The specifics of Neapolitan pizzas are “subject to much Talmudic debate,” writes Michael Idov in New York Magazine this week. But there are a few rules that all aspiring Neapolitan pizzas must follow: A twelve-inch round pie, often unsliced; a thin, soft, and chewy crust; bubbles on the rim; simple but quality sauces; a modest amount of mozzarella di bufala; and a few stingy drops of olive oil. Though New York is currently in the midst of a Neapolitan revolution, it’s not the only city turning away from the familiar gloppy sauce and slithering cheese. A solid handful of L.A. slice-slingers are obsessed with proving to the world that we have edible pizza, importing water from Brooklyn or Naples itself, but those in the Neapolitan business are content to keep a low-profile while pumping out some excellent versions of the form. Below, eleven spots in L.A. that craft an authentic Neapolitan, from those with handmade mozzarella to certified pies.
Antica Pizzeria
Even other pizza makers come to this Marina pizzeria for verified Neapolitan training.
Pizzeria Ortica
David Myers strikes again, using a 300-year old biga from Naples just to start the dough.
The Good Pizza
This Westchester pizzeria is under-the-radar, proudly claiming their Naples heritage and authentic pies.
Bollini’s Pizzeria Napolitana
A woodfire oven and recipes passed down through the Bollini family.
Zucca Ristorante
High end Neapolitan uses Caputo flour, handmade flor di latte fresh mozarella made by hand, San Marzano tomatoes, and local spring water.
Naples Ristorante & Pizzeria
This Downtown Disney upscale Italian uses water “with the same mineral content” as that found in Naples.
Bottega Louie
Crisp rustic crust covered sparsely with patches of mozzarella, light sauce, and fresh chopped basil.
Rush Street
Culver City’s pizza party restaurant promises real Neapolitan every Tuesday this summer in their brick oven.
Da Pasquale Restaurant
Chef Pasquale hails from Naples and brings with him a delightful thin crust pizza that is Beverly Hill’s best example of Neapolitan.
Riva
It hasn’t taken long for Santa Monica to recognize the talent in Jason Travi’s thin-crust wood-fired Neapolitan pies whose bottoms get a little burned like we like it.
Madeo’s
Paper-thin and sporting more whole leaves of fresh basil than it does its delicious sauce and cheese.
