By snoadmin
In many ways, pizza is the perfect food for college students: You don’t need utensils to eat it, it’s good any time of the day no matter how hot or cold it is, it’s still tasty even when it’s not made well, and it can be prepared and garnished in so many different ways.
Unfortunately, Long Beach isn’t exactly a mecca of munch-worthy pizza madness on par with the likes of New York and Chicago. Still, there are a number of places in the LBC worth your salt in sauce-covered doughy delights.
Because pizza-eating experiences vary greatly depending on the places themselves as well as other factors like money and sobriety (or lack thereof, in both cases), I’ve chosen to spotlight five pizza places in Long Beach as the best in my specialized and relevant-to-the-real-world categories. I guess you could even say these are my awards for the best pizza places in town, although I’m not saying these are the only Long Beach pizza joints worth checking out.
Also, bear in mind that I set down two ground rules when making my picks: no restaurant chains (that means you, BJ’s and California Pizza Kitchen), because I sought to focus on places exclusive to Long Beach, and no places right next to campus that are really easy to find (that means you, Pizzamania).
With that out of the way, here are the fabulous five:
Best Pizza For Under $5: The Deli News (5555 E. Stearns St., near Stearns and Bellflower Boulevard – it’s next to Amazing Comics & Cards, for all you nerds out there)
That’s right, you’re not going blind or insane – the place offers pizza for $4.99. With that amount of change, you can secure yourself a medium (14”) one-topping pizza. Sure, it’s 75 cents for each additional topping, but you should praise the pizza gods that you’re able to get a decent-sized pizza for $4.99 in the first place.
Of course, you’re probably wondering if the pizza is actually any good or even just edible. Fortunately, Deli News delivers on both counts.
I admit that the tart pizza sauce is a bit of an acquired taste, and the crust is a bit too covered in flour for my tastes. Still, the pizza is decent (and even great when considering how little it costs), the place offers a variety of pizzas, sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes that are all very reasonably priced, and the service is excellent.
Oh, and just to reiterate: 14” pizzas for $4.99. Bottom line: Go to Deli News. Now.
As an added bonus, Deli News offers T-shirts with sayings such as “Half Italian Better Than None” so that you can enjoy your pie with a sense of style. Unfortunately, the place doesn’t offer a shirt that says “Italians Do It Better” like the one Madonna wore in her “Papa Don’t Preach” video, so fans of both the Material Girl and meat-covered pizza are out of luck.
Best Pizza From a Place With the Words “Long Beach” In Its Name: Long Beach Pizza Co. (3430 E. Broadway, near Broadway and Newport Avenue)
OK, Long Beach Pizza Co. wins this title by default because it’s the only pizza place I know of with a name that refers to this fine city. Still, this place is simply wonderful.
Not only is the pizza tasty (with a crust that is not too thick or thin), but the service is prompt, and the menu even offers gourmet pizzas such as pesto pizza (topped with mozzarella cheese, pesto sauce, artichoke, feta cheese and tomato).
In addition, although Long Beach Pizza Co. bills itself as a sports bar, the place seems more upscale (but in a good way). Instead of walls covered with sports memorabilia, the interior is tastefully decorated with a subtle wood trim in a style that you’d expect to see in a trendy downtown bistro instead.
Still, there’s quite a few flatscreen TVs tailor-made for watching sports even though the place itself is pretty small. There’s also a decent selection of beer on tap (always a plus when it comes to pizza places), and the atmosphere is very laid-back.
Overall, Long Beach Pizza Co. is the rare eatery that is both the perfect place to read the newspaper by yourself and watch the game with your friends.
Best Pizza In Belmont Shore From a Place Daring Enough To Still Play Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” Without a Trace Of Irony: NY’s Upper Crust Pizza (5291 E. Second St., near Second and Glendora Avenue)
I admit that I kind of cheated, because NY’s Upper Crust Pizza is actually a small chain with a number of other locations throughout Orange County. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for pizza by the slice or a stromboli to go, you can’t go wrong with this place.
Although the single slices are served under heat lamps, the pizza is crispy while avoiding the pitfalls that usually come with making thin-crust pizza (read: cardboard-like texture and taste). In addition, with its counter near the front window, NY’s Upper Crust Pizza is the perfect place to grab a slice and people-watch in Belmont Shore.
Best Pizza For When It’s 2 a.m., You’ve Had Eight Irish Car Bombs, And You Just Don’t Care Anymore: Big E Pizza (3225 E. PCH, near PCH and Obispo Avenue)
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Big E isn’t going to blow you away with its pizza. However, the place is open until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Because drunkenness and lowered expectations when it comes to food go hand in hand, you know where to go to cap off a night of bar-hopping (OK, there’s also the always-open Shore House Cafe on Second Street, but its pizza selection doesn’t even come close to Big E’s).
The pizza is a bit bland and the crust leaves much to be desired, but the portions are generous. Again, if it’s 2:30 a.m. and you’re borderline-coherent, you’re probably not looking for much more than that.
Best Pizza (no, I’m not being facetious): Ecco’s Pizza (2123 Bellflower Blvd., near Bellflower and Abbeyfield Street)
This place is the real deal, dear reader. Sure, the place has a plain white exterior (it’s right next to Aida’s University Text bookstore), and the ragged interior indicates that probably little has changed structurally since it opened 30 years ago. The pizza isn’t exactly the cheapest, either: a one-topping medium (14”) pizza is $15.59, while most of the large pizzas are close to $20.
Still, the pizza is so flavorful and made with such care that you can actually taste the herbs and other wonderful things that went into its creation, which alone sets Ecco’s apart from most other places out there, and the crust is both thick and doughy. With its toppings tucked underneath the cheese, it’s reminiscent of gourmet pizza, yet it isn’t too esoteric or difficult to appreciate.
So the next time you’re craving pizza yet don’t want to take the Domino’s route yet again, remember that there’s plenty of places in Long Beach to get your fix in almost any situation.
