The Brief

Pizza, like death and taxes, is a constant in our lives — always there when you need it, whether you’re avoiding cooking one night or just need a quick slice to hold you over until your next meal.

Slices can be a bit hard to come by in our whole-pie-lovin'-city, but on recent visits to northeast Los Angeles, I noticed several new pizzerias that have opened offering a more modern take on pizza (no shade to local stalwarts Mario’s, Folliero's, Fidel’s and Casa Bianca), and, even more importantly, those easily-accessed slices.

Bub and Grandma’s, now in Highland Park, Park Pizza in Glassell Park and Secret Pizza in Montecito Heights are all serving slices for around $5 or so. I decided to do a quick heat check to see how they measure up.

Bub and Grandma’s Pizza

Bub and Grandma’s Pizza offers East Coast–style slices on sourdough crust with fresh toppings.

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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The newest kid on the block, Bub and Grandma’s Pizza, on York Boulevard and Avenue 51, offers East Coast-style pizza. It’s inside the old Town Pizza location, which was previously Italiano's — a place that some long-time residents might remember.

East Coast style is a catch-all term that encompassing recipes from New York and extending as far as Connecticut, characterized by large, thin slices containing a light tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese.

The walk-up window offers a variety of 18-inch pies for pickup, along with five slice options, including cheese, pepperoni, a red slice (vegan option), meatball onion, and a market produce option loaded with farm-fresh veggies, all made with a sourdough crust. I ordered the cheese, pepperoni, and meatball onion slices, which arrived approximately 10 minutes later. That felt long for a pizza slice — but perhaps it's because they are a new business still working out the kinks.

The first notable detail was the crust itself. It looked thin, but upon taking a first bite, you realize that’s only part of the story. It has an airy, textured structure that’s slightly bubbly in parts, almost like a deflated focaccia, with a moist, chewy texture highlighted by light char marks throughout, likely due to its heavy baking (perhaps that’s where it spent the last ten minutes, fine by me).

The toppings themselves were also stellar — most notable was the pep slice, with its perfectly charred cupped edges that created a level of synergy between the charred bits of the crust. The meat on the meatball onion slice was perfectly seasoned and worked harmoniously with the small strands of caramelized white onions.

I found myself pondering the question as I made my way back to the car: Does this pizza have any business being this good? Either way, given that it’s an affordable option you can grab and go for a little hit of quality, then we are all better for it.

Park Pizza

Two cheese slices from Park Pizza in Glassell Park available between the hours of noon and 4 p.m. daily.

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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Down the road, in Glassell Park, you’ll find another corner pizza joint: Park Pizza, a small order-at-the-counter space about a year old, connected to Glassell General, a convenience store.

I ordered the only two slices on the menu, the cheese and pepperoni, which are solely served between the hours of noon and 4 p.m. (I didn’t know slice hours were a thing). Alas, I missed my window, as they were out of pepperoni, but still had a few slices of cheese.

It's located within spitting distance of the Verdugo Bar, where, apparently, you can order a pizza directly to your table while enjoying your favorite beer and cocktail. I was in a bit of a time crunch, so instead I took a seat at one of the outdoor sidewalk tables outside Park Pizza.

The pizza itself was fine, a wide-cut slice topped with a light layer of tomato sauce. Nothing about it struck me as spectacular; the crust was lackluster, brittle and dry at times. Still there were moments of flavor, when the cheese meltingly intermingled with the sweet and tangy sauce. Maybe I’ll go back during regular slice hours and try the pepperoni — then perhaps it will be different.

Secret Pizza

A slice of cheese pizza from Secret Pizza in Montecito Heights, self-described as "New Jersey"-style pizza.

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Courtesy Secret Pizza

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Located in the foothills of Montecito Heights, Secret Pizza specializes in a distinct sub-category of East Coast pizza: New Jersey-style pizza.

Founded by Sean Lango, who began cooking pizza out of his Hollywood apartment in 2020 and subsequently launched his own brick-and-mortar shop in 2022. Lango calls his pizza New Jersey-style because he's from there and wanted to defend himself from the wrath of purist New Yorkers, who aren’t happy with outsiders claiming their turf. However, in appearance, Lango’s pizza is similar to NYC-style, with its thin, hand-tossed crust that’s foldable when eaten and simple topping selections.

With four slice options available at any given time, ranging from $3.50 to $5.75, the beauty of Lango’s pizza is its simplicity. The thin crust creates a perfectly crispy bottom, providing a great texture, topped with a tangy sauce that consistently enhances the flavor.

One of my favorite aspects of Lango’s commitment to making pizza is that he endlessly tinkers with his dough mixture to make it damn near perfect. I’ve stopped by a few times and have always been impressed with just how far he’s come. I'd say it's one of my favorite pizzas in L.A.