800 Degrees - Pizza Inspired By Naples | Westwood, CA

The pizzas served at 800 Degrees claim to take their inspiration solely from Naples.

The roaring ovens, the raw tomato sauce and the blistered crusts are all echoes of that Italian port city, but when we ate at this new Westwood pizzeria, Detroit also came to mind.

Your pizza is not the work of one pizzaiolo here, its quality as dependent on one set of hands as it is on the dough. Instead, 800 Degrees pizzas ($5 to $6) are built like a Ford, assembly-line style.

This American approach means the column of students that snakes out the door is not to be feared: Your pizza will move down the line quickly. Stretched by one cook and sauced by another, extra toppings are added by a third cook before a fourth slips your pizza into the oven. The selection of add-ons is lengthy, ranging from anchovies ($1) and prosciutto ($3) to olives ($1) and eggplant ($1).

A sign at the door states that these pizzas are meant to be soft and chewy rather than crispy. The outer two-thirds of each slice are a delight to gnaw on; the slices' points get soggy in a way no Italian would love, but at these prices we can't complain.

800 Degrees, 10889 Lindbrook Dr., Westwood; 424-239-5010 or 800degreespizza.com