grá on Glendale Blvd off Sunset Blvd

 

I was talking about pizza in LA with artist Nathan Cheung, a very rich and powerful topic. Nathan said his fav pizza place is grá,  which I had never been to, so we made a plan to go try it out.

It is in a part of LA I drive through all the time and this strip of retail has gradually been revitalized and thriving. grá is in the company of other eateries, a yoga studio and a bookstore I want to go visit soon (it was closed the time we went to grá).

Parking could be a challenge as you are competing with not just restaurant customers but also with residents. Their address is 524 Pizarro St, Los Angeles, CA 90026 but it's entrance is on Glendale Blvd. If you know that thoroughfare, you know it can be a challenging drive.

The food photos are at the mercy of the interior lighting. Of course, I could have used flash but their was an atmosphere I am sure the restaurant designers worked hard to create and I wasn't about to kill that with flash just for my use. You'll have to imagine what the dishes actually look like.

When you walk in and are seated, there's a sense of welcome that is completely heart melting. There's semi outdoor seating in front and a rather large dining area inside. We were assigned a nice table near the DJ and LPs. Nathan said on the weekends they have a DJ spinning vinyl.

We ordered a margarita pizza and a mushroom pizza. The mushroom consists of many types of mushrooms and is Nathan's fav.

The margarita is classic with fresh basil.

The food, is exceptional. The servers are very wonderful.

As we walked toward our table, front and center was the kitchen to the right. It's an open kitchen with tremendously pride filled chefs. They looked very serious. There's no way the food is not going to be exceptional. The dining area, as you can see, is dimly lit and on the red hue side. The kitchen is completely lit in bright light, it is the focal point in the interior space, as if on stage, as if it were an experimental opera, intentional and deeply personal.