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Los Angeles is a melting pot of different cultures, which is why I’m very excited to share with you this amazing place where Italy meets Japan: Pizzeria Sei. This mom-and-pop pizzeria specializes in Neo-style pizzas with a Japanese twist.
Sang Woo Joo, who immigrated to LA from South Korea, worked at Pizzana, a fixture in the LA pizza scene. Later on, he perfected his techniques by watching online videos from Tokyo-based restaurants Pizza Studio Tamaki and Savoy Pizza. In February 2022, Sang opened Pizzeria Sei. You may be asking yourself, why the name Sei? It translates to “six” in Italian, and is also the number of slices they offer in all their pizzas.
Sang’s wife, Jennifer Joo runs the front of the house, while Sang works with a helper in the open kitchen, which is enclosed by glass walls behind the bar.
But before we get into it, let’s dive into the story of Neapolitan-style pizzas in Japan.
Anthony Falco, who’s a chef, author and pizza consultant does a pretty good job explaining it in this article from finedininglovers.com:
“Tokyo style really starts with one person who added his idiosyncrasies to something that exists already. The story is that Susumu Kakinuma backpacked around Italy as a young man and the pizza blew him away. He tried to train there but it didn’t happen. Still, he understood the concepts, held on to his pizza memories, and returned to Japan… He had an oven built based on what he saw in Naples but using Japanese stones.”
So, what is a Tokyo-style pizza? Anthony said:
“There are these pinches all around the outside of the crust, instead of a perfectly round edge. It’s a rippled edge but also a big puffy crust. And he did another thing, which was to add salt all over the top of the pizza before it went in the oven and salt on the floor of the oven before he put the pizza in. This is a Neapolitan trick. Kakinuma calls it the salt punch. So, if I had to really boil it down, it’s the simplicity of ingredients, the quality of ingredients, and the pinching of the crust.”
Pizzeria Sei sits inconspicuously among the many eateries on Pico Blvd. If you don’t know about it, chances are you won’t do a double take if you happen to pass it. The inside, with solid wall colors, is very no-frills. Don’t expect to find bells and whistles, like Japanese or Italian-inspired decor. The space consists of a “pizza bar” with many bar stools and single tables with two chairs. Just like in Japan, Pizzeria Sei’s eating experience is geared toward the solo diner. With this being said, don’t go to Pizzeria Sei if you’re looking for a sit-down, social gathering with your friends. You get there, eat your appetizers and pizza, and leave – It all boils down to the food.
When I went there, I only saw parties of two, with the exception of one person who was sitting by herself.
Sang said:
“We wanted to be very high end, kind of like a sushi bar, with pizza that’s very fresh from the oven so you get 100 percent of everything when it’s super hot.”
After reading the glowing reviews, I had to go there. I couldn’t wait until the weekend, so I drove there straight after work. Tejal Rao, writer for the NY Times said:
“Every day, the pizza at Pizzeria Sei is a tiny bit different from the day before. I know this because I can’t stop going to Pizzeria Sei.”
The more I did my research, the more surprised I was to learn about Japan’s history with Neapolitan-style pizzas. I highly recommend you watch the video below. When I think of the best places in the world to get a pizza, Japan would have never ever crossed my mind!
I took my pizza to go, but if you want to sit at the bar, you need to make a reservation. There were two girls behind me who also were going to take their pizzas to go, but after sitting on the bench outside, they asked if they could sit at the bar. The waiter said that the bar was for reservations only, but that they were more than welcome to eat outside at one of the two modest tables.
While I was waiting for my margherita pizza, there were two guys sitting at the only indoor table. Once their two pizzas arrived, one of the guys said in disbelief: “Wow, look at that crust!”. As he was eating his pizza, he said “wow” at least 3 times. He was so impressed that he stood up and took a peek at the open kitchen. “Wow” he said one more time before going back to his seat.
When I got home, I was ready to devour my pizza. Look at how beautiful it was! I’ve eaten my fair share of pizzas in LA, but you don’t need to be a pizza connoisseur to know how exceptionally good this pizza was. I was taken aback.
All the ingredients were top-notch: the freshness of the tomato sauce, the creaminess of the mozzarella cheese, the subtle hint of herbiness from the basil and the flavorful olive oil were simply heavenly. The crust had the perfect balance of chewy and soft, and the char… look at that burnt bubbly crust! It’s the simplicity and the quality of the ingredients that make a margherita pizza stand out, and Pizzeria Sei nailed it. If a place can get a margherita pizza right, you know it’s good.
As to why they’re ingredients are so good, Sang mentioned to the LA times that he goes to the Santa Monica and Hollywood Farmers Markets.
Pizzeria Sei offers 7 pizza styles and the classic Italian appetizers (salads, burrata and prosciutto).
As you read above, the best way to enjoy their pizza is at the bar, where the pizza comes straight out of the oven to your plate, and not in a box. But if you don’t want to book your seat at the bar, you’re always more than welcome to pick it up. They have an online ordering system on their website, which closes at 5PM. After that, if you want to take your pizza to go, you have to order it at the restaurant, like I did.
Eating their pizza reminded me that I’m so lucky to live in a place like LA. Contrary to what some naysayers love to profess, there IS good pizza in this city!
The address is 8781 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035.
Make your reservation here!
