The Coop Pizza

The Coop Pizza Is a Los Angeles Icon For New York-Style Slices | Eater LA

"A line stretches out the door of the 440-square-foot, standing-room-only pizza joint on the corner of Exposition and National in Palms, where owners Mike and Christina Fransen—just the two of them—run the place and, on busy nights, orders can take up to an hour but regulars don’t mind. Operating for over 50 years in a space that was converted into a takeout Italian by Maria and Guido Cuomo after a short-lived roast-chicken chain folded in 1968, the Coop is beloved for New York-style slices that are thin, oily, crispy, and the ideal quick bite before catching the Metro E train across the street; the shop is filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread, bubbling cheese, and stewed tomatoes. With no freezer, dough and marinara are made fresh daily—the marinara uses whole Roma tomatoes, the olive-oil–laced dough combines two types of flour, and whole-milk Buffalo mozzarella comes from Wisconsin—so a cheese slice is $3.50 (pepperoni is 75 cents more), each slice is crisped in the oven, wrapped in foil, and served on paper plates. The menu also lists carefully layered lasagnas, thick meatball sandwiches flecked with fresh Italian parsley, chicken Parmesan or a vegetarian eggplant version, and most recipes have stayed unchanged (aside from an adapted deep-dish), all displayed on a large red-and-green plastic menu stuck to the wall. The Coop is as much about community as food: Christina is famous for calling customers “sweetheart,” “sweetie,” or “honey,” handing out little Parmesan packets, and the Fransens treat many patrons like family—Mike even memorizes regulars’ phone numbers and orders—while customers lean against the windows or run to Bob’s Market to wait; the shop’s sign is visible from the Palms station platform. Though development and the Metro E Line have brought new clientele and pressures like rising rents, the Fransens stay active in the neighborhood (making pizzas for parties, relying on neighbors in return), remain cash-only for now, and hope to keep the Coop open another five to ten years by hiring help and eventually adding a card reader." - Diana Ruzova