Man buys closed El Sereno pizza joint just so he can keep getting his favorite deep dish

EL SERENO, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- One man's love for a slice of Dough Box L.A.'s deep dish pizza is a one-of-a-kind.

"I've been a super fan for three or four years," said Andy Mueller. "It's a sense of home, it's a sense of my Chicago life."

This pizza place is a hidden gem in El Sereno that was started in 2017 by two sisters, Vanessa and Alexandria Gonzalez.

"There aren't a lot of amazing deep dish options out here, there's are a few around," said Mueller. "But this is the best deep dish I've ever tasted."

But Mueller's deep dish affection was coming to end. The two sisters closed the place in December 2019 and moved to Chicago for school.

"I had been complaining to coworkers that dough box had closed," said Patrick Kellycooper, a customer. "I just kept calling. I called like 30 times before I realized that it wasn't around anymore."

But 'super-fan' Mueller wanted to give Dough Box L.A. a second chance. He reached out to the owners, who he initially met through a mutual friend.

"Then Alex and Vanessa started to talk to my wife and myself," said Mueller. "I would have never guessed that we're in the pizza business, but here we are."

Yup, his love for this deep dish was too strong to ignore. Mueller, a small retail business owner who didn't have any restaurant experience, bought the place and reopened it in January 2020.

"Once we found out that Dough Box was opening back up, we had to come back," said Kellycooper. "It's this really delicious saucy, herby pizza, sort of hidden underneath this gorgeous molten red top layer."

Kellycooper was among the many regulars who came back during the first week after Dough Box L.A. reopened.

"It's the best deep dish pizza," said Ted Morris, a customer. "I prefer it over the ones all over L.A. And there aren't that many."

Dough Box is known for its deep dish pizzas, but they also sell other kinds of pies.

"We are just trying to keep their legacy going, that Alexandria and Vanessa started," said Mueller. "Love their product, love the pizza and just want to do everything just as pure as they did."

Dough Box L.A.

2734 N. Eastern Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90032

323-346-6811

Open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Orders can be placed by phone an hour before they open.