Joe's Pizza on Sunset Strip!

[Charles Pepper]

Great news. Just saw a banner up on the old Cristoni space on the Sunset Strip. It said, coming soon Joe's Pizza of Bleeker Street.

[omotosando]

Had never even heard of Joe's, but happened to be getting acupuncture upstairs in the mini-mall where it is located. Nothing like acupuncture to work up an appetite, so I tried a slice.

Haven't been to Vito's, but this was definitely the best slice-type pizza that I have had in L.A. I actually was feeling sorry that I had discovered the place because I'm trying to watch my weight and now I'll be tempted to get a slice every time I come for acupuncture.

By the way, the parking isn't too bad if you park underground rather than trying to find one of the few above ground spaces.

[kevin]

is this the same mini mall on sunset with the Sushi Park sushi br on the second floor?

[omotosando]

Yes, same mini-mall. What's up with Sushi Park? I was curious when I saw the big sign that said "no take-out, no tempura, no spicy tuna roll, no Calfornia roll" or some such thing.

[kevin]

it should be omakase style a la sasabune, echigo, et al.

[houndofmusic]

Tried Joe's this weekend and thought it was OK but clearly inferior to Vito's. The Sicilian at Joe's was pretty nice though.

[Dommy]

Went late last night... for being open a week they are doing quite a bit of business with in house and take away!!

As for my impressions... I have to side with the Vitos crowd... While Joes wins in price and their crust is always nice and crisp (Vitos results can be a bit of uneven) , in the flavor department Joes is 'MEH' at best! The crust has no flavor!! Infuriating because it has such great texture... The sauce is bland and the toppings cut rate. With Vitos, the crust even when not at it's crispest has awesome flavor, the sauce is complex and the toppings are TOP notch... We had the Sicillian and the White Slice last night and in NO way did they come close to the white (Vito uses the most amazing Ricotta) and cheese slices I've had at Vitos... in fact, they looked a little pathetic compared to Vito's slices...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu/3737718510/

We also were SO excited to try the new sandwiches... We were hoping it would be another option in the area for Hollywood Bowl pick up... well we ordered the Chicken Parm and it was worse than the slices... The crust was so dry it was barely edible and the chicken was dry and mushy... The sauce was the same boring on on the slices and the cheese was plentiful, but could not make up for all it lacked. Again, Vito's sandwiches beat these out completely...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dommichu...

I have no doubt that Joes will do well at the spot since it's a great location and there is a need for something like it in the area... but personally, you can find me at Vitos...

--Dommy!

[schrutefarms]

What's late? Curious to know since I am in the area quite late at night....(and no, I don't hang out at Skybar)

[Charles Pepper]

Mon-Thurs: 10am-midnight
Fri-Sat: 10am-3am
Sunday: 11am-midnight

[schrutefarms]

Nice. Gracias.

[a_and_w]

If you eat meat, try a slice with pepperoni. Gives it just a bit more flavor and grease, which helps the taste and texture. I don't bother with Joe's other toppings, which I think are low quality. But the pepperoni is a critical addition, imo.

[ronnie_gaucho]

I went to Joe's on Sunset this past Monday...The Pizza is exactly like Joe's SM, which I think is good...But not quite worthy of all the hype. The homemade meatballs at the WH location were bland and a major letdown. I live on the westside, so if Im ever in WH i'll continue to frequent Vito's

[sarcasmsk]

The one on Sunset is pretty mediocre. I wasn't that impressed. Never been to the one on the westside, but Vito's is much better. I'm kinda upset about it too.

[ldodb]

I guess to each their own,
My favorite new york slice in LA is Joe's followed closely by Vito's
I went there on the day they opened and had to go back again Wednesday for another slice.
The crust is slightly crispier and the suace is a bit sweeter than Vito's.

I can't get enough.

Although I don't feel you can go wrong with either of the two.

[a_and_w]

This analysis strikes me as spot on.

[Charles Pepper]

They opened today!

[js76wisco]

Was there last night. I had several great slices and Sunet is better than the SM location in my opinion. Only been to Sunet once but ate at SM 5 to 7times. I think Joe's has the best slice in LA with Vitos a close 2nd. The crust is the best in LA, has the necessary crunch but also pliable enough to be folded in half. The sauce to cheese ratio on the slice is excellent but the sauce isn't too sweet. I also appreciate they have garlic and red pepper that come out of the canisters very easily.

[kramer59]

I can't believe that no one else has commented on Joe's sicilian pie. I had a square slice shortly after they opened in S.M. and it was 10 times tastier than the regular slice of cheese that I also tried. Did they stop making the square pie?

[Professor Salt]

Breathe easy. I was at the Santa Monica store yesterday, and they had Sicilian slices at the counter.

[wutzizname]

Glad to hear they're going to have a somewhat expanded menu, heros in particular. Always hard to find a decent NY style Chicken Parm out here. I trust Joe's WH will offer a contender.

[A5 KOBE]

In all honestly, I found Joe's in NYC to be just average pizza. It tastes exactly like Pronto pizza in NYC but Pronto is cheaper.

[nimo]

While I've enjoyed the NYC location, the SM one left a lot to be desired. Not even close to Vito's. Hopefully the WH one will be a step up.

[a_and_w]

When was the last time you tried Joe's NYC? It's been a few years for me, but the SM Joe's tastes exactly how I remember the NYC branch tasting -- for better and worse.

[ldodb]

Yay. Finally should soft open tomorrow.

http://la.eater.com/archives/2009/07/...

[ldodb]

Went by there today hoping for a slice. Not open yet. They said monday.

[sarcasmsk]

Any ETA???

[Servorg]

Nothing short of a brilliantly chowish coincidence that your three letter inquiry about a projected opening for Joe's Eastside outpost is an anagram for both EAT and ATE (I suppose I should throw in TEA while I'm at it).

Maybe I spend too much time thinking about food? lol

[schrutefarms]

Aren't we all on this board because we spend too much time thinking about food? :)

[cinzia]

except that I think we would say we spend just the right amount of time thinking about it - it's the others who are in the dark!

[ahuacatl]

Walked by today and saw some activity. A friendly guy named Joe said he thinks next week. Waiting on an inspector...

[schrutefarms]

That's a terrible location. In the past year or two it's changed from Pita Pit (which I actually liked), to Crostoni, now Joes. Good luck to them-they might be in luck, because the nearest pizza place (Pizza Rustica) just closed down. Maybe it's because the parking sucks right there? Or it's so tucked away? Or the strip is becoming more hotels and business people, and less partiers, therefore less foot traffic? I'll be sure to try them out.

[ldodb]

Well every once in a while Ill go out of my way to hit up the Joe's in Santa Monica. So I am very thankful that one is opening on this side of the city and can't wait to get some pies.

[Schweinhaxen]

Great, now I can conduct who has better pizza head to head. Vito's or Joe's!!!

[Charles Pepper]

Pizza war!

[Ciao Bob]

The pizza gets better as you move east:
Vito's is much better than the Santa Monica Joe's but not as good as the NYC Joe's.

[bophisto]

Just went last night to Joe's in SM for the first time, had a slice of Mozzarella it was pretty tasty. The white pie at Vito's was tasty too... .The Joe's slice seemed firmer/crispier though versus Vito. What do you think?

[Ciao Bob]

The two times I have been to Joe's I was underwhelmed with the crust. First Two Bites -- GREAT! Wonderful. Close to NY/NJ. BUT, strangely, after two bites it turned to cardboard. Vito's is MUCH better, IMHO.

[mrshankly]

Agreed about the crust. Actually, I'd change my opinion from underwhelmed to disappointed. I expected so much more from the hype but got a slightly above average pizza with overdone crust. I'll give the one on Sunset a shot with the hope that it's better.

[a_and_w]

Yes, Joe's crust tends to be on the crispy side even by NY standards. Vito's is really, really close to that street slice ideal of crispy yet foldable, though I've had overly crispy crust there, too.

[a_and_w]

NY Joe's and LA Joe's serve identical pizza, imo. (The NY branch has been coasting for some time.) But Vito's is beginning to edge Joe's out in my book after some really top notch slices on a couple of recent visits.

[maxzook]

Good!