Awesome spread! Any indication of lines/how busy it is?
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They have a small patio with about four or five tables
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No lines, I don’t think a lot of people know about it. More importantly I would check if they are open before going.
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I’m so happy for him! I missed living 1 mile from him in El Segundo, such a great guy & great crust. Looking forward to Roca coming too west LA.
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do you have a link to their insta?
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Thanks to @Yoda for the original heads up and to @hungryhungryhippos for the intel!
Made my way to Roca pizza as well today. It took a little time to find, because their website says 889 Americana Way, but it’s located at 769 instead. No lines whatsoever. If anything I hope they get decent business to make it a viable business. But this location is just a pop up for now, whereas MDR and the other west side location are intended to be permanent brick and mortars.
I jumped into the deep end and ordered a full sheet (8 slices) of the potato and sausage, and then half half (4 slices each) of the pepperoni and then the soppressata with burrata.
If you get a full sheet, they will make you your own pizza, but for the half sheet, you get pre made pieces. The above were all to go.
I also couldn’t help myself and ordered the BBQ chicken slice to eat there, which they reheated just to the right point. I assume this flavor is a nod to the CPK founders, and it hit the spot for me, providing the nostalgic BBQ chicken flavor but with much more elevated execution.
A couple new flavors the Luigi made, including a stunning asparagus and goat cheese, and then also the sausage with cremini.
I had a chance to chat with Luigi briefly, and he seemed in good spirits. He said he tried a hundred recipes (I think he meant that literally) before arriving at this one. This pizza uses an organic American flour, whereas the one at Il Romanista used Italian flour.
The flavors of the toppings were extremely pronounced and completely reminiscent of the predecessor restaurant. From herbaceous flavor in the sausage to the robust soppressata, to just the right amount of olive oil on the potato, everything tasted on point.
The crust was just as good, but different from the pizza at Il Romanista. I remember the former’s crust being a bit more dense and chewier, while the new crust is a bit more crisp and airy and light on its feet. But just as delicious.
And given the makeup of the pizza, it reheats like a champ. I’m anxiously waiting for the MDR (and other) location to be opened, but in the meantime, going to Glendale for this pizza will definitely be worth the schlep.
Bonus, bang bang at Zhengyalov Hatz
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Great report! Now I’m nervous, hope the crust didn’t change too much 
i was going to wait until they opened mdr (because Glendale) but that pizza looks great and I haven’t been to mini Kabob yet…
And definitely doesn’t look like Luigi is running that IG account 
very nicely done
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There’s so much good eating in Glendale these days…
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Just a pain to get too from west LA if you don’t have a reason to be in the area.
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I think Roca, Mini Kebob, Zhengyalov Hatz, and Burgers Never Say Die are some of the good reasons to be in the area 
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I stopped by Roca yesterday too and walked around maybe 10 minutes looking for the entrance. Even though @hungryhungryhippos pointed out it is right near the valet on Caruso, I walked past it a couple times because it’s quite unassuming.
It was empty when I walked in, but well stocked with slices ready to be reheated 
I wanted to try a smattering of what they had on hand, but only could stomach one slice to eat right then, and like @NYCtoLA I had to go with the BBQ Chicken Pizza (I mean it’s at the Americana at Brand which just has CPK vibes all over it and I’ve always loved this gimmicky pizza). Luigi heated it up for my right there and we got to chatting a bit.
He mentioned that the only plan right now is to keep this pop up running until the end of the year while the Marina Del Rey build out finishes. But when I pressed him on not having anything long term planned for the east side, he did say that he likes it out here (hope!) and that while the current space he’s in is very large for what he needs, there might be some glimmer of possibility that an east side location remains or comes along later.
One just off note is that I really loved the attention to detail–first on how he packaged up the slice I was going to eat then by gently folding up some paper around it and second on taping the box up with instructions for the slices I’d reheat at home.
The slices I took to go were Italian Sausage & Cremini, Asparagus & Goad Cheese, and Soppressata & Burrata.
All the slices reheat wonderfully. I like really getting a good crisp on them, and they held up very well. The crust is thin, but has a great chew, but isn’t dense. It might be one of my favorite crusts as it has a bit of crackle and is quite flavorful. I know there’s some mixed views on Triple Beam here, but I’ve always liked the slices I got from them. That said, Roca is better.
I appreciate how well balanced all the toppings are–Luigi definitely has the ratios dialed in. But I really like the little touches, like the basil oil on the Soppressata and the fennel seeds on the Italian Sausage.
Luigi said it was great to be back making pizza again, and I’ll happily keep returning whenever I’m near by!
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What is The Americana at Brand, anyway? Sort of like Beverly Grove with apartments?
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if by Beverly Grove you mean “The Grove” then yes.
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Aack. What a nightmare.
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Precisely. They’re owned by the same developer:
(Also why the name of the street Roca is on is “Caruso”)
Any intel on this place:
Gorilla Pies
Pittsburgh-Style Pizza
“CHEF BEN OSHER
Former Nobu Executive Chef Ben Osher has headed innovative Michelin Star kitchens around the world. Now he’s taking a break to make the best pizza in Sherman Oaks.”
Sherman Oaks? It’s in Valley Village:
12417 Burbank Blvd
Valley Village, CA 91607
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This pizza is incredible. Based on my sample size of 1 at both Roca and Il Romanista, this was far superior. Crust was simply amazing.
New bang bang opportunity with Ko Juice 1 block up, a Filipino Co-Co-Caine clone. I may have walked out with $50 worth of juice yesterday.
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