61570 Thu Jul 15 17:24:30 -0700 2004 33 2 Los Angeles Area 0 326957 Our fave of the chains is Sammy's Woodfired (the one we frequent most is at Brookhurst & Ellis in FV), with Z Pizza a close second. IOHO the pizzas in Calif Pizza & Wolfgang's Cafe are OK, but Pizza Hut totally sucks. In the interest of expanding our horizons beyond Sammy's & Z, anyone found other decent pizza in a chain place? Anyone been to Oggi's for example? Thu Jul 15 17:24:30 -0700 2004 0 bernardo 1 326959 I like Oggi's (but I've only been to the one in Santa Clarita) and NY Upper Crust (there's one in Irvine and one in Laguna Niguel-a few others around, but not sure where). I actually like Lamppost, but may get slammed for saying that. :) I also like BJs. Can you tell me what I'm missing with Z Pizza? I've had it a few times and can't stand it. Maybe it's me? Thu Jul 15 17:34:01 -0700 2004 326957 0 Samantha 2 326985 Z Pizza is very similar to Euro-style, thin crust, thin toppings & wood-fired or smoky. It's not your father's NY or Chicago pizza many of us grew up with, thick crust with globs of toppings where every bite was almost a meal. Different strokes I guess. Thu Jul 15 20:21:03 -0700 2004 326959 0 bernardo 3 327034 Abbott's on Abbott-Kinney in Venice. It's not *really* a chain but they do have two stores so I'm including it. They strike the best balance I know between NYC pies and nouveau california pizza. The salty bagel crust is sacrilege, but in the best way. Fri Jul 16 05:09:22 -0700 2004 326985 0 Ricky 1 326964 I like Lamonica's NY Pizza. I also really like Tony's Pizza, but they are not a chain. Tony's Pizza 2555 Huntington Drive, San Marino (626) 793-4114 Thu Jul 15 17:59:39 -0700 2004 326957 0 ipse dixit 2 326968 I agree re: Tony's in San Marino Thu Jul 15 18:08:17 -0700 2004 326964 0 Mr. Roboto 2 326999 Warning: the Lamonica's we order at my office downtown is maybe the worst pizza I've ever had - soggy, tasteless crust - most of us here avoid it when we order it in. That being said, I know locations can vary, so I am only speaking to the one around here. Thu Jul 15 22:17:27 -0700 2004 326964 0 Megan 1 326969 My wife and I really like the pizza at Louise's, which I think qualifies for a chain. A little pricey, but a damn good pie, and rocking crust. Thu Jul 15 18:09:13 -0700 2004 326957 0 z-man 2 327088 I agree. Louise's is tasty, but for some reason, every single time I eat their pizza I become ill. Have no idea why. Hey. Why do I keep going back if it makes me ill? Fri Jul 16 14:51:42 -0700 2004 326969 0 vewyfunny 3 327168 Don't know, but might be worth discussing with your shrink. Or maybe you should just stop telling them to heap on extra oil & globs of fresh garlic. Ah, what the hell, you only go 'round once -- so why not enjoy? Sat Jul 17 01:56:46 -0700 2004 327088 0 bernardo 1 326982 Call me a lowlife, but I always liked Pizza Hut's Big New Yorker with extra cheese. Then again, I'm partial to sauce that's a little on the sweet side. Thu Jul 15 19:44:21 -0700 2004 326957 0 Redshirt 2 327031 You definitely didn't grow up in the New York/New Jersey area then... anyone who did knows that calling that awful Pizza Hut pie a "New Yorker" is sacrelige Mr. Taster Fri Jul 16 02:50:06 -0700 2004 326982 0 Mr. Taster 3 327038 Well I grew up in New York, and most pizza pretty much blows (at least those you buy by the slice). On the other hand, while Pizza Hut is in a catagory by itself in terms of lameness, I can't believe how Domino's is competing in terms of awfulness. Does anyone else remember when they were good? Fri Jul 16 08:39:08 -0700 2004 327031 0 Briggs 4 327061 Hello...In my 45 years, I just tried Dominos for the first time last week. Good lord, it is the chain pizza equivalent of Nicole Richie -- tarted up, offensive, unconsciously put together, and marketed toward one's basest desire to obtain what we believe we want, as fast, hot, and cheap as possible. The crunchy thin-style crust ( as opposed to their 'classic' hand tossed ) tasted like what I imagine roofers use to shingle homes --burnt, brittle, and musty. The ten or so sliced mushrooms on their 'large' pie tasted like the dead skin from my feet that I used to snack on as a wee tyke... For vastly better pizza from a smaller chain, the valley has places called Vincenzos. I go to the one in Granada Hills on Balboa (at San Fernando Mission). Take-out there was quicker than Dominos, they pile on the toppings, and they have a mammoth 28-inch pie for the clinically starved. The only downside to that Vincenzos: the pie-makers seem to enjoy playing an old school pinball machine until a customer walks in, at which time they go straight back to the open kitchen and press their unwashed hands into the dough. Would normally send me running, but I figure a 500+ degree pizza oven kills off the pinball cooties! Fri Jul 16 12:21:32 -0700 2004 327038 0 silence9 5 327062 Bravo! Your Nicole Richie analogy is a priceless LOL and so on-point! Fri Jul 16 12:28:59 -0700 2004 327061 0 Local 5 327071 My post wasn't clear. I agree that Dominos is pretty horrendous to the point of unedible. I was asking if anyone remembers when they started out and were okay. Sorry for the confusion. Fri Jul 16 13:45:00 -0700 2004 327061 0 Briggs 5 327084 So, 2 unmunchables and one munchable. Do you not like the thin crust variety alla Z Pizza & Wolgang? Fri Jul 16 14:32:14 -0700 2004 327061 0 bernardo 6 327100 Yup, thin crust is always my choice, as long as it is firmly chewy, and not crackerly brittle... I guess it's all about set and setting, too. I try to indulge my pizza en-gulp-ment when I am neither high nor drunk. I realize that many people enjoy their pizza fix (particularly chain pizza joint orders) precisely because they are high and/or drunk, the altered state contributing to the hedonistic experience as a whole. But for me, I get a better appreciation of the pizza (whether low-end or high-end varieties) when I'm able to focus on the tasty tasty basics of cheese, sauce, crust, and topping alone. The film The Wizard of Oz may be a blast while on mescaline, but it's true genius is best gauged, in my opinion, when sober as a judge on a 13 inch Sanyo screen. So too, a pitcher of brew may elevate a mediocre pizza, but won't *necessarily* improve on the perfection of God's cheesy baked mandala when we have found what we're looking for... So yes, thin crust it is. Fri Jul 16 16:53:57 -0700 2004 327084 0 silence9 7 327121 geez...i just had a flashback from the '70's of the "Pizza Man" refrigerator magnet... Fri Jul 16 18:57:13 -0700 2004 327100 0 Local 7 327166 Shows how naive I must be, thinking that beer was actually an aftertought to pizza, not realizing legions of high flyers and inebriates were the true raison d'etre for pizza. Sat Jul 17 01:48:31 -0700 2004 327100 0 bernardo 3 327094 Actually I did grow up in New York, near Yonkers. I'm not comparing the Big NYer to anything that comes out of New York, no pie anywhere compares to that. But in this pizza wasteland we call LA, when I don't feel like driving to Greco's in Hollywood, Pizza Hut's Big NYer is unfortunately the best of a bunch of not-so-good options. To each his own. Fri Jul 16 15:54:44 -0700 2004 327031 0 Redshirt 1 327018 Call me plain, I have always been a fan of CPK. I love the honey wheat crust and their original the Barbeque Chicken Pizza. I dont know if it is true or not but their pizzas seem less greasy and a little healthier than other chains. Fri Jul 16 00:36:14 -0700 2004 326957 0 Rod 2 327021 I don't disagree that CPK has yummy food, but their "pizzas" simply don't taste like pizza ought to. It's sort of like Subway -- the food there is not bad and generally taste ok, but they don't taste like sandwiches, much less subs. Fri Jul 16 01:15:34 -0700 2004 327018 0 ipse dixit 3 327050 The thin crust "Neopolitan" style is pretty good, and you can get it with any topping they offer. I find it better than their standard pizza crust Fri Jul 16 11:26:52 -0700 2004 327021 0 Ernie 1 327052 Well, there is a Z-Pizza in University Plaza in Campus in Irvine, but I have yet to be able to pass the vegetable pizza at Ray's (not a chain) in that same shopping center. Not many topping choices at Ray's, but the vegetable pizza is great and they also sell it by the slice. Maybe one day, I will venture over to Z-Pizza, but for now, it rates second inthat area to Ray's (not a chain, though) I also really like BJ's pizza (deep dish). Recent dining at the brewery branch of that chain (In Tustin on Jamboree), a friend showed me how you could order from multitude of great toppings - any combination of your choice. BJ's is on my list for what I like. Fri Jul 16 11:30:35 -0700 2004 326957 0 kc girl 1 327089 My favorite pizza: "chain": Miceli's (I always go to the Universal City location) "non-chain": Little Toni's (North Hollywood) By far, Little Toni's is the best pizza I have had in Los Angeles. Fri Jul 16 15:03:06 -0700 2004 326957 0 canopis 1 327096 Thanks for all the reponses. In truth, I was hoping some one chain would run ribbons around all others, but no such luck. Maybe that's why there are so many out there still in business. One thing seems clear, there is little agreement on what constitutes good or even acceptable pizza. Different strokes for different hounds I suppose. Fri Jul 16 16:15:15 -0700 2004 326957 0 bernardo 2 327099 I guess there is no consensus, but I think the best fast-food pizza chain is Papa John's, by far. The best gourmet pizza chain (a little more expensive) is Tony Maroni's. Not a chain, but I agree w/ another poster that Lamonica's New York Pizza in Westwood is very good...it is not quite NY pizza, but the closest I've tasted in L.A. Fri Jul 16 16:47:09 -0700 2004 327096 0 Nicole 3 327102 I always run by Tony Maroni's. Could you suggest what is best there? Thanks! Fri Jul 16 17:00:04 -0700 2004 327099 0 Emme 4 327439 I like the Chicken Alfredo pizza best at Tony Maroni's, but I've had several different kinds and they have all been good. I have ordered various pies for some casual parties and their pizza always goes over really well. I knew I would get slack for mentioning Papa John's...I like it, but it is definitely an entirely different category of pizza...the crust isn't a pizza crust in the traditional, NY sense, it is fluffy and chewy instead of crispy, and the sauce is a sweet sauce that some like and others don't. I still think that they use pretty good ingredients and it is much better than the soggy, greasy pizza you get at Domino's, Pizza Hut, Little Ceasar's, or other chains. So it's good for fast-food chain pizza, but certainly in a whole different class from someplace like Tony Maroni's. Mon Jul 19 17:12:45 -0700 2004 327102 0 Nicole 3 327123 Uhhh cant agree at ALL that poppa jons is even decent... Frankie and Jonnies is pretty damn good for delivery and they have a bunch of stores Fri Jul 16 19:02:56 -0700 2004 327099 0 Dre 3 327238 Papa John's is what we have to settle for here in dairyland because the family can't agree on Straw Hat or Roundtable, the other local chain choices. It is not a very pleasant experience. Just because we are limited here other 'hounds should not settle for this "stuff". When we really want pizza, we schlep over to Domenico's in Monrovia, part of a "chain" operated by members of the founding family in Pasadena, Monrovia and Arcadia. Sat Jul 17 19:09:38 -0700 2004 327099 0 Chino Wayne 1 327155 I have a weakness for thin crust pizza from Shakeys or Dominos. Cooked extra well w/ light cheese. Crunch, flakey and terrific. Not gourmet fare, but tastes great. Sat Jul 17 00:45:38 -0700 2004 326957 0 duckduckgoose 1 327506 I am definetly more 'Chicago' than 'New York' when it comes to pizza - I like thick crust, preferably deep dish, pizza pies etc. IMHO, then, the best pizza at a true 'chain' restaraunt is Numero Uno. Their deep dish pizza, with the large tomato chunks on top, is to die for. Unfortunately, the number of Numero Uno restaraunts seems to be dwindling, but they are still around. There also used to be a place around called "Pizzaria Uno" or something similar - they had a couple locations (one in the Northridge Fashion Center) that served really good deep dish pizza, but alas I think they no longer have any LA locations. If you expand the definition of "chain" to mean more than one location, I really like the double - layered pizza of the pizza place in the food court next to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica - unfortunately I can't remember the name of the place, but I know they have two or three locations. Wed Jul 21 13:40:31 -0700 2004 326957 0 Marty