Pizzeria La Boca

5706 Manor Rd. Ste. E, 933-9400
www.labocapizza.com
Monday-Friday, 9am-7pm; Saturday, 3-7pm; closed Sunday

Fotini and Fernando LaGuardia are Californ­ia transplants, she originally from Greece and he from Argentina. They’ve made a name for themselves by selling their Empanadas La Boca at numerous venues around town, some 30 varieties in all. Pizzeria La Boca is their new venture: a small storefront in a tiny strip center at the northwest corner of Manor Road and Rogge Lane. It’s definitely a take-out operation, with a couple of chairs for waiting near the front door, although as friendly as they are, they’d make room for you in back if you wanted to dine in. They do offer delivery within a five-mile radius.

This is a very high-quality pie, with a flavorful, thin crust that’s got the perfect amount of chewiness; it folds nicely, with just a slight droop at the end and nice charring. The sauce is a simple and well-balanced crushed tomato, with just the right acidity and amount of garlic. The cheese is 100% whole-milk mozzarella: full of flavor with proper stringiness. The crumbled sausage has a nice taste, with background heat and fennel, but the texture is a little soft. If we could fault this pie, it would only be from having too much cheese (14 inches, $12.49, or 8.1 cents per square inch).

Pizzeria La Boca has a small menu of classic and gourmet pizzas with a large list of topping options, as well as calzone and stromboli and a menu of pasta dinners ($3.50 to $12, including gnocchi Bolognese for $12). Look for La Boca’s wonderful empanadas, pizzas, and desserts at both the Sunset Valley and Downtown farmers’ markets, or call in for takeout or delivery. This is a superb pizza, and we will be back for more, with a side of gnocchi.

This article appears in November 14 • 2008.

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Mick Vann is a retired Austin chef who is a food writer and restaurant critic, cookbook author, restaurant consultant, and recipe developer. He moonlights as a University of Texas horticulturist with a propensity for ethnic eats and international food, particularly of the Asian persuasion, but he also knows his way around a plate of soul food or barbecue.