It’s no secret that LA has become a hotbed of excellent pizza over the past few years, what with chefs and pizzaiolos making different styles from all over the world and inventing new pies. That means there’s no better time to take a closer look at the best pizza in Los Angeles.
For the chefs who’ve been cooking here for a while, the pizza revolution is in lockstep with how exciting the city’s culinary landscape has become in the past two decades. “Los Angeles is the perfect place to make pizza,” says Steve Samson, the chef-owner of LA hotspots Rossoblu and Superfine Playa. “We have access to amazing materia prima, which is the foundation for all great cooking.”
“People have started taking LA seriously as a food destination over the last 15 years, and now some of the pizza heavy hitters started paying attention,” adds chef Jackson Kalb of Ospi and Jame. “Chris Bianco is a prime example.”
James Beard Award-winning Bianco, arguably the country’s most famed pizzaiolo, brought an outpost of his beloved Phoenix pizzeria to the city in 2022, and agrees with his fellow chefs. “The restaurant scene in LA is exploding with talent and diversity of styles of, in this case, pizza,” Bianco says. “I don’t know if there’s a better place to cook.”
No matter what type of pizza you’re after, from sourdough to Neapolitan to creative cheffy pies topped with torpedo onions, you can find them all in LA. Luckily, we’ve rounded up 12 amazing pizza restaurants where you can have a great time along with your pies.
Read on for the best pizza in Los Angeles, and make a booking on OpenTable.
For thin-crust pies from one of America’s most-famed pizzaiolos: Pizzeria Bianco (Downtown)
Bianco was already one of the country’s best-known pizzaiolos before his star-making turn on Chef’s Table: Pizza. He brought his Phoenix-based Pizzeria Bianco to The Row in 2022, and it’s where his team serves six signature thin-crust pies daily, along with a compact list of seasonal sides. You can’t go wrong with any of the pizzas, but for a taste of Bianco’s ingenuity, try the Rosa, topped with parmesan, rosemary, wisps of red onion, and local Santa Barbara pistachios.
For vegetable-forward pies with a side of people-watching: Gjelina (Venice)
This Abbot Kinney favorite for people-watching—and some of the best vegetable-forward cooking—also turns out incredibly thin, heavily charred pies that you’ll spot on nearly every table. The pomodoro pie with dollops of burrata is a simple stunner, but if you’re feeling more adventurous, opt for the spicy housemade chorizo pizza or one topped with bottarga and jalapeños. And trust us, anytime there’s a sungold tomato or squash blossom pizza on the menu, order it.
For artisanal pies from a local legend: Pizzeria Mozza (Hollywood)
One of the first chefs to make serious artisanal pizza in Los Angeles, local legend Nancy Silverton and her 17-year-old Hollywood restaurant are still going strong. Angelenos come here for small, puffy pies that incorporate fresh toppings like corn, beech mushrooms, Fresno chiles, and mozzarella. You can’t leave without an order of Silverton’s equally iconic chopped salad. Studded with provolone, salami, pepperoncini, and more, it’s one of the best—if not the best—in the city.
For ultra-thin pizzas from a Top Chef star: Ospi (Brentwood and Venice)
Top Chef star Jackson Kalb recently converted Jemma di Mare into his rollicking pizza-and-pasta concept Ospi. That means his ultra-thin pizzas, which Kalb calls “almost crunchy, like a cracker,” are even more accessible (the first location is in Venice). He recommends the vodka sauce-slathered pie for first-timers, because “it’s so simple, you can really experience the crust.” Complement it with any one of Kalb’s housemade pastas like malloreddus with beef-cheek ragu for a true carb-fest.
For pies from a 150-year-old Naples icon: L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele (Long Beach and Hollywood)
The 150-year-old Naples restaurant that you might know from the Eat, Pray, Love movie now has a handful of locations in the United States, including a sweeping newer outpost at the quickly growing Belmont Shore neighborhood in Long Beach. Get a true taste of wood-fired Neapolitan pies from an oven made in Positano, like a margherita or an arugula- and prosciutto-topped white pie. Those feeling flush should definitely check out the pizza topped with freshly shaved truffles.
For blistered sourdough pies where you can get up close to the pizza-making action: Ronan (Hollywood)
Snag a countertop seat at this neighborhood favorite from owners Daniel and Caitlin Cutler to check out all the pizza-making action. Daniel and the team pull nicely blistered sourdough pies out of a wood-fired oven. Try the ultra-tomato-y Super Marionario topped with anchovies, garlic, and oregano. For a taste of the Cutlers’ personal favorite, go for the How Ndjua Want It?, a spicy sausage-dotted white pie that they’ll never take off the menu.
For exceptional Neapolitan-style pies at an Italian foods staple: La Pizza & La Pasta (Century City)
After shopping or catching a movie at Westfield Century City, take a load off in the airy dining room of this Eataly restaurant. You’ll find Neapolitan-style pizza topped with everything from artichokes and bacon to a combination of sweet Italian sausage, cremini mushrooms, and fresh basil. Don’t overlook the regionally focused Icons of Italy section on the menu. Recent highlights include an extra-wide pie adorned with slow-cooked yellow cherry tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and anchovies.
For seasonal, Neapolitan-New York-style pizza hybrids: Rossoblu (Downtown)
One of LA’s most beautiful restaurants, Rossoblu is also chef Steve Samson’s ode to his upbringing in Bologna. His pizzas are 12-inch Neapolitan-New York hybrids: think those signature bubbly crusts, but with a little more structure. Samson leans into LA’s incredible produce with pies like the Es-Ca-Role (escarole, red onion, and smoked provolone among other ingredients), which is his favorite because it “embodies why LA is such a great place for pizza,” he says.
For fluffy, cheffy pies from an Italian food maestro: Felix Trattoria (Venice)
Although Felix is perhaps best-known for its outstanding handmade pastas, don’t overlook Italian-food maestro Evan Funke’s pizzas on your next visit. Pulled perfectly charred from the wood-fired oven, his fluffy pies are all cheffy without being overwrought. Go for the four-cheese pizza accented with torpedo onions (like shallots) or the salami picante-topped spicy diavola which is anointed with olio santo.
For thin-crust pies inspired by Italy’s Amalfi Coast: Nerano (Brentwood)
Locals love Nerano for its bright, contemporary interior and its unfussy but elegant Italian fare inspired by the Amalfi Coast. The thin-crust pizzas take advantage of that fresh, seasonal mentality. Go big with one of two black truffle-topped pies. We’re partial to the bianca, which has squash blossoms and baby artichokes in addition to the truffles. Pair your meal with a sherry-spiked Amalfi Cooler to feel like you’re really on the coast (of Italy, of course).
For a compact yet punchy selection from a DTLA favorite: Bestia (Downtown)
The wood-fired ovens get a workout nightly at bustling Bestia, where roasted bone marrow and slow-cooked lamb neck have been menu hits for years. Chef Ori Menashe’s pizzas are beloved, too. Although there’s only a compact selection, he packs a lot of flavor into each pie: The super savory gorgonzola pie has broccoli di ciccio (an heirloom variety of broccoli from Italy) and green peppercorns—it’s a favorite of Menashe’s and people working in the restaurant industry.
For fluffy-crusted pies in a stunning indoor-outdoor space: Paloma (Venice)
Seasoned chef Jason Neroni, formerly of the Rose Venice and other well-known spots, has landed at beautiful indoor-outdoor restaurant Paloma—and he’s brought his beloved handmade pasta and fluffy-crusted pizzas with him. There are only two pies on the menu, but both demonstrate Neroni’s culinary wizardry: The Groot combines charred onion crema with pungent caciocavallo cheese, while the Ode to Franco is a red number that gets an herby hit from Neroni’s housemade pesto powder.
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Karen Palmer is a pizza- and pasta-obsessed food writer based in Los Angeles. She is the former editorial director of Tasting Table, and her work has appeared in Eater, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and many other publications. Follow her on Instagram at @karenlpalmer.
