Culver City’s Newest Pizzeria Has Many Delights To Show You
By Dolores Quintana
After three long years and one pop-up, Best Bet Pizzeria officially had its grand opening on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. The creation of Chef Jason Neroni, renowned for his food at The Rose Venice, this new culinary venture promises a unique blend of flavors inspired by Neroni’s extensive global experiences in the kitchen.
Best Bet Pizzeria “will offer guests a refined but unpretentious California-Italian dining experience in a warm, nostalgic space that pays homage to its longstanding tenure as a neighborhood spot while also positioning itself as a dining destination. At its core, Best Bet Pizzeria is a celebration of community centered on superb flavors, unexpected nods to past and present, and a home for its chef to cook on his own terms.”
Drawing inspiration from Neroni’s formative years in Southern California and his experiences in top New York City kitchens, the menu at Best Bet Pizzeria is a fusion of global influences anchored by Italian cuisine. Cured meats like mortadella, prosciutto, and salami are sourced from Italy, while cheeses are carefully selected in collaboration with Beverly Hills Cheese Shop Owner Dominick DiBartolomeo. Fresh produce is meticulously chosen through long-standing relationships with local farmers.
The heart of the menu revolves around three distinct pizza varieties: the fried Montanara or ‘mountain’ style, reminiscent of Naples’ street food; the light and crunchy ‘Grandma’-style focaccia; and the ‘Neo-New York,’ a creative combination of traditional Neopolitan and New York styles cooked over Oak and Japanese charcoal. The Godzilla wood-fired pizza is a wow slice of flavor.
Pizzas on the opening menu include:
- Wood Fired:
Ode To Franco – mozzarella, scamorza, tomato confit, pesto powder
Godzilla – green garlic sausage, pepperoni, bacon, miso mayo, black garlic sauce, togarashi
- Montanara:
Enigma – taleggio fonduta, arugula pesto, crunchy olives
Funkadelic – sheep’s milk ricotta, guanciale, peaches, olive crumble, Persian mint, black pepper
- Focaccia:
White Lotus – carbonara, smoked bacon, crescenza cheese, 24-mo parmesan, black pepper, poached egg
Reverse Spumoni – crispy mortadella, cherries, pistachio, whipped buffalo ricotta, cherry-amaro agrodolce.
The press statement says, “Further enhancing the menu is a selection of sharable spuntini and fritti; crudos; seasonal offerings; pasta; wood-fired meat, game, and fish; and desserts. The totality of dishes fuses the inventive-but-unpretentious nature of Neroni’s cuisine, which often showcases unique ingredient pairings. Dishes on the opening menu are expected to include: Ricotta Zeppole Giostra with avocado honey, 24-mo parmesan, black truffle, sea salt; Weiser & Munak Sweet Melons with coppa nero, bergamot lemon, anise hyssop, konbu oil, Calabrian chili; All The Tomatoes Salad with tomato vinaigrette, black garlic, basil oil 2X, buffalo ricotta; Orecchetti with pink peppercorns, caciocavallo al burro; Sweet Corn Raviolo with kernels, basil butter, corn nuts, smoked corn husk, lobster (optional); Duck Leg Rotisserie with moor spices, caponata, cherry tomatoes, stone fruit mostardo, ricotta salata; and Bomboloni with smoked tiramisu flavors.”
Complementing the cuisine is an Italian/Cal-Italian wine list curated by Wine Director Aaron Watty, emphasizing sustainable, biodynamic, and organic producers. In addition to a variety of cocktails crafted by Beverage Consultant Dave Purcell, including the Best Bet Martini with vodka, gin, fino, vermouth, Best Bet brine, green olive oil, and pimento, Baldwin Hills with rye whiskey, Italian vermouth, dopo teatro, and toasted coconut; or the Margherita with blanco and reposado tequilas, tangerine, limoncello, lemon, and basil oil – alongside Frozen Negronis, the beverage menu also features a rotating program of ‘lie-bations,’ which are non-alcoholic fermented beverages personally crafted by Chef Neroni himself.
The restaurant’s location, formerly an IHOP, has been renovated to exude a 1970s retro feel, with a comfortable indoor-outdoor seating arrangement for 110 guests. Throughout the space, locally crafted touches by artisans add character, while an art installation featuring work from the neighborhood and notable artists above the entryway creates a unique connection between art and food.
Best Bet Pizzeria is a passion project for Chef Jason Neroni, who describes it as his most personal restaurant. He said, “I love pizza, all kinds, any kind, any time, anywhere. So with Best Bet, I wanted to put everything about me and my passion for food, hospitality, and drink into this experience. With the opportunity to put every last detail into the passion that goes with cooking pizza and produce, we’ve cultivated a concept that is a personal reinterpretation of a classic pizza joint – intriguing and unexpected but still familiar and delicious.”
Initially, the pizzeria will open for dinner service five days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday, 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., with plans to expand to lunch and brunch in the future. Reservations can be made via OpenTable, with walk-ins also warmly welcomed. Ample parking, including valet and street parking, will be available for guests.
Best Bet Pizzeria is located at 12565 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066. For more information and updates, please visit https://www.bestbetpizzeria.la or check out their Instagram page.
