Pizza Paul

Pizza Paul place that seems to be forgotten. Bushes and vines covering up this place so only the locals know about it. It is actually quite nice. It is right across the street from Scoops ice cream, probably the best ice cream place in L.A. Pizza Paul claims to be the best pizza in town. So I guess this block is filled with the best. Not so fast Paul.

I ordered a large 16 inch cheese pizza for 13 dollars. Their sizes go up to 20 inches for $20. I picked it up from who I could only assume was Paul himself with little Paulette in the background, an older couple that seem to be truly still living the mom and pop shop dream. Their pizza looked like a one of a kind pizza when I opened the box, exactly what I expected from Paul. There were a pair of cops eating calzones inside, and I'll tell you I almost skipped the pizza and just ordered a calzone because they looked better than I'd ever seen.

There were a lot of layers to this pizza. It seemed like it had sauce then cheese, than more sauce, more cheese and then oil then more cheese. Like a deep dish, but it wasn't deep. Heavy it was. Heavy on the sauce, heavy on the cheese and heavy with flavor. The crust was incredibly chewy, all the way to the outer edge. It was lightly charred at the end so it gave a little crunch at first but mainly it was just chewy. The crust was on the thick side, so it could hold all the sauce and cheese.

The cheese was fine, but the sauce and all the spices were really the main taste to this pizza. It was rich with oregano, basil, pepper and whatever else makes up an Italian seasoning. The sauce was a thick pasta sauce with lots of flavor and then the fresh spices were thrown on top in addition to all the flavor in the sauce. So the first slice was an explosion like I had never before tasted, but really after the second slice it was too much to handle. With the tough crust and the hard flavor I really stopped enjoying the pizza. But for a slice or 2, it is really like no other.

After 40 years in the business, I doubt Paul is going to change the pizza for anyone. Nor should he.

Pizza Paul's

4330 Melrose Ave. LA 90029

323-663-1219

Price: $

Overall: