The 2021 Paul Thomas Anderson film “Licorice Pizza” is set in the 1970s San Fernando Valley, with the production likewise staying pretty faithful to that area. This article contains some minor spoilers, so we only recommend reading if you’ve seen the film.

The opening scene where Alana, played by Alana Haim, first meets Gary, played by Cooper Hoffman, was filmed at Gaspar De Portola Middle School in Tarzana. There are a couple of similar looking corridors located at the school. Alana walks near the southwest corner, facing the towards Linnet St. The same school appeared in the films “Thirteen,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love” and “Akeelah and the Bee.”

LOCATION: 18720 Linnet St, Tarzana, CA 91356

Gary eats at this hot dog stand, where he tells Greg he met the girl he’s going to marry one day.

LOCATION: 9039 Lindley Ave, Northridge, CA 91325

Gary’s house can be found in North Hollywood.

LOCATION: 7902 Goodland Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91605

The Tail O’ The Cock scenes were filmed inside the former Billingsley’s Restaurant, located on the grounds of the Van Nuys Golf Course. While the restaurant closed in 2004, it remains in tact and Anderson previously used the same location for his film “Magnolia.” Some websites state the Tail O’ The Cock scenes were filmed at Barone’s, but this is incorrect. These exterior shots of the building were kindly provided to us courtesy of Ingo Schmoll (schmollywood1).

LOCATION: 6550 Odessa Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91406

Alana’s house can also be found in North Hollywood, on a cul de sac located very close to the scenes where Gary and Alana run together later in the film.

LOCATION: 12801 Miranda St, North Hollywood, CA 91607

The wig shop where Gary first sees a waterbed for sale is located in Canoga Park. The store is currently vacant, but the lettering on the windows from the film is still there.

LOCATION: 21819 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91303

You can see the nursery & hardware sign behind him as he enters the store.

The Teen-Age Fair scenes were filmed at the Hollywood Palladium. Gary and his friends are seen loading in from the side entrance on Argyle Ave. Police mistakenly arrest Gary because his description matches another suspect.

LOCATION: 6215 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Gary is taken to the police station, where he is seen in this hallway. The real building is actually a youth center in Hollywood.

LOCATION: 6501 Fountain Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Alana is seen across the street.

After a witness confirms Gary is not the suspect, he is released. Gary and Alana start running from this point.

They are seen running together down Cole Pl.

LOCATION: Cole Pl / Fountain Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

The film seamlessly jumps to North Hollywood and the two continue running along Burbank Blvd, with Bellaire Ave visible behind them. To find the exact area, look for this spot where there is a second fence running perpendicular, with the building on the left and towers. They as seen running past these exact spots. This is close to the location of Alana’s house.

LOCATION: 12755 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91607

After Alana gets an advertisement on the radio for Gary’s water bed business, sales pick up as they start shipping out numerous orders. They load a truck from this location in Studio City. This is just behind Ventura Blvd, at the rear alley near Laurel Terrace Dr.

LOCATION: 12444 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604

Here is where the UPS truck is parked. Alana then heads back inside and yells at the other boys for not helping her carry the dolly up the stairs.

This is also where the film’s poster image was shot, with Alana and Gary standing in front of a car, facing the camera

Gary opens his own store, Fat Bernie’s, selling waterbeds. Later in the film, Gary re-brands his business as the Pinball Palace, using the same location. The actual storefront can be found in Chatsworth.

LOCATION: 21758 Devonshire St, Chatsworth, CA 91311

Here is the front of the store, seen numerous times in the film.

We were actually able to visit the set of the film back when production was taking place. Here you can see the Fat Bernie’s signs and the crew prepping the location.

Here’s a look at the interior, which is also featured heavily in the film.

Alana follows Gary to the back of the store, as she jealously watches him take interest in another girl.

Alana, angered by Gary’s behavior, walks along the side of the building and kisses a random guy on the sidewalk. Here’s how the area appeared in the film, with the Jurgensen’s Grocery Co. advertisement painted on the wall.

Here’s the same area, repainted as it appears since filming completed.

The back of the store appears again when they load up the truck to leave the store.

Alana auditions for Jack Holden, played by Sean Penn (reciting dialogue from the film “Breezy“), inside the Church of the Chimes in Sherman Oaks. The scene is only shown from interior views in the film. The property, which consists of several buildings, has also appeared in the film “Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy,” as well as the TV shows “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” “The Office” and “Scrubs.”

LOCATION: 14115 Magnolia Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

The scenes where Jack Holden does a motorcycle stunt were filmed at the the Van Nuys Golf Course (6550 Odessa Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91406).

As the gas crisis takes hold, Gary runs past a line of cars waiting to fuel up near the intersection of Victory Blvd and Lindley Ave in Tarzana, overlooking the L.A. River.

LOCATION: Near Victory Blvd / Lindley Ave, Tarzana, CA 91335

The camera follows him running up to the gas station, which is known as Signal Gasoline in the film. In reality, it’s not a gas station at all, rather a mechanic’s shop and smog check station.

LOCATION: 18102 Victory Blvd, Tarzana, CA 91335

The eccentric Jon Peters, played by Bradley Cooper, lives at this home in Encino, where Alana and Gary deliver a water bed.

LOCATION: 4450 Balboa Ave, Encino, CA 91316

While the home is located on a public road, it sits at the top of a long driveway up a dead end hillside and is not really visible from the street. There are additional views around the property available online via old real estate listings.

Alana and Gary give Jon Peters a ride to this gas station in Encino. The geography laid out in the film is somewhat plausible, in that Jon Peters’ home really is at the top of the hill on the road to the left. However, in the film, it is depicted as a long, steep and winding road, when in reality, it is a relatively short, straight path up Balboa Ave. The two locations are in near proximity, however.

LOCATION: 16900 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91316

The actual winding road seen in the film is Palo Drive in Tarzana, near Rosita Street. This is where Gary smashes up Jon Peters’ car, only to realize their truck has run out of gas, forcing Alana to coast down a series of hills, back down to the gas station. Here is the curve they are seen taking in the film. The house in the background behind the trees and shrubs appeared in the film “Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood,” for the back yard scenes of Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski’s home.

LOCATION: Palo Dr, Tarzana, CA 91356 (GPS coordinates: 34°09’26.5″N, 118°33’26.4″W)

Here is the area where Jon Peters’ car was parked.

Here is another view of the general area where the car was parked.

Alana says in the film if she can make the light at Ventura, she can make a right and get them to the gas station. This is again geographically accurate, as the truck is seen turning at the intersection of Genesta Ave and Ventura Blvd, which turning right does indeed put you about one block from the gas station used in the film.

LOCATION: Ventura Blvd / Genesta Ave, Los Angeles, CA 91316

Afterwards, Alana sits on this curb in front of the Encino Post Office. Jon Peters walks by and throws a garbage can through the front window of the store next to it, before turning around to flirt with some women walking past. The real property does provide mails services, but is not a post office.

LOCATION: 18034 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91316 (Jon Peters breaks the window out of 18034 1/2 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91316)

Alana begins volunteering at the campaign offices of Joel Wachs, played by Benny Safdie. The building is actually a mattress and furniture store.

LOCATION: 21702 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91303

Later, she notices a man loitering across the street watching the office and confronts him.

Here is the reverse view, where Alana would have been looking out of the offices, which are mostly seen from interior views in the film.

Late in the film, Gary and Alana embrace under the marquee of the El Portal theater in North Hollywood. For those hoping to catch a screening there, the theater does not host theatrical films, rather stage productions by local performing artists.

LOCATION: 5269 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601

We leave you with a few more behind the scenes shots of some of the production design from when we visited the shoot. This was all around the Fat Bernie’s location in Chatsworth.

Related articles: Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014)