Crust Pizzeria — Restaurant in Solana Beach

THE PLACE TO BE ! My wife and I were back down in Solana Beach overnight on Thursday to see the Squirrel Nut Zippers at the Belly Up. Our dinner spot before the show was a no brainer...right here ! We had my wife's sister and her hubby with us when we arrived around 6pm. THE JOINT WAS PUMPIN' ! I quickly caught up with Matt Othick ( ex NBA Star ) the colorful owner..he was very happy to see me. Matt came out to our table to say hi to the gang. TOP GUY ! A fantastic server named Holly looked after us all night long...what a lovely gal ! First up it had to be CRUST'S FAMOUS MEATBALLS ( marinara / pesto / romano ).....amazingly good ! The incredible appetizers kept coming....CRISPY BRUSSEL SPROUTS & CAULIFLOWER ( brussel sprouts / cauliflower / romano / shaved parmesan / green onions / balsamic glaze / pancetta / roasted garlic aioli ), FRIED CALAMARI ( creole mustard / marinara / pesto )....too delicious for words ! I asked Holly about a beer and we agreed on a WestBrew "Full Count" IPA...a darn satisfying beer ! PIZZA PIZZA PIZZA...we chose 1 x STEPHANIE..14 inch white pizza ( EVOO / sopraffina ricotta / grande cheese / prosciutto / sliced pear / portobello mushroom / belle chèvre goat cheese / glazed pecans / baby arugula ). Scott the restaurant manager dropped by our table to say hi to us....lovely man ! And we must not forget Sawyer the cheerful food runner who was bringing us stuff all night. Our magnificent looking Stephanie 14 inch pizza arrived on a stand....flavor flavor favor. Everybody enjoyed it ! We cleared the table for DESSERT. I ordered another WestBrew "Full Count" IPA from a server named Chanel. A few minutes later Chanel took our order for 2 x CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE ( molten chocolate cake / whipped cream / vanilla bean ice cream ) and 1 x ROAD RASH ( cinnamon sugar bignet / fresh green apple slices / caramel sauce / chocolate sauce / vanilla bean ice cream ). OMG...TOTALLY DELICIOUS ! We thanked Matt the owner for the fabulous food, drinks and service....

1/5 stars

Overhyped and underwhelming experience at this pizza place. After a long day at the beach, we were looking forward to a great meal, but our server's unwelcoming attitude and lack of knowledge about the menu set the tone for a disappointing evening.

The 'build your own' kids pizza was a mess. Despite the menu saying 'build with cheese or pepperoni,' our server asked us to add toppings, which we did (broccoli, in this case). The description clearly states "build it at the table" however our son was not able to have that experience as the pizza was made and brought out with the rest of our food. When the bill came, we were charged for a full-priced pizza with added toppings, inflating the price from $12 to $17.50. When we pointed out the mistake, the server tried to brush it off and didn't even bother to adjust the price as promised. Not to mention, the kids meal states they come with drinks but we had to remind our waitress for drinks way after ordering their food.

To make matters worse, the dessert menu was outdated, and we were misled about the beignets coming with ice cream. The whole experience felt like a money grab, and we left feeling frustrated and ripped off.

But that wasn't all - the bathrooms were unacceptable with no toilet paper or paper towels in sight. And to add insult to injury, we came in hoping to catch a main event fight on TV, but the TVs were a joke. Two of them had a free trial promo going on instead of the fight, and the one TV that was showing the event had no sound. It was like they didn't even care about their customers' experience.

$120 for subpar service, food, and amenities? No thanks. Unless you enjoy being taken advantage of,...

While I'm San Diego for an extended weekend Crust was recommended by a friend who just moved to the area. That night we decided to order two pizzas, two salads and a pasta dish. I was provided a 35 minute pick up time and after arriving I waited an additional 3o minutes before being presented with the two salads. The pizzas were still not ready and they never made the pasta dish. Even though I made the front of house aware of my frustrations by speaking with two different employees, it was still left to me to call and have the item removed from my bill. The pizza was not as good as described and as the salads were sitting in front of the woodfire grill they became too cooked / heated to enjoy.

The following day the person who made the recommendation explained she too had a similar experience. She explained her order was also late which lead her to make a grocery run. When she returned she had to wait an...