Antica Pizzeria Company

This is definitely in my top three pizzerias in the world because of the way they made their Neapolitan pizza. Most places don’t make it with Burrata Mozzarella. My brother and I had gone there for the 2 years we lived together, and it was our go-​to pizzeria in the Westside. They would never disappoint us, and we’d often buy an extra pie to keep in our fridge for the next day.
Their pasta was also amazing (I’ve had the Angel Hair Pasta dish), so much that my grandmother who barely likes non-​Chinese food was raving about it months after her visit to LA. The staff is also super friendly and proud of their work. My brother and I ordered 2 pizzas for a pick-​up a little after closing, and the chef was dissatisfied with his final product so he tossed it and made a fresh one for us!
I was extremely disappointed when I found out that they closed, but according to their website, they’re in the works of finding a new lease in the Marina area. I hope they do it soon because it’s without a doubt the best pizza my brother and I have ever had.
In the meantime, if you love pizza as much as I do, I’d recommend Urbano Pizza Bar downtown or 800 Degrees in Westwood for Neapolitan-​style pizza. For the thin crust New York-​style pizza, I’d go with Joe’s Pizzeria in Santa Monica or Garage Pizza in Silver Lake/​Downtown.

To all you people complaining that you can’t «pick up their slice of pizza» because the crust is too thin in the middle, have never had a truly authentic italian pizza. You don’t pick up real pizza. You eat it with a knife and fork… and the middle is SUPPOSED to be, at times, runny.
I’m so sad this place is closed.

Just hope this place doesn’t re-​open. The owner is a typical scam artist-​tells you what you want to hear, then gives you nothing he promised. Pizza is terrible, not authentic Italian «antica pizza» style pizza, as he promised. Bottom of pizza was so thin, we could hardly eat it… terrible.
Arancini are not made from rice made to make arancini, but from leftover mushroom risotto. Can’t imagine what else they’re «recycling.» Not cool in my book.
If they do re-​open, don’t eat there, you’ll be sorely disappointed.

These pizzas are microscopic. I needed a magnifying lens to eat mine… And I was still starving afterwards. I actually laughed when I went to pick them up and saw how small they were. If you’re into slices of pizza that can be eaten in two bites, this place may be up your alley. Buyer beware.

**2.5 stars**
This little authentic Italian restaurant has a lot of potential, but it was disappointing. We were there on a quiet Tuesday night and yet the waiters were just standing around and taking a long time to get our orders, check on us and bring us our checks.
My roommate ordered a salad with chicken and even after letting them know, they never brought it.
I got the roasted vegetable pizza –loved the thin crust and variety of roasted veggies, but they were just tiny chopped bits. The pizza does not come with tomato sauce– good concept but poorly designed. The pizza is so thin when you go to pick up a slice, EVERYTHING slides off.
The crust is tough, hard and tasteless, I feel like I really only ate half the pizza because i left the crusts.
Maybe this is so un-​cultured of me to say but I might as well had Papa Johns…

Pizza is an Italian culinary treasure that began in the Southern city of Naples. To Neapolitans, pizza is revered like no other food. Native Guiseppe «Peppe» Miele shares his affection for genuine Neopolitan Pizza at Antica Pizzeria in Marina del Rey as part of a tempting menu of Italian favorites.
The restaurant prides itself on serving only authentic Neapolitan pizza prepared according to the protocols of the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana (aka VPN or Pizza Polizia). It boasts of being the first restaurant in the States «certified» by VPN which isn’t really dazzling when you find out Peppe also happens to be the founder of VPN America. But who cares, when the pizzas taste good? And they do.
You can’t get much more traditional than a simple Pizza Margherita (named after Italian Queen Margherita di Savoia). Cooked in a wood-​burning brick oven, the pizza was an impeccable blend of Tomato Sauce, real Mozzarella, fresh Basil, and Parmesan on top of a classically thin and chewy crust made with flour and natural yeast.
In the deli counter by the entrance, we spied the odd cone-​shaped Arancino di Riso and just had to try one as an appetizer. It’s basically a cone of Rice stuffed with a blend of smoked Mozzarella, Peas, and Italian Ham. It was filling and delizioso at the same time.
Since the pasta at Antica Pizzeria is hand-​made, we also sampled one of the Le Paste choices: Fettuccine al Salmone. The thin and unusual Fettuccine stood out. It may not have been the freshest Salmon, but the Tomato and Cream Sauce with Mint helped.
The only odd part of the meal was detached service from our waitress. She seemed hesitant to give suggestions or answer questions. It may not of been a good day for her. The rest of the team was friendly. With free parking and a convenient location, it’ll be easy to choose Antica Pizzeria again.
3.5 stars overall … rounded down for the service.

Good Enough (for LA) Italian. Mussels are good. Raviolis are good. Their specials are always different. Tonight I tried the Bucatini pasta with crab meat. It was very good. The service is very good. I love that they take reservations. Their panna cotta was good (served with whipped cream). Did I mention this place is good?

Once upon a time AKA one year ago, I visited Naples, Italy and ate heaven on an effing crust. I flew back home from Europe and my American-​bred inclinations toward the greasy Pizza Huts, Dominoes and Papa Johns of the world shattered, and my relationship with pizza at home was absolutely ruined. For nearly a year now, I’ve mourned the possibility that I may never taste the deliciousness that is authentic Neopolitan pizza again (pizza did originate in Naples, after all — why wouldn’t it be unforgettable?).
And then tonight happened. Tonight, eating pizza here has awaken my fingers from their SIX-​MONTH Unilocaling hiatus and inspired them to type, WHY THE EFF does this place only have 3.5 Unilocal stars?! Antica Pizzeria is too legit to quit. This is the closest you will get to the heaven on a crust that they serve in Naples. If anyone out there can prove me wrong, holler at your girl.
I had the pizza Calabrese (fresh mozzarella, basil, parmesan and crispy/​spicy Calabrese salami) and LOVED it. And yes, I ate all of it myself. And you’ll eat all of yours too, so man up and order your own, do not share. (Go big or go home — If you want to count calories, walk next door to Souplantation.) All the other topping combinations sounded delicious as well, and I plan to try different ones as I return to dine! My friend and I split the PANNA COTTA for dessert — divine melt-​in-​your mouth creaminess, with some type of red wine splashed on top.
Quick tip: Neopolitan pizza is cooked in a wood-​burning oven on very thin crust that’s kept soft. It’s not mad greasy/​filling like American pizza tends to be, so I find that I don’t feel stuffed/​disgusting afterward. If you haven’t tried it yet, this is a great place to have your first one. I highly recommend!
Ambiance notes for those who care: cute, cozy, dimly lit, small deli in the front that I want to look at next time. AMAZING, super polite customer service.
Thanks, Antica Pizzeria! I WILL be coming back. Again and again.

Service was the lowest point. Not bad service exactly but very slow, very Italian, I presume. Ordered the Margherita DOC and the Calabrese pizzas. Both good, with a nice chewy crust with bits of burnt dough, the amount of sauce was perfect and the cheese quantity very authentic (minimal). The tiramisu was also very good and though the location is a little bizarre, I would consider this place a find.

If I had a shirt that read «I heart Vera-​Certified Pizza!» i would wear it everyday! (Well, at least to the gym haha). I’m a fan of the Verace gods and their strict Neapolitan-​style pizza guidelines. And SoCal has only ONE place, so far, that has it… this one.
The traditional Margherita pizza was really good. The thin chewy crust passed the test, the sauce was perfect and the cheese was also great, though it needed more. Everything else fell a little short. The pizza that supposedly had a ricotta-​filled crust had all the ricotta in one spot of the pie. The other pizza choices were boring and all seemed to be very similar to each other. I want more exciting and diverse options! Someone needs to introduce them to some onions, sausage, pine nuts, egg, roasted peppers or some other delicious ingredients to add to their pizzas. Is there an extreme pizza makeover TV show they can go on?
The tricolore salad was delicious, their fresh lemonade tasted bitter, and service was quick and very personable. Parking can be found in the parking structure beneath the shopping center.
I would recommend their Margherita pizza any day of the week. and I would surely visit more often if they improved the pizza topping situation.

Hard to find authentic pizza anywhere, but this place is SUPER authentic. Delicious and nice staff.

Two friends took me here for a birthday dinner. I’ve driven down Lincoln a million times but have never noticed or heard about it, so I’m glad they took me! It’s my friend’s favorite restaurant in his neighborhood, so he suggested taking us there.
We ordered the:
Calamari
Caprese appetizer
Linguine del Golfo
Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
Pizza Prosciutto e Funghi
bottle of white wine (don’t remember!)
The restaurant was fairly empty on a Sunday night, which also meant we got great, attentive service. I liked the dark, cozy atmosphere, like a little café in Italy but still nice/​romantic enough for a dinner date.
I loved the appetizers; the calamari was one of the best I’ve had, with the perfect amount of crispiness and batter without being too dry or soggy. I wish they’d had more dipping sauces or a different one than the usual, though. We completely finished both plates of caprese that we had, which was also very good.
Everything I had was delicious; the linguine had a generous amount of seafood, and the gnocchi was my favorite. Service was top-​notch. Not sure of the prices since I was the lucky birthday girl, but I didn’t see anything not to like. You won’t find anything insanely creative, trendy or original on the menu, but you will find a variety of great, traditional Italian comfort food. I’ll be back!

Don’t listen to anything on here that gives this pizzeria less than 5 stars!
…at least for the Pizza.
We only got the Margarita pizza so, I can’t truly vouch for anything else on the menu… yet.
Their margarita was definitely on point with the best pizza I’ve had in Italy! True Neapolitan. Perfectly thin, crispy yet bubbly crust… amazing sauce… great mozzarella (that they make themselves) and just enough basil — ah soooo good! This place will keep me satisfied until I take another trip back to get the real stuff.
People who complain about the size — well, thats the size of Italian pizza. I’m glad that Antica doesn’t go totally American and go grande on their size.
Try it for yourself — if you don’t like, keep eating that trash from Dominos.
Yay Antica Pizzeria Company!

We saw that Antica Pizzeria Company was voted one of the Top 25 pizzerias in America in GQ Magazine, so we decided to try it out.
We came in with a group of 5 and ordered the following:
1. Pizza del Cafone
2. Pizza Calabrese
3. Everyone got side caesar salads
4. The restaurant provided a bread basket with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Pros:
— Authentic Italian style pizza — I went with some Italians and was told so.
— Waiters and host were all very helpful in the ordering process and provided great service.
— Pizza del Cafone was decent. Interesting combination of the Italian sausage and the rapini (broccoli rabes).
— Pizza Calabrese was really good. The tomato sauce carried this pizza with its strong spices and flavor. The spicy Calabrese salami complimented the tomato sauce very well since it enhanced the overall taste with a spicy kick.
Cons:
— Pizzas are extremely small. If we were to go again we would have gotten at least one more pizza.
— For some reason, there were a good number of flies where we were sitting. That got annoying.
Pizza was good but not Top 25 level good. I came away from Antica pretty hungry and unsatisfied.

I think «A-​OK» is pretty much the best you can describe this place. I ordered Seafood Risotto, it’s «A-​Ok». Nothing good or bad about it. It’s just «A-​Ok». Nothing more to say. From the décor, atmosphere, service, food, location etc etc etc it’s «A-​Ok»
Thank you for your attention. The end.

3.5 stars
This place is rated by pizza lovers. I read from Hari and Shauna’s reviews from a couple of years ago that Antica has one of the few certifications for its pizza. Verace Pizza Napoletana Association does seem like a big deal as
only lists three places in Cali that have got the accredition.
But, what counts if the food and I think you have to choose carefully. Samantha’s Bianca al Prosciutto pizza (fresh mozzarella and garlic topped with Parma prosciutto and arugula — no tomato sauce) was delicious. Even the day after :)
But my Pizza Quattro — which seemed liks a good way to sample four pizza in one — was not great. The four pizzas were Mixed Seafood (some dry, small mussels — no shrimps,) Margherita (ok basil, mozzarella and tomato sauce) Capricciosa (ok — tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, Italian ham, but the artichoke hearts, mushrooms and black olives were pretty low grade and definitely canned) and Marinara (boring? tomato sauce, oregano and garlic — no cheese.)
Although not from Napoli I wondered how the Calzone stuffed pizza was (or inside out pizza as I like to call it.) There’s something about the it that reminds me of a pastie from the U.K. and I like the marinara sauce too.
The décor of Antica is like a an old trattoria with a huge wall mural as the center piece at the opposite end of the small outdoor terrace. It was light and airy and not too busy when we arrived on Saturday lunch time. Our group travelled here: from San Pedro and Mid-​City. I’m not sure I’m a fan, but if I was in the area I’d consider trying it again.

By far the best pizza I had in LA.
I had excellent pizzas in CT, but Antica’s pizza was real close to those.
Antica is located next to Gelson’s, movie theaters, etc. Good parking in parking garage. We didn’t have reservations, it was Wednesday evening. We were second guests when we entered the restaurant. Near the entrance you can see some foods in glass case, then the fire oven!
We ordered three different pizzas and the Rossa.
Pizzas were sooooo good. I am having craving while I’m writing this!
I definitely want to eat here again, although 405 traffic is discouraging me at any time of the day.

My buddy and I came to check this place out since he had heard that it was pretty good, and I have to agree that the food was pretty good, but that’s really about all.
We came in around 7 and it seemed pretty empty. They told us they only had 2 open tables for the two of us, one which was by the door where you come in, and the other across from the bar next to the kitchen. We chose the one not beside the entrance which had a direct view to the dining room and I must say there were an awful lot of tables open. I don’t know if people made reservations and didn’t show up or if they were expecting a lot of large parties that night, but it stayed pretty empty while we were there…
Another let down was the 2 dollar can of soda, I know their probably trying to push the wine but free refills from a fountain soda machine is something i was hoping for. Instead we just got water which came in this small glass and we had to flag down the guy who took our drink orders (who was dressed in a suit so might have been some kinda management) to get a refill. There was one guy there who would come by and refill our drinks without us asking, and got us boxes when he saw we were done.
I got a calzone, and my buddy got a pizza (i forget what kind, it was the one directly below the calzone on the menu) The Calzone was ricotta, mozerella, sauce, and salami, topped with sauce and basil. It was really pretty good and the size was pretty decent. They don’t stuff it like the mom and pop places back home do, but it was still good. My friend was pretty satisfied with his pizza too.
It was good food, not so good service. Though I cant say I’m a fan and want to come back anytime soon, but they are certainly OK.
Check em out if you have a date, seems like a nice place in the dining room and the food is good, and at least with the service you wont keep getting interrupted while your talking…

I’ve walked by Antica Pizzeria Company many times, but I’ve never once tried it. Antica Pizzeria Company is located in Marina Del Rey, which does not have many good restaurants. This Antica Pizzeria is located on the 2^nd level of the little mini-​mall on Maxella Avenue.
Inside, it is a pretty bustling (and somewhat loud) place. They have a bar and quite a few tables. They also have an outdoor dining area that looks pleasant. If you sit at the bar, you get a nice view of the open kitchen where the cooks toss the dough and make the pizza right there in front of you. The pizzas are cooked in a wood burning oven.
I went with the pizza margherita to go. It was a decent size (about a medium), and it ran about $ 13. The cashier was quite friendly. The pizza maintained the temperature pretty well. But, even though I live close by, it did get cold pretty quick. If i came back, I would get it there.
I liked the mozzarella and the tomato sauce. The basil was a little too fragrant for me. The crust was nicely done on one side but quite burnt on the other side (so that part was a little unappetizing). But if it would have been cooked right, it would have been a decent pizza.
You could do worse in Marina Del Rey. I may come back in the future and give it another shot.

Follow the rules. It’s a simple sentence that, in the world of pizza, is mostly ignored. Thankfully, Antica Pizza has a certification from the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. I’ve heard about this organization for years, but never went to a pizzeria with the VPN seal of approval. Well, it basically enforces the rules as to how real pizza should be made. The wonderful result is that Antica may have the best pizza I’ve tasted thus far in California.
There are just a handful of pizzerias left in New York City that know how to make great pizza and I would tentatively add Antica to the list. My Pizza Margherita, the most simple pie, was delicious. Their wood-​burning oven blended the flavors of the slightly sweet tomato sauce, the slightly chewy crust, fresh basil leaves, and the buffalo mozzarella.
Buffalo mozzarella? Good god, yes, I finally found a pizzeria in LA that uses buffalo mozzarella instead of the plastic packaged skim milk mozzarella. It makes all the difference in the world and I wish every pizzeria would make the effort.
Was this perfection? No, but it was close. I mean it helps that it actually looked like a Pizza Margherita. (Sometimes, you don’t even get that.) I would’ve liked more basil leaves and a pizza that has spent time in a coal oven. (Hey, coal ovens can really work some magic on a pie.) The main issue for me, though, was that there wasn’t enough pizza. Here, I’ve found fantastic pizza and I get punished by it being too small! The pizza gods are messing with me and that just ain’t right. That’s okay, I won’t be discouraged. I’ll just get around it next time by breaking the rules and ordering two pies.