10 Best Pizza Restaurants in Los Angeles
From our 2012 Restaurant Issue, celebrating everything pizza in L.A.
10. 800 Degrees
Anne Fishbein pizzas at 800 Degrees
Not since Bill Walton led the Bruins to a 30-0 record have UCLA students had such good reason to rejoice. Westwood's newest pizzeria, a fast-casual concept dreamed up by Umami guru Adam Fleischman, is open until 2 a.m. nightly, serving up sub-$7 Margheritas in less time than it takes to make dorm-room ramen. Your unbaked pizza works its way down an assembly line, ready to be paved with a plethora of high-quality toppings: Fra' Mani salami, pickled peppadews, charred broccolini and many more. (Expert tip: Go with fewer than three toppings in order to reduce chances of a soggy pie.) Your customized creation slides into the wood-fired oven just long enough to develop a considerable chewiness, a hint of char underneath, and a soft crust rising just over bubbling patches of molten cheese. Would any Neapolitan connoisseur worth his flour have a few technical critiques? Sure, but there's no argument on this point: The world would be a better place with a few more 800 Degrees outlets around. 10889 Lindbrook Drive, Wstwd.; (424) 239-5010, 800degreespizza.com.
Anne Fishbein Zelo Pizzeria
9. Zelo Pizzeria
The very fact that Zelo's bizarre cornbread deep-dish creations haven't attracted angry pizza purists brandishing oven paddles and one-star Yelp reviews should serve as a testament to just how talented the folks behind this Arcadia cult favorite really are. With what black magic does a pizza studded with roasted corn, Andouille sausage, balsamic onions and smoked mozzarella achieve such an unlikely level of harmony? The cornbread crust is entirely of its own genre: crumbly, crunchy and dense. The outer shell is slightly blackened by soot from the well-seasoned, 3-inch-deep pan it's housed in, while the toppings tend to come overstuffed. The vegetarian (or vegan) version has baked eggplant, roasted peppers and mushrooms; the carnivore's version carries enough cured meat to start a small butcher shop. 328 E. Foothill Blvd., Arcadia; (626) 358-8298, zelopizzeria.com.
G. Snyder Urbano Pizza Bar
8. Urbano Pizza Bar
It may draw scoffs from traditionalists, but this downtown hangout is quietly serving up what is probably the best gluten-free crust in the city at the moment. And the original Neapolitan-style pies are even better -- the dough develops an intense sourdough tang and a slight smokiness after its journey through a glowing wood-fired oven. Founding chef Brad Winnaman, known for his stint at Nancy Silverton's La Brea Bakery, developed a crust that navigates a happy medium between texture and flavor. Current chef Bruce Kalman, who decamped from Santa Monica's Misfit early this year, amped up the selection of toppings, introducing a daily-rotating market vegetable pizza, one with spicy house-made sausage and barely poached egg, and another with Weiser Farms potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts. The best part? All pizzas are half-off during happy hour. 630 W. Sixth St., dwntwn.; (213) 614-1900, urbanopizzabar.com.
Turn the page for picks 7 through 5...
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800 Degrees
10889 Lindbrook Drive, Los Angeles, CA
Category: Restaurant
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