West Coast Pizza Company — Restaurant in Escondido

West Coast Pizza Company is wonderful! It's bright, clean and inviting with friendly staff and locally-inspired decor. We sat at the family-style picnic tables, but next visit I'm trying out the high booth tables. The outdoor seating looked inviting with tables and a bar with stools. We were a big group and wanted to try a variety, as follows:

The Jammin' Ham is Hawaiian-style of which I'm not normally a fan, but this pie had me rethink my stance and I'm a convert to West Coast's version. The ham is not your typical Canadian bacon and topped off with a drizzle of hot honey and with the tang of the pineapple, your taste buds will sing.

The Garden of Eatin' was our choice this night from the several vegetarian options on the menu. So tasty even the meat-lovers in our group gave two-thumbs up on this veggie pie. I think the fresh veggies and artichoke hearts did the trick. I took a piece home, reheated it on the stove top in a non-stick skillet. I swear I think it tasted even better the next day. Usually I'm not a veggie pizza person, but this one will be a repeater.

The Red Triangle is a meat-lovers bonanza. The pepperoni and salami with those lovely crispy, crunchy bits around the edges, the sausage full of flavor without being overly salty, the pork roll adding that extra kick of flavor. Truly one of the best meat-lovers pizzas I've ever had. (In response to Tim Buckley and his review, what the heck, dude? Pepperoni, sausage, pork roll, salami...they have fat in them. That's what makes those meats what they are. There was some grease in that little puckered pocket on the pepperoni, but definitely far less than most pepperoni pizzas I've had. People, do not let one person's lousy review dissuade you. The pizza is not swimming in grease. No one in our party thought that and as a matter of fact one person commented on how non-greasy it was for an all-meat pizza.)

Flew the Coop, me oh my, is the best BBQ chicken pizza I've had. The chicken is almost like a pulled pork and there was a generous portion of it throughout the pie. The red onion complemented the rest of the flavors. The BBQ sauce is sweet and tangy with a little kick of spice. The pie is topped off with an extra drizzle of BBQ sauce and fresh cilantro, with the cilantro adding that something extra for one of the best BBQ chicken pies around.

Being the foodies we are, we also ordered the Cheesy Garlic Planks. Wow!! Do yourself a favor and try these tasty planks of wonderfulness. My oh my, I swear I've never had cheese like this before at a pizzeria, and it wasn't just a sprinkling of cheese but a generous amount of melted, gooey, almost buttery cheese with the perfect amount of garlic. The mozzarella is extraordinary. It's not chewy or salty which is the failure of many a pizza restaurant, and when reheated, as in my leftover Garden of Eatin' slice, it reheats like a king and tastes like you just ordered it fresh. We got the marinara sauce as a dipper. The tang and freshness of the marinara perfectly counterbalanced the richness of the cheese. With the garlic flavor coming through...one of the best things I've eaten in a long time. (We learned from one of the staff that they make their sauce and dough in-house.)

I was craving a salad so I ordered the personal Garden Salad and was happy I did. The generous portion size easily serves two if you're sharing a salad and pizza. The salad is composed of fresh mixed spring greens with a beautiful arrangement of cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes, red onions, and croutons and dressing (I had tasty Caesar). I appreciated the generously sized bowl in which the salad was served as I could toss my salad without it landing all over the table (a bonus in my book).

With a great variety of local and national brand beers on-tap, a kids arcade area, and the best pizza in town, West Coast Pizza Company is a most welcome gem to...

West Coast Pizza Co is making some of the best pizza in San Diego North County right now... it's got some hints of New York-style pies with thin, crispy crust (that doesn't wilt) but with Cali-inspired flavors and toppings. The sauce is delicious and I spoke with the owner about the cheese they're using – it's mostly whole milk mozzarella so it has a creamy, almost buttery flavor to it and it melts great, even when reheated in the oven at home the next day. A variety of good local craft beer on tap too - Stone, Ballast Point, Alesmith, all from San Diego, are showcased for $7 a pint, an incredible price in today's market! – old favorites like Modelo, Pacifico, and Coors Light round out the lighter lagers.

The restaurant is clean and bright, not at all like the dark and dank Killer Pizza from Mars, which was the previous pizza joint at that location on El Norte Pkwy. It's got family-style seating with nice picnic tables and sturdy, industrial booths, and they expanded the front patio area to include more outdoor seating. The vibe is definitely SoCal with skateboard decks and surfing images for wall decoration, and it feels laid back and a good place for friends and families to meet up – there's even an arcade for the little groms.

Staff is super friendly and the owners make their way around the restaurant greeting cutomers and helping with the service. They just opened and are definitely already busy, but the owners take the time to chat with you about the new restaurant and how they plan to make it a part of the local community.

Overall, it's a great new location, and I'll be coming back often. The pizza is delicious and a good value for the money, the atmosphere is super chill, and the people are nice. What more could you want? High recommended, good job West...

Being from the local lands, a So Cal beach type dropping in for the first time is like, "Wow, cool vibe", are the first words that came outta my mouth out loud. Then I heard the incredible sound system above being provided by Bose that filled the reduced space well. I watched as two more So Cal-looking families came through the door. They did the same scan of the redone, very So Cal themed decore and instant feel. I think this guy, the owner, might actually know what he's doing. Seems he set the place up well.

Smaller now. This place was slightly smaller than I remember of their predecessor "Killer Pizza From Mars". I did notice what may be original KPFM (I was never a real big fan, BTW) art on a corner of the artfully crafted, lo and highboy, table setups. Perhaps the art is a gratitudinal pass down. Very themely.

Several TVs cater to the game-needy, and a US-quarter-sinkhole kids game area. Yes, I have grandkids. Both should keep the family patrons spending. Everyone currently inside to be having a good time.

Good pie. Got the first one home and immediately grabbed a slice and folded it. Performed that first task well. The pizza did a good re-do in the toaster-oven (do they even have these anymore?)

Good setup in a good location. Just without the alien invader theme. They even had a decal post for the taggish. "I'll be back" (Arnold, 1984)

Bad...