Lit Pizza has changed the restaurant game near LSU since opening last year, drawing flocks of students and pizza enthusiasts to build their own pizza. But it’s the mix of traditional and unique ingredients that truly sets Lit Pizza apart from other pie peddlers in town.
With local ingredients ranging from City Pork andouille to Cajun Chef sauces, Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce and Hanley’s Sensation dressing as finishers, Lit brings plenty of local flavor. It’s a commitment owner Ozzie Fernandez believes makes the menu richer and more unique than the average pizza joint.
“We just feel like Baton Rouge has a lot to offer, a lot of great and up-and-coming chefs that we want to work with,” Fernandez says. “They have great ideas, and they’re excited to work together on this.”
Even smaller brands have joined in with pop-up collaborations, like the quickly-growing Barbosa’s Barbecue, whose brisket pizzas sold out the night of their collab. Fernandez approached pitmaster Alex Barbosa in November to begin setting up a partnership and riffed the one-night-only pizza off a similar approach at a Houston pizzeria.
“He cares about giving back to this community. With him reaching out to me to inspire me to get my product out and do the same is invaluable,” Barbosa says of Fernandez. “Of course, the idea of a badass pizza being topped with badass brisket was impossible to turn down, so when Ozzie and I discussed the idea of Barbosa’s brisket pizza, one of the key things that drew me in was the ability to be able to be tied into a huge brand that has a positive hold on the college crowd market.”
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Lit has also prioritized #eatlocal in its Pizza of the Month specialities, featuring toppings like City Pork boudin and pulled pork with pairings like Southern Craft Brewing Company’s Swamp Sting Honey Ale to accompany the Bee Sting pizza.
Fernandez says the restaurant plans to keep it up with more pop-ups and collaborations moving forward, including seafood options with local shrimp and crawfish for Lent. The upcoming Pizza of the Month, the Shrimp Enzo, features Louisiana shrimp with white sauce, fresh mozzarella and Parmesan, roasted red peppers, grilled onions, minced garlic and a pesto drizzle.
Keep an eye on Lit’s Instagram for upcoming collabs. Fernandez says he’s always looking for new local collaborators through Lit’s social media accounts. Lit Pizza is at 3930 Burbank Drive.