Za za in La La

Join us on a pizza tour of Los Angeles — LA’s first and only walking pizza tour!

Los Angeles has great pizza, and you can even walk between the different spots. Here’s a quick recap of the first ever Bob’s Pizza Tour hosted in the City of Angels!

The buzz of a pizzeria on a warm evening is unlike anything else!

We kicked things off with the oldest pizzeria in Echo Park, Pizza Buona, the neighborhood’s oldest pizzeria. Opened in 1959 by Vincent Booze, longtime customer Norman Schweitzer met his wife Otilia there when she was working in the 80s. The couple bought the spot in the 80s and maintained their classic pies for 30+ years. 

The original location for Pizza Buona. Source: Google Maps

The 2010s marked a shift for the restaurateur family. A car in 2012 crashed through the front, and then in 2015, a rent hike forced them to a strip mall down the street. A tragedy of gentrification, a new-age chef bought the old space and named the spot, Cosa Buona. Some say it’s an homage to the original tenant, but based on a few conversations with patrons, I am not so sure that is the case. 

Plastic cup and a big plate of nostalgia @ Pizza Buona.

If you depart and descend the hill that Pizza Buona sits on, you slide right into the neighborhood’s namesake park. Once a key water supply for LA, its reservoir now serves primarily aesthetic and recreational purposes. Cross through it, and climb another hill (look at all these steps you’re getting in!!) to reach the best Detroit-style pizza west of the Mississippi: Quarter Sheets. 

Echo Park from Chinatown. The heart of walkable pizza in LA. Source: Movie Tourist

Another pandemic project turned primary passion, Quarter Sheets opened their popup in 2020 out of their home in Glendale. The husband & wife duo have reached significant heights, earning a spot on the New York Times’s 100 best restaurants list. Aaron is a Michigan-native who brought his hometown’s signature dish out west, and his wife Hannah is an exceptional pastry chef who runs the terrific desert department (TTDD).

Fresh California produce on beautifully constructed crusts 🤤

While stomach space was limited (read: need to return for the desserts), we stumbled down the street to our final destination: Masa. A deep-dish spot opened in 2004 by Chicagoans, it has been a staple of the evolving neighborhood over the last two decades. 

Tavern-style pies, cut nicely in squares.

Fortunately, they specialize in both of Chicago’s pizza styles — deep dish and tavern style. While you have to ask to cut the pizza into squares rather than slices, it goes down smooth. 

Featuring LA locals and Bob’s Pizza Tour alumni, this was one for the ages!

Congrats to the inaugural attendees who joined this tour last summer, and congrats to all Angelenos for unknowingly sleeping on a walkable pizza paradise! Here’s to more walking and more pizza!

Walk this way!