Speak Cheezy owner Jason Winters and his director of marketing Brooke Scheer have partnered up to do what they hope will be a regular event: The Long Beach Pizza Tour. Come Sunday, Sept. 22, a red double-decker bus will come to pick up a crew at The Altar Society in DTLB. After that, a 4.5-hour, four-pizzeria tour will commence.
So what, exactly, is the Long Beach Pizza Tour and how much will it cost?
The Long Beach Pizza Tour will begin at The Altar Society, which has sponsored beer aboard the bus. (You will not be sampling their pizza.) From there, you will visit four pizzerias while enjoying three beverages aboard the bus. Domenico’s in Belmont Shore will be first. Followed by Speak Cheezy in Belmont Heights. And then Milana’s and 4th Horseman, both in Downtown.
Tickets are $98 per person, include samples from all four pizzerias, two drinks (water, soda, beer from Altar Society, or wine from Pie Wine), and do not include tips for servers or the bus driver. The tour will span from 11AM to 3:30PM, beginning and ending at Altar Society on Pine Avenue in Downtown Long Beach.
Stop #1 on the Long Beach Pizza Tour: Domenico’s in Belmont Shore
Domenico’s holds significance for two reasons. It was Long Beach’s first pizzeria when it opened in 1954, where instructions on how to eat it were included on the menu because it wasn’t the food that it is now, found in nearly every part of human society in some form. Secondly, it is the city’s oldest restaurant.
What are they known for? Their ground sausage pizza, which layers mozzarella first, then marinara, and a wild heaping of ground pepperoni. It’s a salt bomb that turned 70 this year.
Stop #2: Speak Cheezy in Belmont Heights
The pizzeria of your tour’s host, Speak Cheezy is one of the city’s most respected pizzerias. And while Chef Jason Winters is known for his stellar sourdough pie, there are few pizzaiolos as willing to experiment with style (and succeed in said experimentation) than Chef Jason. His Belmont Heights pizzeria has rightfully earned accolades, including the nod from the Washington Post as one of the best pizzerias in the nation.
From Detroit-style—something we rightfully included on our best dishes of 2023 list—to Sicilian to cold cheese pizza to his deeply communal collaborations, Winters has not been afraid to not only show off his taste’n’talent but his desire to make the Long Beach pizza scene something worthy of calling a beast of its own.
Stop #3: Milana’s New York Pizzeria in DTLB
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.
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. When they opened in 2010, dough-heavy players like Big E’s, Domenico’s, 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 oncoming 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.
Final stop on the Long Beach Pizza Tour: The 4th Horseman in DTLB
At the westernmost edge of the historic Walker building in DTLB sits the The 4th Horsemen. It’s a pizzeria that has captured the hearts of both carb connoisseurs and lovers of the grotesque. And from the outset, looks fairly unassuming, particularly during the day. Its windows remain foggy at all hours, hiding a decent handful of ‘90s arcade consoles and horror paraphernalia for the passersby. The cue to come in is an “Eat Beer Drink Pizza” sign that beckons Long Beach diners to explore pizza gone horrocore.
Since the introduction of Chef Mike Royal and the expansion it completed this year, The 4th Horseman has never been more creative or consistent. From stellar collaborations—like their bulgogi pizza with Sura Korean BBQ for Long Beach Food Scene Week 2024—to creations that have included porchetta, Greek salad dressing, pastrami’n’pickles, blueberry chipotle sauce, spicy pesto…
The Long Beach Pizza Tour hosted by Speak Cheezy will take place on Sunday, Sept. 22. It will begin at 11AM with a pick-up at Altar Society, located at 230 Pine Ave., and complete with a drop-off at that same location at 3:30PM. Tickets can be found here.
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