800 Degrees Is Hot, Hot, Hot

In Los Angeles, things are always changing.  I grew up in Westwood, and have seen huge changes in the past 50 years.  It's a university town for sure, but it is surrounded by a traditional neighborhood of families.  Stores and restaurants go in an out.  The latest hot spot is 800 Degrees, a neapolitan pizzeria, with a twist.  The restaurant took over a theatre which had closed on Lindbrook Drive, and is already looking to expand.  I was there on a Saturday at 11am when it opened, and here's what I found.

The concept of the restaurant is that you get to watch your pizza being made, and it is made to your specifications, with the toppings you want.  It is very reasonably priced, and very good.  Would I say it's the greatest pizza I ever had?  Not at all, but it was good, thin, crisp, and all ingredients were delicious.  They use fresh mozzarella rather than the traditional shredded mozzarella, and I like that.  Pizzas start at $5.15 for the simplest one, and can go up to maybe $12, depending on how many toppings you add.  The pizzas are not the typical 8" individual pizza, but 12" pizzas for a modest price.  They're big, but everyone seemed to be ordering their own rather than splitting, and most people seemed to eat the whole thing.

Other menu items include Small bites, most around $6.  Meatballs, antipasti and truffle cheese bread ($11) were on the menu.  Several options for burrata were also on the menu, and my mom and I split the burrata with beets, balsamic, and arugula for $5.  Just delicious.  Several $5 salads are also on the menu, and you can finish your meal with gelato for $3 a scoop. 

We arrived when the restaurant opened, and from arrival to delivery of the meal was almost a half hour.  I thought that was rather a long wait, considering that the pizza only takes 3 minutes to cook.  But everyone seemed to love it.  Just go with someone you want to stand and talk to for 20 minutes.  Older people can order and sit down, and their name will be called. 

I liked the place, but can't say I loved it.  I would definitely go back, as everything was really fresh, and the toppings for the pizza were things I really like, like carmelized onions, eggplant, oven roasted mushrooms, in addition to traditional pepperoni, meatballs, etc.  No word of them coming to San Diego anytime soon, but they are expanding in Westwood, and I hear they have plans for Hollywood and the Valley.