Triple Beam Pizza

"If you want a picnic in Highland Park, you could either pick up some pre-made salads and go sit in a park by the 110 or you could go to Triple Beam on Figueroa. They have some of the best pizza-by-the-slice in LA and an extremely pleasant patio/parking lot in the back. And like all the best picnics, wine here comes served in plastic cups. We promise it tastes best that way." - amy clark, brett keating

"Both of Triple Beam’s locations in Highland and Echo Park are open for takeout and delivery, with personal-pan pizzas starting at $7, and whole pizzas - which they claim are “for four people” (but really, what is four people if not one person, four times?) - starting at $18. Will these Roman-style pies make you forget the fact that you have seven unpaid parking tickets? Probably not. But a thick slice of their roasted fennel with goat cheese will at least make you feel better about it. Order through their website or most major apps." - kat hong

"From the outside, Triple Beam looks like a random pizza-by-the-slice joint along Figueroa, but it's some of the best pizza you'll find in NELA. Started by the chef behind Pizzeria Mozza, Triple Beam's slices are priced by the ounce, and if that type of math gives you anxiety, just know you can pretty much order the whole menu for under $30. Don't assume that because this place is order-at-the-counter, you'll be eating your pizza on the curb—there's a fantastic patio in the back for that." - brant cox, garrett snyder, sylvio martins

"If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best - or so says that big poster of a person rock climbing in your dentist’s office. Achieving such dominance tends to come through a combination of hard work, a good lawyer, and continually one-upping the competition around you. Restaurants have similar strategies. From schticky tableside presentations to gastronomic science experiments to group cocktails served in sparkling metallic animals, restaurants will do almost anything to prove that they’re ahead of the pack. But then there’s Triple Beam, a pizza-by-the-slice joint in Highland Park that doesn’t need the extra stuff. It’s basically just pizza, wine, and a patio, and it’s one of the most exciting places to eat in the city. Triple Beam is from the people behind Pizzeria Mozza and Everson Royce Bar - two places that know about eating pizza and drinking wine. But this order-at-the-counter spot along Figueroa doesn’t have lines out the door because it was created by restaurants people recognize. It has lines out the door because the pizza is fantastic and the setup is simple. photo credit: Jakob Layman And when we say simple, we mean very simple. You wait in line, you hold up your hands to show how big you want your pieces, they pop them in the oven for a few seconds, and you take your tray out onto the patio. Triple Beam’s menu changes frequently, but there are usually five or so different pizzas, and you can get a good-sized slice of each for about $25 total. We say that not to prove how affordable it is - but because you should absolutely plan to order a slice of every pizza available. You can debate your friends and internal demons all night about whether the sausage or salami is better or if the patate beats out the asparagus. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. It’s the crust that makes the pizza at Triple Beam special. Crunchy, flaky, and cut into big squares, this Roman-style pizza isn’t just thicker than Mozza’s - it’s better. The ratio of cheese to toppings is right on every single slice, and combined with the crunchy crust, the result is tremendous. This is, technically, perfect pizza. And all scientific analysis aside, it tastes incredible. And then there’s the patio - a big space in the back that takes an otherwise grab-and-go pizza concept and turns it into a place where everybody wants to hang out. So grab a few friends or even your dentist, and go eat some pizza, drink some wine, and enjoy a place that’s too far ahead to be worried about the competition. Food Rundown photo credit: Jakob Layman Sausage Head to Triple Beam with five people and each person will probably claim a different pizza as their favorite. That’s not a bad thing. But for our money, we’re claiming the sausage. Topped with mozzarella, spicy greens, onion, and fennel pollen, it’s the perfect blend of crunchy, spicy, and savory. photo credit: Jakob Layman Wild Nettles This wins the award for the pizza we thought we wouldn’t like, but ended up loving. And that’s an important award. Focaccia Assuming you followed our advice and got a slice of every pizza available, adding more bread to the table might seem like overkill, but it’s not. When something is as good as the focaccia, you need it on your table. Salami If you can’t nail a salami pizza, you really shouldn’t be in business. Luckily, Triple Beam hits this one out of the park. photo credit: Jakob Layman Cherry Tomatoes Some people don’t like bacon on pizza and those people are not to be trusted. Mixed with the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes, this is a must-order. Patate Topped with golden potatoes, fontina, black truffle cheese, and rosemary, this is by no means a bad slice of pizza, but for us, the black truffle cheese is too overpowering." - Brant Cox

"Our goal in life isn’t to fly to the moon or become a millionaire. It’s to become a regular at a cool neighborhood restaurant. A good candidate is Hippo, which seems like every other place that serves crudo, pasta, and salmon entrees, but all of those things turn out to be way more interesting than renditions at other places. Come eat cappellacci by yourself at the bar every week and you’ll be on a first-name basis with the bartender in no time." - jess basser sanders, nikko duren, sylvio martins