La Sorted's newest location feels like it has occupied its Chinatown block for over a century, then passed down to multiple generations. But it's only been open for one month. That's because every single square inch of the tiny restaurant is covered in some kind of Dodger artifact from the lifetime collection of owner Tommy Brockert.
"I take great pride in being from L.A.," Brockert tells L.A. TACO. "Why not do a Dodgers theme and just own it?"
Brockert was raised in the Simi and San Fernando Valleys. At 42, he had already amassed a collection of things, including some sentimental valuables passed down from his grandfather and other family members, all of them Dodger fans in their day.
Brockert, a passionate Burner, earned the nick name "La Sorted" for hooking up a friend with a full camping set-up, after the man made the mistake of showing up to Burning Man without the proper gear. It was over a high five when Brockert's friend called him, "Tommy Fucken' LaSorted!" as an ode to his both his Tommy LaSorda and Dodger fandom that runs three generations deep.
"During COVID, when the Dodger baseball season was first cancelled, I realized on a deeper level what the entertainment value of sports meant, so I got into pizza at least to help us from our chaos of living through that," he says.
That passion for pizza materialized in the form of La Sorted's first pie and wing shop in Silver Lake in 2021. Now he has this second location within walking distance from Dodger Stadium.
"It feels different because we aren't trying to do New York-style pizza or anything like that," he says. "We are L.A.-style."
The best way to describe La Sorted's pizza is nostalgically upscale, serving hard-baked pies that remind you of an actually delicious, hybrid sourdough version of perhaps the Shakey's or other nameless neighborhood pizza parlor you grew up eating. The sides are also part of that drive down memory lane with wings, amazing fries, salads, and beer on tap. La Sorted's chef and culinary director, Edward Lott, is also responsible for this L.A.-style pizza parlor appeal, since he was also born and raised in Lynwood and South L.A.
When all is said and done, it'll be one of the cheapest lunches in Chinatown too, with their oversized $4 cheese slices.
If you're a Dodger die-hard, these are the must-see Dodger trinkets and knick-knacks to check out at La Sorted's, according to Brockert:
Thomas Guide to Dodger Stadium and Chinatown from the 1960s
"When I opened our Silver Lake location, I started looking for pizza-specific sports memorabilia on a weekly basis. I thought it was fun! We all grew up watching sports and food ads, like Tommy La Sorda doing a Slim Fast commercial, Orel Hershiser doing a Pizza Hut ad, and stuff like that. It felt original to that location. But to cement La Sorted's in Chinatown and to make it feel old, I started searching for things having to do with Dodgers and Chinatown. This popped up on Ebay; it's an original print from the 60s, coffee stains and all. If you grew up in L.A. before Google maps and Mapquest, Thomas Guides is how you learned how to get around the city. What's more L.A. than that?" - Tommy Brockert.
"Dodger Blue" Budweiser Sign From the 80s
"That belonged to my grandfather's. His name was actually Robert Reiner. He did model trains and had this custom garage where this sign was at for my entire life. He died eight years ago and when it came time to open up in Chinatown, I called my grandmother and asked her, 'I know it's crazy, but do you still happen to have that sign from back then by any chance?' And sure enough, she still had it all these years later. It's pretty special to me."
Dodger Magic Eye Poster
"My first job growing up was working at malls, at places like The Gap and Banana Republic. These Magic Eye paintings were everywhere in my era of my childhood. I was never looking for one specifically and I had never seen one online, but it was so specific to my L.A. Dodger experience so I had to have it when I saw it." -Tommy Brockert
The Jacksons Victory Tour Ticket Stub from Dodger Stadium
"Dodger Stadium in L.A. hasn't always been about the sports or the Dodgers. There have been many larger than life moments that happened there in the music world, too. Who didn't grow up loving The Jackson 5? I was just looking up stuff from my childhood and some of the first big concerts at Dodger Stadium and found this. I have a whole wall dedicated to just the special events and concerts at Dodger Stadium as well."
Dodgers, Sinatra, and Don Rickles Sketch
"Growing up, I watched Don Rickles on late-night television and I found him to be the funniest host ever. There was a Don Rickles estate sale and there was this crazy one-of-one drawing that was a gift from Frank Sinatra to Don and Tommy. It's called "The Big Blue Machine" and it's an actual pencil sketch. It's in the same frame that I got it in from Don Rickle's office."
LaSorted's Chinatown ~ 984 N. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90012
