Antonio’s Pizza doesn’t live here anymore

The long-closed pizzeria in North Torrance still stands empty and abandoned.

If you’re from North Torrance you know Antonio’s Pizza. Hell, if you’re from the South Bay you probably know Antonio’s Pizza. And, quite likely, if you know Antonio’s Pizza you know that despite now being closed for something like 16 years, the once proud pizzeria sits empty and abandoned.

The lonely shell of Antonio’s Pizza is like a snapshot of what once was. Sitting prominently on Prairie Ave., where the busy boulevard intersects with 182nd St, the building that at one time served some of the freshest slices in the area stands frozen in time.

The exterior looks exactly as it did back the mid 90s, the last time I ate there. The red painted Antonio’s lettered across the storefront facade looks faded, but still reads clearly. The mustached Italian chef is still giving his knowing wink and OK sign. Wanna order a pie? There’s the phone number, in all its seven-digit glory, well before area codes became a mandatory part of the equation. Even better is the admonition painted above the entry door, “If you like it, tell your friends. If you don’t, tell us.” Sadly, there’s nothing left to like or share with your friends (hello Facebook!). Even the phone number remains disconnected. The days of Antonio’s much-loved BYOB policy are long gone.

The interior is the tell that Antonio’s Pizza is no more. Gutted save for a few miscellaneous bits and pieces, a large stainless-steel backsplash, industry range hood and a monstrous, commercial Hobart mixer. It’s like the ghost of a business.

I’d like to perpetuate the Mystery of the Abandoned Pizzeria, as it’s the kind of thing that generates its own myths and urban legends, but I know the puzzle has already been solved. My former colleague at the Daily Breeze, Nick Green, wrote a couple of stories back in 2007 on the real story behind Antonio’s demise, helped by info from former co-owner, Charlie Byrd. I remember Charlie. After Antonio’s he went on to run a joint called Cialuzzi’s in Redondo Beach. Cialuzzi’s begat Charlie’s, a New York Italian Joint that’s also in RB.

I don’t remember all the details of what happened and I’m too cheap to pay the entrance fee to get behind the Breeze’s archive system pay wall, but I recall there was some drama and personnel issues and tension and real estate problems. At least I think that’s what it was. I supposed I kind of like not remembering the details. I prefer the mystery that these photos illustrate. And I suppose I’m also too lazy to write a simple email to Nick to get some info. Again, the mystery.

It’s always strange making the trip back to North Torrance, easing into the intersection of Prairie and 182nd and looking to see if Antonio’s Pizza still stands, is newly inhabited or has finally met the bulldozer. A lot of the South Bay landscape I grew up has long been clear-cut to make way for many more mini-malls and dense housing developments. But there seems to be a few stubborn parts — some of them in North Torrance — that never seem to change. Maybe they get a facade makeover or some fresh new bland paint, but it seems that these places — businesses, apartments, houses, whatever — are left to be worn away by time, the elements and neglect. Like Antonio’s Pizza. I know this isn’t exclusive to the South Bay, but when it’s your own home turf, your own memory base, it just feels more personal.