Gjelina, named after the mother of one of the two owners, is a fairly popular and trendy place located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice. It’s a pretty decent place to people watch and, according to the waiter, they get their fair share of celebrities, so you’ve got a bevy of attractive people to look at. There’s not really a sign, but you can spot the place by its wood façade. They’ve also have some cool eclectic design choices going on, though I’m not a huge fan of the two huge communal dining tables they’ve got in the main dining room. I pretty much outgrew communal dining in elementary school. I’m not sure what this place is known for, but they’ve got a wood-fired oven so their pizzas come out light and crispy, the way a pizza should. Don’t give me this deep dish garbage and call it pizza. If I have to use a knife and fork to eat your pizza then it’s not pizza. It’s an abomination made from the same ingredients as pizza.
Roast Turkey Sandwich (roast turkey with pesto aioli, avocado, arugula, and prosciutto) – Simple, subtle, and pretty good. Not the best sandwich in the world, but if you’re craving a turkey sandwich for lunch you could do much worse. Like that thing I’ve got sitting in my fridge. I think at one point it used to be a turkey sandwich but now it’s probably closer to some sort of fungi than anything.
Mushroom Pizza (mushroom, goat cheese, truffle oil) – If you’re a fan of mushroom pizza I imagine you’d be pretty pleased with this thing. Every other person I saw looked to be eating this, which is the reason I ordered it. And I’m glad I did. The crust is pretty much how pizza crust should be. Light and crispy, yet chewy. Plus it’s got mushrooms. And it’s pizza. Pizza! What more do you need to know? If the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have taught me anything it’s that pizza is the best.
Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 450-1429
