Chef Ali Haider has a hit with 786 Degrees, the temp-specific Sun Valley spot for busy, blistered — and completely halal — pizzas. Expect top quality ingredients and a good amount of char from the wood-fired oven, and for anyone looking a bit closer to the heart of LA, Haider also operates Sapori in Pasadena.

Thin, blistered, decadent, and cool; that’s the way of the pizza at Altadena hit Side Pie, which started out as a backyard pop-up before transitioning into a parking lot restaurant that deep-dives into collaborations, one-off flavors, merch, and other fun stuff.

Chef Christopher Keyser and the Union team have crafted another red sauce hit in Pasadena, though this one relies on pizza instead of pasta. For big, blistered-edged pies (with some cheese shaved around the rim for good measure) done by the city’s best culinary team, U Street is it.

Chef David Wilcox is turning out what may be LA’s best pizzas right now, all while keeping his customer base informed on safety protocols, larger restaurant issues, and the future of his own place via Instagram. The honest approach has been working, with fans flocking to the place so often they’ve actually expanded hours during this difficult time.

There are plenty of places that claim to serve Neapolitan pizza in Los Angeles, but few have the pedigree of Italian import L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele. Preparation starts with a high-protein flour and a double-fermentation process. The dough can only be touched three times after toppings are added, then placed in the handmade clay wood-fired oven.

Made by actual former Michigander and longtime executive chef about town Ryan Ososky, this Detroit-style spot has not only held on during the pandemic, it has grown to become perhaps the best version of the now-saturated genre anywhere in LA. Stop by the shared space at Phorage in West Hollywood for a crispy-edged, extra-cheesy pie.

Sotto veteran Daniel Cutler oversees this pizza and small plates restaurant with wife and general manager Caitlin Cutler. With inventive pizzas boasting supple but charred crusts and levain bread with a wonderfully brown crust, Ronan is a haven for those who love carbohydrates.

Prime Pizza has become LA’s de facto slice joint. The place not only does simple thin round pies, it also works square and Sicilian style pizzas daily, and with a location now open in Burbank, their reach is bigger than ever.

The wood-fired pizzas at chef Zach Pollack’s Cosa Buona live up to the hype — charred black crusts that give way to toppings ranging from classic margherita to Hawaiian. With its puffy, blistered ring and casual demeanor, some find these everyday pizzas to be a better approximation of traditional delivery-style pies.

It’s hard to think of a more photogenic pizza than the square Detroit-style pies from Apollonia’s on Wilshire. These dense, expertly cheesy pizzas are filled with crunch, cheese, and plenty of sauce.

The late Jonathan Gold made some hefty claims about Pizzana, comparing chef Daniele Uditi's neo-Neapolitan pies to the best in the world. Given the restaurant's naturally fermented dough and wood-fired oven, it’d be difficult to argue otherwise.

Steve and Dina Samson opened one of the city’s best thin-crust pizzas next to their Fashion District restaurant Rossoblu. Using a high temperature electric deck oven, Samson uses three-day old dough that boasts a pliant structure that takes on everything from classic pepperoni to a mixed vegetable pie with escarole, red onion, smoked olives, and mozzarella.

Lodge Bread still does new school Neapolitan pies during the day, but now the team has added naturally fermented New York City-style pizzas at night. From Wednesday to Sunday in the evenings, the large 18 inch pizzas come with potato and leek, classic pepperoni, and wild mushrooms.

Long Beach’s pizza destination is this ode to the New York-style from Jonathan Strader and Jack Leahy with wide, puffy pies topped generously with sauce and cheese. Toppings range pepperoni cups and mozzarella to a garlicky white pie with spinach, ricotta, and Calabrian chili.