Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizzeria — Restaurant in Encinitas

Blue Ribbon Pizza – 8 Years Later and Still a Knockout!

We totally forgot about this gem—until last night, when my brother-in-law took us back after a beautiful sunset beach walk in Encinitas. Eight years later, it’s still a hit. As a French guy from Marseille, I’ve got high standards when it comes to pizza—back home, it’s a legacy. But Blue Ribbon did not disappoint.

We were craving wood-fired pizza, and from the moment we sat down, the vibe was just right. Our waitress, Marie Michelle (French Canadian—sorry, from Quebec!), set the tone with a warm welcome and immediately went to get us her best wine in the house: red cab (sorry forgot the name)

We kicked things off with a burrata to share—absolutely divine. Creamy, dreamy, with delicious olive oil, a touch of balsamic, and that warm, crusty bread to dip in. To die for.

Then came the pizzas, fresh out of the wood fire oven. We went classic with the Margherita and got creative with the Red Oak—added prosciutto, black olives, and mushrooms. Honestly, they should add that combo to the menu. One note for the pizzaiolo: don’t be shy to let it char just a tiny bit more. Nothing better than that little edge of crisp, burnt goodness!

And then... dessert. I’m still dreaming about it: butterscotch salted caramel pudding. Don’t even think about leaving without trying it.

Huge shoutout to Marie Michelle and her husband for such a lovely night—and the cherry on top? The patio is puppy-friendly! My pup didn’t miss a single crust.

We’re definitely coming back. Way sooner than 8...

Just straight up take my money, fam.

I was in Encinitas for 48 hours and ate here 3 times. My credit card company was like “hey: dis u?” Sigh. Yes, American Express. I have a pizza problem. Blue Ribbon is not the solution. They’re just my new favorite dealer.

Originally went to this place on a whim—I was intrigued by the board and bottle for $24 sign. I assumed: fine, but it’ll be garbage wine and like 2 ounces of bruschetta. Wrong wrong, so terribly wrong. The wine was a 2012 super Tuscan and the bruschetta was so big, creative, and ridiculously good, we almost didn’t have room for pizza.

But life, uh, finds a way, as Jeff Goldblum’s character in Jurassic Park so beautifully put it. The pizza was insane. INSANE, I tell you. I can’t even critique it. It’s perfect.

Came back the next afternoon for coffee (best in Encinitas, for sure). Then a pizza. Then happy hour. We couldn’t leave!

The service is excellent. Love the staff. Try the Staff’s Favorite pizza and the Lemon one (you’ll see which one I mean) and maybe add Calabrian chilis and Italian sausage to half of the latter if you feel like it (next...

New Yorker chiming in. I grew up 5 minutes away from the best pizza I’ve ever had. How does this compare?

Service The staff here are so kind and knowledgeable. Our waiter had recommendations when we needed them.

Atmosphere Lots of seating, especially outdoors. Kind of like a bar type atmosphere.

Food Buckle up and bring your favorite pizza partner like I did. We got the Staff’s Favorite and the East Coast. The Staff’s Favorite was also my favorite. By that logic, you’d think I’m part of the staff but that is simply not true. I do not work at Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizzeria. Anyway, the sausage and the creamy sauce paired nicely. The East Coast was really good too. Overall, some of the best pizza I’ve had on the west coast.

Dessert This one gets its own section. It’s pretty bold to put all your eggs in one basket and only serve one thing for dessert, but I can see why they do it. The butterscotch pudding is incredible. Light, custardy, not-too-sweet. The sea salt adds a nice depth to the flavor. I’d go back for the butterscotch pudding alone.

Would I...