People now, people always, need that hope. That mythological meaning to keep going and perfect their craft and grow from any situation they’re in. Bob Dylan found hope in the Grand Canyon and Woody Guthrie. Restaurant Fiction, we found it inside a Los Angeles pizza place called Pies and Pins.

This pie place, it’s a little California. A little New York. And a tad bit Ohio. It doesn’t matter where the water comes from, it’s a guarantee you’ll get all three states in every bite.

Just outside the foyer, you hear the luring soundtrack of the Minnesota man, Prince, and the Appalachian son, Tyler Childers. Inside, there’s one L-shaped booth decorated with red pepper flake and grated cheese shakers, a paper napkin dispenser, and red plastic cups filled to the brim with the perfect blend of Coca Cola syrup and carbonated water on top of the Formica table.

It’s basically a pizza parlor all Americans and looks like something from a Gen X-er’s and Millennial’s early childhood.

Your nostrils whiff the smells of garlic and basil. The pies come straight out of an R & D kitchen never before seen or eaten by the public. They’re truly one of a kind and should be treated as such.

And with every homemade pie, something that might not have the perfect 360-degree shape still needs to be judged by the crust.

With the pies at Pies and Pins, the leopard-spotted crust is tender and crisp at the same time. What that means is that every bite of bubbly burnt bits is specifically unique.

For the folks who aren’t crust eaters, Pies and Pins solves the problem. With every slice, there is a little overflow of cheese and sauce at the end so leftovers aren’t ever an issue.

The sauce cuts through the richness of the mozz and the pepperoni. Oh, and the ooey-gooeyness of the mozzarella stretches all the way from LA to San Bernardino County. 

The bad news is Pies and Pins is the hardest reservation to get in at the moment. And even if you do find yourself a seat and still can’t manifest that creative energy you’re looking for, make your own pizza, you might very well find it there.