Tomato Pie Pizza Joint

South Pasadena has a glut of top pizza joints. Nonna’s, Mama’s Brick Oven, and now Tomato Pie. They are all excellent and within a couple blocks of each other. I am a born and bred New Yorker, so if you think I don’t know from pizza… fuggedaboudit!
So I got a cheese pie, which was excellent, and a pie with delicious meatballs and black olives. Top notch. I also tried two slices of their signature Tomato Pie (which is a square pie without mozzarella cheese. It’s not Sicilian. They have that, too. I got one Slice with sausage and one slice with spicy sausage. They were both fantastic. Reminded me of elementary school pizza back in the 1970’s when school pizza was made with top quality ingredients.
Also got a lasagna and it was delicious. Next to try is the Alfredo farfalla.
Parking was easy. Service was cool and friendly. And they have some craft beers on tap. Strong recommendation!

I finally found good pizza in L.A. — yippee! This place rocks. My favorite is «The Grandma.» The crust is super thin and chewy perfection. The sauce has a smoky flavor to it that just brings it all together. Had a nice little salad with garbanzo beans, a generous supply of black olives, and a tasty vinaigrette. Oh, and they have one of those digital soda machines with all the different Coke varieties — Cherry, Cherry Vanilla, Lime, etc. — YES! My mouth and tummy were very happy when I left this joint! The crew that works there are friendly and attentive as well. Thank you Tomato Pie! I’m in love :-))

This is the best pizza in the LA area.
get the grandma with pepperoni!

This place is truly the Bomb!!! Awesome customer service and the food is soooo gooood.

Instantly fell in LOVE! So clean, modern, tasty, and affordable! Definitely coming back! New favorite spot! Staffs are so nice and friendly as well!

So happy Tomato Pie is in South Pasadena. Used to go to the one in Silver Lake but parking can be a little crazy there. Their pizza, salads, and garlic knots are so good because the ingredients are quality. Love that they have gluten free pizza and dairy free alternatives. It’s also great to have a forward thinking pizza joint that will deliver. Seriously, I can have a tasty quinoa salad delivered! People are super friendly and are a great addition to the community. Have lots of love for Tomato Pie!

Yeah. Just yeah. Place rocks. Clean and great mix of music always playing. Staff is super friendly and attentive. Food is delicious, as I finally got around to trying a pasta dish for a change. Oh and the craft beer selection though small, is legit. This place has become an addiction. Enjoy!

This Tomato Pie location is really cool. Very modern, clean with friendly staff. Parking is easy and free in front of the place or beside the building. They have allot of selection when it comes to slices. A large pepperoni will set you back 19.89.
All in all, the place is really retro and cool.

I love this place!
Great thin crust pies.
Caesar salad w/​Chicken
Is my favorite.
Old school pizza, super fresh crust.
Super cool staff as well!

I have had their Silver Lake location on my to try list for a couple years now, and planned on going there (Silver Lake) today. As luck would have it, when I checked Unilocal to get the address, their Pasadena location popped up instead (2.2 miles away from where I was at the time)…
I had very high expectations for Tomato Pie Pizza Joint, and was NOT disappointed. Parking was easy, the place was clean, and the employees were friendly. Most importantly, the pizza was delicious.
I ordered a cheese slice for my son, and a large half butcher/​half miss green for my wife and I to «split». I used quotation marks on split for two reasons — because her share was 1.5 slices, and to remind myself to note that they charge $ 1.00 extra to split a pizza. I don’t understand why they do, but it’s $ 1.00, and their pizza tastes great, so I don’t care.
I chose the butcher and killed all 4 slices before it could even think about getting cold. I would never have ordered the miss green (wife’s choice) on my own, because it isn’t my style; however, I had 2.5 slices of it, and actually liked it. My son finished and enjoyed his cheese slice.
The crust had seemingly no grease, and the cheese to sauce to toppings ratio was pretty much perfect. I cannot go as far to say that it matches true NY pizza, but it does come very close. The pricing is fair, even with the split charge.
I will definitely return, and highly recommended them to anyone who enjoys good pizza. Thanks to Ailyne H. and her fiancé (fiancée?) for the spot on recommendation.

WE LOVE YOU TOMATO PIE!
Everyone here is super cool. Like a basic thin crust tasty pizza? They got you! And if you need the tastiest, high maintenance pizza around ie. gluten free and dairy free, they got you covered! We love going here once a week as treat post work out. Nothing like ruining all your cardio with the sweet taste of carbs!
Perks: They make their pepperoni house, everyone is super chill, the pizza is thin crust epic-​ness. Ignore the whiners and get on down here.
Non perks: Before 8pm, it’s totes parent party zone 101 so if you don’t want Chuck E. Cheese vibes order to go or go later.

I’ve eaten the delicious pizza from here twice now, once for pickup and once for eat-​in. The fresh pies we picked up that first night were SO good, we got three different types (plain, a meaty one and a vegetarian one). Quality ingredients all the way, and you’ll pay for it, but it’s worth it.
The slices we ordered on our second visit were very very good for reheated pizza. The tomato pie especially, with its standout flavorful sauce (different from the crushed-​tomato pizza sauce on other slices, it’s more of a fully cooked, slow-​simmered pasta sauce), grated fresh Romano, and superior crunchy crust. Cheese and pepperoni slices were great, high marks for the quality pepperoni slices which were thick and spicy.
Every employee here made eye contact upon our arrival (even most of the guys cooking), and the front of house staff were super friendly and checked back on us when we were eating in, making sure that the slices they recommended were fully appreciated.
The pizza here is top quality and the owners have an eye for detail in their pizza assembly and interior design. Definitely foodie-​friendly, not just your average slice shop or fast food pizza place.

2.5 stars…
This place is close to our abode so we thought we should give it a shot. We are deep dish peeps, so this is a bit out of our comfort zone, but we give it the benefit of the doubt.
Thin crust and good amount of toppings on our pie. The slices are cut huge, so ask for a smaller cut for the kiddos… I just folded it over and manhandled it though.
Minimal crust, minimal sauce, sufficient tasty toppings, and minimal cheese to seal the deal.
Price was above expectations, and we carried out so I cannot comment on the ambiance.
Bottom line is this place was average with above average prices… with so many choices we will likely not return. This joint does not make the list…

Best pizza on the West Coast! Not an exaggeration.
I have been looking EVERYWHERE for NY Style pizza. It’s my favorite. When a high school friend told me that Tomato Pie was just like my fave from back home, Pavone’s, I dragged the bf to Pasadena to try it. I was not disappointed.
I got the traditional cheese pizza. It was heavenly. Just like Central New York. And then I found out that the owner was from Syracuse, so no wonder it tasted so familiar. They even have chicken riggies (if you are from CNY you know what I mean)! Of course, there are other pizza styles to choose from but I didn’t look past cheese. And why would I?
You need this pizza. Now!

4 ½ star rating is what got me into trying this place. Got a large half bbq chicken and half supreme with a side of Buffalo wings. Wings were decent. Pizza was salty and dry. The crust wasn’t anything special either. Did I order the wrong thing? Go on a off day where they forgot to add something into the crust? Or a new employee who accidently added too much salt or over baked my pizza? Whatever it may be, I don’t think this place is 4 ½ stars. It’s not bad. But it’s not anywhere close to a 5 stars perfect pizza rating either.

I really liked the service here. Both the cashier and servers very friendly. Cashier takes the time to describe each pizza on display, menu, drink and dessert options.
Prices are reasonable and food is made fresh.
I would come back to try more food.

I am pleasantly surprised. I love Mama’s on Fair Oaks. I like Town Pizza on York. But I loooove this pizza place.
It’s updated with plenty of seating. They’ve got one of those futuristic soda fountains with the interactive screen. Some people take forever to choose which means you can wait awhile for a soda. But it is fun for kids to punch and choose their own soda (just be mindful of the people behind you).
Super kid-​friendly place. I don’t usually eat-​in but there were enough children here that I didn’t think they’d be bothered by my energetic toddler.
I’m not sure what the cost was on each slice. I ordered the square tomato pie, the pepperoni, the cheese and the grandma and a soda. It came out to $ 16. The fountain soda was $ 2.50 so the slices might have been around $ 3 each. A little pricier than Mama’s but on par with Town Pizza.
But hey, this pizza is legit. Thin New York sliced pizza (i don’t remember what ny pizza tastes like to be honest with you), good sauce, not too much cheese. The grandma had slices of garlic in it which i loved. The grandma was my favorite for sure and I heard it was their best seller. The tomato pie should have been better. There’s less cheese on that, just a sprinkling of parm but it wasn’t salty enough for me. I do love the idea, maybe it was an off day for the execution.
This is my new fave for local pizza by the slice. I’m coming here from now on. Also super nice service. Every single person, even the guy making pizza, smiled and said hello to me. Also if you come here with a little kid they’re really nice about cutting up the pizza into little pieces.

Really good New York style pizza joint — house pies they call them in NY– medium for $ 15.75, large for $ 19.75, gluten-​free for $ 17.75. They also give you the option of thick crust or square pan if you don’t like the original NY style.
We got the half Eggplant parmigiana and half Butcher (all meat) for $ 15.75. Both were amazing. Not undercooked or over seasoned like most generic doityourself pizza places. Flavors were spot on.
We also got half an order of hot wings for $ 5.95 and half an order of garlic knots for $ 3.25. 6 each and both were amazing. Wings were not salty nor sour and the garlic bread were chewy and hot. Love them both.
Great service. Clean venue. Street parking.
Definitely coming back to try the other items on the menu.

Great pizza plus quick and friendly service! What’s great about this place is that they have pizza by the slice! SWEET! Garlic knots are lovely and of course they have whole pizza pies too! These guys are legit New York pizza. Thin crust and flavorful toppings. Employees are friendly and helpful. AND they have that super cool pick your soda and add different flavors machine.
Restaurant is clean and has clean lines and décor. Went for dinner last night, and I really appreciated seeing the workers cleaning out the display case and oven. Double thumbs up for this! Street parking on mission or there is a lot in by the back entrance off of hope street. Go now!!! Pizza is super yummy.

There’s a lot to like about Tomato Pie Pizza Joint! I became so curious after seeing all of the reviews and the weekend just didn’t allow a time for us to try this place as a family. However, with no meetings on my calendar I stopped in on a weekday & had a great lunch. The store is pretty big, very clean & has lots of seating. They have a pretty big menu of salads, pizza & sandwiches, but if you are eating solo you can also get pizza by the slice. Sure, you’re getting a reheated slice, but your food comes out super quick (wihch can be great, if you’re in a hurry.)
The nice person at the register quickly figured out I was a newbie, so he directed me to the most popular slice (The Grandma) and I got 1 more slice with pepperoni & a green salad. The salad was great — a nice mix of greens, tomato, olive & garbanzo beans. The house balsamic dressing is slightly syrupy, but excellent. The Grandma slice was great, and the dusting of Romano cheese on the edges is a really nice touch. They have the touchscreen Coke soda machine that makes about a million different flavors.
The Pasadena area has a lot of competition now for pizza with Blaze, Luggage Room, Tomato Pie & newly opened Pitfire, Pieology & 800 Degrees. Good thing pizza is like bedroom gymnastics. Even if it’s bad, it’s still good, right?