Pizza Port Carlsbad

DCon

Missouri

4.2/5  rDev -2.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $

What an atmosphere! It accommodates both the kid and the adult (or at times, the kid in the adult :). Surf boards everywhere hanging, pictures, brewery stickers, and photos advocating the surfer in each person. A cheers is heard everywhere, Laughs, Smiles, and the place is full of great people!

Quality... Well.. They poured their beers into chilled glasses... I asked and they didn’t have any unchilled so I didn’t bother but this could have done something to these beer’s characteristics. I thought it was good either way.

Service. Wow! Talking about helping yourself! I loved it though! Gave me time to look at both the Beer Menu and the Food Menu. They of course clean your tables but you have to walk to get your own beer, soda, food, and tokens for arcade games.

Selection. Can I start will saying excellent without having any detail? Over 40 beers on tap and half of them were guest taps. They did a great job of letting you know with the magnetic signs up above the bar to which were available in Glass/Pitcher as well. Perfect set up and presentation!

The food was good but nothing better than a neighborhood Chuck E Cheese. Enjoyed the wings, Hawaiian Pizza, and Pepp. Pizza and when it came down to it, I felt like I could have made it myself!

It was all very cheap and the beer had fantastic pricing! I’m excited to come back here again and next time check out their Bottle Shop in Carlsbad!

07-15-2011 03:32:24 | More by DCon

Retsinis

California

4.05/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

This was the first stop of a San Diego brewery tour. We parked in the back, and they had just opened for lunch, so there was only 4 other people in the place when we walked in.

Upon walking in, the space is pretty impressive. Large vaulted ceilings, wood tables, bar, with surf boards hanging from the ceiling. Some island and water art on some of the counters and walls, along with some old black white surfer photo's round out the atmosphere.

Beer selection was also very good, I think 24 taps, maybe more. Ordered a Sticky stout, and a Knight rider. Pizza was very tasty, and really hit the spot. Reasonable prices as well.

Not really anything bad to say about the place, but have to give a slight ding for service. Everyone there was cool and friendly though, and it's not that any of the service was bad, but the place is practically like a Shakey's (but WAY better food AND beer) You order up front, pay, and you self pick up to take to your table, be that food or beer. So in terms of service, it's not as though your being 'waited" on like a restaurant. Not a bid deal this trip, since there were no lines, but on a busy night, I can for see long lines at the bar. With that said, everyone had a smile, and things were smooth.

Great time though, good food, drinks, decor, in a spacious, comfortable, and laid back place.

07-08-2011 00:17:56 | More by Retsinis

jwhancher

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +10.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

Awesome little place in what looks like a typical surf town. Drove down from Long Beach after a couple of recommendations to do so. Glad I did. Atmosphere was nothing short of perfect. Lots of people scattered around but plenty of places still to sit. Service was great with both bartenders very accomodating. Met a nice local at the bar who was friendly and offered some good recommendations. Food was good. Ordered a Roma pizza and couldn't finish it all. Got a take home box for tomorrow's breakfast. Beer selection was long and extensive. I only ordered a couple of brews from Pizza Port. Had a $3 pale ale pint on special. Overall my bill came to a little over $20. Not bad for 2 beers and a pizza.

Excellent place to visit and glad to have checked it out.

06-15-2011 07:02:16 | More by jwhancher

notchucknorris

California

4.7/5  rDev +8.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

I've been to this place a fair amount of times and I'm always pretty impressed by the quality of their beer and the guest beers they're able to get on tap. I was just there last night and they managed to get a cask of Three Floyds' Topless Wytch in. While it may not have been Three Floyds' best, it's the first time I have ever seen a Three Floyds beer on tap in the state. If the beer isn't enough, the pizza here is absolutely incredible. I love this place. Hoping to move very close to here soon.

05-27-2011 05:09:31 | More by notchucknorris

BigB415

California

4.15/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

I went in for a light lunch on a sunday afternoon and then I headed over to the bottle shop. Pizza Port Carlsbad's speciality is Pizza so I got a small pizza and split one half with my dad. I was expecting a sit down and have a waiter come by so I was pretty surprised when I walked in and had the line almost to the door and watching people order then go find a seat. The bar and the kitchen are separate so when you order food you go and stand in the line for the drinks. I didn't get any beer since I just came from Green Flash and just wanted water. I had to wait a little while for the pizza since it was busy but when the pizza came it was worth the wait. I wanted some Mongo but I didn't see it on the list. Next time I'm down that way I'm going to get a beer. My only complaint is that you have to wait in the line for the food then in another line for drinks so when it's busy you're waiting a while but everyone was kind.

03-24-2011 04:21:19 | More by BigB415

lisomiso

California

3.95/5  rDev -8.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Casual, fun vibe. Great pizza with a good selection of toppings. Love Port's beers, too, and they always have a good selection of guest beers on tap. Haven't made it for lunch but they have a bitchin' special: pizza + salad + beer for $6 or something ridiculous.

I've had problems with one jerky bartender - he's fluctuated on the scale between ok and rude - but aside from him everybody seems cool and overall the service is decent. (Granted, there's no table service, but you know.) Definitely a place I'll go out of my way to visit.

01-24-2011 10:00:18 | More by lisomiso

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev -7.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Pizza Port Carlsbad is one room that is very open with tall ceilings. The bar is on the left, with two boards showing the tap options above it. The food service is straight back. The middle of the room has long communal tables, which take up most of the space. Around those tables are a few smaller tables.

The whole place has a laid back beach vibe to it, which I liked. Lots of surfboards and surfing-type things decorate the walls and hang from the ceiling.

There is no table service here, although both the bartender and the man who took orders at the counter were friendly. Every few minutes a new name will be called to signify that their food is ready.

The pizza port beers (of which there are about 20) would be good for a production brewery, which means they are very good for a brewpub. The other beers, which number about 15, are focused on mostly CA breweries, with a few West Coast brews thrown in along with a couple of Belgians.
I probably would have given the selection a bump if the bottle shop were open for lunch, but it is not, and so my grade is based on the taps only!

I really liked the pizza here. My friend and I got one of the specialty pizzas with lots of veggies and home made bacon. Damn was that bacon good.

This place shines in the price department. Ours beers were 4.50, and the pizza (with about 7 toppings) was 19. I'm really glad I stopped here, and if you want a beach atmosphere with good beer and good food at good prices, then stop here.

01-19-2011 04:39:11 | More by Hojaminbag

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.86/5  rDev -10.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Stopped in here while visiting San Diego and frinds in Carlsbad. We walked in on a Thursday night to a very busy place full of patrons, ranging from families with kids in tow to tables of military haning out and drinking beer. We had already eaten so we made for the beer line. Standing in line there is a beer board that shows all of Pizza Port Carlsbad beers and then another list of local CA beers. I opted to grab a Hop Suey and my friends grabbed a pitcher. We found out way to an empty table and sat down. The atmosphere was cool and very active. Bummed I didn't get to try any food as it looked and smelled great. The staf was decently friendly. I'd like to go back and visit again.

01-10-2011 15:25:47 | More by kbutler1

TheJollyHop

California

4.43/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Right on a main thoroughfare in Carlsbad Village you can find this stellar brew-pub.

Boasting a long bar, high ceilings, a few HDTV's, and a plethora of wooden tables, this place has a comfortable and friendly atmosphere that attracts a large variety of people. Additionally this place is very clean which is always a plus.

The rotation of Pizza Port taps keeps the selection fresh, and there is always something interesting on the guest taps. Additionally it is the quality and selection of the beers served here that really makes this place shine.

As far as pizza is concerned, which is the only food I can comment upon, it's definitely good but nothing amazing. Price wise this place hits a sweet spot that remains competitive, averaging $5 for a beer and around $20 for a large pizza.

Overall, Pizza Port Carlsbad is definitely one of the best brew-pubs I have spent money at. If you are looking for some high quality beer and good pizza to soak up the alcohol, you would be hard pressed to find a place nearly as good for the price.

11-17-2010 01:16:26 | More by TheJollyHop

Yetiman420

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I did a comprehensive brewpub/beer bar/beer store tour of San Diego over a three-day weekend in mid October - all the highest rated BA establishments.

The short version is that I've been to 201 brewpubs/breweries and Pizza Port is tied with Russian River for the two best (no house sours at PP but better guest tap list). It's one of the few brewpubs that I found difficult to leave and found myself returning on the way back north to LA at the end of my trip. Fittingly, it was my first and last stop of the tour.

In fact, I liked it so much that I also stopped in at PP Ocean Beach (2nd place) and PP Solana Beach (3rd place).

Positives from my notes...
Laid back beach vibe.
Tall ceilings and big windows.
Exposed brewing equipment behind the bar.
24 house taps including two on cask
14 guest taps (Sierra Nevada, Ballast Point, Kasteel Browerij, Green Flash and Great Divide)
The overall beer selection was exceptional.
Food was very good (I ate at the OB location but it seems all the same).
Ability to buy half pints (and pitchers of non high gravity beers)
Friendly people/locals at the bar.

Some of the house beers I had were: Plant to pint wet hop, Whambo IPA, Revelations golden ale, dry Irish Cow stout, cask sticky stout with cocoa nibs.

If I had to reach for a drawback it's that because they don't have table service, the announcement of names for food being ready is pretty loud and happens often.

I provided a review for their bottle shop. In short, with all the beer people this place attracts, it may be hard to find anything unique or in limited supply at the bottle shop.

11-03-2010 22:13:39 | More by Yetiman420