Pizzana — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Reviewing Pizzana in Brentwood is easy in terms of describing the experience, but assigning it a quantitative star rating proves challenging due to the various lenses through which it can be evaluated.

Let’s start with the pizza itself: the Neapolitan-style pizza, specifically their Margherita, is a four-star offering.

As someone who’s been to a few pizza places on the Top 50 list globally, I have developed a few benchmarks for comparison. For instance, Seu Pizza Illuminati in Rome, Giovanni Santarpia in Florence, and nNea in Amsterdam all earn a five-star rating for their pizza, overall experience, and pricing. The pizza at these spots is exceptional, the vibe is unmatched, and the cost feels like a steal—two Neapolitan pizzas, a dessert, and two bottles of water at Seu cost around €30 (~$35), under $30 at Giovanni (where the pizzas are generously large), and about $40 at nNea. Meanwhile, 50 Kalo in London is probably a 4.5-star experience, though I’d round down to four if pressed; their pizza is great, but the place is very crowded and a bit pricey. Tony’s Pizza in San Francisco is fantastic but ridiculously expensive—two pizzas with similar sides there run about $110—so I’d also give it a four-star rating despite the quality.

At Pizzana, the same order—two Neapolitan pizzas, a dessert, and two waters—costs around $80, which is steep compared to the global spots mentioned. Although, their chocolate olive cake is pretty awesome.

When stacking Pizzana up against these international heavyweights, it’s no more than a three-star experience, largely due to the pricing relative to the quality. However, when compared to other U.S. restaurants, Pizzana fares better, closer to four stars. The pizza holds its own against many domestic competitors, and the overall experience is solid. Narrowing the lens to West LA, I’d say Pizzana is probably closer to five stars but doesn’t quite get there, mainly because the pricing feels a bit high for what you get compared to the value at top global spots.

That said, there’s one aspect of Pizzana that unequivocally earns a five-star rating, not just in West LA but among pizza places across the U.S.: their Monday-to-Friday Happy Hour menu. During Happy Hour, prices are slashed to half of their regular rates, making it an incredible deal. For example, a Neapolitan Margherita that might normally cost $24 drops to $12, bringing the total bill for two pizzas and sides closer to $45 (including tax and tip) —a steal compared to their standard $80. This Happy Hour deal makes Pizzana a standout for value-conscious diners without compromising on quality.

I’ve been a regular at Pizzana, visiting at least once a month, often twice, largely because of its convenient location in Brentwood. I usually opt for takeout, always sticking to the Neapolitan-style Margherita, which I find consistently well-made with a chewy crust and balanced flavors. The restaurant itself is sleek and modern, with a welcoming vibe, but I prefer the convenience of takeout given how busy the dining area can get.

In short, Pizzana’s Neapolitan pizza is a four-star delight, but its overall rating varies depending on the comparison. Globally, it’s a three-star experience; nationally, it’s closer to four; and in West LA, it’s nearly a five but held back by pricing outside of Happy Hour.

That Happy Hour menu, though, is a game-changer and easily a five-star offering anywhere in the U.S. If you’re in Brentwood and craving quality Neapolitan pizza, Pizzana is a great choice—especially if you can catch their...

Having heard so much positivity about this venue and loving my experience at Sprinkles I decided to chance a take away as the restaurant super busy (great sign) I was promptly met by a friendly and professional lady who was rushed off her feet but took the time to acknowledge me and kept me in the loop about how I was going to have my order handled. I was given a menu and introduced to a really friendly guy who was super helpful and couldn’t have been any friendlier.

I had requested 2 sides, 2 pizzas and a bottle of red wine and that was at least $150, I had also requested that the pizza for my friend to just be a margarita pizza with ham and mushroom as she is not as adventurous as I am. When I asked the guy who was dealing with me if that was possible he was eager to try and get this option made for us and the whole while was so friendly.

He asked the maitre d if it was possible for my request of the pizza for my friend to be made, he scoffed and laughed and shut the server down and gloated something along the lines of me being a Philistine for even requesting such a thing!

The server then came back to me and tried to explain that the kitchen couldn’t do the request but it was too late, I knew he was covering for the most unprofessional and straight up rude co-worker I’ve ever came across in my life having visited some where to eat or the 12 years I’ve worked in hospitality, that’s right I work in hospitality!

I stared washing dishes, cheffing, bussing, waiting, bar back, mixologist, supervisor, assistant, AGM and finally GM! Been a GM now for over 6 years and not once have I ever seen this kind of rudeness displayed right in front of a customer!

Having managed an Italian fine dinning bistro and another high end restaurant owned and run by Italians I know that you can and you will do anything you can for a customer!

The day an American trys to tell me about food is the day I retire, avoid at all costs due to one highly pretentious jerk who thinks he’s way above his station and wouldn’t even last a minute at papa johns with...

My second visit. I remember it being a lot better last time. We ordered the cacio e pepe pizzas. The crust was tough and took a lot of chewing. These are supposed to be Napoli style pizzas but the crust bears no resemblance to a Napoli pizza. The parmigiano crema was a little underwhelming and the hit of cold on a warm pizza didn't really work for me, but that might just be a personal thing. The main thing is the service was very rushed. The waiter was pleasant but this business of dropping off a dessert menu while a customer is sitting there with dirty plates is all wrong. He did that to the table next to us and they were even still eating when he dropped off dessert menus. "No rush", he said to both our tables. I am not sure if this is a restaurant policy or just his way of turning tables quickly but it was an epic fail for me. It's not a fast food establishment nor does it charge fast food prices. Our pizza was $26 each. The wine was almost $20 for what felt like a very small pour in a little tumbler (please serve wine in a wine glass, even a stemless one. I know they often serve them in little water glasses in Italy but this is not Italy and in Italy that wine and that pizza would be a quarter of the price.) When the bill came, the waiter said "our chef has imported these treats from Italy and he'd like to share them with you." There were two tiny wrapped candies the size of your baby fingernail. You've seen them before. They are so unremarkable that to have remarked on them, and made them sound like some special treat we were getting free, is almost laughable. I doubt I would ever go back. Ghisallo on Ocean Park Blvd will get my return business. I would have written to the restaurant and told them this, rather than leave this review, but they don't have an email on...