15 Best Pizza Places in San Diego, California (2023)

Whether a college student or a young professional, finding a great pizza place is key to having a good time in San Diego.

From cheap and cheesy pies to gourmet offerings, there’s something for everyone when it comes to pizza. Here is a list of some of the best places to get your fix in the city. Enjoy!

1. Pizza e Birra San Diego

• Address: 3625 India St, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (619) 550-5796

You will enjoy the informal atmosphere, complete with shared tables serving Italian masterpieces, such as wood-fired pizzas. Every day, something is happening at this Italian pizza joint, starting with lunch specials. On Thursday, grab your favorite pizza and enjoy Trivia Thursday, or happy hour on Sundays, all day!

Coming with the whole family? $50 can get your family of four a large cheese pizza, house salad, garlic bread, lasagna, spaghetti, two sauce options, and sodas. From artisan pizzas to pasta, beer, and wine, Pizza e Birra has something for everyone.

2. Square Pizza Co

• Address: 4508 Cass St Suite C, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (858) 412-4469

A small community joint offering three types of square pizza slices, including Detroit-style. What’s your favorite ride? Maybe there’s a pizza here named after it. From Cadillac to Ford, Pontiac, and Pontiac 2.0, these are some of the best pizzas in San Diego hands down! 

For those pizza lovers with a sweet tooth, grab a small chocolate chip Cannoli or any flavor you desire. There’s no commission when you order online through Toast. Oh, check out the street-name pizzas, too, from gluten-free to dairy-free cheese. Many customers like that the thin crust pizza is available in slices since it’s so huge!

3. Zia Gourmet Pizza

• Address: 3311 Adams Ave A, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (619) 284-4320

Creative thin-crust pizzas with toppings like capers and caramelized pears, lemon garlic chicken, caramelized pears & capers. Don’t get puzzled by the vast menu; just start with a New York-style pizza slice, then move on to a Sweet Southern French pizza. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, vegan food options are plentiful.

The unusual combination of toppings will leave you begging for more. The beer selection, albeit small, is a hit with customers as it complements the pizzas. The energy inside Zia makes people want to eat all the time. Of course, the service and location add to the awesomeness.

4. Massachusetts Mike’s Pizzeria

• Address: 435 University Ave, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (619) 299-6453

This pizzeria sits in the center of Hillcrest, San Diego. You have online, delivery, and pickup options. Their very popular red pies come with pizza sauce. The Supreme Pizza is another hit, topped with fresh Garlic & sausage, black olives, green peppers, red onions, mushrooms, and pepperoni. 

This family-operated pizza spot offers a great atmosphere, friendly staff, and affordable prices. Massachusetts

Mike’s Pizzeria offers salads and subs along with their tasty pizza. Get your Italian pizza and other Italian cuisine on Doordash, UberEats, and more.

5. Bronx Pizza

• Address: 111 Washington St, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (619) 291-3341

A modest menu comprising thin-crust great pizzas plus calzones hooks fans to the cash-only, no-frills location. It’s an informal location that serves Italian fare, gyros, burgers, and thin-crust pies, in a strip mall. Californians love Bronx Pizza. It is not just the delicious pies but the homage to the Big Apple’s sports teams, famous faces, architecture, and history. 

You’ll also be intrigued by several extreme articles of flair lined along the walls, such as a vintage Rocky III banner. Of course, the Italian star quite befits the restaurant’s Italian flavor. The menu is simple itself: they sell pizza. Slices start at $2. Whether lunch or dinnertime, pizza lovers flock to this location. Be prepared for long lines through the door. It’s that good.

6. Tribute Pizza

• Address: 3077 N Park Way, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (619) 450-4505

This airy, contemporary restaurant has various wood-fired pizzas, beers, and wines. North Park locals know how to order from Tribute Pizza. The pizza they make is the pizza we desire to eat, the pizza we would like to share, and it draws from and reflects numerous regional and national pizza traditions. They have been named the best pizza in San Diego for the second time running recently.

The menu features a variety of hot and cold starters, seasonal salads, house-made sweets, and their world-famous pizza. The whole menu is, quite simply, made fresh every day. Tribute Pizza has a complete bar with unique seasonal specialties and tributes to classics, as well as local beer created by its neighbors.

7. Mom & Dom’s Pizza

• Address: 5025 Shawline St, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (858) 292-1511

A small family-run pizzeria serves a hearty pizza by the slice, subs, and pasta platters. The perfect harmony of sour, salty, and sweet is present in every dish. Pizza is a type of flatbread that is served with tomato sauce and cheese. Meat, veggies, and condiments are typical toppings.

You’d be surprised to know that, despite the cheap prices, the menu still has a daily special for under $8. This includes a small garden salad and a pizza slice (pepperoni or cheese), plus a medium drink. Many people come for the food but stay for the vibe and prices. 

Also read:

• 15 Best Pizza Places in Phoenix, Arizona (2022)
• 15 Best Pizza Places in Columbus, Ohio (2022)
• 15 Best Pizza Places in Memphis, Tennessee (2022)
• 15 Best Pizza Places in Las Vegas, Nevada (2022)

8. Pizzeria Luigi

• Address: 1137 25th St, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (619) 233-3309

The can’t miss Calzone special weekdays through Thursday. It is a big attraction to this venue. Place any pizza topping on garlic, ricotta, and Luigi’s cheese blend with a side serving of marinara. Vegans have a field day on meatless options, although omnivores also turn up. 

The Food Network claims that after trying Pizzeria Luigi’s Capone meat-lover pizza, Guy became a lifelong customer (he has since deemed it his favorite West Coast pizza). The Donatello pizza is just as tasty, with its creamy ricotta garnishes, spinach, garlic, and sweet mozzarella. Capone Meat-Lover Pizza, El Diablo Pizza, and Donatello Pizza are their specialties.

9. Pizza Bella Italian Bistro

• Address: 2707 Congress Street #1P, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (619) 692-4333

The most sought-after items on this Italian Bistro’s menu are deep skillet pizza, Garlic Cheese Bread, and stone-baked pizza tossed by hand. Some customers believe it is the best pizza in San Diego. Incredible customer service. 

The thin crust and deep dish pizza at this Old Town spot is fantastic. The ingredients are high-grade, and the crust is light and airy. The garlic cheese bread is a must-try with warm marinara sauce. Instant assistance that doesn’t waste your time. There are many pizza options you should come back and taste. I assure you that you won’t feel let down.

10. Venice Pizza House

• Address: 3333 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (619) 283-2333

A well-known pizzeria that serves up delicious pizzas and other dishes such as handcrafted pasta, sandwiches, and salads. Sam and Prudie LoMedico, in 1954, opened Venice Pizza House. Joe and Mar LoMedico now run it as a family business. Their pizzas have been highlighted across every prominent San Diego television network, notably by Fox 5.

You get a casual yet classy setting with many great pizza options. You get high chairs for small kids, and the kid’s menu is excellent. The House Special topped with mushrooms, olives, peppers, pepperoni, and sausage is a big hit with customers, and you could request the addition of onions and anchovies. The salads, pizzas, meals, sandwiches, and appetizers are all delicious, earning rave reviews.

11. Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria

• Address: 4030 Goldfinch St, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (619) 299-4030

Rave customer reviews have placed Lefty’s as one of the best pizza places in San Diego. Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria brings the flavor of Chicago to the core of Southern California. In addition to their famous deep-dish pizza, the San Diego, California restaurant also offers Chicago-style hot dogs, beef sandwiches, and other American staples. 

Lefty’s is a popular evening event venue with a wide selection of craft beer and wine. Whatever you’re craving, from a traditional sub to a delicious pasta dish, you’ll find it at their locally owned and operated pizzeria. They have several catering choices, including the eat-in, take-out, and delivery services.

12. Sisters Pizza

• Address: 3603 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (619) 255-4200

Emily decided to open the restaurant in memory of her sister Kate and through inspiration from Kate’s excitement about pizza, family, pals, and civic duty. The pizzeria focuses on the community.  In a warm and welcoming setting, Sisters Pizza welcomes locals to indulge in delicious food, unwind with a drink, and spend time with loved ones.

Sisters Pizza is a neighborhood pizzeria and Mediterranean eatery that has been bolstered by the #kindnessforkate movement, an initiative to help strengthen neighborhoods through good deeds by providing a wide range of delicious pizzas as well as Mediterranean dishes, welcoming staff, enjoyable music, and high-quality wine and beer.

13. Red House Pizza

• Address: 4615 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (619) 546-7430

This bright, airy spot features some innovative pizzas, gluten-free pasta & craft beers on tap. If not on your first visit, try the garlic cheese bread and hummus at least the next one. The atmosphere is always great, and everything is prepared fresh daily. They’ve established themselves as offering some of the best pizza in San Diego.

The Lincoln 14-inch Pizza is the most popular delivery order. It comes with fresh basil, mozzarella, white onions, roasted garlic, sausage, pepperoni, kale, fennel seed, and red sauce. Vegans will have a wild time as there are vegan options for nearly everything on the menu. This is made easy since the crusts are already vegan. 

14. Long Island Mike’s Pizza

• Address: 5250 Murphy Canyon Rd #116, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (858) 569-7499

Long Island Mike’s Pizza Spring Valley is a small, family-owned franchise since 2019, serving salads, pasta, authentic, handcrafted New York-style pizza, and more. Long Island Mike bakes authentic New York–style pies, and they are the best you’ll ever eat. 

The dough is chewy and tender, yet it stands up well to bold toppings like buffalo chicken and eggplant parmigiana white chicken strips, Buffalo sauce, plus decent portions of ranch dressing. Pizza lovers frequently order BBQ chicken and the Sicilian pepperoni; a square deep-dish pizza topped with pepperoni, mozzarella, and oregano-flavored tomato sauce.

15. Sicilian Thing Pizza

• Address: 4046 30th St, San Diego, CA
• Phone: (619) 282-3000

Very decent pizza spot, where the owner/operator is always nice & friendly. It’s one of the best pizza places you’ll come across in the entire state. Many customers give their pie the best pizza in San Diego rating. Sicilian Thing Pizza is the place to go for authentic thick square pizza in the Sicilian style, as well as slices of New York-style pizza. 

There is a small selection of draft beers, everyday specials, slices of Sicilian and thin-crust pizza, and a few tables to sit at. However, delivery and pickup are always great options. Most guests love the friendly atmosphere and staff. The crispy bottom dough gets mentioned frequently, making Sicilian Thing Pizza among the best pizza places in San Diego. 

Rounding up

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and try some of the best pizza San Diego offers. With so many great places to choose from, you’re sure to find a pie that will make your taste buds happy. Don’t forget to let us know which spot is your favorite!