No Pepe's for you!
Yes there are plenty of pizza joints in San Diego but there is no pizza place like Pepe's. You cannot make the pizza the same in San Diego because of the water on the east coast or the top of the line ingredients and love when they make you a tomato pie
Plenty of places in San Diego...from the italian and Sicilian places in little Italy, to the dives on El Cajon Blvd, to the Bronx pizza in Hillcrest, to the new joint in North Park, gelati & peccati, run by a couple of Roman guys...the only thing you won't find is a good deep dish Chicago style place.
URBN Pizza in North Park and BASIC by PETCO Park offer New Haven style pizza along with Foxon Park Soda. The owner is originally from Hamden CT and visited Wooster St greats many times. Given them a try!
Just to respond to one point above, I don’t buy at all that “the water on the East Coast” makes a meaningful difference in quality of pizza or that the same ingredients aren’t available for pizza makers on the West Coast. Experience and recipes honed and past down over generations, that makes a huge difference.
Go to Ciao in Vista, CA. It’s delicious and their menu offers other Italian food options. Their pie is very very close to Pepe’s!
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