traditional boundaries, but they don’t sacrifice excitement: the cheesy D-Fresh has a spicier-than-usual punch with pickled banana peppers and juicy hot sausage that sizzle your lips.

If you have any questions about what eating at Fiorelli is like, refer to the small chalkboard sign along Abbot Kinney: “Wood-Fired Pizza in a Magical Garden.” The puffy speckled pies at this completely outdoor operation at an urban farm called The Cook’s Garden are a little bit Neapolitan, a little bit New York, and totally delicious. We’re drawn to the one with peppery fennel sausage and crispy kale, but never overlook the daily “garden special” topped with whatever is picked fresh on site. Fiorelli is slated to close (and hopefully relocate) in September 2025 because the garden is being developed, so go soon to experience the magic. 

Oste in Beverly Grove has a hefty menu that covers antipasti, pasta, a separate burrata bar, and, our favorite section, the pinses. These oblong-shaped flatbreads are pizza’s Roman cousin and have a distinct crunchy and airy texture. They’re light enough to spin on your fingertips like a basketball but sturdy enough to hold up to tart marinara, scalloped potato slices glued together with raclette, and puddles of milky stracciatella. We have a hard time deciding which of Oste’s dozen or so pinses is our true favorite because we switch it up each time and never leave with next morning's leftovers.

There's been a serious proliferation of Detroit-style pizza shops in LA since 2020. But as places continue to open, it’s becoming more difficult to know which ones are doing the style justice and which ones are just cashing in on the trend. Quarter Sheets falls into the first camp. The former pop-up now resides in a small space in Echo Park with a rabid follower base (us included). Their crispy, focaccia-like crust has inch-high edges that crackle and snap under each bite, while the pillowy interior soaks up the sweet red sauce that’s striped across the top. Be sure to get whatever the dessert is that day, too.

Sometimes we want chewy, nicely charred Neapolitan pizza and we want it fast. This is what Pizzeria Sei does best. The bare-bones Pico-Robertson restaurant has a small menu of seven slightly puffy, crimped-edge pies, including a briny but not-too-salty Napoletana with capers and anchovies, and the Bismarck, which balances prosciutto cotto, egg, and fior di latte but is never too decadent. Grabbing a seat here usually means sitting at the bar around the dome-shaped oven as you watch your pizza blister to life in a matter of minutes, making it easy to be out the door in well under an hour.

At this point, riffing on New York-style pie is about as common as exhaling carbon dioxide. But Secret Pizza is the only LA spot on par with East Coast slice joints. This pick-up-only operation in Montecito Heights—run by a New Jersey transplant—makes us want to call Infatuation NYC to brag. Each slice folds with a distinct crunch. Soft, springy edges won’t cut the roof of your mouth. The pies at this one-man show have nothing to hide. Aside from the occasional pepperoni, we don't even like to add toppings—just sweet, slightly acidic tomato sauce and fresh mozz. (What else do you need?) There’s a link in their Instagram bio for easy pre-ordering and a patio in front of the shop where you can dive into your pizza right away.

LA has become home to all sorts of pizza styles: Detroit, Roman, Tokyo-inspired Neapolitan, to name a few. We’ve never had New Haven representation though, until now. Ozzy’s Apizza (pronounced “abeetz”) began as a pop-up and now operates out of a counter-service space in North Hollywood. There’s even a location in New Haven, too. Here, it’s all about the crust—thin, crackly, and charred until it appears almost burnt (it’s not). There’s a unique smokiness to every crunchy bite  that blends with savory toppings like bacon and little neck clams. If it’s your first time, get the Liotta, a cheeseless pie for New Haven purists with nothing but red sauce, olive oil, and parmesan. Our current favorite is the Mikey Rabbit, a white pie with sweet, garlicky ricotta sauce, housemade sausage, spinach, and a generous dusting of pecorino. 

Phoenix’s most famous pizzeria knows how to make the thinnest crust imaginable without compromising any of that great, bready chew. Located inside ROW DTLA, the pies at Bianco here come out crispy from the oven with a sturdy bottom, but soft enough to fold your slice without it snapping like a wafer. Each one is a vehicle for smart topping combos, like salty soppressata and silky smooth marinara on the Sonny Boy, or pistachio, rosemary, and pungent parmesan on the Rosa. Pizzeria Bianco can be a tough reservation, especially if you want a table after 6pm, but walk-ins are accepted if you don’t mind a wait.). Or avoid the hassle by trying neighboring spin-off Pane Bianco on your lunch break, which sells their take on New York-style pizza by the slice.

LaSorted’s has two locations: the original takeout window in Silver Lake and one in Chinatown. You’ll find the same chewy, sourdough-ish pizza at each, but we like Chinatown for the simple fact there’s a dining room decked out with TVs, wooden tables, and enough Dodgers memorabilia to launch a museum. (If the name didn’t give it away, this place is run by a third-generation Dodgers fan). Most importantly, it’s here in Chinatown where you can sit and eat their fantastic, bubbly-crusted, just-thin-enough pies immediately. Our top pick is the “Spicy, But Oh, So Sweet Boy,” a version of the now-ubiquitous pepperoni and hot honey combo set off with fresh chiles and garlic.

The crust on Ronan’s Neapolitan pizza is perfectly charred and slightly chewy, with ingredients that are ideally rationed across every slice. Start your meal at this West Hollywood-adjacent spot with the margherita for a showcase of Ronan’s expertise at its simplest, then move on to much wilder, ingenious creations like the Philippe's-inspired French dip calzone, stuffed with rare roast beef and hot mustard. These are precisely engineered pies: the guanciale and ricotta-topped Sweet Cheeks is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.

The toppings on Apollonia’s round, thin-crust pies are way more exciting than your standard offerings, like a spicy arrabbiata sauce and “exotic sausages” made with lamb, duck, and something called “chicken tequila.” (Buzz not included.) But the off-menu pepperoni square pie is the real reason you should drive across town to this Mid-Wilshire spot. Don’t let the $40 price scare you away—this accounts for 10x14 inches of crackly, marinara-drenched gold. The deeply charred crust has a spongy, light interior, and one of these babies can easily feed three people. No modifications are accepted because no modifications are needed.

And the award for Best Pizza In The Least Likely Location goes to… Chill Since ‘93. The name of this London-based pizza shop in The Grove sounds like an unlistenable podcast your college roommate started, but bear with us on this one. The Roman-style slices at this casual, order-at-the-counter cafe rival the best in LA. The semi-thick, focaccia-like crust is light and airy, and perfectly absorbs the flavors of various toppings like arugula and prosciutto, soppressata, and our hands-down favorite, charred, golden potatoes. There’s also a large front patio that never gets too crowded and is the ideal pre-movie snack spot.

At Thai Curry Pizza in Long Beach, you'll encounter pies that sound chaotic in theory, but taste extremely right in practice. Alongside takeout staples like papaya salad and pad see ew, this strip mall gem offers mashups that layer Southeast Asian flavors onto crispy leopard-spotted crusts. The tom yum pizza in particular is a masterpiece, topped with gooey mozzarella, mushrooms, tomatoes, cilantro, and just enough tom yum paste to create a spicy-sour pop. Dip any leftover crust into their panang curry sauce, which you can (and should) add on the side for $2. There are a couple of tables in the dining room, but most people take their orders home or to a nearby beachfront park, where they can lay horizontally and ponder what other promising food remixes should see the light of day.

The artist formerly known as Bootleg Pizza has a new name and a new location in Culver City, but the pies at Little Dynamite’s order-at-counter shop are every bit as decadent as when we first tried them. You could argue about whether these hefty squares are Sicilian, Detroit, or traditional pan-style pizza, but we’d say they’re a mix of all three: heavy on the tomato sauce, paved with a thick layer of gooey mozzarella, and sporting a crispy, inch-thick crust and soft interior that tastes like biting into a pizza pillow. Pies rotate frequently—they're topped with everything from honey to sliced lemons—but the pepperoni-covered “Pep’d Up” never lets us down.

Prime Pizza offers pizza by-the-slice at the original tiny shop on Fairfax or their new locations in Little Tokyo, Burbank and the Westside, but it can honestly be hit or miss. So use Prime for what it does best: delivery. And if you live near one of those areas listed above, there probably isn’t a better option when it comes to unfussy, high-quality pizza brought to your door. At around $28 for a large pie, these babies are massive (and delicious) and could easily feed three or four people depending on sobriety levels. The sausage and kale pizza is easily the best option on the menu.

This small Argentinian market in Glendale really has it all—wine, pastries, empanadas, and a butcher—but while doing some light grocery shopping, make sure you prioritize the fugazzeta. It’s an Argentine stuffed-crust pizza with generous amounts of ham, cheese, and cooked onions spread on top, plus more ham and molten cheese tucked inside. They offer a cook-at-home version, but if you want it piping hot for takeout, call ahead—it takes about a half-hour in the oven to cook.

There’s a reason this Italian restaurant in Hollywood has been cooking pizza since the 19th century (the original is located in Naples, Italy): their chewy, bubbly-crusted Neapolitan-style pies are spot on. If it’s your first visit, go for the margherita (skip the extra cheese, it throws the whole thing off) because it’s the basis for all other pizzas at L’Antica. That said, our favorite is the Bianca—no sauce, double mozzarella, pecorino, and basil. It’s cheesy, oil-drenched greatness that almost makes you forget how mediocre the non-pizza dishes are here.