Three of the USA’s biggest and brightest cities, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, each have their own unique style of pizza.
Yes, you read that correctly. Los Angeles has a signature pizza style, and it’s only now gaining traction outside of The Golden State.
The classic New York slice is so ubiquitous that you’d easily find spots worldwide attempting to recreate that satisfyingly foldable, drippy ooey-gooey goodness supported by a hand-tossed thin crust. On the other side of the structural spectrum, Chicago is synonymous with pan-baked deep dish, typically indulgent, fatty and lasagne-like with its carefully measured layers of pasta, cheese and meat. The latter is more divisive.
But L.A. What the hell is L.A.-style pizza?
L.A.-style pizza is just a mirror of Los Angeles itself. Each layer is a gestalt-esque patchwork of ideas cobbled together from different cultures. And yes, the whole is much more satisfying than the sum of its parts.
Plenty of cities around the USA have benefitted greatly from its multitude of cultures. But L.A. feels more refined when it comes to solidifying and celebrating its “melting pot” status.
L.A. is known for having some of the most diverse ethnic neighbourhoods in the world. In Los Angeles County alone, 88 distinctive cities are built from more than 400 neighbourhoods. The City of Angels has the most Mexicans outside of Mexico, the most Koreans outside of Korea, and a massive density of Pacific Islanders, Japanese, Filipinos and Indians. Amongst many others.
This kind of access to different cuisines and their regional nuances has given L.A.’s most inventive pizza makers a spark that’s been harnessed into a bit of a foodie revolution over the past few years.
Ever tried a snow crab pizza with corn, Creole cream and black truffle? You need to.
You Can Always Go Downtown
L.A. is so annoyingly spread out that it’s hard to piece together what the city is all about unless you’re visiting for a decent amount of time. Catching an Uber from Venice to Hollywood is akin to filing for bankruptcy at the best of times. But even if you stick to just one pocket (tip: stay in the relatively relaxed Santa Monica and fan out from there), it’s not hard to see how diverse L.A. is, both in terms of people and its resulting, wide-ranging food scene.
For foodies, very few of those L.A. pockets are as reliable as Downtown. I should mention that DTLA has its issues and can feel ghostly quiet during the day. There are a few blocks I wouldn’t recommend going anywhere near but stick to the immediate area around the historic Grand Central Market and you’ll be fine.
Grand Central Market, which has been operating continuously since it first opened in 1917, is the heart of DTLA and the core of what makes L.A.’s food scene so endlessly exciting. Visibly and audibly, it’s one of the most vibrant and interesting places in the entire city, from the endless sound of pots and pans being shuffled around, to the washes of neon, signposting everything from Thai and Japanese to Salvadorian. In total, there are around 40 vendors all touting local concepts. Some of these have expanded outside of the market due to high demand.
It’s overwhelming so your best move is to engage the award-winning, family-owned Six Taste Food Tours to show you around. I went on a condensed version a few months ago with owner Sally hopping across four stops in and around the market. The first: pitch-perfect regional Thai from Sticky Rice, was far different from the second, third and fourth stops, reiterating just how prismatic DTLA’s food scene can feel.
It’s that second stop I want to focus on. Pi LA is located down the type of wide, eerily quiet alleyway just a skip from Grand Central Market. Obscured by a gate, the business is a drab-looking garage that opens up into a polished, retro space that looks like a classic American diner with some futuristic updates. I took a seat in one of the booths with its catchy silver sheen, designed along with everything else in the interior to seamlessly flow from the team’s obsession with the automotive industry.
L.A.-style pizza can now be found all over the city. But I’m told these guys are refining it, pushing it forward, and thinking further outside the box. The team experimented with dough during the pandemic (as most people did) and landed on a nice little sweet spot, banging out deliciously airy, thick pizza dough that uses kombu water.
While pizzas with experimental toppings are a dime a dozen these days, it seems the chefs who’ve grown up in L.A. are so intimately familiar with different flavour profiles that they instinctively know what combinations work.
As all tastings are included in the Six Taste Food Tour, Sally grabs me a slice of The Love Bug. The eccentric slice is layered with potato gratin and onion confit, drizzled lightly with a truffle gruyere cheese sauce and sprinkled with jambon ham snow. It’s sweet, rich, and gooey. I’m addicted and immediately start plotting a return.
Even better is the Seoul Kitchen with its roasted spiced pork belly, shiitake mushroom, kimchi-spiced tomato sauce and – strangely enough – Asian pear. L.A. pizza is a leap of faith, but these left-field combinations work incredibly well.
It’s not all surprising at Pi LA. The Lil’ Red Corvette is your stock-standard, super-reliable classic with oven-sweetened cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Generosity is caked in, and that super fluffy, thick focaccia base holds everything well. On the other side of the scale, you’ve got stuff like the Thai-influenced 58 Chevy Panang Pickup with coconut milk panang bechamel, a mix of jack and mozzarella, onion, bell peppers and tomatoes, baked and then topped with your choice of lobster, shrimp or beef with a sprinkle of basil mint and chillipowder.
I never made it back to Pi LA, but as soon as I return to DTLA and feeling peckish, it’ll be my first stop. Given the experimentation going on here, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the menu expanding well beyond the current seven slices and pulling out all types of unexpected mash-ups in the near future.
Until then, stop wandering around DTLA looking nervous, jump on a food tour, and eat your through the L.A. pizza trend before it really takes off.
Other Things To Do In L.A.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably planning a trip to Los Angeles. Or you’re there already. Take note of a few other things to do by reading some of our existing Los Angeles’ content.
- If you’re looking for excellent Italian food you’ll find it at Giorgio Baldi, which is in the Pacific Palisades just outside of Santa Monica.
- If you want to base yourself somewhere comfortable, take a look at The Pierside in Santa Monica.
Getting There & Getting Around
If you’re thinking of spending some time in Los Angeles, I suggest flying with Fiji Airways. Not only is it one of the more affordable premium airlines out there, you’ll have the advantage of that classic, soulful Fijian service. Plus, you can spend a few nights in Fiji before or after your trip.
For those looking to travel outside of L.A., I’d recommend Delta for a domestic carrier. Reputations don’t lie and Delta is the front-runner of the “big three” U.S. airlines for good reason. Plus, the carrier has just completed an ambitious project to streamline LAX and make it much more manageable.
The author travelled to L.A. as a guest of Fiji Airways and explored DTLA as a guest of L.A. Tourism.
