Monavala Pizza — Restaurant in El Cajon

The pizza at this spot is very good. I have no complaints about the pizza. Actually this is the first and only place that I've ever happened to that wasn't thin crust and I still liked it. I don't like a lot of dough but they cook this pizza so good that I don't even care how I get it cuz it's always good. I have barbecue chicken, buffalo chicken, meat lovers, margherita pizza, every kind of pizza and it's always good.

The problem for me is a delivery service. They want you to use a app called slice you use that app and every time you use it I guess they get the delivery person through the app or something. I'm not exactly sure how it works but what I know is that I live 12 minutes away from the spot but every time I order pizza it takes an hour or more for the food to get to me.so yesterday I had to order and call them later after an hour to find out why the food hadn't got to me and the lady said she would send me a free cake and it would take 10 to 15 minutes to get to me. I had already GPS the place though and I knew it was going to take only 12 minutes for me to get to her so I said you guys haven't even left yet have you? And then she turned around and said we're really busy we're really sorry but we're really busy. That's the only issue. The speed that they get to you. It shouldn't take you an hour and 15 minutes to get to me when we're 12 minutes away from each other. Even if I ordered three pizzas like I did and you have to cook them and drive them to me or only 12 minutes apart so it shouldn't take an hour 15. That's my only complaint with this place other than that if you just want some really good pizza and you have time to kill, you should get it from here....

I've been looking for another pizza place to use as my regular spot. I have been wanting to try Monavala for a few weeks.

I was in the area so I dropped in to get a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich and check the place out. I had a seat and waited for my sandwich, he said it would be about 15 minutes.

I could tell when he started making my sandwich because it smelled so good. I was facing their wall to wall refrigerators with a huge selection of sodas and drinks and saw the reflection of my sandwich going into the oven. Yum. When it was done they cut it in half and showed me before closing the box and bagging it up.

The two people working there were very nice and asked if it was my first time. I said I'd be back to get pizza next time and she said to try the wings as well.

I snarfed that sandwich down right in the parking lot. I wish I had thought to snap a photo but the sandwich was gone in no time.

The onions, peppers, mushrooms and steak was cooked perfectly. The cheese was nice and melted. The bread was hot and soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside. Perfect!

Best darn Philly cheese steak I've had in a long time. ...

Absolutely garbage. I mean, $5 gets you a can of soda and 2 slices of "pizza". If you don't care much for genuine, real pizza, and you're just trying to get more for less, then come here. Trying to feed a bunch of kids? Go here.

But if you want an in-n-out/sit-in that's decent-tasting, this place is as bland as it gets. I'm adamant about my ratings of pizzerias, as I am a national renowned pizzeria surveyor. Growing up in Chicago, I loved and still cherish every great bite. Please, for the sake of your time and money, go elsewhere. The staff were not the most professional, as there is a couch in the restaurant, and a worker plopped down on it and began eating food whilst conversing with another employee in the back, all while my company and I were right in front of her, eating.

For all these stars they have, the service & performance do not accurately reflect. Must be another "Give us a 5 star review and you'll get a free meal" kind of deal when they first opened.

Thanks for reading....