Wildcrust
Restaurant · Eagle Rock ·
Wood-fired sourdough pizzas, duck dishes, and fine wines
Wood-fired sourdough pizzas, duck dishes, and fine wines
"A stylish, midcentury-esque, comfortable spot on the edge of the neighborhood, this wood-fired sourdough pizzeria from chef Miles Okabayashi — opened with his brother Sam and sister-in-law Jean — serves some of Northeast Los Angeles’s best pizzas, ranging from traditional to adventurous, and even uses the wood-fired grill for mains like whole branzino with a shiitake beurre blanc, best paired with wines curated from small producers. Starters show a unique touch, including Brussels sprouts doused with makrut lime and Snake River Farms meatballs bedded on a chipotle tomato sauce. Every pie comes from a homemade sourdough starter that Miles carried on a flight from New York to Los Angeles and a 48-hour fermentation. Order the classic margherita to let the blistered crust and balanced marinara do the talking, or go daring with a bacon onion jam pie with goat cheese, pickled chile, and chives; the lamb tzatziki pizza layers tomatoes, fior di latte, tzatziki, feta, Calabrian chile, mint, and saucy braised lamb — a combination that encompasses Los Angeles culture in a dazzling bite — and there’s also a marinara or a mushroom pie topped with raclette and garlic vinaigrette. The wine list spans bottles from Italy and Argentina plus a mineral-forward Albariño from Sonoma, and if you’re not feeling wine, ask the server to recommend a perfect sake and beer to pair with the food. Large windows, a patio, and lighting are some of its best assets, and the southwest-facing room rewards grabbing a reservation time when you can watch the California sky seep from day to night. Though there is a parking lot, it fills up quickly because the space is shared with croissant bakery Fondry and Queen’s Raw Bar & Grill; street parking is typically plentiful." - Mona Holmes
"After the inaugural collaboration with Firstborn’s Anthony Wang, Wildcrust’s Miles Okabayashi will welcome Tsubaki chef de cuisine Klementine Song on August 26 for round two, serving two collaborative pizzas—a char siu pork yakisoba pie and another topped with mushroom skewers, charred bell peppers, and garlic miso sauce—while the full pizza menu is also available." - Rebecca Roland
"Summer at this pizzeria is all about collaborations: chef-owner Miles Okabayashi is hosting guest chefs over the next few months. The first night pairs him with Firstborn’s Anthony Wang for a pie centered on Wang’s popular duck sausage laid over Okabayashi’s sourdough crust, alongside a Sichuan eggplant pizza with red Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, and stracciatella. Additional dates follow on August 26 with Tsubaki chef de cuisine Klementine Song and September 16 with Perilla chef Jihee Kim, and the series even has a playful name — So You Think You Can Toss — with reservations available via Resy." - Mona Holmes
"Pandemic-era pop-up-turned-permanent restaurant Wildcrust is a family affair. Chef Miles Okabayashi, brother Sam, and sister-in-law Jean Okabayashi debuted their elegant space inside the same courtyard as Queen St. and Fondry. Wildcrust’s food includes blistered pizzas topped with braised lamb tzatziki, duck croquettes with a duck jus, a bone-in pork chop, and roasted meatballs doused with a tomato chipotle and Parmesan sauce." - Mona Holmes
"Everybody looks good basking in Wildcrust’s soft, warm lighting. This narrow Eagle Rock pizzeria is a beautiful restaurant, with crimson banquetes, shiny turquoise accents, and long communal tables with lots of room for friends and a bottle of wine. When it comes to service and ambiance, Wildcrust is charming, but that’s less true of the hit-and-miss food. Although Wildcrust is foremost a pizzeria, we’ve yet to have a standout pizza experience here. It often boils down to not enough of one topping, too much of another, or the way the inside of our mouth gets coated with flour after each bite. That said, the actual crust is tangy and flavorful. Wildcraft also has solid appetizers, which are the best dishes on the short menu: crackly duck croquettes, smooth duck liver mousse (there’s a lot of duck on this menu), and a standard caesar blanketed in parm and breadcrumbs. If you remove the uneven pies from the equation and stick to drinks and snacks, Wildcust can work for a pleasant evening—just don't plan pizza night around it. Food Rundown Meatballs These meatballs are just spherical meatloaves. Aren’t all meatballs technically spherical meatloaves? Maybe, but these especially. They have the same smooth emulsified texture, with a sweet chipotle tomato sauce that’s similar to a ketchup glaze. Not terrible, but certainly odd. photo credit: Jesse Hsu Caesar Crispy little gems, check. Tangy not-too-creamy dressing, check. Generous amount of parm, check. This is a standard caesar done well, and the addition of breadcrumbs toasted in brown butter is a nice touch. photo credit: Nicolas Zhou Duck Leg Croquettes The duck-to-bechamel ratio on these crackly, meaty croquettes is 2-to-1, and we’re into it. They’re heavy, but not so rich that you won’t reach for a second. If you like raw garlic, you’ll love the pungent aioli on the side. photo credit: Nicolas Zhou Pizzas Wildcrust’s Neapolitan-esque pizzas have a nice chew and sturdy bottoms, but they either lack sauce, have too much residual flour from the oven, or, in the case of the ‘nduja pies, blast your tongue with Calabrian chilis. It’s a little weird to suggest skipping the pizza at a pizzeria, but you won’t miss out on much if you do. photo credit: Jesse Hsu Grilled Cabbage This dish tastes purely of charred and blistered cabbage, which is a wonderful thing. The leaves are smoky and soft, with a sharp and salty pecorino sauce on the bottom. photo credit: Jesse Hsu Pork Chop We’ve had mixed experiences with this chop. Our first visit it was crusted in fennel, pale white inside, and way overcooked. The next time, it was brushed with a tangy tamarind glaze and perfectly moist and rosy pink in the center. photo credit: Jesse Hsu" - Sylvio Martins
