It is practically impossible to talk about pizza in Long Beach without talking about Milana’s New York Pizzeria. Not only are they the only decent slice of NY-style pie around—yes, some bring up Slice of NY in Seal Beach, and they are alright—but one would have to venture to Bianco or Apollonia in L.A. to start to approach the quality of Milana’s. After all, there’s a reason even the pizza king himself, longtime food journalist Steve Dolinsky, has been trying to snag the shop for his insanely popular Pizza City Fest in L.A.
But most importantly, especially as we have had a pizza renaissance throughout the city over the past five years, it is paramount to point out that Milana’s really shifted pizza quality in Long Beach. They are turning the Sweet Sixteen this year—and come Feb. 19, they will be offering $16 cheese pies for that day only.
“You know we never do discounts or coupons,” said longtime owner Adriel Fasci. “This is a thank you to Long Beach for making us who we are. And make no mistake: I still think we’re the best cheese pie in the city.”
Milana’s changed the face of Long Beach pizza, ushering in the new era of quality pies.
“Coming from the East Coast—Brooklyn—there’s a Milana’s on every other corner. That’s why he opened this place,” said Cameron Fasci, the son of Adriel Fasci, who opened Milana’s in 2010.
And yes, at the age of 15, Cameron—who primarily led the effort before he became a firefighter last year, handing the reins back to Adriel—was a part of Milana’s since day one. More on that in a bit.
“I feel pretty confident in saying we helped bust open that door that brought better pizza to Long Beach,” Cameron said. “And I know people think all the time that I am from Brooklyn like my Dad—I have a New York spirit for sure, but I am a Long Beach guy. My heart is in Long Beach. I went to Stevenson, Rogers, Wilson… Milana’s, for me, is a Long Beach pizzeria using New York as its guide. We’re Long Beach—through and through.”
That confidence is warranted: In 2010, highly dough-heavy players like Big E’s and the long-running joints like Domenico’s—the oldest pizzeria in the city—and Marri’s were the go-tos. But when it came to style that was more toward the outside—be it New York or Neapolitan or otherwise—Long Beach was a pizza desert. And with the arrival of a new daughter and sister for Adriel and Cameron, Milana, there was no better time than then to start up what would become one of the city’s best pizzerias.
Milana’s—like any Italian endeavor—is a family affair.
For Adriel Fasci, like nearly every young person growing up in Brooklyn in the 1980s, there were few options in terms of what you could do with your life. You could stick to New York and rough it out, hoping to make it out in the end. Or you could leave behind a very intimate and familiar (albeit rough) life, and vacate.
Adriel opted for the latter. Heading west, Adriel made a home in Long Beach. And by the time Cameron was a teenager, both realized that their consistent trips back to Brooklyn left them hankering for one main thing upon returning back to the Golden State: pizza. And not just any pizza, but the ubiquitous slices and pies that permeated the boroughs of New York City. Since it’s opening, the space became a haven of Cameron’s childhood and an essential part of Adriel’s love for the city.
“My Dad did not just hand me the keys to this place, no,” Cameron said, laughing. “I wasn’t even allowed in the kitchen. He handed me a flipboard and said, ‘Go stand on the corner with this until we’ve had 50 customers.’ Man, I was swingin’ that thing, dancing, telling people to please tell my Dad they were there because of me.”
And don’t think Adriel did Milana’s entirely on his own, with some rightful manual labor from Cameron. No. Milana’s was an East Coast-to-West Coat endeavor: Family exchanged recipes. Some even ventured out to help craft the pies.
“I actually came out for the real estate, but when 2008 hit, it was time to pivot,” Adriel said. “And that required a lotta help. There’s no question: Milana’s wouldn’t be here without my family and without Long Beach.”
Milana’s pizza? Consistent, evolves when needed, and a community staple.
Milana’s has not had it entirely easy, far from it. In 2013, they were outright (and wrongfully) displaced by their landlord to make way for a Chuck-E-Cheese. (Where Gold’s Gym now sits.) They opened a Brooklyn squares concept at the Traffic Circle only to have that shutter following yet another run-in with a less-than-fitting landlord.
But that hasn’t affected the pizza.
Marvelously thin, grip-able with some nice firmness to the crumb of the pie, their pizza is wonderfully consistent. From white pies dotted with ricotta to meat-heavy concoctions to their Long Beach Food Scene special, Milana’s does New York pizza right—especially when it comes to Long Beach pizza.
And since meeting Adriel some fifteen years ago, there has been one thing he said that has always stuck with me: “Y’know, if a plain cheese slice can’t hold up on its own, then it isn’t good pizza. Period.” He altered the way I approached pizza, and since then, I have often ordered a cheese slice (if I can) at any new place before diving into any other offerings—which is why the $16 deal is such an astronomically good deal.
Milana’s goes beyond pizza as well: Their pastrami sandwich, slathered in marinara and jalapenos, has never failed. Nor has their lasagna, happily topped off with two meatballs. Or their torpedos.
There is really no bad order at Milana’s—even if they have been forced, indeed, to succumb to some California things that border sacrilege in terms of pizza. Mainly ranch. And though not advertised on their menu because that is unnecessary, they have some pineapple hidden for those who wish to ruin their pizza.
“We really have a strong base here—I cannot complain,” Cameron said, laughing about ranch and pineapple. “We’ve been very blessed and that is largely because Long Beach shows up and shows out.”
Milana’s New York Pizzeria is located at 165 E. 4th St.
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