Tony's Pizzaria — Restaurant in Ventura

My daughter has two autoimmune disorders, type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. She is only 13 and the amount of medical issues she has had to face is something no one should have to go through, much less a child. We were extremely excited to go to Tony’s pizza, all 15 of us, due to an extended family member who was going to perform. I called in advance to see if they had gluten free options and they informed us they do not. We understood, not everyone has gluten free options so we planned in advance so we could enjoy the night with my daughter taken care of. We got there and a few got in line ready to order a lot of food. Afterall, there were 15 of us who were planning on being there from 7-10. The rest of us went in to get seats including my daughter who chose a few tacos from Taco Bell as her items of choice. Don’t forget this is my 13 year old daughter and it always weighs heavy on my heart when we go places and she can’t have what everyone else gets to have. The security guard told my daughter she can’t go in with outside food. I told him I completely understand, we are there with one of the performers, there are a lot of us and we will definitely be ordering a lot of food, but we called in advance and they informed us there is nothing my daughter can eat with her medical condition. He understood and went to talk to the owner. The owner refused to let my daughter in so I went to him, talked to him personally to explain the situation and how it wasn’t reasonable for my daughter to sit there for three hours with nothing to eat. He told me to let my daughter eat on the curb and she can come in later. I told him it’s my 13 year old child, not a stray dog. He told me that’s fine, go join her on the curb and we could both come in after. I was shocked, in all that my daughter has had to go through, I’ve never ever felt so little empathy from another person. He told us the rules are the rules and we are entitled for expecting him to make an exception for my daughter’s health condition. He told us go to Aloha Steakhouse and they would never allow us to bring outside food. He told us his business has been open since some time in the 1960s and his business wouldn’t suffer by us not being there. Well sir, Aloho Steakhouse has gluten free options and if they didn’t I’m sure they would be understanding like EVERY place we’ve ever encountered since her diagnosis. Disgusting human, deplorable behavior. My daughter was literally crying her eyes out on the curb and he could care less and didn’t have the sense to realize we were going to give his business a lot of money that night. While I’m sure he’ll survive without our business, I hope people who know him talk to him about how low he made my...

I really wanted to like this place. It's adorable with hanging lanterns and fire pits at the tables. You can sit outside and muse at the glory that is a Ventura sunset. The staff couldn't be nicer or more accommodating. Every time I've walked past, the smell has been so enticing. So, last night, after a long walk around town and the beach, we gave it a go. The wait was a bit long, 40ish minutes. So by the time the food arrived, I was hungry enough to overlook that the pizza had a few cups' worth of oil sitting on top of it. I also overlooked that they mixed up our toppings even though they were clearly printed on the attached receipt. I was too hungry to care but who confuses pineapple for pepperoni? It was difficult to lift because the soggy pieces immediately draped downwards as all the toppings slid right off. Like I said, I was hungry, so I just shoveled the cheese, toppings, and melting crust into my mouth in handfuls. It tasted alright despite thoroughly soaking through the cardboard slab it came on. The absolute best part was the outer crust which remained crispy and dry. It was well seasoned and I wished the entire base were the same texture and taste. But the oil had disintegrated the base crust to soggy, tasteless slop. I could've eaten just a basket of crusts, honestly, cuz it was so good. After we got home, we both had horrific food poisoning... and we only have one bathroom. So we spent the next few hours trading off positively depleting everything in our systems. I've never been so sick, and that's saying something for me. Wished I hadn't spent over 30 bucks on some greasy pizza that destroyed me. I'm giving it two stars because of the ambiance and because I can't say that the salads and other food aren't good, cuz I didn't try them. But I'll...

It isn't what it used to be, unfortunately. Slices used to be bigger and the quality of cheese was higher (now you get an orange oil bath) while the prices were reasonable in the last decade. It's turned into a giant tourist attraction with tourist prices, which doesn't hurt their business whatsoever. But it's no longer a cool Italian pizzeria vibe at all. Overboard with carnival lights and crayola box paint everywhere you look, and it just feels like you're getting fleeced as you stand on the sidewalk to order, or sit outside to eat, while getting hit with traffic noise, exhaust and road dust from all sides as well as overhead from the 101. Mention that the slice is smaller (and smaller) than usual/expected/was, and get a dirty side-eye from the guy who likes to brown the whole pie who probably changed everything. (*My bad? I wasn't just in town for the xgames, when you actually price gouged us all and added slices to each pizza at the same time! ) Pretty sure he hates everyone equally at least. Privilege of being the boss. Otherwise, friendly staff and often good live music out back (though porta-potty aromas and the (unpaved) parking lot dust will ruin the experience if the wind is onshore.) Don't forget the five dollar brownie mix cookie if you have anything left after your big budget pizza night. 🙄

Gone are those memorable good old days when "Little" Tony kept you in stitches with jokes and laughs while you'd wait inside a cozy happy little scene, knowing you were getting the real deal for a real deal, and probably come immediately back for more. RIP #iykyk Hope this inventory helps...