Casa Bianca vs. Antica Pizza

I've been reading these rave reviews of Casa Bianca for awhile now, so I finally got my butt in gear and went there. It was a good pizza, not a great pizza. If I compare it to Domino's, Pizza Hut, and frozen pizzas, sure, it is amazing, but dogfood stacks up pretty well in that competition. If I compare it to good pizza that I've had in many cities, then it gets a B. It's got a decently crunchy crust, but the toppings were nothing notable. The service and the place itself were fun and comfortable, which undoubtedly makes a lot of folks keep coming back. If I lived close by, it's probably where I would go for a pizza, but I'm not going to drive across LA to get it.

Contrast Casa Bianca with Antica Pizza in Marina del Rey and I think there is a clear winner. Antica Pizza has a crunchy, Neapolitan crust and great toppings. It's the real deal. It's a different style of pizza than Casa Bianca and perhaps I am just voicing a personal preference, but I truly think that Antica Pizza is superior.

[epop]

they are both great pizzas (in their respective categories) but one is missing the point to compare them--- one is neopolitan and the other is south side chicagoan.

[jeremypb]

Casa Bianca is very disappointing. Living on the east side and hearing all the hype then finally taking the time to wait in line there makes the mediocre pizza not worth it one bit. But let's face it, great pizza in LA is almost impossible to find. I haven't actually heard much about Antica but I'll be sure to check it out

[stevenclaire]

you might want to head a few blocks down the street towards Eagle Rock Blvd and try Brownwstone pizza. It is supposedly very good by the slice and I thought much better than Casa Bianca though they can get slow if you order a whole pie!!

[Adsvino]

Antica=best pizza I have had outside of italy. CHEWY and crispy crust, perfect toppings. Love it.

[DMojoD]

I completely agree about Antica. I lived in Italy and Antica is the most authentic Italian pizza I've had outside of Italy. Whenever I go to Antica there are always Italians there eating pizza. They tell me they can make pasta at home, but they come to Antica for the pizza.

just had casa bianca and was diappointed also.. what is the big hype here any way? can someone explain?

Casa Biance - It's just incomprehensible. There is always a line, at any dinner-time they're open. Only time I've sat down without a 'Saturday' wait was going in at, like 5:00pm! And the place is nice, teh pizza is "OK", but...not worth the usual hassle of a big line, outside waiting etc. Sorry, no recommendations for the area, particularly. Never been to Antica in MdR, must try it the next time I feel like driving across town to get a pizza.

How about trying it the next time you have to go to LAX or the marina?
It's less than 10 minutes from LAX.

[sebi]

Casa Bianca isn't the greatest pizza ever but if you order right they make a very good pie. Maybe not worth "driving across town for" but a better-than-average-pie.

Personal favorites are: anything with sausage (sausage and onions) because the sausage is handmade and has loads of fennel, so the combination of zingy fennel, meaty sausage and what I believe is almost caramelized onions makes for a great flavor combo.

Then beyond that, the eggplant pizza is also very good. Crispy breaded pieces of eggplant blending with the tomato sauce just works.

And, if you are a purist, the pepperoni and black olive pizza is very good also.

You gotta get the pie there and eat there. It's part of the experience. The insane waits are do to the family style, neighborhood vibe and good prices. But it is still quite annoying to wait that long...

Oh, and they make a good antipasta salad!

I drove across town to Antica Pizzeria a couple of years ago and was disappointed. I loved it when it was on Third - loved their Neapolitan pizza and fried calamari. But I agree that its pizza is on a different plane from Casa Bianca's.

I've tried both spots and neither did much for me.

Last night it was late and I wanted a slice, I stopped by Pizzarito (across from Antica) and it was shut down!!!

Now, it's nearly impossible to get a slice of pizza in this city.

A week ago I had Johnnie's and nearly flew out of my chair--it tasted better than I ever had from there.

My favorite is still the pizza on Melrose at Angeli Caffe.

Link: http://www.angelicaffe.com

[krez]

That made me LOL because it reminded me. Pizzarito always smelled like pizza and fruit juice because Jamba Juice was right next door, ew! I couldn't imagine eating there just because of that.