Sometimes you want thin-crust pizza, other times, you want something thicc. Sometimes you want a simple slice, and others (if you’re anything like us, it’s most) times, you want an entire pizza to yourself. Enter California Sun, Silver Lake’s new little-bit-of-everything pizza-and-beer spot, which slides into Sunset Junction on Monday.
Look for New York-style slices and 20-inch whole pies topped with the classics, like cheese and pepperoni, or get weird with house concoctions such as the taco pie, which involves refried beans, olives, pickled jalapeño, cherry tomatoes, avocado crema and shredded lettuce, or that age-old (OK, decades-old) classic blend of chicken, BBQ sauce and red onion. For those looking to dig in a little deeper, there’ll be deep-dish, Detroit-style personal pan pizzas sprinkled with hot Italian sausage, olives and more.
Salad options can be found in the food cold case: spicy spinach, and a dish of Japanese eggplant with hot honey and chili flakes. Getting heated, there are a few vegan, vegetarian, keto- and paleo-friendly items, not to mention gluten-free options (like this vegan Buffalo cauliflower pizza).
Photograph: Courtesy Artisanal Brewers Collective
The concept’s inspired by a convenience store: Grab one (or a few) of the 140-odd cans of beer and wine from the retail fridge, then place your order or choose pizza from the case. Grab it to-go, or take a seat outdoors or at one of the restaurant’s counters (including a large v-shaped bar).
That collection of beer is vast, your first hint that this is the handiwork of the Artisanal Brewers Collective (ABC). One of L.A.’s fastest-growing hospitality groups, the restaurant and bar family often stocks lengthy craft beer lists in its ever-expanding enterprise, and has taken a keen interest in opening breweries of its own in the last year or so: The Stalking Horse, 6th & La Brea and Bluebird Brasserie all offer their own varieties, and last month, launched crowlers of their house beers.
Of course you’ll be able to buy those from California Sun’s fridge, as well as the tap line: Expect 14 draft beers, some from those New Original Breweries—the name for ABC’s newly formed line of brewpubs—and some from other California-based outfits (Smog City, Green Cheek, Sierra Nevada, Russian River, to name a few), with a sprinkling of international makers as well (Montreal’s Dieu du Ciel, to name but one). You’ll be able to grab beers to-go, enjoy them onsite, opt for some mix of both, and also create your own six packs.
And, because California Sun is located in the former Mixed Co. space, there’s ample patio seating, plus a parking lot—some serious draws, considering the busy, sunny stretch of Sunset it calls home. Catch a glimpse of California Sun, below, then drop by as soon as Monday for a slice. (Or a whole pie for yourself—who’s to say what “personal” size means, anyway?)
Photograph: Courtesy Artisanal Brewers Collective
Photograph: Courtesy Artisanal Brewers Collective
Photograph: Courtesy Artisanal Brewers Collective
Photograph: Courtesy Artisanal Brewers Collective
Photograph: Courtesy Artisanal Brewers Collective
Photograph: Courtesy Artisanal Brewers Collective
California Sun opens Monday, February 11, at 3903 Sunset Blvd with hours of 11am to 11pm Monday to Thursday; 11am to midnight on Friday; from 10am to midnight on Saturday; and 10am to 11pm on Sunday.