The Arb Pizza Cafe

Well there has to be something up with all these positive reviews… I thought it was awful…

Around Jan 29, 09 LAist had an article talking about a new pizza place in Studio City, The Arb Pizza Café, and one of the guys on my team, Jeff, is a massive foodie. So we all had no choice but to go with him on this next culinary experiment.
Plus, the way LAist described it piqued our interest:
«Matt Compton, co-​owner of Arb Pizza answers the phone. Someone wants to know if his pizza is true new york pizza. „I’ll tell you what,“ he exclaims. „If you don’t like it, come back here, throw on the floor and I’ll make you new one.“»
We figured it would be easy to tell if this place was any good, since we imagined if it was bad that we would know upon walking in since there would either be pizza all over the floor or we would be slipping all over the grease left behind from the cover up. As it so happened, as we walked in there was some mopping up of the floor going on. We hoped this meant pizzas had been thrown, but unfortunately it just seemed to be a drink spill.
We ended up opting for the Parma pizza, which was friggin’ delicious: fresh mozzarella, arugula, parmigiano, tasty prosciutto, on a thin crust cooked just right and not overdone. Scott, who is anti-​vegetable (despite repeated denial of this) was with us until we told him what arugula was, thus only half the pizza had arugula. The pizza also was not heavy and didn’t weigh you down, yet still satiating. We got the 18 version, which was just right for 4 of us.
They also have a menu of paninis, one of them sounded awesome (prosciutto and brie), so maybe we’ll have to go back to try those one day too. Plus they deliver.
Overall, we all liked it, no complaints, pizza was tasty, good and helpful service, and it was nice to sit outside while we ate. For 4 of us, 1 pizza, and 4 drinks, the bill was about $ 33, with another $ 5 for parking/​valet (we’re lazy). I’d recommend it if you’re around.

It’s closed now.

Just flew in from a trip to NYC, and I guess my wife was jealous because of the great pizza I ate while I was out there, so she suggested we try this place «The Arb» she found on Unilocal that was supposed to have good NY-​style pizza…
Well we weren’t disappointed! We got the standard Brooklyn– Style Pizza with half cheese/​half pepperoni — Big, thin slices that you can fold, slightly crunchy and very tasty crust, and the cheese and pepperoni were fresh and delicious. We tore through our 18″ pie in no time.
Matt suggested we try the olio aglio (white pizza) next time — can’t wait! Thank you to «The Arb» for bringing great NY-​style pizza to our neighborhood!

The Arb Pizza Café is a great little pizza joint in Studio City. We were looking for a place to stop before a movie and this was certainly a good pick.
We shared the 4 Cheese Pizza — this was a great pizza, but after a few bites, the bleu cheese got a bit overwhelming, but a solid pizza none-​the-​less. The crust is some of the best in town, hands down. I’m very excited to return to get a pizza with some meat on it!
I took off one star simply because they don’t serve beer. I know it’s mostly a take out joint, but we wanted to eat there and I really wanted a beer with my pizza … oh well. Next time I’ll just get take out and enjoy the pizza and beer at home!

For those of you looking for a moderately priced option for great Italian food/​pizza in Studio City, look no further.
Great, refreshing salads that are about 8 dollars a piece fill you up for lunch. If greens aren’t your thing, get the paninis with the salami and prosciutto, they’re amazing!
My boss always orders the pizza, so I can only assume that is great as well. And, you can get it by slice. AND, they deliver.
The only sketchy thing was when they first started they would charge different prices for the same items on different days. Maybe they have solidified that by now.
Great great lunch spot. Highly recommended.

Wowzers this is some great pizza! I’ve had the olio aglio twice (stellar) and the vegetarian pizza once. Perfect melt-​in-​your-​mouth crust, the precise amount of cheese and top quality ingredients.
The dude that works there is super nice (even the little hispanic guy cooking in the kitchen was sweet!)
The only thing on my Arb wishlist is for them to carry better sodas… I avoid high fructose corn syrup laden Coca Cola & Sprite; so a nice Mexican Coca Cola or a Hansen’s would top the meal off perfectly!

Went again today for lunch, a little over a month, it had more business than last time. They had a pesto and tomato pizza that was particularly tasty. Still same large pieces and they had the Dodgers game and the Angels game on. My friend who was with me asked why do they have the large screens, makes it feel like a bar without the liquor… good point eh?
Still doesn’t affect the taste of the pizza. I did however see that they had some really good looking Paninis and salads, but I only had 6 bucks on me so my slice was $ 4 and I had ice water to wash my cheesiness away.
Filling, it’s been 4 hours and I’m still doing good.
The standard apparently is Cheese, Pepperoni and a «special». Always try the special when you go, but it shouldn’t deter you away from enjoying a slice of that good olé fashion cheese.

The closest thing to NY pizza in LA. Just stop by in here for lunch with coworkers. The place is well kept and gives you a sort of NY pizza parlor feel to it, with the brick building and exposed kitchen.
The pizza was a little on the oily side but still good. We ordered an 18in so it was freshly made, but they have pizza by the slice $ 3.00 for cheese. I’d come here again and recommend it for NY style pizza.

I didn’t much care for Two Boots when I first went to grab a slice of the witty named slice of Pizza. I thought that the actual NY style suffered due to the wacky names they gave it. If anything, Arb Pizza Café drops the wacky names and gives you GOOD NY Style pizza. Well, as good as you’re going to get in Los Angeles.
So the great — The service is pretty god damn amazing. They’re very friendly when you walk in the door. While it may be a little small in space, what they do with the room they have to work with a warm feel to it.
The chalk board lays out all the types of pizza you can get. They’re as simple as cheese and range up to some pretty tasty items such as grilled eggplant and basil. While I’ve never had a slice of eggplant and basil pizza in my short time in NY, I would say it tasted like the right balance of NY Style slice of pizza fused with the typical «throw-​anything-​on-​your-​item» type of California fusion. The prices are really cheap for slices and even for a whole pie.
The only downside is the parking, which is always a hassle on the streets of Ventura Blvd considering it seems that every other space is a Valet loading/​unloading section. But I’ll gladly pick this up there on the list of great places to eat on Ventura Blvd. Considering the choices you have on that one strip of real estate, that in itself is a praise.
You want good NY style pizza in Los Angeles? Look no further than here.

SO GLAD these guys opened up right down the street from Universal! It is a tasty treat… and cheap too! Definitely try the pizza and the potato chips (they are only $ 1 and delicious!), the garlic knots and salads are good too! I was in there today and they were playing the Red Wings game, so even better! Park at Trader Joe’s…

I want to try more things from here, but the first time I went in, I got the sicilliano pizza (grilled eggplant and basil) and it was soooo delicious, so now I always get that. I never would have thought to eat eggplant, but for some reason I did, and now I can’t get enough. It really is super good and the owner is super nice, too.
You must try it!!!

Pros — Sandwiches are delicious and filling, salads also really fresh and delicious.
Really good potato chips and fresh french fries
Cons — Pizza is mediocre I’ve tried it on 4 occasions and each time am let down by the crust, its not crispy and seems cooked on a screen.
I do NOT recommend the pizza.

Maybe the reason I’m not more enthused about Arb is that I don’t know NY pizza, have never lived there, and really can’t speak to the authenticity. There’s a lot to like here, though. The pizza is fresh and tasty. Great crust, good ingredients, no complaints. Next to Laurel Tavern, providing an alternative to their tasty but limited menu.
Parking may be a problem, especially on weekend nights. You could probably get away with parking in the Trader Joe’s lot, but when I go to Laurel, I park across the street near CBS.
This isn’t my favorite pizza in town, but I’ll definitely be returning. sometimes hot, crispy and gooey just hits the spot.

I live on the hill south of Ventura Blvd, so I can actually see The Arb’s backdoor from my living room. I’ve been carefully watching The Arb since it opened waiting to see what kind of reaction it would get. And after reading the Unilocal reviews, I was finally convinced to go and try it out for myself.
I walked down the hill, because I knew that parking on Ventura is horrific. I was greeted by a nice bald guy working hard making pizzas. He told me that he had a fresh peperoni pie coming out if I wanted slice. So I agreed and took a seat in the very nice «dining area» while I waited. The place felt rather homey and he treated every customer like an old regular. The pizza was really, but greasy. A nice sized slice and a drink was $ 5.
I actually enjoyed hanging out in the pizza café, and I will definitely make it one of my regular spots.

The New York style pizza here is amazing and reasonably priced. It’s a new small place located on Ventura, and the owners are great guys as well.
I highly recommend stopping by The Arb if you’re in the area and ever need a quick bite. Definitely the best NY-​style pizza I’ve had since I’ve been living here in California.

I’m not sure where all these five-​star reviews are coming from, but take it from an ex-​New Yorker: this is very average pizza.
The biggest problem is the crust. It’s thick, spongy and undercooked, devoid of flavor. The cheese and sauce were fine, but the ricotta topping I ordered was off, tasting slightly sour. (Note to The Arb: visit Vito’s if you want to find out how real fresh ricotta should taste.)
The staff seemed friendly. I’m sure they’re good guys who aspire to make great pizza, but they’ve got a long way to go.

Who doesn’t love a great slice of Pizza??? I love the Pesto and I love The Bianca (ricotta & spinach), my daughter loved her slice of pepperoni too. The dudes that own the place are super cool and I love the friendly atmosphere. I look forward to stopping by at least a couple times a week for a slice of true NY pizza!!!
Good Luck Guys!!!

With the horrible drivers, constant turnover, and general chaos that is Ventura Blvd. it’s easy to miss when a new little gem graces us with it’s presence on this crowded thoroughfare. Such was the case with me and The Arb so thank god for their lovely little mention on LAist today just as my co-​worker and I were doing our usual «you pick, no you pick» battle to find somewhere near our office that we aren’t tired of eating lunch at.
The second I sent him the article (complete with delicious-​looking pictures) the deal was sealed and we were on our way with orders for hungry but grounded office neighbors in hand.
The place was easy to find and the co-​owners were there to greet us with a hearty «hello» and smiles. The joint is cash-​only for now since they’re pretty new but my buddy found a nearby ATM with their direction so all was well.
The pizza slices were delicious and between the two of us, we tried cheese, pepperoni and pesto and all lived up to the Unilocal-​hype. They even brought us out some garlic knots to try and they were warm, garlicky goodness all tied up! The salad and slices I brought back for co-​workers all stood up well and caused quite the buzz around our floor. I even had the menu I brought back stolen from my desk so it looks like I wasn’t the only one on a quest for good pizza in Studio City!
With a fair amount of seating inside and cute little wooden tables on the sidewalk, this is a perfect place to enjoy a toasty and delicious slice on a warm Cali day! You can be sure I’ll be back and probably with many more orders from my office in tow next time!

Awesome new place! Great pizza! Very affordable and they sell pizza by the slice too!