The Artist Pizzeria — Restaurant in Covina

This place is like Subway, but with pizza instead of sandwiches (and much fresher ingredients). They have a menu of pizzas, but you can customize all of your toppings as you watch a staff member put it together for you every step of the way - from saucing to firing it up in the pizza oven so it comes out fast and hot. The crust is consistently perfect (thin and crispy), there are a ton of fresh, quality ingredient options, and the flavors are amazing. This is a place I have frequented for years and I can honestly say that I have never had a pizza I didn't like. I've tried a handful of them, but my go-to is the green pie (pesto basil sauce, mozzarella, feta, zucchini, eggplant, artichoke hearts & fresh tomatoes). My husband does not like vegetables too much, but even he has learned to let them make it as-is, without customizing it, because it is SO GOOD! The chicken wings are juicy, meaty, and delicious. The salads and Mediterranean plates are great as well (chicken/beef kabob, falafel or chicken shawarma served with rice, salad, hummus, pita bread, and garlic sauce). There is even a dessert counter where you can usually find an assortment of treats like macarons, Dubai chocolate bars, and Baklava. They also serve beer (bottled and on tap).

Aside from the great food, the place has a great ambience with a large & spacious indoor dining area as well as a large shaded patio area in the front (facing bustling Citrus Ave), big screen TVs, and even a little game machine for the kids. They do a great job of keeping it all nice and clean. A small touch I really appreciate is that they conveniently keep extra plates, silverware, condiments, and to-go boxes out in the front so you can use as much as you need without having to ask for them.

On top of all that, it's in a prime location in downtown Covina so there is plenty to do if you have some time to walk around. Great for families and casual date nights.

This place hits...

I ordered a 12” build your own pizza with extra cheese and a Nutella pizza via the Uber Eats app and picked up the order myself so I can take it back to my Airbnb and catch game 1 of the World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees. My mistake was not double checking the order before I left.

First red flag was the pizza boxes not being hot or at the very least warm; they were cold. Then again, the place is air conditioned and it wasn’t crowded, so naturally I assumed that the well ventilated and cold place cooled down the boxes.

When I got to my Airbnb and opened up the pizza box, second red flag; the toppings were piled up in the center and not spread out evenly.

Third red flag: they added toppings I didn’t request and now have to do the menial task of picking out the toppings one by one, assuming I can even identify it because the mushrooms (which I didn’t request) is so charred it’s hard to differentiate from the roasted zucchini (which I didn’t request request).

Fourth red flag: they didn’t add the extra cheese that I paid for.

Fifth red flag: as I suspected was the case earlier, the pizza was indeed cold, and when I say “cold,” I mean the pizza itself was colder than the beverages in my mini fridge (I wish I was exaggerating, but sadly I’m not).

As for the Nutella pizza, I have no basis of comparison as I’ve never had it before. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be served cold or hot, but the crust was incredibly chewy.

Bottom line: I was incredibly disappointed with the quality of the food. The only reason why I ordered from there by was because it was the first non chain pizza restaurant I spotted upon entering Covina and the reviews are mostly positive. I won’t be returning to this pizza restaurant. Looks like I’ll be skipping dinner while watching the game and take some ibuprofen to ease the toothache from...

The staff was cheerful and helpful. My wife ordered the Mediterranean kabobs and I ordered the Pesto Pasta. The pasta came out first, the bread about 5 minutes later, the Mediterranean kabobs 10 minutes after that and my wife's bread another 5 minutes later. The food was tasty and the portions fairly large. The main issue is the delays. There was only a few people in the restaurant besides ourselves. This should have been a quick meal that ended up taking about 30 mins and delivered in such a hap hazard way,it was disappointing. If they can get their timing right this could be a good fit for for the area. If not they will be short lived. We will try again an see how it goes next time. *Update to last review. We went back to the Artist Pizzeria on Friday. We ordered the same thing we ordered last time. Although I had seen a response from the management they would do better on our next visit. It was like deja Vu. The pasta was brought to the table 10 mins before my wife got her meal. Just like the entertainment industry, the restaurant industry is about timing and I am afraid this one is still in need of...