“I’m in Love. I’m having a relationship with my pizza…” Julia Roberts utters these words in the movie Eat Pray Love. Roberts’ character is on a journey around the world to “find herself” and along the way, finds one of the world’s most renowned pizzerias, L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele. She falls in love with the Neapolitan pizza and I guarantee you will too.
Passed down through generations, L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele has been a favorite of visitors to Naples, Italy since 1870. The famous pizzeria has restaurants in 4 countries and can now add Hollywood to this list, as its first U.S. location.
Nestled on McCadden Place, L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele opens this month in a fully renovated hip and trendy location. From the outside, the pizzeria is tucked away positioned within the greenery of large shrubs. Upon entering, you are magically transported into a wide-open spacious room. To your right is an outdoor eating area exuding an upscale rustic vibe. Directly in front of you is a sexy lounge furnished with brown leather couches. Guests are welcomed to sit while eating their pizza or sipping wine. As you walk by the sleek bar located next to the lounge, the ceiling disappears, and you are now on the outdoor terrace. The first thing that you see is the fireplace directly in front of you. Bricks lay underneath your feet while trees surround you. As you walk to your table, it feels as if you are have left LA for beautiful Naples. The main focus of the outdoor patio is the handmade clay oven put on display inside a glass room, allowing you to watch the entire process of your pizza being made. Making pizzas at L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele is an art itself. Watching the cooks knead the dough and season each pie with fresh ingredients, it’s clear the cooks take great pride in their work. I had the honor of sampling the Margherita, white pizza known as the Bianca and the tomato and cheese pie – the Cosacca. My mouth is watering remembering every bite. Simply put, the pizza is “to die for.” Vegans, don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you. You can also enjoy these world-famous pies since L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele has a vegan pizza made with tomato sauce, oregano, and garlic.
Yes, the delicious Neapolitan pizza is the main star of the show, but the menu also offers guests a wide variety of other authentic Italian dishes, including: calamari, octopus, salads, sautéed Brussels sprouts, prosciutto, salami and lamb.
L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele is the perfect place for a date, after work dinner, or girl’s night out. Bring your appetite because like Julia Roberts, you are about to fall in love with this pizza.
Address: 1534 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood, CA 90028
