Pizzeria Bruno Napoletano
| Address: | 4207 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92103, USA |
| Phone: | +1 619-260-1311 |
| Site: | pizzeriabrunosd.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | Closed Closed 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 12–10PM 12–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
A
A Private User
OK, Ive become a reasonably serious pizza snob / pizza nerd in the two years since going to Italy and experiencing a pizza epiphany. So when we travel places, Im on the lookout for real pizza, and I dont mean places that do jazzed up Dominoes. I was in San Diego staying at the historic U.S. Grant Hotel, at the northern end of the Gaslamp District, which is filled with restaurants. In looking for a great pizza place to visit during some free time, I had hoped to find one there, but after talking with people at two pizza restaurants in the Gaslamp (which establishments shall remain nameless), it was obvious that despite all the "Wood fired brick oven!" hype, they didnt "get" making real pizza. Pizzeria Bruno Napoletano had come up in my Google search, and while not as convenient from downtown (theyre just a little north of Balboa Park), they looked like they had The Right Stuff. A call Saturday morning resulted in all the right answers, so when meetings ended at noon, we were in a cab headed that way. Was it worth the hassle and expense of the cab ride? Youre darned right it was! Peter, the owner, is making some *fine* Neapolitan style pizza in a nice masonry oven properly run at elevated temperatures. Got real mozz, and not "pizza cheese" mozz? Check. Got nice leoparding char on the crust, something that only people making *real* Neapolitan style pizza get? Oh, yeah! Complementing the pizza, theyve got some good salads, as well as a nice wine and beer selection. In short, these guys just get it. If you want real Neapolitan style pizza, get up to Bruno, its worth it!
ZE
Zed star
BEST PIZZA AND SERVICE WE HAVE EVER HAD! A friend recently told us about this pizzeria in North Park.We checked it out last night as we love Neapolitan style pizza.It was around 7pm and the restaurant looked pretty packed when we arrived.Juan Carlo greeted us at the front entrance with a smile a mile wide.The place is very nicely laid out inside and we were seated at a cosy table at rear of the restaurant.Elias took our drink order and returned a little while later when we ordered 2 pizzas which are around the standard Neapolitan 12 inch size.Keeping in mind the restaurant was packed to the rafters we waited no more than 20 minutes for our order to arrive.And then there they were on our little table,our Blanco and our Salsicce e Peppers pizzas.Elias brought out some additional crushed peppers and grated parmigiano as I requested earlier.My wife and I agree 100% we have never eaten more flavorsome,delicious pizzas cooked to absolute perfection very slighted charred on the rims.Add to that the fantastic service,the lively atmosphere and its just up the road from where we live and I smell a WINNER.Xavier the manager was nice enough to drop by our table and get our feedback.I hope we got the names of the staff right.Well done to everyone who contributed in the best pizza restaurant in San Diego.And Peter the head chef/owner is a great guy!
LA
Lance Stratton
Brunos is one of my favs for wood fired pizza. I love the Campania pizza above the other selections based mostly on the sausage.... but this pizza is actually about the crust. Now listen... you have to know what you are getting into here. This is not Dominos This is wood fired in a 1000 degree oven. The Pizza cooks in about 90 seconds! Expect a little charring on the edges. I love it. We also like the Antipasto salad. A very large portion if its just the two of you, but you can take it home. The wine list is on the shorter side, but offers by the glass or bottle. Prices range in the 30s... the most expensive bottle is a Keenen Cab at $40. They have some craft beer if thats your thing as well. Service has always been good for me. Seems like we always get the same guy and he might be starting to remember us. Thats always a good thing. Parking can be tough on a cold night... you might end up a block away in the neighborhood. Seems safe enough though, and we dont have that many cold nights anyway.
KU
Kurt Rosenbaum
technically, ive been to italy. i was born in Pozzuoli. but unless my mom served me pizza as a baby, i have no idea what true Pizza Napoletana should be like. i ordered the bufalina pizza. their web site had a pic of one that looked great. unfortunately, the web site mistakenly labeled the pizza margherita as the bufalina. either way, good tasting pie. im just not big on fresh tomatoes on my pie. they put what looked cherry tomatoes, and they were tasty. actually, the bufalina, really is MORE like an original margherita, with the fresh tomatoes. the big difference is fresh san marzano tomatoes. the crust, oh my! very tasty. shoot, i could eat just crust with the cheese on top. the caputo "00" flour they use is great. and the little charring on the crust gives it a really nice flavoring. as others have indicated, this is NY style. its messy, you will need a knife and fork to eat this. overall, i enjoyed this pie. next time im getting the margherita.
AN
Anatoly Petkov
Good traditional Napolitano style pizza - hand-stretched, not rolled. Brunos have a beautiful high temperature (900 F!) oven and pizzas are cooked very fast with slightly burned crust and bubbly texture. For me the rim remains a bit too doughy, but altogether a tasty pie. I am not sure where they get their mozzarella but it tastes great with the soft, velvety feel of the fior di latte Southern Italy tradition. The house burrata served with ripe tomatoes (pomodori) is a must! The restaurant has a Thursday night special, when the Margheritas are $10 a pop. Good choice of beers and some Italian wines as well. One of the hoods favorites.
CL
Claudio M. Lombardo
If you want to taste what the REAL Italian Pizza is all about, you need to go there. They use the CAPUTO flour, the absolute best for Pizza and all genuine ingredients. Your quest for the excellence in pizza ends here. BE AWARE: They have always fresh dough and its limited. If you plan on walking in on a busy night you might get unlucky as they could run out of dough. This is Italian too so dont get disappointed. Just try again, or reserve your table!
MI
Michael Swanner
I just relocated to San Diego from Naples, Italy so of course I had to try Pizzeria Bruno. I had the salami pizza and was not disappointed. Although there were a couple of differences to make the pizza more appealing to Americans, (the pizza was sliced for example) this is as close as you will get without flying to Napoli. I will be back at to eat here at least once a month. I was hugely satisfied with my pizza.
SP
Spicy Ducati
Didnt even get a chance to order. Walked in at 9:39pm was told by staff that they were closed. Yet store hours are until 10pm..upsetting that staff arent prepared to serve a local of hillcrest community, LET ALONE ANY PATRON WALKING THROUGH DOOR..Was told by staff I should have come in sooner. IRRELEVANT IF HOURS ARE.UNTIL 10pm. HOPE OWNER KNOWS OF INCOMPETENT STAFF.
JO
Josh Adams
The pizzas are excellent. Ive been there a handful of times and the service can be hit or miss, but the food and good selection of drinks including some craft beer makes it worth going. Also, ordering for pick up can be hit or miss too depending on how busy they are they might not take your order.
