Long beach: Pizzanista!

Pizzanista has 2 locations.  This one is a remodeled house located on the corner of Gardenia and 7th Street (a block from Cherry) that was converted into a restaurant/ cafe.  To say parking is difficult is an understatement.  My friends and I rendezvous here to celebrate a belated birthday on a Tuesday night.  At 7:00 pm, it took about 15 minutes to find parking.  One of us parked as far away as Cherry and 4th Street.

The place has a handful of booths, a nice patio area, and a section in the front (which probably used to be the den or living room) was perfect for our little gathering.  The staff is friendly, but not overly chatty.  You order at the counter, and we decided to order a bunch of slices and share.  You can also order a whole pizza, and they have vegan options, too.

So we ordered 3 slices each of the following:
– Meat Jesus – looks like 3 types of meat: pepperoni, bacon, sausage $4.20
– Margherita $3.50
– White $3.50
– Soppressata (a type of salami) & Mushrooms $4.10
– Pepperoni normally $3.50 but only $2 on Tuesdays
and just one of the Sicilian at $4.00

Total came to $60 and change, and it fed 5 hangry girls, plus we even took a few slices home. The pizza slices were generous and 2 slices could easily satisfy as a meal.  With the exception of the Sicilian, the pizzas were New York “Style” as in thin crust, but I wouldn’t pass it as New York pizza.

I was hoping the pizza would be a little charred at the bottom, but it’s just, well… ordinary oven pizza crust and dough.  Still pretty good, especially for the price.  Starving students can easily afford this place, and they also offer day old slices for only a buck.

I’m not sure if I’d come back here on my own, especially the awful parking.  I’ll give this 4 generous (more like 3 1/2) stars for the price and portion.