Pazzo’s Italian
2163 Abbott St. in Ocean Beach (92107)
619.230.5303
https://pazzos.net (sadly there’s no content here)
by LK Bruce
Just when you thought you knew a place. Your neighborhood. After all these years. Then a Rag reporter says why not review Pazzo’s and you go, “huh?” having never heard of it. Well this is word that needs to get out.
Abbott Street in OB is the second location for Pazzo’s, the first being in Scripps Ranch. The original, Pazzo’s Pizza was founded way back in ’93 by four guys of Italian descent – southern Italian to be exact – using recipes from Grandma Antonia. Everything is made fresh daily, including breads, dough and sauces.
The OB shop opened in 2024 and is located on the corner of Abbott and Muir in northern OB where Sugarlab Bakery & Desserts, Surfrider Pizza and Wild Things Pizza all used to be. The owners made good use of the corner locale to foster people-watching through large rolling garage-door style windows. A few tables dot the center of the space, better for those not into dining on stools.
The menu consists of “Sicilian, Italian, and California Nouveau-style” food says the owner and though the OB menu is not on their website, we’ve got you covered with a pic. First we tried the pizza because if that’s what you’re primarily known for, it better be good. It is.
The pizzas are rectangular like a cookie sheet and quite beautiful. Each pizza serves 2-3 but we each ordered our own just to be able to try more than one. (The sacrifices we make for Rag readers.) My husband ordered the Meat Lovers pizza off of the Specialty Pizza menu at $17.50 which came with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, sausage and tiny meatballs. Do I have to tell you what a great price that is? He was thrilled with it (thank god for statins).
I ordered the Veggie Lover for $18.50 which comes with mushroom, roasted garlic, red bell pepper, artichokes, tomatoes, green olives and red onion – an interesting combo both beautiful and delicious. There are 13 authentic, delectable choices on the Specialty Pizza menu as well as the option to create your own, Sicilian style with dozens of ingredients.
We split the most expensive of the three salads, the Tomato Salad ($10.95) and managed to still have leftovers! It was stunning and tasted even better, featuring yellow and red cherry tomatoes, black and green olives, red onion, fresh basil, feta crumbles and balsamic dressing. A great value. I look forward to trying the Garden salad and the Caesar.
On our next visit, we sat and watched fellow No Kings protesters amble back – spent yet uplifted – to their cars as we tried the sandwich menu. There are nine sandwiches featuring turkey, roast beef, Italian cold cuts, meatballs, eggplant, veggie and two kinds of chicken, one Parmesan and the other with barbeque sauce. Except for the veggie which served on house made focaccia, all are served on a 10-inch roll, freshly baked and delish.
My husband opted for the roast beef – of course, he did – and liked it a lot. I tried ordering the veggie – of course, I did – but was told that due to a Roma tomato shortage (?) it wasn’t available. I asked for the “Killer Chicken” with marinara instead of barbeque sauce for Italian authenticity’s sake. And it was very good! And OMG reasonable, with prices ranging from $9.95 – $10.95.
One of these days we’ll try the pasta – if you’re reading this and have tried it before, tell us what you think in the comments. The Pasta Al Forno at $13.95 sounds yummy, like a lasagna of sorts with baked bucatini layered with Bolognese sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and Romano cheese. The other option is bucatini or rigatoni with your choice of marinara, Bolognese or pesto from $10.95 – $12.95.
Pazzo’s offers a wide variety of interesting drinks though mostly beer with eight brands on draft ($5-7) and over a dozen in cans and bottles, ranging from $4 – $7.50. Not to disappoint the wine lovers, they have five decent offerings, ranging from $6 – $11 a glass. They even have a few seltzers. Carefully avoiding a glimpse at the sugar and calorie counts, I had a great Italian blood orange soda. House made desserts include Tiramisu and cheesecake.
The woman in charge and who served us on both occasions is the Scripps Ranch founder’s wife and couldn’t be nicer. Just when you thought service was dead. So the food, the service, the location, the relaxed vibe all make for a special place. Pazzo’s Italian rightly earns 4.9 or 5 out of 5 stars in online reviews.
Dinner is available every night but Tuesday, starting at 3pm and lunches are available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 11:30am. You’ll want to get yourself over there; this is a find.
Thanks for this great review, LK Bruce! Real old-timers will remember this place as the famous Pt Loma Bakery that sat here for decades.