One of SF’s Best Pizza Chefs Wants to Take Over the Suburban LA Slice Scene

LA’s massive pizza scene knows no bounds, so it’s not surprising that one of the country’s most talented pizza chefs is eager to start opening here. Tony Gemignani, who founded his seminal Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in 2009 before going on to open nearly two dozen eateries around the West Coast, is finally opening a handful of his Slice House restaurants in Southern California.

The first Slice House by Tony Gemignani should open in Thousand Oaks by May 1 serving five different styles of pizza, including traditional American, thin-crust New York, grandma square pizza, Sicilian, and cheesy Detroit options. The model follows Gemignani’s successful Pizza Rock restaurants in Las Vegas (which serve a similar multitude of styles) but will be more casual and takeout-friendly. Slice House Thousand Oaks will feature indoor seating for about 20, plus a raised and covered patio decked out with 30-some seats, TVs, heaters, and fans.

Though Gemignani has a slew of various concepts, including full-service Pizza Rock and other Italian restaurants, that he operates directly, Slice House in Southern California is the chef’s first franchise deal, with Vinny Margott and his family owning and operating this expansion. The plan is to further expand Slice House to places like Sherman Oaks, Valencia, and Santa Clarita over the next few years.

Slice House will serve pizza by the slice in rotating flavors, plus whole pies priced between $19 and $37. Unlike his other restaurants, Slice House cooks everything out of a deck oven, which means no Neapolitan or wood-fired pies here. Instead, choose a whole pie (from Sicilian to Detroit to New York) prepared in two dozen topping combinations. Examples include the Purple Potato, with sliced potatoes, bacon, feta, and pesto, while the Motorhead combines cheese, salami, mushrooms, pepperoni, bacon, sausage, and ricotta. Expect local craft beers and wines by the glass, plus a few pastas, salads, wings, cookies, and a meatball sub to round out the menu.

Tony Gemignani arrives as LA is having a serious pizza moment. Last year, famed Phoenix chef Chris Bianco finally opened a restaurant in Downtown, while everyone from Quarter Sheets in Echo Park to the New Haven-inspired Ozzy’s Apizza serves various styles that have captured the imagination of pizza-loving Angelenos. Given his track record, including two decades of cooking experience and a world record 13 pizza championships, Gemignani’s Slice House, starting with this Thousand Oaks branch, should offer a compelling new option for carb-loving diners.

Slice House by Tony Gemignani opens May 1 at 3297 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard Unit A, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91362 with hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Slice House