800 Degrees Pizza Opens Doors In Westwood Village

Even as Adam Fleischman opened the first of his Umami Burger restaurants in 2009, the creator of the popular fine-dining fast food chain couldn't stop thinking about pizza.

"Pizza and burgers have the most umami in any American food," Fleischman said. "Burgers was the right thing at the right time, but now it's time to get into pizza."

Umami, known as the "fifth taste" in the human palate, refers to the savory taste that occurs when a glutamate interacts with flavors in other foods. Fleischman's restaurants, including 800 Degrees Pizza, are built around this taste. The Neapolitan pizzeria opened Monday in Westwood Village.

"We picked Westwood because I think it's a totally underserved area and there's a lot of foot traffic with a big business community," Fleischman said. "It's sort of intuition too."

The price of 800 Degrees Pizza (starting at $5) and its hours (open until 2 a.m. every night of the week) are a bet that the eatery will catch on with UCLA students too.

Ingredients for the pizza are sourced locally and are of the highest quality, Fleischman said. The pizzas are all made to order with many choices of meats, cheeses and vegetables. 800 Degrees Pizza also serves burrata salads and gelato from LA Creamery. The centerpiece of the restaurant is the pizza oven, which can fire up an authentic Neapolitan-style pizza in about a minute, or "by the time you sit down," Fleischman said.

The restaurant is a partnership between Fleischman, chef Allen Ravert and restaurant owner Anthony Carron.

800 Degrees Pizza is located at 10889 Lindbrook Drive.