Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. It's definitely a classic hole-in-the-wall kind of spot, but that's part of the charm. The service was great and very attentive throughout our visit. I highly recommend the deep dish pizza. I ordered half Farmer's Market and half Meaty Pie, and it was the perfect combination. The sauce and cheese were balanced perfectly, and the flavors were spot on. If you are looking for a solid deep dish pizza spot, this place does not disappoint. I will definitely be back for more! read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Deep dish half Farmer's Market half Meaty Pie - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

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I've been coming to Lefty's on my lunch breaks for a while now, and it's become one of my go-to spots in the area. Quick service, chill vibe, and consistently good food make it perfect when you need something satisfying without a long wait. Their deep dish is pretty solid--thick, cheesy, and saucy in that classic Chicago way. I almost always grab the pepperoni because it's a safe bet and hits the spot every time. But this last visit, I decided to switch it up and try their veggie pizza. Honestly? It was way better than I expected. The veggies were fresh, not soggy, and the whole thing had great flavor balance without feeling heavy, and the crunchy crust.. amazing! read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

Been here several times - the deep dish is the closest I've found in California to Lou Malnati's in Chicago - love it! The Italian beef sandwich is also very good - takes me back to growing up in Illinois. Recently visited with a friend from Illinois - he got the Chicago dog and was very impressed. An other friend told me that the cheeseburger was one of the best he's had in San Diego - I would like to try but hard for me to go for that when they wonderful deep dish is right there! read more

First time stopping by and had to try some of the Chicago staples. Service was really quick and for seating, they have a couple of tables outside. You rarely get to purchase deep-dish slices vs. a whole pie so that was nice to see. Slices ranged from $4-5 which is extremely fair and affordable. I got the Spinach&Mushroom slices which was flavorful and super solid. I really liked the crisp and flavor of the dough. It wasn't overly thick and so I enjoyed the ratio. I also got the Italian Beef sandwich with sweet peppers and fully dunked in au jus. The flavor and bread dunked was great. Next time, I would definitely ask to also have giardiniera and extra peppers because they don't give too much. You really need the acid to help balance the meat and bread. read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Spinach Mushroom - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

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This was 10 mins after I picked up my order it was cold lifeless and dough was raw nothing was bonded everything just slopped apart. I know Deep Dish very well I'm constantly recommended this place and twice now it's struck out idk if I can ever try this again with how expensive these mediocre pies are . The staff are idiots who don't know customer service and stare at you expecting you to talk . No it's "how may I help you?!" Then proceed . It's not rocket science cold lifeless pizza I ordered it I couldn't believe it fucking hot n ready have more love in them . read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Pizza Margherita Deep Dish - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

Italian beef sandwich with giardiniera carryout! Sandwich bread had prefect structure of harder crust and soft center to cradle beefy deliciousness. Beef was thinly sliced and packed in tight. Got peppers on top added additional flavor and nice compliment to beef. The au jus was carefully packed and sealed for carryout transport. And the deep rich flavor when dipped added a taste as if you were eating an upgraded sandwich. read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Italian beef sandwich hot peppers - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

Moving from Mission Hills to North Park/University Heights Area means also going to the nearest Lefty's. Lefty's is a reliable resource for all things Chicago food in terms of pizza, hot dogs and italian beef. Being from Chicago, we know which are authentic and which are copies. Truly our regular stop for a Chicago hot dog (incl the day glo green relish) and the Italian beef with both sweet peppers and hot peppers. Nothing more to say except, get there quick if you are a hankering for Chicago dog, Maxwell polish and even a slice of deep dish pizza! read more

I've been hearing a lot about Lefty's and finally wanted to give it a try myself...being very curious about their authentic Chicago-style pizza. I called in to place an order for a large pizza to pick-up/take-out. The guy over the phone had customer service down to a perfect tee. I appreciated his patience being a 1st time caller and his understanding that I'm ole school. Let me tell ya'll, this family-owned pizzeria is ALL THAT and THENSOME. My deep dish farmer's market w/ sausage was packed with flavorful sauciness and cheesy goodness. Wowwweee!...Is all I could say with a mouthfull. I can definitely tell they use the freshest ingredients. I definitely recommend this pizza spot. Lefty's is my Besty now!! read more

Cool place, good food but HORRIBLE service. Everyone I have encountered here has a BS attitude for some reason! You feel like you're a burden. Kinda shit is that? I've only ever had 1 great interaction with a staff member here. Young dude. He was really attentive and friendly! Make him the manager! HA! I think using "it's busy" as an excuse for any unsatisfactory customer service is nonsense or whatever reason that may be given. Plenty of places I have gone to where it's constantly busier than Lefty's and everyone is still on top of their game! There's literally no excuse. But I guess it's ok with management here. Seen lots of complaints about this joint regarding the same reason. The BAD SERVICE and it seems to be a recurring thing with no plans on fixing. Aw well! Other comments back this up as well. Bummer. I love the deep dish here, seriously! BUT I won't be spending my money here ever again. Hell nah! Fire the nut sack with the glasses! Steven Hyde that 70s show looking ass! Guy sucks! Rude as hell! read more

While I have never been to Chicago and can't speak to the authenticity of Lefty's, I can definitely speak to the tastiness! The pizza is absolutely incredible and if not my favorite in San Diego, it's for sure in my top 3. The prices are reasonable, one thick slice (or big thin slice) was pretty filling for a lunch and sets you back only $7. They have a few drink options in cans (both alcoholic and non) as well as free water. The seating area is outside and a little small, but there were plenty of options when we went. Everyone working was very friendly and helpful! read more

Haven't tried more then just their pizza because it's so delicious! Service is awesome and ambiance takes me back to Chicago!

Italian beef on garlic bread is my go to sub. My goodness pizza thin crust hits. Never disappointed great staff and food. Highly recommend.

Fantastic pizza! Mostly a grab and go place with a few tables outside for eating. They only do slices for the handful of pizzas they have already made. Their full pies looked amazing but I only had 2 slices. Staff was super friendly. read more

Amazing Chicago deep dish. The wait is worth it! I would recommend this pizza to anyone looking for some good pizza in San Diego.

Deep dish Pepperoni was good. Slices have gotten smaller over time. Used to be One of my go to spots. Whoever it feels like you have to be best friends or on a first name basis with the staff working Front of the house in order to receive timely Friendly service. To many times I have ordered slices and somehow my "order was misplaced we'll get that right out for you" only to see a customer was away w a similar order to yours but just had a major bro moment with the "manager" That Steven Hyde (70s show) looking manager they have running the front was shit faced drunk on my last visit and forgot my order like 3 times after trying to take quick orders. Maybe I have to try the mission hills one now but I'm sure there are other Chicago style pizza spots Not welcoming. Asked the manager who signed a Chicago bears stadium black & white. He simply stated "iono man I don't watch sports" dick Butkiss was the auto I was trying to confirm. Hahaha hospitality was missing. Used to be a go to spot/ suggest trying a different place read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

Grabbed takeout from Lefty's in North Park (3448 30th St) when the craving for deep dish hit. I ordered a deep dish pepperoni and the wait was about 30 minutes, which felt reasonable for Chicago-style since their menu calls out deep dish as a longer bake The pizza showed up hot, heavy, and legit filling--definitely a fork-and-knife situation for the first slice. Pepperoni was plentiful, the cheese pull was solid, and the crust held its shape instead of collapsing into a greasy mess. It's rich, so one or two slices was plenty and the rest made great leftovers. Only knock: this isn't fast food, so don't show up starving without a plan--order ahead if you can. If you're looking for true deep dish in San Diego, this scratches the itch and I'd order it again. Hole in the vibe read more

This is one of my fave lunch spots! You can get in and out pretty quick if you're in a hurry. The slices are excellent. Being a Chicago place, the deep dish is fantastic. I haven't found a better Chicago style pie in SD. Sometimes I just order a whole meaty pie deep dish and bring it back to the shop. Everyone appreciates that haha! The CBGB is absolutely amazing. It is a Cheesy Beef on Garlic Bread. Thinly sliced tender delicious beef on a delicious bread roll, either dipped in an au jus style broth or with the dip on the side (my preferred method). It is probably my favorite sandwich right now, I feel like I need at least one a week. read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - pepperoni deep dish slice - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

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I've been coming to this place for years, but I've never done a review. They have Chicago style pizza, hotdog, and other items that are particular to Chicago. I enjoyed too deep dish slices and a drink. Over the years inflation has driven up the prices of everything, but this is still a pretty good deal for North Park San Diego. They were busting out at the seams with people so the service was a little slow, but I don't fault them for that. Everybody is friendly and the atmosphere is great with pictures of Chicago and sport team memorabilia all over the walls. read more

This is an amazing place go see Sammy she will hook you up ! If I could give this place more and 5 star I would !!!! Excellent and I am from IL read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Leftys pizza - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

Chicago style done right!! Tiny spot- big slices. Incredible flavor and quality ingredients. The team here always treats me right, and I'm thankful for their work. read more

BOMB! Quirky little place serving up some delicious pizza and other Chicago style treats. The deep dish pizza is on-point with the perfect fought-to-cheese-to-sauce ratio. The meat balls are tender and just amazing. Service was super helpful and friendly. Such a great little place. read more

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called and asked for a deep dish pizza requested jalapeños and they sold me on these weird peppers like jalapeños got pizza super hard in the peppers were awful. Yeah I would never order a deep dish from this place or order a pizza from them because after we pretty bad lady who answered the phone they are in business today. read more

My Dads from Chicago so we went in today and SUCH nostalgia. So much Chicago history. Dad was not a fan of the deep dish style since Chicago has thin crust cut in squares. Sicilian style was deep dish. Not the same lol But it's tasty! He tried the beer and hopefully we'll try the Italian beef soon! Loved the subway CTA L train transit map above the doorway! Red line takes you right to Wrigley. read more

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I've been going here for years and when I leave SD it is one of the places I crave. Their roast beef sandwiches are epic! Don't miss out on giardiniera. Deep dish is fantastic though I don't get it often as it is so filling. Staff makes you feel like you're in a true neighborhood gem, think Cheers but not a bar. read more

RATING 3.5/5 After a few recommendations to try the deep dish pizza here, I finally got around to stopping by . I phoned in my order for pick-up right at opening time and the young man who answered the phone was nice . I decided to try out their deep dish cheese pizza -- as it was my first time, I wanted to try out one of their most basic pizzas . I also ordered a side of their garlic cheesey bread, but I received regular garlic bread lol-- make sure you check your order before leaving the restaurant ! The young man I spoke to on the phone said it would take about 30 minutes for order to be ready-- so I headed out about 10 minutes later as I live about 15 minutes away . Parking is a little hit or miss since this location is in the heart of north park . Once I arrived, the shop itself is so cute . There's a few dine in tables and a cozy outdoor seating area . I picked up my pizza which was fresh and steaming out of the box, sprinkled Parmesan on the deep dish, and headed back home ! I did a car review as soon as I got home, and I'm not even going to lie-- I was a little underwhelmed . Because this was recommended to me, I was expecting sooo much more . I wanted a cheese pull like what you see in photos-- and sadly it did not happen lol . The crust itself was crisp and was fun to chew since it had a nice thin layer of fluff on the inside . The cheese was salty and the sauce was a little too sour for me . I decided to give it another try later that night . I reheated another slice lightly in the Airfryer, and then even microwaved it for another 30 seconds just to make sure the pizza was piping hot . I was still STRUGGLING to get that darn cheese pull !! The first few bites are just sauce and bread-- you need to keep eating because the majority of the cheese is near the end of the crust area . .. and yes, I did get the cheese pull I wanted after all !! The cheese and sauce balanced each other out more on the second slice as well . The deep dish pizza itself was good, but not what I was expecting . I would totally go back to try out their other goodies for sure-- and I recommend dining in or heating up your pizza at home before enjoying . I would still send people here to try it because everyone's tastebuds are different-- try it, you might like it more than I did (: I rated the deep dish in my car review without the cheese pull a 7.5/10 . I keep my rating the same when I heated the pizza up with a cheese pull at home a 7.5/10 . The garlic bread was garlic bread-- kinda bummed I didn't get the cheesey garlic bread, but that's okay . The marinara sauce it came with was soo good ! I actually wished that sauce was on the deep dish lol . I'll be back to give you another try soon, Lefty's ! read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Garlic bread (Instagram: @angiela.eats) - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

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Tried it for the first time last night from the TooGoodToGo app. Quality was great. Taste was great. Service was great. The only thing I noticed that I wasn't fond of was that the crust was just as think as the cheese layer and that made it seem less authentic. Other than that, can't complain. read more

Ouch...a recent visit to Lefty's forces me to leave a 2 star review. The last time I had deep dish pizza was in 2017 at Lefty's...you see, I only crave deep dish pizza every 5 years, so I was WAY overdue. My better half and I both agreed a trip to Lefty's was in order since we were already in San Diego and it had been AGES since either one of us had deep dish pizza. Like most restaurants post-pandemic, things have changed. Service was fine and we snagged a table on their outdoor patio. We ordered two slices... The slices were smaller, less full (thanks shrinkflation!) and the ingredients didn't taste fresh at all. Hate to say it..I'm pretty certain the tomato sauce was from a can which is downright sad. :( Even though I only eat deep dish pizza every 5 years, this visit doesn't reset the clock. I'm still overdue for some really good deep dish pizza. #sadface read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

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THICCCCCC CRUST (5 stars) ... eating on a budget. I haven't had Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria since 2013 in San Francisco. It's been existing in SD but have always route my pizza craving to thin crust New York style pizza. But after a recent visit here, I forgot how thiccc pizza has good offerings as well. My second order of TooGoodToGo was from this place. My surprise bag was $3.99. Parking was extremely difficult due to its location being in North Park aka No Park. But they were on time with prepping the pickup. My surprise bag... in this case, my surprise box came with (3) slices of pizza. At first I thought it was one pizza, then I saw two, and then I saw three! 2 deep dish and 1 regular. The crust here is amazing! I could eat the crust by itself - drizzle some honey to cut some of the acidity from the tomato sauce and eat it with the crust. PEPPERONI DEEP DISH - yum! It was hard to see the pepperoni as it was deep in the dish. VEGGIE DEEP DISH - yum! Veggie pizza sounds boring BUT all the veggies really shined on this pie. Layers and layers of cheese, pizza sauce, and veggies. CHEESE THIN & CRISPY - it was basic, not super thin but on the thin side. Tasted average. What I liked about the pizza is that it didn't get hard and stale when saving the pizza in the fridge. After a quick warm up the pizza tasted exactly as it should. read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Surprise Bag - 3 pizzas - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

Still delicious! The deep dish cornbread crust continues to impress me year after year. The blue cheese salad with chicken *chefs kiss. The chicken tendies are . Chicago style hot dogs . Service is great. Can't ask for a more comfortable setting. read more

I noticed when interviewed on TV, that the employees don't wear gloves when stretching dough, or adding toppings on pizzas. No one had gloves on. Not sure if I want to eat there! read more

If you haven't been you are missing out. Staff was awesome and super nice. Outside seating was good for lunch Pizza was amazing and only 5 dollar slice Chicago Dog was 10 dollars and well....... The italian beef was amazing. Highly recommend. read more

Love this place! Family loves the thin pepperoni pizza, throw in a few deep dish slices and a hot dog and we are set! Great service, they always make us feel right at home. Friendly vibes and excellent food every time we are here! read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

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I have only tried deep dish pizza once from a random joint in National city years and years ago. It did not leave a lot to be desired and I spent the rest of my years since imagining that deep dish is whatever. Leftys has changed that for me and this might be go to spot now and my go to pie is the veggie pie with basil added to it. A side of fried mushrooms is a must! All that aside, the customer service here is great! Genuinely genuinely nice dudes. Thanks for the food! read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

STAY AWAY from them. We had a pick up order (to-go) and they later overcharged us. Literally I have the receipt for some amount and then a couple days later I see another amount on the card. I called multiple times, talked to the manager Lauren and explained the situation to her. She acted very rude, that why I'm taking her time for an overcharge!!! and dropped the call on me. I will report them fro audit as it seems to be a common practice for them to steal money from people. Do your self a favor and just stay away from them. read more

Called in a Togo order, 2 Chicago dogs and a soda, I was 5 minutes away, person on the phone helping me was very dismissive and rude. Told me it would take 20 minutes for my food. Because I got there early, I get there added a slice of cheese pizza because it looked giod, told him I would get it for here while I wait for the rest of my food. He packed it to go instead, ok fine maybe he didn't hear me. He gave me all my food and said it was ready. I never told him what soda I wanted nor did he ask, but he gave me a Coke, no problem, I said I'm sorry can I get a doctor pepper instead, wothought saying anything he rolled his eyes took the soda switched it for the new one walked away with night saying a word! I didn't mention that he had multiple stains on his clothes of red sauce. I knot mention this because you have to care about how you are presenting yourself to your customers, it clearly he did not. I always go to the mission hills location and will only stick to that spot from now on moving forward read more

Absolutely amazing. Service, environment, and food. Was very accommodating and their customer service is phenomenal. Food was delicious and the portions are perfect. Would come back over and over again. You can basically build your own pizza and it's perfect for anyone. They do have other food besides pizza and salad. Look forward to coming back again and again. read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - Split deep dish. One half onion, chicken, eggplant, artichoke. Other half, bacon, pepperoni, sausage. - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

My friends wanted to try this place, I've heard good things about it, so we went on a Friday night. Not busy at all. We ordered the stuffed pizza, this massive behemoth of a thing for the three of us, and we couldn't finish it, but it tasted amazing. Took about an hour to make, but worth the wait. After one piece each, we were done, but tried to eat another piece and couldn't do it. They have a few different Chicago style pizzas to choose from. There is a small seating area outside, but can fill up quick. Luckily there was an empty table when we arrived. And parking lot on side is small, so you may have to park in the neighborhood. Service was just ok. read more

Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria - The stuffed pizza was delicious! - Pizza Near Me - San Diego, California

Made a huge mistake ordering from a restaurant closer. We live in La Mesa. Picked up today and everything was amazing salad had extra olives and the deep dish is sooooo good. We will definitely drive there for pick up. Even during a planned protest. read more

The food is good and the pizza has a very crispy crust. Recommendation CBGB! Service is quick never short staffed. The place is kind of small, seats wooden and kind of uncomfortable. read more

You probably know Lefty's Chicago Style Pizza is hands down the best spot for authentic Chicago-style deep dish! Their pizza is everything you'd hope for--perfectly buttery crust, rich sauce and delicious toppings. If you take it home, in highly recommended heating it up in a skillet with a little butter for the delicious crust to get a nice crunch. But the real surprise for me.Their classic beef sandwich. It's just as impressive as the pizza--tender, juicy beef piled high on a roll, with spicy Giardiniera and Au Jus on the side. It's so good. read more