Last month, when Noma's chef René Redzepi visited Los Angeles from Copenhagen to promote his Apple TV docuseries, the three-star Michelin chef made a beeline for Leopardo.
This new pizzeria, opened in May by chef Joshua Skenes, modestly describes itself as "casual quality," but that hardly does justice to its culinary aspirations. Skenes, a titan of American cuisine himself, having earned three Michelin stars at San Francisco's iconic Saison and a “recommended” for Leopardo in the most recent Michelin announcements, has shifted from the heights of culinary fussiness to wood-fired pizzas and co*cktails so innovative they could warrant their own patents. And let’s not even discuss the deliciousness of the frozen soft-serve ice with honeycomb alongside leftover sweet sourdough butter sandwiched between Biscoff cookies with sea salt.
Leopardo transcends the typical pizza experience. From the first glance at the menu, to the initial sip of a co*cktail, to the moment you see the pizzas, it's clear this is Skenes' new creative arena—a deceptively relaxed venue that's crafting some of the most daring dishes on the West Coast.
Recently, after a meal there with friends, I had the opportunity to speak with the chef about this exciting new endeavor:
David Hochman: People are saying Leopardo is the most interesting thing to happen to Los Angeles dining in a very long time. How long have you been working on this menu?
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Joshua Skenes: We found the space a year ago and started right then, but our approach to R&D goes back to 2015 at Saison in San Francisco. For me and the team, it’s always about depth of flavor and texture—nothing else matters.
David Hochman: Let’s talk about the incredible pizza. I will go out on a limb and say the Hello Satan pizza with wild honey, chili, salumi, and herbs, is the best pizza I’ve ever had. What’s your secret?
Joshua Skenes: I appreciate that. The dough is a big part of it. We tested every high-quality flour we could find and settled on nine different grains from the West Coast. Our starter is two years old and the dough is naturally leavened, wild yeasted, and fermented for about three days, with a focus on lactic acid for a subtle, natural sweetness. Plus, we use tomatoes from my favorite Bay Area farm and fermented chilies for that kick.
David Hochman: Your kitchen looks like something out of a mad science lab. There are machines I’ve never seen before in kitchens, and a few of them look DIY. How does technology play into your cooking?
Joshua Skenes: It’s a big part of it, but any tech we use is in service to the flavor. Whether it’s custom fermentation or cooking methods, it’s all about making the food taste amazing. I’ll say more about the pizza, for example. We’ve dubbed our crust “neo-mochiko.” It’s light and pillowy, like a cloud of mochi. The process takes three days, two of which are about waiting for the dough to rise. We’ll use spring water not tap, and we favor Oregon sea salt in the base. But we’re also experimenting with the dough in some radical ways, by liquifying it in our lab and reconstituting it into sourdough crackers and laminated dough.
David Hochman: Aside from pizza, what’s been the unexpected hit?
Joshua Skenes: Our co*cktails and raw bar are driving most of the revenue. With the drinks, it’s all about balance and highlighting single ingredients. I want the flavors to shine, like rhubarb in a Negroni. We’ve done mezcal infused with mesquite-roasted wild boar. There’s a Kyoho Frosé we make with a Kyoho grape, cachaça, and Asti spumante. Like with any good food product, good booze comes down to a few good ingredients rather than a ton of different ones mixed together.
David Hochman: How do you manage changing the menu every day? That sounds intense!
Joshua Skenes: It can be stressful, but it’s about keeping the guest experience top-notch. We’re still finding what works best and tweaking as we go.
David Hochman: Any feedback from notable diners, like René Redzepi?
Joshua Skenes: Yeah, he suggested a pizza tasting menu! We had a good chat about balancing quality in a casual setting—it’s tough but worth it.
David Hochman: What’s the biggest challenge you’re tackling now?
Joshua Skenes: Maintaining high quality at accessible prices. Everyone has subjective tastes, but quality is objective once you understand it. We’re always balancing the need to keep things affordable while using top-tier ingredients. It’s just really hard to find true quality standards in a casual restaurant because it's price prohibitive. As much as we can, we find a way to do it. It takes a ton of work but a lot of our prices are way lower than they should be—especially for items like the pizzas.
At the same time, you get your haters who don’t understand. Some reviewer wrote something with an eye roll that complained about the $160 waffle with caviar dish [crispy red flint waffles with Bordier butter and maple syrup, topped by Ossetra caviar aged for six months with country bacon salt]. To the critic, it was an expensive waffle, but they didn't pay attention to the fact that we’re serving the absolute best caviar that you can buy in the US,or that there’s a ton of that excellent caviar on the dish. Food costs for products like these can be high but we make sure the taste experience is worth it.
Davi Hochman: What’s next on your radar?
Joshua Skenes: We’re exploring even more ways to use the pizza dough—liquified, laminated, crackling—and turning it into dishes beyond just pizza. It’s about creating a layered, fun dining experience. If you’re going out for a meal, you want it to be time well spent
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
