Best Pizza in Los Angeles: 8 Picks Ranked (2026)

1 The short answer: top 3

If you have one evening in LA and need to choose a single pizza stop, these three are the ones worth knowing.

Pizzeria Sei (8781 W. Pico Blvd, Pico-Robertson) is the pick for the best pizza in the city by any measurable standard. Chef Norihiko Yamamoto trained in Japan before studying Neapolitan technique in Italy, and the result — a blistered cornicione with a mochi-like chew and a faint sweetness the crust develops through long fermentation — placed Sei at #2 in the United States on the 50 Top Pizza USA guide, two years running (2025 and 2026). A second location opened in Palms (10700 Tabor St) in June 2026. Reservations open at noon, seven days out.

Pizzeria Mozza (641 N. Highland Ave, Hollywood) is the pick if you want the restaurant that defined California wood-fired pizza for the generation before the current wave. Nancy Silverton opened Mozza in 2007 and won a James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2014; the fennel sausage and burrata pizza has been copied so many times that it is easy to forget the original is still running at full quality. Dinner only on weekdays (opens 5pm), open at noon on weekends. Reservations via OpenTable.

L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele (1534 N. McCadden Pl, Hollywood) is the pick for the strictest Neapolitan tradition in the city. The original da Michele opened in Naples in 1870 and has served two pizzas — the Margherita and the Marinara — for most of its 150-year existence. The Hollywood location, the first outside Italy when it opened in 2019, keeps the same philosophy: DOP San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte, slow-fermented 00-flour dough. Open daily from 11am and walk-in-friendly at lunch on weekdays. The Metro B Line Hollywood/Highland station is a 12-minute walk.

2 The full ranking

All eight spots were verified as operating in October 2026. Price tiers reflect the cost per pizza: $ is under $15, $$ is $15–25, $$$ is over $25. Hours and prices change — confirm before you go. No paid placements; none of these businesses are affiliated with TourMe.

3 How we ranked

The ranking weighs crust technique and sourcing (fermentation time, flour type, baking method), regional authenticity or distinctive local identity, significance in the LA food landscape, and practical accessibility — including whether a spot is walk-in-friendly or requires advance planning.

Pizzeria Sei leads because the ranking distinction is verifiable: 50 Top Pizza placed it second in the United States in both 2025 and 2026. That is a specific, independently assessed result from an Italian guide run by the same organization behind 50 Best Restaurants, with Italian and international judges. A Japanese-trained chef in Pico-Robertson finishing second to a New York institution says something specific about the state of pizza in Los Angeles.

Pizzeria Mozza ranks second because the fennel sausage pizza is a foundational dish in California food history. The restaurant opened in 2007, launched careers, influenced a generation of wood-fired pizza across the West, and the original pie has not declined. Historical weight alongside sustained quality earns it the second spot.

L'Antica da Michele ranks third because a 150-year-old Neapolitan institution that has never added a third pizza is its own category. When you order the Marinara — just DOP San Marzano tomato, garlic, oregano, and olive oil, no cheese — you are eating the deliberate result of a century and a half of staying focused.

The lower half of the list reflects different virtues: Jon and Vinny's for the casual neighborhood format LA does best; Gjelina for its Venice context and rotating seasonal pies; Quarter Sheets for the pan-pizza tradition and its slice window; Apollonia's for the best New York-style slice in the city by a chef with independent global recognition; DeSano for the most Metro-accessible Neapolitan in Los Angeles.

This list reflects our picks. No business paid for inclusion. All operating status, addresses, and hours were confirmed in October 2026.

4 Best for...

Best for a special occasion: Pizzeria Sei (8781 W. Pico Blvd). The US's top-ranked pizza on the West Coast, a room that takes the food seriously without being formal, and a reservation that requires planning — the combination makes it the right choice when the dinner itself is the point.

Best for a classic LA night out: Pizzeria Mozza (641 N. Highland Ave). It has been one of the harder reservations in the city for nearly two decades. The room is lively, the wine list is serious, and the butterscotch budino dessert has been on the menu since 2007 for a reason.

Best for Neapolitan tradition: L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele (1534 N. McCadden Pl). Two pizzas, no exceptions, 150 years of practice. The Marinara — tomato, garlic, oregano, olive oil, no cheese — is the most austere and the most defended pie on this list.

Best casual lunch or walk-in: Jon and Vinny's Fairfax (412 N. Fairfax Ave). Open from 8am, no dress code, no pressure. The lunch crowd is steady but manageable compared with evenings.

Best for a solo traveler: Apollonia's (5176 Wilshire Blvd). By-the-slice, cash-only, no reservation, no seating pressure. LACMA and the Petersen Automotive Museum are both within a 5-minute walk if you want to turn one slice into an afternoon.

Best for a quick Metro stop: DeSano Pizza Bakery (4959 Santa Monica Blvd). The only spot on this list within a 5-minute walk of a Metro station. The Vermont/Santa Monica Red Line stop delivers you to the door of a Neapolitan pizzeria staffed by people who learned to make pizza in Naples, with no car required.

5 By neighborhood: where to go based on where you are

Hollywood: Pizzeria Mozza (641 N. Highland Ave) and L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele (1534 N. McCadden Pl) are about 0.4 miles apart — a 9-minute walk — and together cover the two poles of wood-fired pizza in LA: the California interpretation and the strict Neapolitan tradition. If you are already in Hollywood, you can compare both without a car by spending one meal at each during your stay.

Pico-Robertson and West LA: Pizzeria Sei's original location (8781 W. Pico Blvd) is in one of the most food-focused stretches of West LA. The newer Palms location (10700 Tabor St) adds capacity and sits closer to Culver City. Neither is Metro-accessible; both reward a deliberate trip.

Fairfax and Mid-Wilshire: Jon and Vinny's (412 N. Fairfax Ave) is an 8-minute walk from the Farmers Market and the Grove. Apollonia's (5176 Wilshire Blvd) is 1.5 miles east on Wilshire, near LACMA and the Petersen Museum — a natural second stop on a Wilshire corridor afternoon.

Venice and the Westside: Gjelina (1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd) anchors the Abbot Kinney food strip. The street runs about one mile and has some of the city's best independent restaurants within walking distance. No Metro, but Abbot Kinney is built for walking once you arrive. The Venice Beach neighborhood guide covers the wider area and how to get there.

Echo Park: Quarter Sheets (1305 Portia St) is the best reason to make a specific stop in Echo Park for pizza. The pan format and the slice window make it easy to drop in without committing to a full meal.

East Hollywood: DeSano (4959 Santa Monica Blvd) is the best transit-accessible option on this list. If you are on the Metro B Line between Hollywood and downtown, this is the stop. The Silver Lake neighborhood is a 10-minute rideshare east if you want to extend the evening.

6 Reservations, cash, and hours before you go

Which spots require reservations? Pizzeria Sei (book at noon, seven days ahead) and Pizzeria Mozza (via OpenTable, evenings fill fast) both need advance planning. Jon and Vinny's recommends reservations for dinner. Gjelina fills on weekends. L'Antica da Michele, Quarter Sheets, Apollonia's, and DeSano are all walk-in-friendly, with L'Antica the easiest option for a midweek lunch.

Is Apollonia's really cash-only? Yes. Bring bills. It is located near the Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Blvd, where ATMs are available in the surrounding block.

What are Quarter Sheets' hours? Wednesday through Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday. The walk-up slice window is the easiest entry point — you do not need to order a full pie.

Can I get to any of these by Metro? DeSano Pizza Bakery (4959 Santa Monica Blvd) is a 5-minute walk from the Metro B Line Vermont/Santa Monica station and is the most transit-friendly option. L'Antica da Michele and Pizzeria Mozza are both about 12 minutes from the Hollywood/Highland Red Line station. All others are most practical by rideshare or car.

When were these details confirmed? Operating status, addresses, and hours were checked in October 2026. Restaurant hours and ownership can change. Confirm via Google Maps or each restaurant's own website before a trip.

7 Is LA pizza as good as New York pizza?

The question misframes the comparison. New York-style pizza — the large, floppy deck-oven slice sold by the piece — is a specific tradition that evolved in New York starting in the early 1900s. Los Angeles does not have a native version of that format. Apollonia's (5176 Wilshire Blvd) is one of the only serious practitioners of it in the city, and it ranks on the 50 Top Pizza World list for a reason — but it is the exception, not the dominant style here.

What LA does have is Neapolitan pizza made at the highest level in the country. Pizzeria Sei finishing second in the US on 50 Top Pizza is not a food-media opinion piece — it is a ranking by Italian judges from the same organization behind 50 Best Restaurants. A Japanese-trained chef operating in Pico-Robertson finishing second to a New York institution is a specific, verifiable result.

The honest comparison: for a New York-style slice on a street corner, New York wins without argument. For Neapolitan pizza at the highest technical level in the United States, Los Angeles has a specific and documented claim to second place in the country. That is the fact worth carrying into the city with you.