Folks Pizzeria — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

ATTACK OF THE KILLER ARTISAN PIZZA ! Trust me there is no doubt that these guys knock out the pizzas of your dreams. My wife and I are definitely pizza snobs....we never do take-out and get nothing delivered. In fact we have been making great pizzas at home for over 30 years. THERE'S MORE ! We have enjoyed great pizzas at many top pizzerias all over the USA, Australia and New Zealand during our travels. BEST PIZZA ! We do think the artisan pizza here is the best we have ever tried. Of course it's not pizza on a whim......you need to make a reservation 2 weeks in advance unless you feel like standing outside for up to 2 hours waiting for a table. I made a reservation online via Yelp for 3 people at 7.15pm on Sunday, Aug 27th. I was excited to see STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE on the dessert menu. We arrived in the parking lot of The Camp Shopping Mall at around 6.50pm......a total nightmare to park your wheels. I jumped out and walked over here to check in. My wife ended up using the VALET PARKING at Mesa for $7. In the meantime I waited at the hostess desk for a minute or so...eventually Sara the hostess popped out to greet me with a happy face. A NICE CHANGE ! They must have dumped the sour hostess from our last visit. Sara said she could sit me at our reserved table even though my wife and her son were yet to arrive. NICE SPOT ! We were seated in pretty much the same location as 2 of our 3 previous dinner visits. My wife and her son arrived shortly after. My wife's son who was staying with us for a few days is a vegetarian so we were willing to give up on a meaty pizza and go VEGGO for him. SERVICE ! We dine out quite often and the service here to date has been quite spotty. IT GETS BETTER ! A server named Jayme came by to take care of us and I have to admit did a get job during the course of our dinner visit. BEERS ! They do a pretty good job here of rotating their craft beer selection. My wife's son chose a Brouwerij West "Bounce" West Coast IPA while I went with an old fav...Thorn Brewing "Hopster Pot" Hazy IPA. Jayme also brought us a carafe of cool water and 3 glasses. FOOD ! First up we had to have a serve of the BREAD & BUTTER Starter ( labneh spread, smoked sea salt, grilled sourdough ). Our ice cold cans of craft beers arrived with tall chilled glasses just as I requested. GREAT CHOICE ! My wife's son was very happy with his choice of beer and mine tasted great as usual. THE BREAD ! Our serve of Bread & Butter arrived promptly....and it looked MOUTHSATIONAL ! At this point we ordered our pizza...ya gotta have the pizza ! This time we ordered a white pizza.....UNDERWOOD FARMS WHITE CORN ( mixed market onions, fontina, provolone, pecorino romano, corn crema, extra virgin olive oil ). I was so glad we had a reservation because there were a lot of people hanging around outside for a very long time waiting for a table. Our Bread & Butter Starter tasted beyond delicious. THE OWNERS ! Pretty much missing in action...we very briefly chatted with Chloe Tran the co-owner during one of our dinner visits but she was too busy to give us more than 10 seconds. The pizza chef / co-owner Joey Booterbaugh is not to be seen....never there when we have been in attendance. A BIT STRANGE ! Most restaurant owners we know love to meet and greet their customers....not these guys. WHATEVER ! Our White Corn Pizza arrived on a pizza stand and looked sensational. PRETTY DARN GOOD ! We absolutely loved our White Corn Pizza......the crust was thick, airy and totally scrumptious. The delicious toppings were melded together perfectly. Grated parmigiano and chili flakes made it even better. DESSERT ! I asked Jayme our server about the Strawberry Shortcake.....not available. On separate dinner visits we have tried their VALRHONA CHOCOLATE BUDINO and BURNT CHEESECAKE but found them to be pretty average. We boxed a third of the huge pizza to take home....and it was amazingly delicious the next day. STILL...

A FLAVOR EXPLOSION ! Those were my wife's very appropriate words after we took our first bite of our amazing pizza here on Sunday. THE STORY BEGINS...my wife and I left our fav pizza joints far behind when we moved from Solana Beach to Irvine in mid November, 2022. AND WE LOVE A GREAT PIZZA ! Don't get me wrong we have been looking and even tried a reputable pizza restaurant in Irvine which was trying a bit too hard to be upscale. Of course we make our own pizza at home almost every week as we have done for over 24 years. WE KNOW OUR PIZZAS ! We enjoyed some beauties in New York recently and in Chicago a few years back, So we went through the alphabet from A to Z looking for the best pizza joint near home...it had to be casual maybe a tad bohemian, definitely independent not a chain, preferably wood-fired or similar, with off the chart reviews. In the end we chose Folks Pizzeria because the pics of their pizzas had us salivating. WE'RE ON IT ! I tried to make a reservation through Yelp the moment we made our choice on Saturday but we later found out that didn't work out. So on Sunday we hit the road around 4.30pm to have dinner here even though the dude on the phone told me earlier the wait for a table could be 45 minutes to an hour. I hate waiting for anything ! SUCH IS LIFE ! When we arrived at the front entrance just before 5pm to put our name on the wait list Christian the host said to expect a 45 minute wait. OKAY ! So we wandered off to check out the retail stores and eateries in the center. We were near the host desk at 5.40pm when Christian announced our table was ready. HALLEJUH ! Christian told us they had a limit of 1 hour and 15 minutes per table. I have to be honest after we observed the delectable looking pizzas in front of diners on the outdoor patio...our expectations were very high ! We were seated at a table towards the rear of the indoor space...I had a great view of the pizza kitchen. A server named Jane came by to take care of us and gave us menus to check out. My wife and I went over the menu and picked out the pizza we wanted to order. I thought the Bread and Butter Starter looked good but my wife was worried the 14 inch pizza would be enough. When we were ready to order we were told a pizza would take about 30 mins to come out. We decided on a FENNEL SAUSAGE RED PIZZA ( mozzarella, pecorino, fennel spice, basil, garlic oil ) with added castelvetrano olives & mushrooms. I suggested to my wife we get the Bread and Butter Starter to tide us over until our pizza arrived. MY WIFE AGREED ! I ordered a Beachwood Brewing "Almalgamator" IPA to kick things off. Within a few minutes our BREAD & BUTTER Starter ( labneh spread, smoked sea salt grilled sourdough ) arrived. OMG the bread looked incredible....my wife went nuts over it. WE LOVE GREAT BREAD ! And the spread that came with it was insanely good. WHOO HOO ! My ice cold Beachwood Brewing "Almalagamator" IPA tasted fabulous ! And then out came our amazing looking pizza...trust me you have never seen a pizza look this good ! WE WERE GOBSMACKED ! We asked for some grated parmigiana which arrived promptly. Let me say this was one of the BEST GOURMET PIZZAS EVER we have ever enjoyed....possibly the best. WE LOVED IT ! During the course of our magnificent dinner we got to meet a few of the very talented staff....Jesus and Jamie were very sweet to us. We boxed what we couldn't eat..and gee whizz it tasted great for lunch the next day. DESSERT..we chose the VALRHONA CHOCOLATE BUDINO ( salted caramel, creme fraiche whipped cream ) over the BURNT CHEESECAKE for no particular reason. We have tried both of these trendy desserts at other restaurants. The compact Valrhona Chocolate Budino arrived and tasted very rich...a perfect finale to our wonderful dinner ! MAYBE THE BEST...

If you haven’t been to Folks Pizzeria yet, you’re missing out on one of the best dining experiences in Orange County. I come here every single year for family birthdays, and let me tell you—it’s not just about the food. It’s the kind of place that makes memories. The energy, the flavors, the effortless cool of the space—it all just works.

Let’s Talk About the Caesar Salad… Yes, the Salad.

I know, I know. You don’t go to a pizza place for salad. But trust me, this one deserves its own moment. Crunchy gem lettuce, freshly shaved Parmesan, crispy breadcrumbs, and a creamy, rich dressing that’s absolute perfection. They serve the anchovies on the side (smart move), and honestly? It’s one of the best Caesars in town. You’ll regret skipping it.

The Pizza That Will Ruin You for All Other Pizza

The Bianca is the ultimate crowd-pleaser—simple, creamy, and perfectly balanced. The kids love it, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t also low-key obsessed. And that crust? Next-level. Perfectly charred, chewy, and made for dipping in their house-made ranch. (Yes, order the ranch. Just trust me.) My husband, on the other hand, goes for the Calabrian chili oil, which adds just the right amount of heat to their freshly baked bread.

But my personal ride-or-die? The mushroom pizza. Even people who “don’t like mushrooms” end up loving it. It’s earthy, cheesy, and perfectly balanced—the kind of pizza you think about days later.

Dessert? If You Can Fit It, Get the Cheesecake.

I rarely make it to dessert, but I’ve tried their cheesecake once, and it’s unreal. Made in-house with their own cheese, it’s smooth, creamy, and almost too good to share. No crust, but it doesn’t even need it. The chocolate budino is solid too, but if you’re choosing one? Go for the cheesecake.

Pro Tips: How to Eat Here Like a Pro Reservations are a must. Folks is that popular. People drive from LA and San Diego just to eat here, so if you don’t book ahead, be prepared to wait. Your whole party has to be there before you’re seated. No exceptions. Plan accordingly. Leave time for parking. It can be a little tricky, especially on weekends. If you do have to wait, The Lab mall is actually a vibe. It’s got stylish spots and makes the wait feel more like part of the experience. Or go to the bar Ahba, grab a drink, soak it in—it’s all part of the magic.

Shoutout to Hayden for 10/10 Service

Tonight, we had Hayden, and he was incredible—attentive, friendly, and just totally on it. Service here is always solid, but he made it extra smooth.

Final Verdict? Just Go.

Folks Pizzeria isn’t just about pizza—it’s about the experience. If you’re looking for a place that nails every detail, from the food to the vibe, this is it. One bite and you’ll get why people keep coming back.

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