Best Pizza Places in San Diego

1. Napoleone Pizza House

619 National City
Boulevard, National City

Like Tom Waits (who worked here for five years), this family joint looks a little old, dirty, weathered, and perfect. Its classic Neapolitan pie with sausage, bell peppers, onion, and pepperoni will make you a better you. Never mind the grease puddle in the curled-up pep.
Best-seller: The Works

2. Buona Forchetta

3001 Beech Street,
South Park

It’s owned by the heir to an Italian-olive-oil throne, Matteo Cattaneo, who gets his family’s liquid gold shipped over in drums. That, plus consulting World Pizza Champ Marcello Avitabile and a wood-fired Stefano Ferrara oven, make for one of the city’s best Neapolitans.
Best-seller: The Sergio

• Buona Forchetta
  

3. Blue Ribbon Pizzeria

897 South Coast
Highway 101, Encinitas

This is what happens when a fine-dining chef dedicates his four-star talent to pie. They’re not the prettiest pies in town. These are uneven, crispy-crunchy, leopard-spotted, medium-crusted pies with lumpy, housemade ingredients (get the “Classic” with fennel sausage, criminis, fresh mozz). But they're delish!
Best-seller: My Father

4. The Besta-Wan Pizza House

148 Aberdeen Drive,
Encinitas

This side-street hangout looks like it was designed by a person who loves their dog and thrift stores. For nearly 50 years, the California-style pizza joint has been the refueling station for surfers with the Besta-Wan Special (beef, ground pepper, ’shrooms, onions, pep, sausage, optional anchovies). Kids get dough to play with.
Best-seller: Besta Wan Special

• Blue Ribbon Pizzeria
  

5. Pizzeria Bruno Napoletano

4207 Park Boulevard,
North Park

Now in a battle with newbie Buona Forchetta for top Neapolitan honors, Bruno gets a blistery, perfect chew on its crust every time. The “Campania”—tomato sauce, mozz, fennel sausage, portobello, roasted onions—is one sinful dough Frisbee. While some skimp on sausage, Bruno gives you the entire pig.
Best-seller: Margherita

6. Isola Pizza Bar

1526 India Street,
Little Italy

Probably the best place in Little Italy to get a brick-oven Neapolitan pizza, from Italian chef Massimo Tenino. Like it hot? Try the salamino picante with spicy salami, mozzarella, San Marzano toms, basil, and Parm.
Best-seller: Margherita

• From left: Isola Pizza Bar and Caffe Calabria
  

7. Cucina Urbana

505 Laurel Street,
Bankers Hill

Joe Magnanelli’s pizza-crack is called the “Foraged Mushroom Pizza.” The name is a little aggrandized, sure. The man’s not out handpicking trumpets from the bushes in Balboa Park. But with ’shrooms, Taleggio, braised leek, and truffle oil, it’s mouth-altering. Yes, even with the truffle oil.
Best-seller: Margherita

8. The Privateer Coal Fire Pizza

1706 South Coast Highway,
Oceanside

Organic herbs and veggies grow on the roof of this surfer/skater hangout. It has only been open 10 months, but this startup by local action sports media pros Jamey Stone and Charlie Anderson, along with Hector Reyna, is really cranking out the Neapolitan pizzas, light on sauce and cheese with a very skinny crust. Points for creativity—they’ve got a clam chowder, bacon, potato, and provolone pizza, but don’t overlook the simple, near-perfect Margherita.
Best-seller: Fennel Sausage Pie

9. Del Mar Pizza

211 15th Street,
Del Mar

After sunset, Seagrove Park in Del Mar is stacked high with DMP boxes. Its thin-crust pizza is one of the crispier options in the NY-style category and the sausage (from the L.A. institution Maestro) with Grande mozz is just about perfect.