Introducing Pizzana, Brentwood’s newest pizza/Italian hotspot opened by Candace Nelson, the founder of Sprinkles! I’m always on the hunt for great GF pizza so I can indulge alongside my friends, so I was very quick to give Pizzana a try. Located right on San Vicente, the restaurant has prime location and I was excited to see how crowded the restaurant was when I arrived! Always my favorite sign 🙂 …
To start I want to note that although gluten-free pizza crust is offered, multiple people at the restaurant warned me that if I was SUPER sensitive to gluten or Celiac I should not have the pizza, as it is cooked alongside the regular pizzas and there is flour everywhere in the kitchen. If you do choose to have the gluten-free pizza, however, I can tell you one thing… you will be happy you did! I was super impressed by the size and consistency of the GF crust. Unlike most GF pizzas that are thin crust and chewy, the crust at Pizzana was thick and doughy and didn’t break apart in my mouth upon first bite. The crust is made in-house and uses multiple flours, which always results in the best gluten-free products if you ask me! I asked the Chef what his secret weapon was that made the crust so fluffy (which is rare in GF pizza world). His answer? Buckwheat. Like my friends at Stoli realized, buckwheat has a smooth taste and is an essential for any delicious gluten-free item (again, that’s my personal opinion). My friend and I ordered the Uovo Pizza with proscittuo and bacon jam, and it was SO good! In addition to pizza, Pizzana offers gluten-free salads and starter dishes. We ordered the Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken and the Carulina Salad with Salmon Conserva. Both salads were super tasty and filling. Round out your meal with the seasonal vegetable to complete your food coma!
The vibe at Pizzana is cute and the food is delicious, so there is no doubt the restaurant will be a success. I do have to share, however, that our meal was tainted a bit when we were told they do not and will not offer menu modifications. I asked for no cheese on my salad given my dairy intolerance, and the kitchen reallyyyyyyy didn’t want to make the change. And I’ll let you assume what happened when I asked to change the dressing. I wish Pizzana the best of luck, and hope they come around for us who have dietary restrictions!