Fat Tomato Pizza — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Fat Tomato makes a standard conventional oven parlor pizza, with a chewy crust, and ample amounts of cheese and sauce. No wood stacked in back for the ovens, no buffaloes being milked, it's not a cloth napkin pizza. Which is fine with me, this is the kind of pizza I want. Recently, I've heard DP (the one bite guy) describe this style as a "football" pizza, no idea if that will catch on.

FT advertises NY style, but like many parlors that use New York in their name or menu, it's not. I think there's a modern consensus online of what makes a NY style (mostly), a crunchy crust ring, a restrained amount of sauce and cheese, and a thin, preferably crispy, well browned crust that holds the point when given the NY fold. That's not this pizza, and I'm not rating on that scale.

As you can see below, it's a fine looking pizza, and it eats every bit as well as it looks. The crust can be relatively thick in places, but if it thins out, it's a bit droopy at the point due to the heavy filling (not a demerit for this style). The sauce tastes great, rich, with an herbal note. There's enough cheese to please without being gloppy, it's ideal. When you take that first bite of the point, the word that keeps coming to mind is luscious, saucy and cheesy, a burst of flavor. That's why this is an excellent pizza of its type, and deserves all five stars for representing this style with class in all respects.

I note on my most recent FTs, including the 16" pictured below, and the one that followed (today), the cheese developed a bite to it as it cooled, a little chewy. I don't see how that matters, but it's different from my previous FT's, the ones I carry on my hips. Yes, I like my pizza, too much.

Peers of this style in range include Johnnie's, on the west side of Lincoln, Pizzarito up Glencoe, and Lenzini's on Culver. Johnnie's matches FT's quality, the differences are really preferences. FT's outside crust ring is smaller and flatter (still chewy), but that means a greater interior to crust ratio. The sauce has a more herbal taste, whereas Johnnie's is a little sweet. Pizzarito's has upped their game, a recent pizza was very close, the crust a bit thinner. A good pizza for the moment, we'll see if that quality holds. Lenzini's has so little sauce it's tough to say what it tastes like, it's a cheese pie. All four are constructed similarly.

I pretty much spread my business between FT and Johnnies, first one, then the other, I'm glad to eat either one. Without doubt Johnnie's access is easier, FT's lot is tiny and crammed, and you almost always have to turn right on Washington and escape down Redwood, if you're headed back down towards the sea. No biggie, I live with it. For me, my two favorite local pizzas are also the closest, that works.

One thing, I would avoid the four cheese option, they use a lot of ricotta, globs of it, and that sweet stuff is just not for pizzas, imho. I scooped it off with a spoon, and replaced it with some of their fine marinara side sauce, which I always get to dip the crust. Your taste may differ of course, but I'll stick with the standard.

Note, I re-wrote this review after gaining more experience. Since I arrived in MdR, I think I've eaten seven Fat Tomato pizzas, 14 and 16". There were some differences, but all were consistent where it counts, how they ate.

Ed: I sensed there was something different about the latest 16" I picked up yesterday, the box was lighter. And it was, whether a one off (pizza is variable) or a recipe change, the crust was more uniform and thinner that before, like maybe they were trying to be more NY-ish. The quantity of sauce and cheese, and the soft, chewy crust all run against that, though it did hold the point rather well.

Any change to the eating experience? Nope, it was delicious as usual, hot and cold. Do I care about eating less crust? Nope, probably not a bad idea to shove less dough down...

No, fambo. This ain’t it. At all, family. Just.

Have you ever had Celeste personal frozen Pizza? Also, have you had Oscar Meyer Lunchables Pizza?

Okay, so this is the perfect amalgamation of both of those worlds. Except with better ingredients.

This isn’t for people who love Pizza in any way shape or form, fam.

This place ain’t it. Trust my credentials. It’s not even worth making it funny, family.

This place just ain’t it....

Slices are reheated with your toppings added, neither good nor quick. Not how pizza is made, people. Comes in a big plastic box with lots of napkins; in-person ordering is via tablet, not a good vibe—but I'd be stoked to find this place in an airport. In the midwest. Pro tip: Pitfire Pizza is right...