In retrospect, it’s rather amazing to witness L.A.’s pizza culture evolution, a phenomenon that occurred over decades. According to SoCal lore, the pizza rage in the City of Angels started in the early ‘80s with Wolfgang Puck’s then-innovative smoked salmon pizza at Spago—but recently, Los Angeles has seen an appreciable rise in non-Californian operators going “Westward ho” by introducing New York, Chicago, and Neapolitan-style pizzas.

Locals also threw their hats into Los Angeles’ pizza ring, with areas like Woodland Hills becoming hotspots for excellent pizza dough topped with local ingredients by chefs who obsess over sauce and downright delicious pies. The following represents our picks for pizza joints you simply must try, from Ventura and Topanga Canyon Boulevards to Canoga Avenue and Sherman Way.

Pizza Pie Eatery, located at 19946 Ventura Boulevard, prepares ingredients like pizza dough and sauce daily, yielding delicious pizzas, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, and pasta, the operators focus on making everything with the freshest elements — all alongside healthy choices to make everyday good food taste amazing. Open daily from 11:30 am to 9 pm.

Tomato Pie Pizza Joint, located at 4902 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, offers New York style and Sicilian selections alongside fresh green salads, calzones, and even pizza by the slice. Choose from a range of toppings, including anchovies, bacon, Canadian bacon, chicken, meatballs, pepperoni, mild sausage, artichokes, basil, black olives, and many more, while also munching on fabulous appetizers like garlic knots, hot wings, meatballs, and pesto garlic knots. Open Sunday through Thur sday from 12 pm to 8 pm and Friday/Saturday from 12 pm to 9 pm.

Puzzle Pizza, located at 6439 Canoga Avenue, has been changing the way pizzas are made since its inception, the concept having been developed to offer a unique variation of the classic pizza menu—a tactic that satisfies the different tastes and preferences of customers while maintaining a value proposition. The development team with Chef Roman Shishalovsky took the game theme as a basis and created a “taste puzzle”—pizzas containing various ingredients and combinations that can be assembled to your liking. This concept allows customers to be active participants in the process of creating their pizza, wherein each pizza becomes a unique creation tailored to individual tastes. Open daily from 10:30 am to 10 pm.

The Pizzeria Factory, located at 19755 Vanowen Street Unit A4 in Winnetka, specializes in pizzas, pasta, sandwiches, salads, calzones, and wings, which has been family – owned since its inception in 2013. Every day, the restaurant strives to serve nothing less than the finest ingredients to guests alongside outstanding customer service, with patrons being treated like they are family. Moreo ver, The Pizzeria Factory is a proud supporter of the Children’s Hospital and is available to cater events for all families in the Los Angeles area. Open daily from 11 am to 9 pm.

Barone’s Pizza, located at 22435 Ventura Boulevard Suite D, will go down in history as the first restaurant in Los Angeles and Southern California to sell pizza, the first Barone’s being established in 1945. Siblings consisting of Josephine Barone, Tony, Frank and Mike Arpaia; Joseph Izzo and, most notably, Frank Monteleone made Barone’s what it is today; indeed, for well over a half-century, the eatery has truly been a family affair. Through the years, family members have pitched in to cook the secret family recipes derived fro m their grandparents, who hail from Sicily and Naples, serving, tending bar, and even entertaining the customers with a song. Open Monday and Tuesday from 11 am to 9:30 pm, Wednesday through Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 9 pm.

The Thyme Pizzeria, located at 20453 Sherman Way in Winnetka, takes pride in serving meals of exceptional quality, the mission here is to delight your taste buds with a wide range of delicious food options. Ex perience the essence of this success, defined as a commitment to consistently providing delectable dishes that never fail to satisfy—from mouth watering pizzas and traditional Italian flavors to tempting vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Savor th ese flavors, relish a refreshing drink, and unwind amidst a welcoming ambiance at The Thyme Pizzeria. Open daily from 10 am to 10 pm. Woodland

Pitfire Artisan Pizza, located at 6250 Topanga Canyon Road Suite 1550, is all about using hands and hearts to create a space where good food, art, and community can inspire one another but the crowds flock to this Woodland Hills staple for the pizza made from hand-stretched do ugh, wood – fired to perfection, alongside healthful salads, pastas and seasonal vegetables. The eatery even has artisan beers and wines to pair up with the succulent cuisine. Open Monday through Thursday from 11 am to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday from 10 am t o 12 am and Sunday from 11 am to 10 pm. Woodland Hills’ ever-changing pizza scene is red-hot at the moment, so our hope is that this roundup keeps you up-to-date as a guide to the all-around best pie in the area.