The 2025 Best Pizza Awards recently concluded in Milan, Italy, and L.A.’s own Apollonia Pizzeria was honored with the #58 spot on the list!
The esteemed L.A. pizza haven is known for its mythical off-menu square pizzas, which have a characteristic crispy cheese border and a deliciously airy interior. Have you tried them for yourself?
Best Pizza Awards
The Best Pizza Awards honored Apollonia’s pizza chef, Justin De Leon, whose innovative take on pizza making stems from his creative background. Once active in the world of fine art photography, his interests shifted to the hands-on culinary world, and his thin-crust round pizzas gained him a loyal following. In 2018, he debuted the game-changing square pizza that Apollonia’s is known for, which quickly became a viral sensation.
Chef William Joo’s Pizzeria Sei was also honored in the 2025 awards, earning the #44 spot on the list for its creative “Tokyo-style” Neapolitan pizzas.
Apollonia’s Pizzeria
Apollonia’s Detroit-style square pies have an airy, almost focaccia-like interior with a lacy cheese edge roasted to crispy perfection. Flavors include pepperoni, cheese, Acapulco Gold, pancetta, and vodka sauce—and they cannot be modified, apart from the popular extra of burrata and drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey.
The gorgeous square pizza pies are as elusive as they are delicious. The pizzas are off-menu items, meaning that you may need luck on your side to get a slice. Some sources and commenters say that square pizzas are only available on Fridays and weekends after 4pm, but you’d do well to follow them on Instagram or call ahead to see what’s behind the counter on any given day.
If you miss out on the bucket-list square pizzas, Apollonia’s menu also boasts a robust selection of spectacular thin-crust, round pizzas that are well worth the trip to Mid-Wilshire.
💸 Cash only
📍 Location: 5176 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
🗓️ Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 12-2:30 pm and 5-8 pm
🌐 Website: Apollonia’s Pizzeria