There’s a new pizzeria in town!
Issa Rae is keeping the culture rich and the flavor bold. The actress, producer, and entrepreneur has teamed up with her longtime business partners Ajay Relan and Yonnie Hagos to debut Downtown Dough—a nighttime pizzeria that turns their Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen into a funk-inspired dining experience where the pizza is hot, the spritzes are cool, and the vibes are all the way live, The Los Angeles Times reports.
“The daytime is really for the drip, and the nighttime is for the dough,” said co-owner Relan, capturing the dual identity of the space.
By day, 718 S. Hill Street serves up signature Hilltop coffee culture. By night, it transforms into a 1970s-funk-meets-modern-pizzeria, complete with leopard-spotted wood-fired crusts and a soundtrack that pays homage to the era of soul and style.
Rae, Hagos, and Relan have already made waves in L.A.’s hospitality scene with their Hilltop locations, the Lost rooftop bar, and the sleek Somerville jazz club and restaurant. Each venture has been anchored in community, culture, and creativity. With Downtown Dough, they’re turning up the heat—and the bass.
Chef Geter Atienza, known for his work at Broken Spanish and Bouchon Bistro, brings serious fire to the menu. Pizzas get a garlic oil brush and a Parmesan sprinkle before being topped with everything from pepperoni, local honey, and Fresno chiles to truffled fondue, farmers market cauliflower, and even bacon with Manila clams. Almond wood from Northern California fuels both the pizza oven and the grill, giving everything from branzino to Black Angus steak a rich, smoky finish. Pastas, salads, crispy calamari, and Black Angus meatballs round out the culinary lineup.
But Downtown Dough isn’t just a meal—it’s a mood.
“All of GVO’s venues have a very music-first vibe curation, but funk is a genre that we had always enjoyed the most,” said Relan. “It was just always the most fun, and [we’re] marrying our love for pizza with the free and forward era of the ’70s and the music that came along with it.”
Think James Brown, Bootsy Collins, the Womacks, and Sly and the Family Stone blaring through the speakers while walls pop with color and artwork inspired by the golden age of groove. And it doesn’t stop with sound and flavor. The bar, curated by Steen Bojsen Moller, serves up spritzes named after iconic funk musicians and their movements, putting a spirited spin on every glass.
Originally opened as a pop-up in 2023, this particular Hilltop location earned a permanent place in the neighborhood thanks to overwhelming community love. Now, with nearly 200 seats and a private dining space, it’s set to become a full-circle experience: coffee in the morning, pizza and funk in the evening, and a taco-and-nightcap finale at Lost’s rooftop bar nearby.
With Downtown Dough, Issa Rae and her partners continue to reimagine what it looks like when culture, culinary art, and community come together—making downtown L.A. a little more soulful, one slice at a time. Downtown Dough is currently open Wednesday to Sunday from 6 to 11 p.m at 718 South Hill Street in Los Angeles, California.
Cover photo: Issa Rae Opens New ‘Downtown Dough’ Pizzeria in L.A./Photo credit: Leon Bennett/Getty Images