Raffallo's Pizza

Charming place!
Try the garlic sausage personal pizza. Very delicious. This place is perfect before some improv at comedysportz down the street.

So when we showed up to Street for a dinner reservation, the restaurant was closed to a private party and we couldn't enjoy the bar prior to dinner. I was afraid if we went to Pizzeria or Osteria Mozza for a drink we'd eat there and never go back to Street. So we walked around the corner to Raffallos Pizza....the only other restaurant in the vicinity.

It was a Saturday night, we were the only two in the place. We ordered house wine ($4) and a beer ($3) and enjoyed the ambiance. Even with tip I think our two drinks totaled about half the price of any one cocktail at Mozza.

The employees were friendly and it was fun little place to grab a cheap drink.

Staying in a hotel in Los Angeles. I was hungry so I turned to my old friend Grubhub.com.

It was quite late. Raffalo's was one of the remaining places delivery. As usual, it was easy to order on Grubhub.com.

I am not exactly sure on the exact amount of time it took for delivery. It seemed less than an hour. There was no delivery fee. The delivery person was professional and polite.

Their order minimum is low ($10).

The pizza with tomato and mushroom was very bland. There was just very little flavor there. I did enjoy the mushrooms though.

http://tinyurl.com/3l7tsy2

The wings were oily and relatively cold. The fact that they were no longer hot accentuated the oiliness I know wings are fried. But this was more of a coat of oil on the outside of the wings that even made them a little mushy.

http://tinyurl.com/3kq8jb4

I thought the prices were pretty good.


1 Medium Two Item Pizza
$ 14.00

1 Sprite
$ 2.50

1 Buffalo Chicken Wings (10)
$ 7.00

Subtotal $23.50
Tax $2.06
Total $25.56

Overall - I was hungry and, for a decent price, it filled me up. But there is definitely better food out there for delivery. I would not order from them again. Just too many places to try and their food simply did not stand out.

The pizza is so-so, but cheap. Dirt cheap. Try 1.99 for a slice and a drink for a lunch special. Even better, break out the emergency cash and splurge for the 3.99 meatball sub and drink special. I mean, these are like 1980s prices!

The interior of the place is cool. You can tell they built it out in the 70s because the little counter has old faded photos stapled to it and in the photos everyone looks like a 70s porn star with feathered hair and Eric Estrada type style. Very groovy!

Best thing I've had so far is the pastrami sandwich. It's grilled in the pizza oven and, if you ask, they will serve it with sweet pickles, jalapenos, lettuce, and tomato. SOO good and kind of fun - when you crunch into something, you can never be sure if it will be sweet or spicy so it's kind of like pastrami russian roulette.

Speaking of Russian - they do have cute Russian waitresses. Not sure why, as the place appears to be run by two latino guys. Well, whatever... for $4 you can get pizza, a beer, and a smile from a very un-Hollywood type girl. Thats a bargain considering where you are. Across the street at Pizzeria Mozza they wont even let you park your car for that much.

Want a decent take out pizza for a decent price? Raffallo's is a cut above Shakey's or Pizza Hut, or even Domino's. As for location, this one is in a strip mall next to a gas station, so there is not much in the way of atmosphere, but that being said, the pizza is pretty good. It's been there for years and years. They used to have door hangers with discounts, but its been quite awhile since I've seen those. In the last several years, I've pretty much stayed a good distance from lesser than healthy foods, but you know how it is. Sometimes you just want pizza! And as they say about Pizza, its like sex right? Even bad pizza is pretty good. This happens to be pretty good. For me, I think its best to have it delivered or simply pick it up.

The only words that need be uttered here: meatball sandwich.

And of course a 'please' and 'thank you'.

That is all.

A one-topping slice and a beer for $3 is just about the coolest thing I've ever seen. The pizza isn't great, but it is a huge step up from Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Domino's and all the other pre-fab crap out there. Plus, you can get pizza bread, garlic bread, or salad for under $2 if you want more.

On top of that, I really like the feel inside. Its dark with old stained-glass windows and worn-in vinyl booths. It feels like the kind of place that old Sicilians would plan mob hits.

Here's the trick - go in with low expectations and come out full, happy, and far from broke. Mangia!

I still don't know what possessed me to stop here for a bite; adventurous eating habits, I suppose. My buddy and I wanted to grab a bite, and we often pick out some random spot to grub it up when we're in LA. Glad we did because I was seriously surprised at how good their pizza is. I think we got a M or L for around $14 with drinks, which is about as good as you'll do at any pizza joint these days. Even better, every time I've been here the place is deserted, so I can eat in peace. Anyone worth their weight in dough knows that a good crust and sauce are what make a pizza edible. Well, that and the water. They've got a good handle on both here. I got black olive and mushroom pizza (my fave) and they did a commendable job.

The interior is very antiquated; lots of old, tacky furniture and booths. It's like they did their designing in 1976 and never bothered to update the place. Again, in my eyes, awesome. I should mention that I've been to this location and the one off of Franklin, and this one was much better. I don't know why, but the Franklin location didn't cut the mustard, so eat here if you're in the area.

I'm gonna say the negatives first.

They forgot one of my sodas and didn't repeat my order back to me, just rushed me off the phone.

HOWEVER, they got my half veggie/half Hawaiian pizza correct and I couldn't believe it! I also ordered spaghetti with marinara and got half spaghetti/half linguine, but it was still good!

Next time I'll order online.

Oh, and they brought me my extra soda when I called and complained. The perks of living super close, minus the extensive amount of door hangers I get.

This place is, indeed, A-OK!

I've only had the pizza once and I remember it being average - not great, not awful, just sort of edible and fine. BUT, I truly enjoy their spaghetti bolognese, and their sandwiches hit the spot - namely, the chicken parm & meatball. The staff is friendly, the decor is perfectly dusty & musty, and their prices are outstanding.

It shouldn't go unsaid that I live about 10 yards from here - not sure if I'd go out of my way for Raffallo's, but so long as they're my neighbors, I'll happily eat their yummy wares.