La Pizza - New York Style Pizza In St. Louis

La Pizza Experience Summary

I am an extreme pizza snob, having grown up in New Jersey. I will still eat and enjoy other pizzas because pizza is delicious, but for a pizza to be "good," it has to meet my NJ standards.

I only ever use plain cheese pizza, or the restaurant equivalent, for rating purposes.

I'm using Costco Pizza as a 5 for my baseline. La Pizza is probably a 6. New York Pizza in Mendham, NJ, is a 9. Union Loafers is a 9. Dewey's is a 6.5.

When we first moved here from North Carolina in 2019, I had hoped La Pizza would be my new pizza place. It was close, affordable, real pizza (read not IMO's hot garbage).

I enjoyed it my first several times.

Unfortunately, it's not as good as it used to be; there's better pizza nearby, and prices have risen.

I still enjoy it. It's better-tasting pizza than Costco, but the price-to-taste has gone a bit out of whack, with a large pie costing $25 all in vs $12 at Costco. Not sure it's 2x better than Costco.

The Food At La Pizza

The pizza at La Pizza is the primary focus of this part of the review.

The overall flavor is solidly above average, with the cheese and tomato sauce being worthy of a NJ pizzeria. The problem is when you hit the crust, it falls incredibly limp.

I should be able to fold the pizza in half with one hand and take a bite. Unfortunately, the bottom of the pizza gives out halfway through because it's not crispy enough in the center, as you can see here.

That's not what you want in a pizza crust.

The dough itself has an average taste and the correct thickness. And because the dough tastes good, the stromboli and calzones also taste good. I've had them once, and they pair well with the marinara dipping sauce.

The side salads are very much side salads. These are not the gem salads from Union Loafers or the family salads at Dewey's. They are very much an afterthought made with shredded carrots and iceberg lettuce. Nothing to write home about.

The price has also seemed to balloon out of control at $25 after tax and tip for the pizza. You can see in the menu picture I took a couple of years ago the price used to be closer to $20, all in with tax and tip. Inflation is hurting here, making the flavor-to-price ratio bend considerably towards Costco.

If the same pizza still cost maybe $19 or $20, I'd step it up to a 7 from the current 6 rating. But I just don't think I could bring myself to get it over Costco for a random Tuesday night pizza, and I'd rather go to Deweys down the road for a typical Friday night pie.

La Pizza Atmosphere And Miscellaneous

La Pizza is designed for pickup and does not offer delivery. You could order there and sit at one of the two or three tables, but you'll be waiting anywhere from thirty minutes plus for them to cook your pizza.

Picking up your pizza is simple enough, and they have always been true to their estimated wait times. On a regular night, call your order thirty to forty-five minutes ahead. Call in at five on Friday and Saturday nights for a 45-minute wait. After that, you could wait 1 to 1.5 hours, assuming they don't run out of pickup slots altogether.

I have never had an issue with customer service or order quality in the dozen or so times we've ordered La Pizza over the past four years.

Parking At La Pizza

Parking at La Pizza is a piece of pie. There are plenty of spots in the front and back off of Delmar. I rarely see another car in the lot when I pick up food.

Be careful driving out of the lot. There's very little visible difference between the curb and the road, and it might be a bit bumpy if you don't pay attention.

Company Receipt

Pizza Size And Price Comparisons