Pizza is like sex – even when it’s bad it is usually pretty good. Unless it makes you sick.
We are here to find the best pizza in San Diego with the complete acknowledgement that opinions on the best pizza are about as variable as it gets. So if you disagree with anything here… well. Whatever.
What should not be under dispute is that San Diego is a surprisingly good pizza town. You would think that Little Italy held sway over this category, but none of the best pizzas in San Diego are found there because let’s be honest, Italy didn’t invent good pizza, the United States did.
The best pizzas in San Diego are spread among a few neighborhoods, as they should be. Most areas in San Diego have a decent neighborhood pizzeria to call their own, but there can only be three best. So here it goes:
3. Bronx Pizza (Hillcrest)
Bronx Pizza feels like a neighborhood pizza joint plucked straight from the streets of New York. It is a small walk-in spot on a busy street in the middle of Hillcrest that serves pies and slices and has exactly zero frills. The ordering is at the counter and you’ll have to shout over a few people, as it should be. The staff is fast, so be ready with your order or they’ll move on, as it should be. The place is cash only with no delivery, as it should be. And, oh yea, the pizza is delicious, as it should be.
Bronx Pizza is the perfect place to get a slice and walk around Hillcrest with oil dripping from your paper plate. Or sit down to eat it at one of their bare tables. Or get a whole pie to go. Whatever you decide it will be a good decision. We go out of our way to happen upon Bronx Pizza, so those living in Hillcrest are lucky to have it as their neighborhood pizzeria. It would do any neighborhood proud in New York.
2. Pizzeria Luigi (Golden Hill)
Similar to Bronx Pizza, Pizzeria Luigi also serves New York style pies and slices and does them exceptionally well. Started by an Italian emigrant to the Golden Hill neighborhood of San Diego, Pizzeria Luigi now has a few locations around San Diego, all of which serve a wide range of beers and have plenty of space to sit and eat. They also deliver and they do take cards.
None of this matters in our ranking though – we just think their pizza is delicious and perhaps slightly better than Bronx Pizza. They serve other dishes like salad, pasta, and calzones, but to be honest we’ve never tried them, despite having eaten there about six hundred times. We can’t get past their pizza. It’s rightfully the star of the show.
Pizzeria Luigi is so good that there are plenty of rip offs now, scattered around San Diego. Make sure you don’t go to one of them. The real Pizzeria Luigi only has four locations – North Park, Imperial Beach, Ocean Beach, and the original one in Golden Hill.
1. Regents Pizzeria (University City)
Located in the corner of a random shopping mall in University City, Regents Pizzeria probably slides under most people’s radar. If you are not in the delivery radius consider yourself unlucky because Regents makes the best pizza in San Diego.
Regents Pizzeria serves two pizza styles, New York or Chicago, and they do both incredibly well. You can get slices or whole pies, you can walk in and get it to go, or sit down in their large dining room. They have several other dishes that actually stand out on their own for being well executed, but again, we are here to talk about the pizza.
The homemade red sauce from Regents is brighter and more flavorful than other places with a hint more garlic. Their aged mozzarella blend cheese gives an extra kick of flavor. Their crust is delightfully crispy, even on the deep dish somehow.
The restaurant itself is a step up from the casual pizza shops we’ve already discussed and worth going out of your way for a visit. They have an impressive selection of local beers on draft and the place is always bustling.
Honorable Mentions
Blind Lady Ale House
Serves Neapolitan-style pizzas on a menu of different topping combinations. Everything here is good so you can’t really go wrong. See our review here.
Basic Pizza
Little known fact, the best pizza in the world is in New Haven, Connecticut. Basic Pizza is the best pizza in Downtown San Diego. They serve New Haven-style thin crust pizza (the owner also owns a place in New Haven) that is top notch. This place is also an expansive bar right near Petco Park, so a great place to drink beer, eat food, and kill time before a game or after a game or in the winter time when there is no game.
Tribute Pizza
The best pizza in North Park is served at Tribute Pizza. A restaurant that pays tribute to all the famous pizzas in the world and does it well. The restaurant itself is a great space for a dinner out and slightly more upscale than the others mentioned, serving craft cocktails and a larger menu of alternatives to pizza.
TNT Pizza
Opened in 2021 (or 2022?) TNT Pizza started as a pizza delivery service and is now its own storefront. They do New York, Detroit, “Grandma” (flatbread style), and “Tavern” style (not sure). Their Detroit-style pizza is the best of its kind in San Diego and the rest of what they do is delicious too. This is fast becoming an East Village go-to restaurant.
