Because my wife and daughter enjoy pizza so much, I decided to surprise them by trying a new place. I asked my wife to check out Eater LA’s top pizzerias in Los Angeles, and she narrowed it to about eight establishments. I selected Apollonia’s Pizzeria primarily because they offer Detroit-style pizza.
Apollonia’s Pizzeria is located in a strip mall on Wilshire Blvd along Section 1 of the Metro Purple Line Extension. Co-owner Justin De Leon is a former professional photographer and decided to change his career to open a pizzeria with his wife, Linda. Apollonia is the middle name of their daughter.
Because of the pandemic, they are only allowing one person to enter their establishment at a time. I arrived before they opened and was happy to be their first customer. For some reason, their menu only lists their round (NY-style) pizzas. While I was there, they were slicing the thick crust Detroit-style pizzas.
De Leon spent months perfecting his pizza. Not only did he work on improving the pizza crust, he also worked on perfecting the sauce and cheese mixture. His goal: to produce the best pizza pie possible. He also re-invented the Detroit-style pizza with a crown made with melted cheese.
One of their most popular pizzas is their New York-style pizza made with pepperoni, burrata and Mike’s Hot Honey. The crust is NY thin and blistered from the heat of the oven. The cheese is nicely melted, but what makes the pizza is the high quality pepperoni combined with the hot honey. The sweet, salty, and spicy taste combined with the blistered crust is fantastic!
The Mayor’s Mistress is also very popular. The pizza is topped with pepperoni, Italian sausage, fresh garlic, organic roma tomatoes, and fresh basil.
A couple of years ago, De Leon introduced a square Detroit-style pizza. He bakes his own version of focaccia bread, but what makes his square pizza unique is that he starts off by par baking the bread. Par baking provides for shrinkage of the crust which allowed him to create his signature cheese crown that rises on the edge of the pizza. You have to see it to believe it!
Due to par baking the crust, the focaccia becomes crisp and it is filled with air pockets. While it rises tall, it isn’t chewy like some thick crust pizzas. Thankfully, they offer their square pizzas by the slice and we tried the pepperoni and the prosciutto. The quality of the pepperoni they use nicely showcases the pizza.
Pro Tips: Apollonia’s Pizzeria is a cash-only business. Their 14” round pizzas range from $14 – $22 and a whole square pizza is $45, so bring lots of cash. Depending on the size of your order, expect to wait 25 – 35 minutes outside of their restaurant. Finally, due to the amount of prep-work involved, they shut down at 2:30 p.m. and re-open for dinner at 5 p.m.
All things considered, I think Apollonia’s Pizzeria is a worthy destination and certainly vies for LA’s best pizza.
Apollonia’s Pizzeria, 5176 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036; 323.937.2823
apolloniaspizzeria.com