Seaside Pizza Co.

While The Baked Bear down the block engineers ice cream sandwiches and Sauced works the slow-ferment artisan angle, Seaside keeps it simple: New York–style slices, take-and-bake options for your beach rental, and garlic knots that don't pretend to be anything other than garlic knots. They're not trying to be a sit-down Italian spot or a dessert destination — they're the pizza counter you walk into post-beach, still sandy, and walk out five minutes later with exactly what you came for.

The **Carter Strong** — their signature pie — shows up in reviews more than anything else, which tells you it's doing something right beyond the standard pepperoni rotation. The crust is thin but doesn't collapse under toppings, and the sauce has enough tang to cut through the cheese without turning acidic. They also run a **pesto pizza** that gets mushrooms and black olives if you ask, which is a smart play for the vegetarian crew that's tired of margherita being the only option.

What sets them apart is the **bake-at-home option** — you order a prepped pie, take it back to your Airbnb or apartment, throw it in the oven, and get that just-baked texture without dealing with delivery times or reheated slices. It's a small thing, but it's the kind of move that makes sense when half your customers are visitors renting places within a three-block radius.

Parking is behind the building, which is rare enough in PB that it's worth mentioning twice. The **garlic knots** and **ranch** get called out by regulars as overperformers — not groundbreaking, but executed well enough that they're worth the add-on. Late-night service runs later than most spots on Mission Boulevard, so if you're coming off the boardwalk after 10 p.m. and want something hot, this is one of the few reliable options that isn't a burrito or a taco.

It's not trying to be the best pizza in San Diego. It's trying to be the best pizza you can grab in flip-flops at 11 p.m. in PB, and it clears that bar consistently.