This post has been on my to-do-list for about as long as I can remember. You see, me and food have a special connection. It’s always there when I need it (all the time), ready to be enjoyed. I have standards, of course. I don’t just mean any old food. Nah, the food I deal with has to be delicious, served in large portions, affordable and what else…oh right, delicious.
Enter Joe Peeps Pizza.
Joe Peeps New York Style Pizza is nestled away in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, in between a camera repair shop, hair studio and medical marijuana dispensary. It’s a small place with about six tables and its ambiance and decor could be called unique. The walls are covered in all types of graffiti, personal notes left behind by any customer with a marker or thought to share in the last few decades or so. It isn’t vandalism though, it’s allowed by management – they add fresh coats of white paint every year – a place for pizza lovers to philosophize about conspiracy theories (“Dorner Lives” is scrawled on one section), their love for significant others (Noe & Cheri 4Ever) or just doodle a cartoon face.
To be clear, this isn’t some hipster “pizza cafe” worried about appearing on an E! reality show or whether its beef came from cows that were read bedtime stories. You get the picture quickly that the most important thing to the good folks at Joe Peeps is the pizza. In other words, it’s just perfect.
It’s also my favorite pizza spot, something I have in common with Elijah Wood. I first discovered it by chance about 15 years ago, an emergency food stop after a 3-mile bike ride with a friend to a sports memorabilia store that it shared the block with. Tired and hungry, we went in just because it was next door. I’ve been a regular ever since.
They are famous for adventures in dining excess. Joe Peeps customers never fear a lack of toppings, as most pizzas always have generous portions of whatever floats your pizza boat. For me, it’s all about satisfying my inner carnivore. Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, Canadian bacon and the like are beautifully sprawled across every inch of my pizza, a masterpiece of meat and cheese.
They offer two crust styles, both which are thin but quite different. Their “Blue Collar” pizza is the most affordable ($11.99 for a large), with a thin, crispy bread similar to thin crust found at any regular pizza joint. If I seem short of details on that version it’s for a reason. I never order it. The star at Joe Peeps is their “5969 calorie” pizza. That’s where all the fun happens.
While it also has a thin crust, this one is soft in the middle. Its dough is made fresh every day and is soaked in the deliciousness of all of its toppings, including lots of real mozzarella cheese and their sauce, home-made with their own blend of fresh Parmesan cheese and garlic. It isn’t a slice you can just pick up right away. The heavy toppings and soft bread mean you’ll probably need a fork and knife, at least for the first half.
Their pizzas come in several sizes; 12 inches for a small (six slices), 14 for medium (eight slices), 16 for large (eight slices) or if you’re like me, the 18-inch extra large and its 12 slices. You can take a look at their full pizza menu below.
They offer slices for sale as well, with any two regular toppings starting at $2.50 per slice. Just make sure you’re hungry and really ready to eat if you order more than one, because they ain’t no joke. They sell 12-ounce soda cans (Coke, 7up, Root Beer, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi at $1.25 each) and bottles of Snapple for $1.75 each. Other food items also include massive meatball and steak sandwiches, pasta and hot wings. My personal favorite is the 18-inch extra large pizza with pepperoni and sausage ($20+), pictured below.
They provide top notch pizza and great service, with a friendly staff and they deliver to everywhere but Iraq for $1.11 per mile. They also offer a special discount for regulars called “VIPeepers” that saves you between 5-15 percent off a cash order depending on the number of times you’ve been there in the last week. They accept ATM, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express and their hours can be found below.
Monday – Thursday: 11 am-10 pm
Friday and Saturday: 11 am-Midnight
Sunday: 12 noon-10 pm
Phone: (818)506-4133
Address: 12460 Magnolia Blvd. Valley Village, CA 91607
I highly recommend stopping by if you’re ever in Los Angeles and ready for a pizza feast. A few pro tips; the entrance and parking is in the back, be sure to call in your orders on the way to save time, ask for extra cheese, which always gets melted on top of whatever toppings you choose and creates layers upon layers of food heaven. My most recent example is the half pepperoni, Canadian bacon and extra cheese, half pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese found below.
Their website is JoePeeps.com and you can also find Joe Peeps on Facebook and Yelp.
-Will.