Annenberg Radio News

Does California-style pizza exist? A conversation with LA pizza expert Ben Mesirow

February 9 is National Pizza Day, so what’s the scene like here in Los Angeles? We talked to Ben Mesirow, writer at the Los Angeles Times and the LAist, to find out

JUSTIN HEO: So Ben, obviously we’re not in New York, we’re not in Chicago. I want to know, where does L.A. fit in terms of pizza culture?

BEN MESIROW: Yeah, it’s it’s a good question. L.A. always gotten a bad rap for a while for our pizza. But I think at this point, the real advantage we have is like in a lot of things: diversity. You can get basically any style of pizza here. And and we’re not really tethered to one specific version.

HEO: What’s your favorite pizza joint here in L.A.?

MESIROW: I guess on the whole, I would probably say I like Hail Mary in Atwater Village. They do a sort of sourdough-- kind of lots of farmer’s market ingredients... really cool, weird vegetable pizzas with a really fantastic crust.

STEFAN DE LA GUARDIA: Oh, that’s amazing. So, you know, folks usually like to complement certain wines with certain foods. For the Super Bowl this Sunday, is there a certain pizza that fits the mood or fits the matchup?

MESIROW: That’s a good question. I guess with the Rams in it and with it being in L.A., I might want to stick with one of our local favorites. I really like Angeleno Wine Co. They’re putting out a whole bunch of cool natural wines... sort of like Lincoln Heights, Chinatown, Downtown kind of mixes, and they’re doing some really cool, funky stuff.