The Oven: A Slice of New York in Torrance

Your next slice of authentic, New York style pizza might be closer than you think. The Oven, located in the El Camino area of North Torrance, has a menu that brings the taste and vibe of a New York City pizzeria to the South Bay.

Occupying the space that was home to Hank’s Pizza for nearly 25 years, four graduates of the University of Southern California teamed up to revitalize the pizzeria with a theme straight from the streets of New York.

Fortunately for me, this location is right around the corner from South Bay Foodies HQ. I was eager to stop by and check out the new pizza place in my hood* so I took the family along for a Friday night pizza tasting.

The Oven is located immediately adjacent to El Camino Community College on the busy corner of Crenshaw and Redondo Beach boulevards. For drivers, parking is tight but not impossible. The more pedestrian student body of ECCC will find The Oven easily accessible though. The interior is cozy with scattered tables and chairs, an HDTV perched next to a chalkboard menu, and original paintings of New York City icons on a bright red wall.

The main feature of the dining room is a glass counter with the restaurant’s name-sake oven behind it. The counter displays a selection of desserts – including tiramisu and cheesecake – and ready-made pizzas for orders by the slice.

Whole pies are ordered from their menu of fifteen different pizzas featuring fresh dough, “Nana’s” secret sauce, and fresh mozzarella. Patience is a virtue for their custom made pizzas; the menu even states “It takes 20 minutes to bake so relax”.

Relaxing was easy. With the pizza prep area right next to the counter, the kids enjoyed watching Chris, the pizza chef, making our pizzas by hand.

Chef Chris swirls sauce on fresh pizza dough. 

While the pizzas were baking, the staff treated us and other dine-in guests to garlic knots: tasty bits of fresh dough baked to a crisp, dripping with garlic, and dusted with parmesan cheese. My daughter described them as “mini garlic bread sticks”. I just called them delicious.

A basket of garlic knots, also known as “mini garlic bread sticks”. 

With my family being equally split between sausage and pepperoni lovers, we ordered one “Fuhgeta’boutit” ($17.50) and one “Pepperoni Petes” ($15.50). The Fuhgeta’boutit comes with spicy sausage, hot peppers, tomatoes and Mozzarella. The Pepperoni Pete comes with pepperoni and more pepperoni.

Chef Chris serving freshly made New York Style Pizzas.

The Fuhgeta’boutit comes with spicy sausage, hot peppers, tomatoes and Mozzarella.

The Pepperoni Pete comes with pepperoni and more pepperoni.

The spicy sausage lived up to its name delivering plenty of heat while the peppers added more heat but didn’t overwhelm. The pepperoni was tender and meaty, with the perfect ratio of sauce to cheese. The crust on both pizzas was tasty enough to stand by itself – tender and elastic with a toothsome crispiness on the edges.

Believe the menu when it says these 18 inch pizzas feed 3 to 4 people each. The plate-sized slices are more than enough to satisfy even hearty appetites. We plowed through both pizzas and still went home with enough for another meal.

With the character of the place and the delicious, New York style pizza, it’s easy to see the value in the deals The Oven has for students during for lunch and families for dinner.

Lunch time crowds will be drawn in with the promise of two slices and a soda for $3.99. Dinner time brings the Family Deal: one large pizza, hot wings, garlic knots, and four sodas for $24.99.

Pizzas are not the extent of The Oven’s menu. There’s even more with hot and cold sandwiches, wings, salads, and pastas.

With a revamped menu and a unique setting near El Camino, The Oven is well positioned to live up to their goal of becoming a destination for pizza in the South Bay and Los Angeles. As for me, they’ve easily become my neighborhood pizza spot.

• The Oven
  http://www.theoventorrance.com
  https://twitter.com/Oven_Torrance
  http://www.facebook.com/TheOvenTorrance
  16300 Crenshaw Blvd. #109. Torrance, CA 90504

* Some items mentioned in this article were provided on a complimentary basis for the purpose of this review. Prices and menu items mentioned are subject to change without notice. This story was accurate when it was published and reflects the uninfluenced opinions of the reviewers.