Gracie’s Pizza Brings New York Style Pie to LA

Do you ever stop and think about why you look forward to weekends so much?

Weekends may be loved for the fact that the majority of us are able to remove ourselves from the robotic and mundane nature that is our 9 to 5. It may also be because those days welcome brunch which is hard to get any other time during the week. But when you’re not at work and you’re starving to eat well after brunch, where do you go? Stout in Hollywood and Brooklyn Deli in Crenshaw are good options, but there’s a newbie to the restaurant scene who should fall somewhere on your radar. That restaurant is Gracie’s Pizza in Los Angeles.I found out about Gracie’s after they connected with me on Instagram. Shortly after writing a letter to Brian at Hollywood Burger and posting a photo to Instagram, Jay (partner and head pizza creator) at Gracie’s asked me in to try their slices and give my honest feedback. A simple request, a twenty-minute drive, and I was there. Gracie’s Pizza is a small shop that sits on the corner of Heliotrope and Melrose. It’s a busy street for both cars driving past and pedestrians walking by which hopefully turns into customers shoving pizza into their faces and to-go boxes. A few steps inside and you’ll see Gracie’s has a charming personality through its stand out brick wall, decorated floor, and friendly staff.

As I sat looking over the menu, I decided to go for two pizzas. The first would be straight from the menu and the second would be a recommendation. The first slice was the Gracie’s ($4.5 per slice, $29 per pie). How could I go to a restaurant and not try the pizza whose name is on the door? It was a no-brainer. Something that I noticed is that on the menu the Gracie pizza has a breast cancer awareness logo alongside it. As I spoke with the waitress Jessica, she began to tell me the story of the restaurant and the pizza. While Gracie’s was started by Michael and Jay, it was inspired by Michael’s Sicilian grandmother, Gracie, who passed away from breast cancer in 1988. The style of pizza came about as Michael fell in love with the way his grandmother made pizza during the holidays. While she put pizza into an oven, little did she know she was putting a dream in Michael that Los Angeles would eventually enjoy as if they were in her kitchen in Sicily.  Hearing the story of Gracie made me feel like I made the right decision when ordering it. When it arrived I loved the appearance of the slice. A large single size of pizza made with a hand tossed crust was covered in a house made sauce, three cheese blend, pepperoni, pinot grigio mushrooms, radiccho, and arugula. It was both bright and dark in its look but it was dynamic in its taste as eat bite took in a hearty amount of the fresh arugula, slightly salted pepperoni, and even mushrooms.

Following the Gracie I ordered a pizza that Jay told me about. In our messaging, I asked him what pizza he would order if it were the last pizza he ate before dying. Sure it’s morbid, but I needed to know his opinion on the best “death bed” pizza he would ask to have. He described the Sicilian ($5 including one premium topping) and that was exactly what I got, with a few add-ons of course. On a white paper plate was a thick square of pizza that was topped beyond capacity with burrata, soppresatta, tomatoes, and an easy fried egg. When you’re ordering a pizza like this, from a place that doesn’t skimp on the toppings, there should be very little expectation for everything to remain in one stationary place. Even further, there should be little hope to keep your clothes and hands clean. And that’s fine with me. Biting into the pizza, I found myself liking all of the pieces together. The bread was so thick and crunchy on the outside but like a bag of expensive pillows on the inside. The burrata was creamy and soft which was incredibly delicious with the meat and the fried egg. However, after a while the tomatoes, burrata, and yolk from the egg became a bit watery. It led to a something I personally  don’t like: soggy bread. To resolve it here, I wasn’t going to remove the smooth burrata or the warm egg. No ma’am. Instead, I took off a few tomatoes and the wetness reduced significantly. And to be honest, I hate wasting food but if something’s going to go it might as well be the tomatoes.

I like Gracie’s from the staff to its story. Even more, I’m glad that Jay reached out to me because I found that the pizza comes with a great deal of taste with each oversized bite. Gracie’s Pizza may be one of the closest down-to-earth New York City transplants LA has had since it snowed in 1962. And if my choices are Gracie’s or a snowstorm, I’ll gladly put a bib around my neck and take the former.

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Address: 4330 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029
Phone: (323) 663-1219
Hours: Daily 11am to 12am
Social: Facebook and Instagram