Sonny’s tends to elicit strong reactions, sometimes before people have a chance to taste their actual pizza. Started by two friends from New Jersey, this Hollywood pizza shop became infamous for its competitive takeout process, which meant an act as straightforward as ordering a large pepperoni could feel like trying to score Coachella tickets. Online orders required designated pickup times, quantities were limited, wait times varied, and dealing with meter parking outside the shop was a pain. As someone in our comments section put it, “Everything about this experience (excluding the pizza) seems excruciatingly wack.”
If we’d never peeled open one of Sonny’s white autographed boxes, we might have even agreed. But after eating several of Sonny’s superlative thin-crust pies, we’re convinced that these pizzas are not only worth the effort, but good enough to make you consider an ill-advised tattoo that reads “From Hoboken With Love.” It also helps that getting a hold of Sonny’s is a whole lot easier than it used to be, while the extra-crisp pizza remains as spectacular as ever.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
When it comes to pizza styles, Sonny’s 18-inch pies exist in their own amorphous genre. If you want to get technical, they’re thicker than a Jersey bar pie and crispier than a typical New York City slice. The edges are heavily browned, almost blackened. Just don’t let the owners hear you call it burnt or charred—it’s “well done.” The oil-brushed crust crunches and crackles like holiday tinsel when you fold a slice. The tart, balanced sauce and mozzarella fuse into a singular squeaky layer, and every pizza is christened with a shower of sharp grana padano shaved to order, plus a few basil leaves that function like a spritz of perfume. They only sell whole pizzas, which isn’t ideal when you have no one to share it with, but we’ve never heard any complaints about leftovers, especially since the thin crust reheats nicely in a hot pan the next day.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
When it first opened, Sonny’s functioned like a pizza dispensary, where people would show up to collect their order, then hoof it back to their car to eat it as soon as possible. Now the space has a few standing tables up front and a stainless steel counter with eight seats peering into the kitchen. It’s a nice place to hang out while watching grated cheese rain down or some Sopranos episodes playing on a small TV. The takeout option still exists, but now you can also just walk in, order a pizza at the counter, and eat it fresh from the oven, which is hands-down the best way to experience these expertly bronzed beauties.
Food Rundown
Plain
Translation: cheese pizza. But Sonny’s plain doesn’t taste plain. The layer of tangy sauce and browned mozzarella is generous, and the crust is crunchy enough to handle it. The crunchy edges are brushed with olive oil, and the pie gets a dusting of shaved cheese and torn basil to finish. It’s perfect as is, but you can also add on jalapeños, burrata, or swirls of hot honey.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Pepperoni
With all due respect to the plain, when we close our eyes and dream of Sonny’s, this pizza comes to mind. The curled pepperoni cups glisten and glimmer, but they’re not dripping in oil. If you’re feeling flush, add the burrata for $8 more—the cool, creamy cheese is the perfect partner to the spicy-salty meat.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Wagyu Cheesesteak
This sandwich looks and tastes like they tried to reverse engineer the cheesesteak from Angelo’s Pizzeria in Philly—and mostly succeeded. The onions and jalapeños get lost in the delicious gloop, so it’s slightly one-note, but it’s a great, melty note of sharp cheese and beef so thinly shredded it could top a gyudon bowl. The only caveat is that the steak can be bit gristly, which is hard to swallow (literally) for $24.
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