Proper Pizza Coming Soon to Beverly Grove Location

For diners searching for the perfect slice of New York style pizza on the West Coast, there will be another option to consider coming soon to Los Angeles.

Proper Pizza and Pasta is opening soon at 8570 W 3rd St. in the Beverly Grove neighborhood of LA.

They hope to open the new location in early April, co-owner Marc Spenziero confirmed during a phone interview with What Now Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Proper Pizza will offer dollar slices for the entire first week after they open, Spenziero said.

Proper Pizza currently has a restaurant at 1011 S Alvarado St., in downtown LA, in the Pico Union neighborhood.

“It’s super exciting to open a second location,” Spenziero said.

Expansion was always part of the plan, he said, and the Beverly Grove spot was the right location that became available at the right time.

“It all fell into place,” Spenziero said.

They hope to open more locations in Southern California in the future.

The concept is a fast and casual atmosphere offering New York style pizza by the slice or the whole pie.

Spenziero runs Proper Pizza with his brother, Christian, who is based in New York, and his local working partner, Igor Popovic.

The trio opened Proper Pizza and Pasta in June 2019. Spenziero, originally fromNew York, worked in restaurants his entire life. He always wanted to open his own, he said.

When he moved to LA about five years ago, Spenziero met Popovic while both were working at a local eatery.

“We are both from the East Coast and we bonded over our love of New York pizza,” Spenziero said.

So opening Proper Pizza was like bringing a slice of home to the West Coast.

Popovic is originally from Belgrade, Serbia. He was recruited as a teenager to play basketball for an East Coast catholic school in New Jersey, Spenziero explained. After moving to the states, he wanted a job and started working at a local pizzeria in north Jersey.

“He fell in love with the restaurant scene,” Spenziero said.

Popovic learned the ins and outs of New York style pizza and perfected his craft over the years, Spenziero said.

“It’s super authentic New York pizza,” Spenziero said.

Quality dish starts with quality ingredients, Spenziero said. Everything is made fresh, in-house and to order.

The pizza joint focuses on fresh and locally sourced (when available) ingredients.

While the focus is on the variety of pizza the restaurant offers, other menu items include truffle fries with white truffle salt and parmesan, wings with various sauces, Pop’s lasagna with beef Bolognese and béchamel sauce, and strombolis and calzones. There are also “create your own,” vegan, and gluten free options.

“So no matter what your diet is, we have you covered,” the website reads.

Proper Pizza also makes an effort to help the environment by only using compostable, recyclable, and reusable containers when packaging food for takeout orders.

The Beverly Grove space is previously home to Nonna’s Empanadas, which moved just down the block to 8556 W. 3rd St. early last year.