Best Pizza

COURTESY OF SGT. PEPPERONI’S Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza Store has restaurants in Irvine, Newport Beach and Aliso Viejo.

1. Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza Store

Aliso Viejo, Irvine, Newport Beach; sgtpepps.com

New York-style pizza and the Beatles collide at this family friendly pizzeria which has Fab Four photos adorning the walls, their music piped in overhead, arcade games and a TV. Before the Newport Beach location opened in 1976, the original owner came across an LP copy of Sgt. Pepper’s and was inspired to incorporate their images, a bright, psychedelic color scheme and submarine logo into the business.

Current co-owner Jeff Roberts says that sense of nostalgia extends to the same tables and dough rolling station still in place as when Newport opened. The Bronx Bomber (pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, jalapeño), Hawaii-Five-O (pepperoni, pineapple, ricotta, jalapeño), Grandma’s Pie, BBQ Chicken and Meatball Ricotta are among the top pizza options, with sandwiches, salads and Oreo cheesecake also on the menu.

“Our story is pretty unique,” says Roberts. “It’s about childhood friends that came together (nine years ago) to buy their childhood restaurant. There’s not a lot of spots left where you can have the same experience you remember as a child.”

Aliso Viejo opened in 2020 and Irvine came on board a few months ago. A food truck is available for catering and events. Roberts points out that the pizzas are sourced from fresh dough, sauce and produce — all high quality.

“It’s all made with love and passion,” he says. “You can taste it in our food and you can feel it in the experience.”

2. Tony’s Little Italy

1808 N. Placentia Ave., Placentia, 714-528-2159; tonyslittleitaly.com

Tony Manzella, who founded his namesake pizza joint specializing in Chicago deep dish and thin crust pizza in 1978, passed away last year, but his family is continuing his legacy. The pies are made fresh to order and have homemade crusts (thin, extra thin, Sicilian style). The deep dish comes stuffed or pan style with hamburger, artichokes, anchovies, mushrooms, sausage and jalapeño. “Tony’s Special” contains sausage, mushrooms, green peppers and onions and is very popular, said his daughter Jennifer Oltman.

All manner of sports memorabilia adorn the inside walls. Daily lunch specials include lasagna, ravioli, spaghetti and meat sauce, manicotti, eggplant parmigiana and mostaccioli meat sauce. There’s also a full range of sandwiches, along with Buffalo hot wings and more pasta.

Said Yelp reviewer Alex C. of Placentia “My boyfriend has been missing deep dish pizza, so we gave it a try and it’s safe to say we’ll be back.”

3. Mountain Mike’s Pizza

Multiple locations; mountainmikespizza.com

Mountain Mike’s Pizza started in 1978 and Carol DeNembo, VP of marketing for the chain, says its trademarks are crispy, curly pepperoni, 20-inch mountain-sized pizzas, toppings to the edge, dough made fresh daily and they use 100 percent whole milk mozzarella cheese.

The Everest contains pepperoni, Italian sausage, salami, linguica, beef, mushrooms and olives; Pike’s Peak is an all-meat combo; Mt. Veggiemore is topped by bell peppers, mushrooms, artichoke hearts; Snowy Alps is a garlic combo. Sandwiches and salads round out the offerings.

“Our locations feature big screen TVs throughout as well as a kids’ activity area with arcade games, making it the ideal location for sports teams, family gatherings, group fundraisers and celebrations alike,” DeNembo says.

There are plans to open a fourth OC location in Brea this year.