Enzo’s Pizzeria is a historic slice of Westwood culture.
Situated on 1145 Westwood Blvd., the 25-year-old New York-style pizza joint is settling into its new location since moving in September 2024. After buying the restaurant from previous owner Lenny Montana Jr. in 2021, Ramin Messian said the business has remained popular despite a growing shift toward mobile food delivery services. Enzo’s – which serves various pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, salads and appetizers – is known for its comfort food and longstanding commitment to serving the Westwood community. Evan Rome and Danil Kuznetsov, both UCLA students and employees at the restaurant, said working at Enzo’s has allowed them to meet interesting people and gain valuable work experience.
“It’s a great place to work because people are willing to help you with your school,” Kuznetsov said. “Some places, when you get hired, you get a set schedule and you can’t change it. … But here, people want you to succeed in school.”
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The decision to relocate Enzo’s was primarily based on efficiency, Messian said. The new location has a bigger kitchen, which is helpful for catering and delivery, he said, allowing them to keep cooking even when there is an influx of mobile orders. At its previous place, Enzo’s would have to close for the day if the kitchen became overwhelmed, so this increase in space has allowed the restaurant’s business to expand without fear of losing profit, Messian added.
Something people might not realize, Messian said, is that the vacancy rate in Westwood Village is rather high because of demanding tax rates and difficulties gaining a permit. He added that the city of Los Angeles has established legislation letting any lot be turned into a restaurant, rather than remodeling one restaurant into another. This allows for more small food businesses in the area, but not enough people know about it, he said. Given the challenges of having a restaurant license and maintaining consistent business in Westwood, Messian said he is grateful for the loyal customers who enjoy all that Enzo’s has to offer.
“We make sure the dough is fresh with no artificial flavors or ingredients, the sauce is fresh, the cheese is never frozen – we slice it ourselves fresh every day,” Messian said. “We try to give the best service possible for delivery and catering, as well as dining. Our managers are students themselves. They’re all UCLA students, so they know exactly what the restaurant has to do for the whole Westwood Village.”
Messian, who opened the Westwood location of Shakey’s Pizza Parlor when he was 21 years old, said he is surprised to see that not much has changed in Westwood in terms of customers and community culture. On the other hand, since his introduction to the Westwood food scene in 1991, he said online food delivery has gained massive popularity. Nowadays, there are many ghost kitchens opening up, Messian added, which require less rent and a decrease in time spent maintaining a dining area. While reflecting on an especially busy day at Enzo’s, Messian said the restaurant once became so busy they had to close delivery, catering and any mobile ordering systems just to serve the dine-in customers.
Kuznetsov, a third-year transfer statistics and data science student, has worked at Enzo’s since November 2024 and is on shift at the restaurant nearly every day. He said the culture at Enzo’s is very supportive, and people are willing to help each other with scheduling and other problems that arise. On days when customers flock to Enzo’s, such as an instance this past November after a protest on campus, the kitchen has to make hundreds of pizzas in a short amount of time, he said. According to Kuznetsov, this can be extremely stressful, but also a valuable life lesson on how to maintain composure and be a better employee.
Rome, a third-year environmental science student, agrees that surges in business at Enzo’s can be amazing for the restaurant’s success but very hard on the staff. Working two to three days per week, usually during the weekends, Rome said his job is to take orders, serve food and keep the front of the house clean and orderly. He is also tasked with taking phone calls and handling DoorDash drivers, which can quickly become overwhelming when business at Enzo’s is booming.
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“One day after Passover ended … the string of tickets coming out of the receipt machine was all the way down to the floor, hundreds of orders, and the kitchen was super overwhelmed,” said Rome. “We called the other people up who live nearby, and they instantly came in 10 minutes later, helped us out, helped get through the rush. I felt a little sense of community there, like they just wanted to help out and make sure that we were able to handle the craziness of that day.”
Both Rome and Kuznetsov said working at Enzo’s has introduced them to wonderful customers, especially the persistent loyal patrons from Bel Air and other neighborhoods. For instance, Rome said he happened to get to know a regular who runs an environmental company, and he has since mentored Rome as he considers future career paths. Likewise, Kuznetsov said he enjoys meeting customers from the restaurant’s older crowd – they often offer guidance and advice – as well as meeting fellow UCLA students who come in, especially if they are familiar faces.
Amid the humming energy of Westwood, Enzo’s caters to a wide variety of UCLA groups, including undergraduate students, medical workers, clubs on campus and sports teams looking for a place to eat after their game, Messian said. With a new private dining room, the restaurant is able to accommodate bigger parties and handle large amounts of orders on any given day, he added, serving customers until 3 a.m. Whether it be Kuznetsov’s favorite barbecue chicken pizza, or Messian’s go-to order, the parmesan chicken sandwich, Enzo’s is a place for Italian food and wholesome community.
“I’ve been always in Westwood, so it feels like home,” Messian said. “UCLA and the hospital and the medical centers and all the office buildings and all the residents, we have a lot of loyal clients, loyal customers. So it doesn’t feel like a job – it’s like a hobby for me.”
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