One needn't go to Mozza to experience thoughtful topping combos and perfect crust. LA Pizza Company puts a personal spin on the classic doughy people-pleasers—and Mario can keep his salumi. This place has three kinds of South American sausage.

The most loudly lauded pizza here is the greasy yet totally flavorful Chavez Ravine, made with a mix of mozzarella and goat cheese, topped with mushrooms and artichokes, and drowning in pesto. It could convert even the staunchest carnivore over to the green side. Some of the other pizzas come with veggies and/or herbs added after the pizza's out of the oven, something we haven't seen a lot of but is now our standard for pizza: the Buenos Aires, made with chimichurri sauce and Argentinian sausage, is topped with a layer of fresh basil after it's baked that gives it freshness and bite. One of the less successful pizzas, the BBQ Turkey, underwent some sort of alchemy in the fridge overnight and tasted better the next day, when the barbecue sauce merged rather nicely with the fresh watercress and radish. The restaurant also offers chicken wings, lasagna, sandwiches and salads, as well as the occasional empanada and various other Latin classics. Sometimes the owner will even present guests with a small bowl of cookies at the end of the meal, the better to linger at a sidewalk table and get heckled by elderly Chinese ladies out for an evening stroll—they can't believe you paid $12 for a pizza. They must not have tried it yet.—Katherine Spiers