Eating Out Pizzanista, LBC

Usually I am one to not welcome foreign investment into Long Beach.  Take for example, the Pike Outlet in Downtown Long Beach. It is a cluster fuck of things or the Gap on Second Street. Downtown Pike area is not Long Beach owned but it is owned by DDR, an Ohio based company that sets up strip malls across America.  I am all for bringing new jobs into Long Beach but an outlet mall is not what I envisioned for the city I love.  

But it was a different story when I heard the Pizzanista! was taking up residence.  Like literally taking up residence in a Craftsman style home on 7th street where there was an old pizza place called La Rizza's Pizza.  I've eaten there once in a booth that was close to the booth where Julia Roberts sat.  I could feel the magic. But the magic had been gone for quite some time and my fear was that maybe the old house was going to become a Payday Loan or a house of shit store. I was very happy to find out it was Pizzanista! The first location is in DTLA in the arts district, on oddly enough on 7th Street, so it is technically a foreign investment, but I think the heart is in the right place.  The pizza is good and not too many places in Long Beach have an option for good pizza by the slice, vegan options and is open late.

$1.00 day olds?!? The best thing ever!

I love the pepperoni that cups.  You know the kind start off as flat and then when heated they become pepperoni cups that just reserves the hot oil  and then when you bite into it, it burns the shit out of the roof of you mouth? This is especially true in the Meat Jesus. Meat lovers pizza is not my fave but the Meat Jesus is everything a meat lovers needs to be. You can taste the quality of ingredients and somehow it makes for a pleasant surprise. 

I also love the art on the shirts, the boxes and stickers.  I like attention to detail and the not so subtle homages to art, music, and skateboarding.  It felt like the old great pizza spots. You know the spot where you take the little league team after the last game of the season but the Descendents is playing over the speakers, there are good vegan options and only thing missing is the arcade. Oh what's that, this case will be filled with beer? It's a match made in Long Beach.

 If you want this macaroni pizza make sure  you go there on Sunday.

PIZZANISTA! LONG BEACH

1837 E. 7TH STREET

LONG BEACH, CA 90813

TEL: (562) 591-6929

HOURS:

TUESDAY – THURSDAY: 11 AM – 10 PM

FRIDAY & SATURDAY: 11 AM – 12 AM

SUNDAY: 11 AM – 10 PM