Prizzi's Piazza

My wife and I have traveled all over the world: Paris, London, Venice, Thailand, Mexico, New York, Chicago, Boston...and never have I come across (no, not EVEN in Chicago) such a delicious and memorable PIZZA like the regular large cheese pizza at Prizzi's. It's outstanding and melt-in-your-mouth good.

The friendly and attentive staff always shout out a warm greeting from the cozy, front entrance bar you as first walk through the wood framed-door of the small, romantically lit dinner spot on Franklin. Whether you be a neighborhood regular or just wandering in for the first time from next door attractions Birds or Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater, there is a warm feeling of familiarity and home.

The cocktails are out of this world, duly shaken up by Paulie the Jersey Bartender, or Daryl or Jandi, or any one of the super servers he has trained, and of special note is the tropically mouthwatering martini called The Space Cowboy. My favorite. Still hoping to see it named after me one day.

If you're the type that likes appetizers before your traditional Italian main course of the best chicken marsala anyway or lasagna or any of the scrumptious pastas, the mozzarella friti are just like mama used to make, (but better, don't tell her I said it) and the simple prizzi's staple dinner salad, the Verde Mista, is to die for, complete with fresh large shaved parmesean slices atop fresh greens.

Don't even get me talking about desserts. (Try the brownie.)

And now they have midnight happy hour on weekends nights from 12:30ish...slices and drinks at the bar...are you kidding? It's awesome. The only problem is I'm not getting on my scale anymore. Too afraid.
Prizzi's, the best Italian food and service in LA.

I'm a space cowboy, bet you weren't ready for that.

Thanks and we love you!
Hollywood Bono

Pros: Ambience, Food, Taste, Ingredients, Service, Price

Posted 12/02/08

What can I say? The dinner I had at Prizzi's Piazza started with the best breadsticks ever...soft and warm and oozing in butter and diced garlic...and ended with Death by Chocolate. In between I got to eat a delicate lobster bisque followed by the best pasta and seafood I've ever had. My date had a huge ceasar salad and eggplant parmasean smothered in cheese and scrumptious tomato sauce. We also enjoyed a fine bottle of merlot. There was plenty of food for a couple of doggy bags too. Next time I'm trying the s'mores! The atmosphere is romantic with a touch of being part of the family. Service was attentive without being imposing. Parking can be tricky, but there are some really friendly valets who took care of our car. Treat yourself to a romantic dinner...or just a great bite out.

Pros: great food, warm atmosphere, good people watching from the patio

Cons: parking, but valet is available

Posted 11/20/08

My girlfriend and I visited this restaurant around 7 at night on a Friday. When we were seated and handed menus, the waitress didn't return for 20 minutes. After she took our orders our salads came out in about 10 minutes, then it was literally 30 minutes till we saw her again, she assured us that our food was coming. 10 minutes later our food finally arrived. She apologized for the lengthy delay by giving us a free dessert, but resumed her previous pattern of vanishing for 20-30 minutes at a time. She tried to make up for it with dessert, but didn't improve her service one bit.Then we had to wait for her to get around to giving us our bill... It seemed like every stage of a normal dining experience came with a time increase of about double what it should normally take. No one was rude to us directly, but we were there for about 3 hours. I would have preferred about an hour and a half. At least the food was decent. I enjoyed my lasagna.

Pros: above average food quality

Cons: below average food service

Posted 10/14/08

A friend and I work in Hollywood and are always seeking alternatives to the dismal selection of eateries along Hollywood Blvd, near our offices. I found Prizzi's Piazza on citysearch and we decided to give it a try and it was a GREAT SUCCESS! The breadsticks are a must-have-pleasantly doughy, buttery and with a wonderfully robust garlic flavor. I enjoyed my spaghetti dish- a simple recipe done right. My friend ordered the capellini with shrimp, which was dee-licious! Add a glass of white wine, the shining sun and patio seating and you'll understand why we returned to the office 40 minutes late. Highly recommended.

Pros: cost, pleasant and relaxed ambience

Cons: parking

Posted 01/16/08

Garlic Bread, Deep Dish Pizza, wine list is affordable with plenty of choices. The staff is friendly and attentive, I have not one bad thing to say about this place. Oh, I wish it opened up earlier.

Pros: Great food, orders come up in decent time, ambiance is relaxing and can be romantic

Cons: outdoor seating is next to birds and can be a little loud and

Posted 09/19/07

Prizzi's is the perfect restaurant: beautiful ambiance, friendly staff, fantastic food...and the best pizza you'll find outside of Italy. This is one of my all time favorite restaurants, and is perfect for every occassion: brunch, business lunch, family dinner, or a romantic date night.

The menu is full of wonderful items from stuffed portabellos to salads to gourmet pizza and pasta, to extravagant items like steak smothered in a gorgonzola sauce.

Muolto Buono, Prizzi's! Keep up the good work!

Pros: Beautiful food in a beautiful atmosphere...

Cons: parking

Posted 07/10/07

I live in the neighborhood and have made it a ritual to have dinner here once a week. You never need to make a reservation, although if you have a seating preference I'd suggest it. They always have room for everyone and the staff is incredibly friendly (especially Rob), making you feel like you're at a friend's house instead of a restaurant. The best place to sit is the loft, much more cozy and quiet. I've had the Sicilian Deep Dish pizza which is fabulous - you can only eat one piece and you're full, so I'd suggest getting a small one unless a lot of people are eating with you. The Lemon Chicken Piccata is tasty too, so is their Caesar salad. And you absolutely cannot order anything on the menu unless you order their delectable garlic breadsticks too! They have an amazing wine list, giving suggestions on what goes with your meal. I just can't say enough about this place - they treat you like an old friend througout the entire time you're there. I look forward to the experience every week!!

Posted 05/03/07

This is my favorite Italian restaurant in LA. The location (in terms of parking and accessibility) can be problematic, but once you're in, it's a great spot with Birds right next door. Reasonable prices, decent service. I've never had the pizza, but all the pastas are fantastic, particularly the carbonara. Truth be told, my girlfriend and I keep coming back for the garlic breadsticks. It is ESSENTIAL that you order these. Trust me.

Pros: Garlic breadsticks, pastas, cool block, value

Cons: Parking

Posted 03/27/07

I live about 5 blocks away from this place, and I've been there twice -- I had a great experience each time. If you've ever been to this area (La Poubelle, Bourgeois Pig, Birds, etc.) then you know the sheer hell that is the parking situation. You basically have one choice: valet. Otherwise, expect to circle around the block for about an hour, jockeying for position with the valets, the hipster scooter brats, and the unemployed actor scrubs in Saturns with out-of-state-plates. That being said, try to get a table on the upper level - it's a bit more intimate and less noisy. Try the arugula salad with balsamic vinegarette-- it's yummy. Order some wine -- they have plenty of selections. Have a dessert. Then pop a few Xanax, down a vodka shot and prepare to do battle back on the street...

Pros: Intimate upper-level seating, decent food, reasonable prices (from what I can remember)

Cons: Parking causes nervous breakdowns

Posted 10/25/06

Great neighborhood dining in the always buzzing but never pretentious Hollywood foothills next to the Tamarind Theatre, Birds, etc. Decent Italian selections, but stick to the pizza -- especially their deep-dish, it's to die for. Sardinia salad is fantastic. Been going here for six years -- consistently excellent. Great ambiance, good wines by the glass. Full bar. Try the Canadian beer, Maudite, served in a snifter -- always satifsying.

Posted 08/14/06

As an ex-NYr, I would tell you I know from Pizza. Well, after trying many pizzas around the greater LA area, Prizzi's is hands down the best.

The crust is nice and thin (they also sell a pretty good thick crust too), the cheese and sauce are just right, and they will put nearly anything you want just to top it off.

Try it for yourself!

Posted 07/13/06

By accident I stumbled onto city search because I use msn and they were rating pizzas. I come from a Sicilian family and have eaten pizza all my life. Prizzis hands down has some of the best pizza in LA! I have tried some of the other recomendations with higher scores and many of them pale in comparison. Their thin crust is superb with a wonderful selection of ingredients and their deep dish is amazing. City Search's rating of 8.5 for pizza is absurd. Prizzi's for pizza is easily a 9.6 or better. It is the real deal.

Pros: great italian food, beautiful atmosphere, good portions

Cons: a little pricey

Posted 05/21/05

I live a few blocks away and Prizzis has become a favorite of mine. The food and wine list are great. The restaurant is cozy and romantic and the prices are very reasonable.

Pros: wine list, ambiance, location

Cons: parking

Posted 02/14/05

Coming from New York, I was seriously missing good pizza. I ordered a small pie with garlic and pepperoni at Prizzi's, and I have to tell you, it's one of the best in LA. It's got a great, cozy, dimly lit atmosphere in the evenings. There's also seating on the sidewalk in people watching on Franklin is your thing. It's moderately priced, but a good value for the money.

Pros: atmosphere, great food, good wine selection

Posted 12/19/02

One evening I enjoyed their Lasagna. It was covered with sauce and very tasty. Another nite I had their more traditional fare...spaghetti with a special meat sauce. Again outstanding!

Nice selection of wines. Although I didn't sit outside that was an option.

The service was very good and everyone was quite attentive.

I will return on my next visit to L.A.

Pros: great food, nice atmosphere, good service

Posted 10/29/02

The food and wine were great - and love sitting in the little outdoor cafe area along that stetch of franklin -
the actual restaurant is cute and comfortable.
The service however sucked. Apparently we were seated in a "closed section" so the other servers had to pick up our table and obviously were not happy about it.

Pros: good wine, good food, good atmosphere

Cons: parking, service

Posted 08/24/02

great food, great location, great service....and!! they deliver...doesn't get better than this!

Posted 06/05/02

Pasta and salads are very good, but the pizza is to die for. Toppings are fresh and submarined under the cheese (instead of the other way around). Pepperoni pie is killer.

Posted 06/05/02

I finally found an Italian restaurant that reminds me of back east. The pasta is some of the freshest around and the Tortellacci de Zucca (butternut squash and pumpkin stuffed tortelloni in a light thyme cream sauce) is amazing. The pizza is the best I've been able to find in Hollywood. They've got a great little "cove-style" seating section upstairs and outdoor patio seating to enjoy a great night outside. Just make sure you valet in front of Birds because parking is a nightmare.

Posted 05/20/02