Why LA Pizza Slices Steal the Spotlight?

When it comes to iconic pizza cities, Los Angeles may not be the first destination that comes to mind. But make no mistake – LA is undergoing a full-fledged pizza renaissance, according to LAist, creative chefs crafting wildly delicious pies that pull from a melting pot of influences and styles. The result? An utterly unique “LA-style” pizza that stands out from the rest. In this article we talk about Why LA Pizza Slices Steal the Spotlight.

From old-school Italian traditions to modern culinary mashups incorporating Mexican, Asian, and all-American flavors, Los Angeles pizzaiolos are serving up slices that dazzle the senses. By blending together diverse global influences just like the city itself, LA’s pizza scene offers a deliciously original take that allows it to more than hold its own against other famous pizza hubs.

As LAist’s food editor puts it, “It’s like when you create a playlist for your friends with all your favorite songs. There’s a little jazz, rock, hip-hop, country, pop. That’s LA-style pizza.” Sounds mouth-watering, right? Let’s dive into some of the unique spots elevating LA’s pizza game to new delicious heights.

Melting Pot Pies With Serious Sourdough Cred: Quarantine Pizza Co

Quarantine Pizza Co’s origin story is quintessentially LA. Started by a duo who met growing up in OC – he’s Asian/white and she’s Latina – the pop-up began slinging creative sourdough pies out of their Highland Park backyard early in the pandemic.

Combining their dough mastery (they’ve been crafting starters since 2015) with diverse cultural roots, Brandon and Carolina Conaway have crafted a menu of gourmet slices that merge styles and flavors in wildly fun ways. A prime example is their al pastor pizza featuring sausage from local fave A’s BBQ along with pineapple from a street vendor, piled atop a masa harina-infused sourdough base inspired by traditional tortillas.

Their Neapolitan-“ish” style sourdough pies boast an irresistibly fluffy, airy texture with that signature naturally fermented tang. Other flavors include banh mi with house pâtè and pickled veggies as well as birria sausage with salsa roja and red corn masa dough. Each bite delivers a flavorful fusion only possible in LA’s culinary melting pot.

Location: 2847 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Old-School Meets New-School Innovations: LaSorted’s

Tommy Brockert was just a neighborhood dude with a newfound passion for making Detroit-style pies in his home pizza oven when COVID struck. When gig income dried up, he began selling his creations from his Echo Park front porch, quickly spinning it into a full-time pizza shop called LaSorted’s.

While inspired by a range of pizza traditions, the real standout at LaSorted’s is pies like the Upside Down Mamba – a style with roots in Philadelphia that Brockert reinterprets with SoCal flair. As its name implies, this signature square pie arrives upside down, its tangy tomato sauce blanketing a base of perfectly crispy baked cheese that creates a heavenly textural contrast with the crisp-yet-fluffy, naturally leavened sourdough crust.

Other can’t-miss menu items include the sausage and peppers pizza infused with spicy arrabbiata, and any slice of their masterfully executed basic cheese or pepperoni pie aptly dubbed the Mamba (after the late Kobe Bryant, who counted pizza as pregame fuel).

Location: Smorgasburg LA, 777 S. Alameda St., Los Angeles
Hours: Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Classic LA Street Food Meets Pizza Craftsmanship: Apollonia’s

When it comes to old-school dedication to the art of pizza-making, few spots nail it better than the aptly-named Apollonia’s Pizzeria in Mid-City. Owner Justin De Leon has been a lifelong student, obsessively tweaking his recipes through the decades to achieve pizza perfection.

The result? Remarkably simple, exceptionally well-executed pizzas made with top-notch ingredients and laser focus on nailing ideal texture and flavor. De Leon rejects categorizing his pies by traditional names, opting to simply make damn good pizza that blends influences from all the masters.

While it’s tough to go wrong with any slice at Apollonia’s, standouts include the classic thin-yet-pillowy cheese pie and the “square slice”, a Sicilian/Detroit-meets-Neapolitan hybrid. With its caramelized crispy crust and light-yet-structured crumb, every bite delivers the ideal contrast of chewy, crispy crusted perfection.

What truly levels up the LA pizza vibe here though is Apollonia’s diverse staff hailing from all over Latin America. Their cultural influences blend together seamlessly with De Leon’s Italian roots in an effortlessly SoCal way.

Location: 5176 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

From Hidden Backyard Popups to Old-School Craftmanship

Whether you prefer your pizza with classic roots or an LA-infused cultural twist, the city’s unique pizza makers are putting a wildly original spin on slices that is putting them on the map as a destination pizza city.

From hidden backyard popups slinging stuffed crusts merged with Mexican street food influences to old-school spots elevating classic techniques, Los Angeles pizzaiolos are proving there’s no one authentic way to do pizza. While respecting traditions, they’re creating new standards by freely blending the old with the new and local for inspired pies that go far beyond just good, greasy food.

More than just tasting great, LA pizza tells a story about the city’s diversity and mashup of cultural influences. It’s a culinary snapshot of the melting pot of flavors and people that have made Los Angeles such a vibrant food town. So while you may not think of LA as a “pizza city” at first blush, these innovative spots are solid evidence that it deserves a spot amongst the nation’s very best for unique, delicious slices. I sincerely hope you like reading this “Why LA Pizza Slices Steal the Spotlight?” article. Pizza night, anyone?