Funky But Delightful Brazilian Pizzas Are the Star of Sampa’s Pizza | Eater LA

"Founded by Natalia Vassovimho and Gustavo Siqueira with chef Marcus Roberto, the pizzeria opened in Lomita in 2018 and added a Marina Del Rey location in 2019 to recreate São Paulo–style pizza in Los Angeles. I found their thin-crusted, cheese-forward pies densely topped with Brazilian ingredients — signature combinations include chicken with catupiry, calabresa with onions and olives, Margherita with a Brazilian-style cooked fresh tomato sauce, and pizza portuguesa with presunto, hard‑boiled eggs, onions, green olives, and mussarela — and pizzas can be ordered half-and-half so one side can swim in mussarela, catupiry, corn, and chicken while the other is layered with portuguesa, several cheeses, and heart of palm. Dessert pizzas include strawberry with Nutella and the classic guava paste-and-cheese Romeu é Julieta. Roberto, who won “Best Brazilian Pizza Chef in the World” in 2017 and 2019 and “Best Pizza Chef Outside of Italy” in 2019 at the World Pizza Championship in Parma, serves as a consultant; the crust is made with Caputo 00 flour and baked in an Italforni stone conveyor oven at 700 degrees. What began with mostly Brazilian customers (and surprised Japanese diners in Lomita) has grown as the owners patiently convert Angelenos to these top-heavy, cheesy pies, and they serve wine, beer, and Guaraná while planning further expansion." - Bill Esparza