What to Know About Emmy Squared, the Famous NYC Pizza Shop Now Open in LA

By Greg Hartmann Last updated Aug 9, 2022

New York’s celebrated pizza specialist Emmy Squared has officially opened in Los Angeles, meaning one of America’s most famous pizzas is now available just a mile from the ocean. The new Emmy Squared has taken up residence as part of the growing Santa Monica Brew Works brewery compound at the corner of 20th Street and Colorado Avenue, with daily evening hours and weekend lunch service spread across a full menu of pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, salads , and more.

Emmy Squared isn’t just any New York City pizza place, either. Owners Matt and Emily Hyland have been on an Instagram-fueled, fan-frenzied expansion path since first opening their original Brooklyn location, and as of 2019, the Hylands (now since separated) have been branching out in partnership with operators across a host of East Coast cities. There are currently Emmy Squared outposts from the Carolinas to Kentucky to Tennessee to Abu Dhabi — and now Santa Monica.

If anything, the restaurant has garnered so much early attention because of its differentiation, selling pan-sized, deep-edged Detroit-style pizzas instead of wide, thin, more crisp options favored at many slice shops in New York. The restaurant also aims beyond pizza, with a popular double-patty burger, a crispy chicken parmesan sandwich, and more. At Santa Monica Brew Works, the setup is simple enough, with diners ordering via QR code from one of the many tables in the brewery parking lot (or inside), and then waiting as the menu is fired off and brought out. Eventually, LA partner Scott Francis tells Eater, Emmy Squared will operate as a walk-up space all its own — under its own neon sign, and with its own entrance — with options for takeout and third-party delivery, but until then fans can still score the same pizza in an even more casual way.

The new Emmy Squared is currently drawing crowds at the Santa Monica Brew Works facility at 1920 Colorado Avenue, with hours Monday to Thursday, 5 pm to 10 pm, and an extension to 11 pm on Friday nights. Saturday hours run noon to 9:30 pm, and Sunday is noon to 7:30 pm

The Big Matt burger.