Shins Pizza

"Los Angeles is home to many destination pizzerias, but few can be classified as a true slice joint — a place, by East Coast definition, that slings affordable slices plus canned or bottled drinks with limited seating from which to enjoy them. Shins, a hunter-green sliver of a restaurant in Cypress Park, fits the bill but also elevates it. Here, you will get sturdy, blistered slices (or whole pies for the more hungry) heated to order. You will eat at tiny red tables outside its doors or on a milk crate when seats run out. Shins’ mortadella slice — pulled from a white pie slathered with garlicky ricotta sauce and draped with frisbee-sized rounds of fat-pocked mortadella — is the showstopper. Even the gluten-intolerant can partake: Executive chef Melissa López slings a mean gluten-free pie whose dough is made from a Caputo flour blend, plus millet and quinoa ground on-site, and then fermented to create a slightly tangy, earthy, satisfying crust that holds its texture and golden color. 1215 1/2 Cypress Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90065." - Eater Staff

"Shins Pizza is named after Shin Irvin, co-founder of the design firm Folklor. He grew up eating slices in Philadelphia and wanted to bring a similar setup to Los Angeles. Bestia and Barbuto chef Melissa López developed pies with sausage and mushroom, straight-up cheese, or pizza with Chinese sausage, speck, pepperoni, and sambal." - Eater Staff

"This funky little slice shop in Cypress Park comes from the Found Oyster and Barra Santos people, which explains the pendant lights and deep green tiles. But it’s much more than a loiter zone for people who occasionally text a Haim sister. The crisp, well-browned NY-style slices here fold in half like there’s a perforated edge down the middle. It’s the updated, often Asian-influenced, toppings that set Shins apart, though. Their take on a meat lover’s pie—with sweet Chinese sausage, smoky speck, and a dollop of spicy sambal—deserves a dedicated takeout window, but we also love the controversial mortadella-topped take on white pie, which tastes like a gooey makeout session between creamy ricotta and salty-sweet lunch meat. " - brant cox, nikko duren, sylvio martins

"Shins Pizza in Cypress Park is, in fact, a slice shop. Which means you can order a Mexican coke at the counter, eat standing up, and start a relationship with a wedge of pepperoni. But unlike your typical pizza counter with milk crates as patio furniture, Shin’s serves slices with updated, often Asian-influenced toppings that are fun and inventive without going overboard. All the combinations are delicious, especially the slice with sweet Chinese sausage, pepperoni, smoky speck, and a dollop of sambal, which is so good it deserves its own dedicated takeout window. This one-of-a-kind slice shop, which comes from the same people behind and , doesn’t just make great pizza, though—the various sides, salads, and desserts here would all be scene-stealers in a non-pizza setting. We especially like the crispy-crunchy BBQ pork arancini, celery salad with blue cheese and pickled chiles, and a pleasantly tart cup of kalamansi Italian ice. But the main attractions are still the pies. Each slice folds in half like there’s a perforated edge down the middle, and the crust has all the sturdy chew of classic NY-style pizza. Shins is best suited for a quick, drop-by lunch or dinner. But there are a few limitations to bear in mind: There’s nowhere to sit or stand inside the restaurant, and the few outdoor “tables” are usually taken. Whole pies are available, too, but don’t expect much of a discount from the per-slice price. And be prepared to curb-loiter while watching the kitchen staff wave pizza peels in and out of the oven like a team of Vikings rowing a boat. " - Nikko Duren

"Another day, another pizza place ready to shake up LA’s slice scene. The newcomer in this case is Shins Pizza in Cypress Park, a sister project to next-door neighbor Barra Santos and from the same Last Word Hospitality (Queen St., Found Oyster) team. Shins is named for Shin Irvin, co-founder of the design firm Folklor, who grew up eating slices in Philadelphia and wanted to bring a similar setup to Los Angeles. Chef Melissa López (Bestia, Barbuto) will oversee Shins, working a menu of whole pies and slices, as well as sides like celery salad with Point Reyes blue cheese, pickled fresno chili, and pistachio. There will be rotating flavors of Italian ice to boot, including the current calamansi option. The new Shins Pizza opens today, August 15 at 1215 1⁄2 Cypress Avenue, and will keep hours from Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to start." - Farley Elliott