A Bit of New York in Silver Lake
2764 Rowena Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Phone: 323-664-3333 | map | website

Nicky D. was a New York resident who moved his Times Square pizza business here, bringing his massive wood oven with him; Nicky tells us the oven came from Rome, brought to America brick by brick: "They used to drive chariots over this stuff."

If you're lucky enough to get one of the, um, three or four parking spots, all good. Otherwise you should be able to find something on Rowena.

His pizza business is on the upstairs level of a little white house on Rowena, with creaky wooden floors, a charming sitting room with a fireplace, and a loosely bricked, undecorated smoking patio in back. We sit outside in back.

Bianca recommends the Blonde Bunny, an olive-oil-base pizza with ricotta, goat cheese, romano and mozzarella with roasted garlic. I get a deeply satisfying pepperoni with roasted garlic and sun-dried tomato, sit back with a Sanpellegrino Aranciata, and soak in Silver Lake. They have gelato if you have room afterwards.

I've heard people complain about Nicky D's: that it's gone downhill, that service is iffy and surly, that delivery went wrong, that it depends on the night. Others love it. So far we've had positive experiences there, but then we don't get it delivered, and we don't try to get it in a hurry.