It matters little what other cities and their “superior” tap water have to say (a long-debunked myth, by the way). Los Angeles is a serious pizza town. Take its recent obsession with sfincione, the square-shaped, Sicilian-style pizzas brought to America in the mid-20th century, primarily through New York, as proof. Those thick crusts — spongy and pliable, like a good piece of focaccia — made their way across the country, taking a notable detour in Detroit, and landed in Los Angeles, where, in 2026, they’ve become something of a calling card for a specific brand of chefs.
In October 2025, Old Gold Tomato Pies joined Los Angeles’s sfincione revolution. Helmed by chef Jeffrey Vance (formerly of Seattle’s Navy Strength and No Anchor, the latter of which earned him a James Beard Foundation Award nomination in 2016 for Best New Restaurant), this retro slice shop in Los Feliz runs on razor-thin margins and ‘90s nostalgia. Sicilian-style square pies draw inspiration from Vance’s childhood memories in Canada — specifically, of Pizza Hut — and use high-quality, locally sourced ingredients; vegan options take up 30 percent of the menu and are seamlessly woven throughout.
At Old Gold Tomato Pies, technical excellence meets rigorous sourcing in a chilled-out, sentimental environment. The dining room spurns pretension and evokes an old-school charm — a delicious and downright pleasant combination.
Don’t expect parking to be easy. In fact, it’s wise to add an extra 5 to 10 minutes to your travel time if you’re driving. If you’re lucky, you might find a spot or two outside on Hollywood Boulevard. For those not fortunate enough to have the parking gods on their side (welcome to the club), try lurking around one of the perpendicular side streets. You will have to walk a bit, but it’s not the worst idea, considering the pizza of it all.
Old Gold Tomato Pies operates without PR or restaurant group backing, meaning it depends on organic word-of-mouth support and repeat customers to survive. With how good it is, that shouldn’t be a problem. Order pies by the slice or sheet, either halved or full, and forget everything your friend’s annoying East Coast–transplant roommate says about dough in Los Angeles.