Good Pizza in Alhambra Area?

[SoCal Foodie]

Besides Petrillo's, does anyone know where I can get some good pizza in the Alhambra/San Gabriel areas. I always pass plenty of pizza joints along Valley Blvd and also Main St in Alhambra and would like to know if any of these places are worth checking out. Thanks in advance!

[iknowfood64]

At the corner of Fremont and Valley there is a good pizza joint called Vittorias. I have been going there for years, and I think it is delicious. The pizza is the reason I go to this place.

[SoCal Foodie]

Can you please describe the pizza at Victoria - thin or thick crust? How's the sauce and toppings? I will be in Alhambra this weekend and want to try their pizza.

[tangy tart]

I finally got around to trying Bollini's - amazing! I ordered P&S which is basic pepperoni and sausage - it was so good. Crust was thin and crispy. I can't wait to go back and try the other versions. I'm so happy he decided to set up shop in MP. Pizza has always been lacking in this area - the old Red Devil was like Dominos and Petrillos is too heavy and those canned mushrooms (like several have mentioned on the boards) are aweful! I'm just upset that Bollini's is closed btw 2-5pm (probably to prep for dinner) and closed on Sunday. I need my fix!

[WildSwede]

I love Bollini's. For another good pizza (either regular or thin crust) try Carmine's on Live Oak (?) in Arcadia. One of my favorites (get it cooked well done).
http://www.sangabrielvalleymenus.com/...

[RoxyGrl]

I am officially in love with Carmine's thin crust margherita... Mmmmmmm

[africanizedkiller]

Try the Porco. Amazing. Must be honest, though. One time, Bollini's pissed me off. The cook and cashier were bitching at each other. They shucked me a totally scorched pie. Not even black, but white. Not the bottom; the top... like the whole top. WTF? Noticed it after getting home. Bollini himself was absent. Gotta say: still love the place. Still loyal. Will always go back despite this aberration.

[writerinla]

Genovese's on Main St. I grew up in South Pas, and on Genovese's pizza. It's better for take out, since the dining room isn't much (at least since the last time I was there).

[JeetJet]

I like the lunch specials at Genovese's also. This is one of those places that when you step outside of your car and smell the air you know you will find something on the menu that you will like. This is the only place I order a pizza with sliced meatballs on top. The dinning room is small but that makes it fun when you see one of thier large (giant NY size) pizza's being carried through and out the door. Sometimes I wonder whether the pizza will fit throught the small doorway without having to turn it sideways. People also sit at the tables outside when the weather is fine.

Genovese's Pizza
2900 W Main St
Alhambra
[phone]

[SoCal Foodie]

Hi JeetJet,
Can you please describe the pizza at Genovese's - crust, sauce, cheese.
Do they serve a NY style and how would you compare their pizza to other standout places in the SGV? Thanks!

[JeetJet]

Hey, SoCal

Genovese's does not make a NY style pizza. The size reminds me of the NY size which those giant NY slices are cut from. The thickness of the crust is less thick than a medium thick crust but not as thin as you would expect at Tony’s. IMO, The flavor of the crust is not near as good as the true pizza crust as Patrillo’s or Tony’s but better than most and way better than the cracker crust at CB. Genovese's crust is more like a bread dough crust IMO. Maybe they would make it thinner on request. I like the sauce at Genovese's (a little spicy) but as I recall they put more on the pizza then they should. The cheese is standard but they do put the right amount of it on their pizza. I really like the cheese at Patrillos and CB. I think those two places and Pizza Place California all use the same high quality cheese. The problem with CB is they do not put enough cheese while Patrillo’s might put more cheese than many people are use to.

The first time I tried a Genovese's pizza was when several of us went there for lunch and one in our group ordered a lunch special which included a small salad and a drink. The main item on the lunch they ordered was a individual size pizza. They ordered the meatball topping and could only eat half because they were concerned about overeating. I “helped” as much as I could and was glad I did. They have a nice sliced meatball – firm, flavorful yet not overly spicy. We have returned several times and ordered a small meatball pizza with our lunch which is good hot or cold. I think it has been a yeaer since I have been there. We use to get our car worked near there but... Time to return. Bottom line – not a great pizza like Patrillo’s thin crust cheese or Tony’s but worth a try along with the lunch specials. The total price is so low that it would be hard to complain.

[monkuboy]

It has been quite a while since I went to Genovese's but from what I remember, the crust seemed more like a pastry crust to me than real pizza crust. Very light with little chew to it. I didn't really care for it but I know a lot of people really like it and it is worth trying just to see if it is a style that appeals to you. It's good quality, just not my style preference.

[JeetJet]

hey monkuboy, it has been over a year since I have been there and I am thinking more about the thickness of that crust. Do you recall how thick it is? I think it is not thin but more towards the medium. I recall that the flavor and texture reminded me of their bread used for those dinner rolls you get with the salad.

[monkuboy]

It's been a lot longer than a year for me. I just remember the crust was on the medium-thick side. We only had pizza so I can't compare it to the dinner rolls but since I prefer the "tug and chew" kind of crust, this one was more like a roll or a pastry in texture where you bite it and it doesn't fight with you.

[JeetJet]

Yes, we are on the same page -- no tug and chew. I see what you mean when you say pastry. It is somewhat airy.

[AquaW]

If you're willing to go to surrounding cities, I'd suggest Bollini's in Monterey Park, Mamma's Brick Oven Pizza in South Pasadena, or Avanti in Pasadena.

~H.C.
http://la-oc-foodie.blogspot.com

[Professor Salt]

I'll third the rec for Bollini's. Very thin, crackerlike crust with nice charred bottom, if you're into that sort of thing.

-----
Bollini's Pizzeria Napolitana
2315 S Garfield Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91754

[puffalumpy]

Went to Bollini's for the first time on Sat with the hubby for lunch, a little pricey. We decided to eat there, 2 small pizzas, 2 sodas and 2 slices to go, almost 40 bucks with tax and tip.

[mpken]

I think you can order a large half and half there. Add a salad and you can get away for ~$25.

[get ur grub on]

Just went to Mamma's Brick Oven Pizza on Sunday night. We got the white pizza and a penne carbonnara. Penne came with a salad and garlic knots. Garlic knots were so yummy and tender. Crust on the pizza was crispy and chewy in certain spots. I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to trying their other pizzas and sandwiches too!

[evilbeefchan]

Vittoria's on the corner of Valley and Fremont. Not sure how to compare the crust style to Angelo's, but i remember them being fairly similar.

[JeetJet]

When we want something different than the special order thin crust at Petrillo's on Valley Blvd. we go to Tony's. Tony's is well worth the little drive over to San Marino.

Tony's Pizza (Thin crust pis & Slices)
2555 Huntington Drive (NE Corner at Del Mar)
San Marino, CA 91108
[phone]

[andytseng]

Tony's is great. Best pizza in the area.

[will47]

Thirded Tony's in San Marino. I think I'm fairly picky about pizza, and I think Tony's compares pretty favorably to the other NY style places in the greater LA area that I've tried. Whether it's better than Vito's or not, I think it scratches my nostalgic itch more. Joe's might be a bit better. It's unpretentious, has the right vibe (especially impressive considering this is in San Marino), and has reasonable prices.

Bollini's is cracker thin; not really authentic Neopolitan or NY style, but worth checking out. Good for what it is.

That said, this topic has been done to death (even for that area), so search the boards!

[monkuboy]

I would have included Tony's as a rec but the OP was asking for Alhambra and San Gabriel. Next to Petrillo's, Angelo's is the best in those two cities but Tony's is better than Angelo's. Mmm Tony's.. It's only a couple of miles or so from Alhambra and well worth venturing beyond the city limits to try.

[trolley]

just went to Tony's based on what people say here and i think i've had better pizza from domino's. the crust and the dough are too thick and tough. maybe i'm a picky customer since i grew up eating NY pizza but how can this pizza be called good? i think it's a step above frozen pizza.

[will47]

I think the thickness of the crust is right, and while the bottom is crisp, the dough has never seemed tough to me, but rather just right. I grew up in NJ, and I think Tony's is very underrated for LA "NY style" pizza.

Just out of curiosity, what (if anything) do you think is an example of good pizza in LA?

[trolley]

i think we're on a different pizza page. i just got back from NY and had a slice at my favorite pizza place. compared to what i had in NY tony's reminded me of ellio frozen pizza. crust same thickness as end crust. not enough sauce. dough was definitely frozen and perhaps old. i know most places use frozen dough but this was a bit too apparent that the dough was old. in the SGV the pizza closest to NY i've had was at mama's on fair oaks in so. pasadena. this is based on a regular cheese slice. when i got a whole pie it was a bit underdone and not as good as the slice i had. joe's in SM is pretty good as well.

[SoCal Foodie]

I concur with you on Tony's pizza. After reading all the accolades on this board about their pizza, I was totally underwhelmed! The crust was thick and tough and the sauce and cheese were flavorless. It didn't even remind me of a NY style pizza. I have yet to find a good NY style pizza in the SGV and that includes Brownstone!

[will47]

I have never gotten the idea that the dough at Tony's is frozen, and I've certainly never had the crust and middle having the same thickness. For the record, I wasn't saying that Tony's is the greatest, just that it's pretty good for the area, and (for me), scratches the right itch. How do you tell that dough is "old"? It is good for dough to cold-ferment for up to 5-6 days (in the fridge, not the freezer).

Re: Brownstone -- Brownstone to me is not only not very good, but also completely inauthentic... the crust is WAY too thin. NY pizza is not supposed to be cracker thin, even though a lot of people seem to think it should be. The crust should be both crispy and soft at the same time (i.e., the bottom should be crispy, but the whole thing should fold). Brownstone's is just soft, and is so thin that it flops all over the place without you even folding it. I don't think the sauce there is very good either.

Even my gf, who's not picky about pizza at all, thought it was awful.

[peppermonkey]

i don't think you can find a good brooklyn pizza in all of LA....but if you do please tell me

[cfylong]

You probably ate one that was sitting around for a while. I had one like that there once, but usually I've found Tony's to be the closest to NY pizza in the San Gabriel Valley and it's pretty good. Brownstone's in Eagle Rock is better, but the OP asked for SGV.

[kjs]

are you willing to go a little farther...monterey park...bollini's

[monkuboy]

Angelo's on Valley west of Atlantic has pretty good pizza if you like the thicker-crust type. I used to take out from them all the time when I lived in the area and they knew my voice on the phone. These were the heaviest pizzas I've ever had that weren't the pan or Chicago style. You will be full on two slices.

[vtorres]

I agree w/ monkuboy. Angelo's has great pizza but you cannot order a large size or else the middle gets very watery.