After living in North County for 40+ years decided to try Pizza Nova. Horrible experience. Ordered appetizer soup and entree along with 3 other people who got just entrees. They decided, I guess based on default policy, to bring out all 3 items with everyone else's entrees and noticeably well after many other nearby tables got seated ordered and received their meals. No way I could finish all 3 and the appetizer looked lIke it had been sitting out the entire time, probably about 15-20 minutes. Told waiter I wasn't going to pay for the appetizer and honestly didn't want it at that point. Had the soup which was ok. Went in for the short rib entree and there was a nice big piece of cardboard buried alongside the meat that had clearly been sautéed and cooked with everything. Grateful I didn't eat a bite, pushed it away and requested a manager. They took all my dishes off but I paid for all other entrees and drinks. At $90 later this place was a 40 year mistake in the making. Trash. read more

Really love this place... been here several times and just realized I never yelp'd. Fast service, and food is pretty upscale for the price you pay. Perfect lunch combos, fresh cocktails, and I like their salads too. They take reservations too, which isn't too common in our area. Highly recommend! read more

We just learned about this place from my daughter. We were in a rush to get to our appointment in Carlsbad on our way from Poway. Great place close to freeway easy in and out. Best coffee and great sandwiches and salads as well. Outdoor seating and indoor as well. Comfortable and fast service. Easy to park and get in. Ordered beer on tap was perfect as well. read more

I had the best service at the bar! Emily took such great care of me, very attentive, food and drink was amazing! Def. coming back

So it's not hard to see how Best Pizza & Brew got to be so good out of the gate. Imran I was always unpressed with the quality of everything they offer. Now that I've been to Pizza Nova and found out these two amazing places are from the same group it all makes sense now. To befair Pizza Move is like Best Pizza & Beer on steroids. The staff is top notch at both but the food options are vast here. I couldn't believe I haven't been to a Pizza Nova after 1 visit. Super tasty and they don't scrimp. We had lobster bisque. ( Very possibly the best I ever had. I mean I e had it at several uper scale places but the amount and lobster in each serving is impressive. Yet their price isn't any more. 5 stars ! Second we hade the artichoke dip with perfectly toasted sourdough slices. Here again " top shelf". Looking forward to returning even if it's a drive. Highly recommend eatery with exceptional craft beers perfectly poured in I e clod glasses. That they have in common with their Best Pizza & Brew locations. read more

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I ordered a 10' pizza but it looked so small for the $16 price with taxes . Anyway the pizza tasted good and fresh , the dough was a little chewy for my taste. I just think its very expensive for what you get, maybe i would come back but is definitely expensive for a pizza. I like they have pizza that are not traditional ,like the thai chicken pizza. The order comes with garlic knots included . read more

Pizza Nova - Thai chicken - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

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This place never fails! Whenever my husband says 'Pizza Nova' I say 'yes' even if I'm on a diet! ALL of the food is amazing, not just the pizzas! We love to sit at the bar in front of the pizza oven and watch the pizzas being made! Even on the weekend we usually can get seated pretty quick! The pepperoni white pizza is to die for! The service is great and I have never had a bad meal or experience! The environment is chill and the bar has a variety of signature cocktails! read more

Pizza Nova - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

We ordered takeout. The Margarita pizza was delicious. Really good crust. I also really appreciate the complimentary garlic bread, but I felt the garlic bread could be better if it had a bit more butter on it. That's really my only critique. My wife and I will definitely be coming back here. read more

A little pricey but kind of worth it. I don't know how it's not the number 1 rated pizza place in the area.

We have been coming here for 30 years. We used to go to the original location and now the new location. Amazing food and consistently delicious. Pizza, pasta, you can't go wrong. Amazing salads and appetizers. Tonight we had the caprase salad and they took it up a notch. It was amazing! Love Pizza Nova!! read more

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Pizza is not bad, but service is veeeeery slow: on every step - taking order, bringing food, check, card

This is a very good pizza place. The only criticism I have is that the food tries to punch outside of its weight class. Meaning, there are a lot of things on the menu that give a gourmet food impression, when this is really just a good ole pizza joint. So stick to the basics and you're good. read more

Great food and great service . The drinks were good , pizza great . Nice patio we brought our dog . All around a good time .

Went here on a Sunday afternoon to meet a friend. Pleasant surprise to have the spicy Bloody Mary on happy hour, great deal. But first, they gave us the rolls that were hot and YUM! I had the "best salad" and a personal pizza, pepperoni white. Salad definitely earned its name, light and refreshing and again , YUM! Didn't get to try the pizza, wanted to save space for the lava cake and ice cream. It was good, not great but definitely hit the spot. Nice friendly servers. Definitely a good "go to" Spot, not a busy area so parking was really easy. read more

Pizza Nova - Spicy Bloody Mary before 4pm on weekends for $4, definitely the deal! Mimosas were on happy hour list too. - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

One of our regular spots and we like the food but the service was AWFUL. We waited 10 minutes to even be acknowledged. Had to ask for everything multiple times and waited 10 more minutes to get the bill. The waiters are socializing in the corner instead of serving customers. Not good. read more

I came for happy hour and decided to get a margarita and an appetizer. The manager Michael offered us rolls with balsamic vinegar. I was hesitant at first but ended up loving this unlikely combination. I would recommend coming for happy hour! read more

This place has been such a great hangout for me since I am in the area a few times a week! I absolutely love the garlic knots and the yummy drinks from the bar. All of the staff are friendly and courteous and prompt. read more

Soooo happy they are back open!!! The service is wonderful and food even better. The garlic rolls are my favorite. Really good happy hour too! read more

Outstanding establishment! Pizza and pastas are top notch. The salads are fresh and crisp, I've never made it to desert so I can't speak for them. Don't hesitate to give them a try, you won't be sorry! read more

First and last time coming here. Ordered: Tomato basil angel hair pasta, nova chicken club, meatball sandwich, and mary lou's chicken salad. Food: Avoid everything that has chicken. It was incredibly dry and not a fan of it at all. My friend that ordered the salad found a piece of glass in her lettuce. The staff though was very accommodating and gave us our meal for free. read more

Consistent, convenient, and pretty great food. Pizza Nova is a win for the San Marcos area, and all of North County for that matter. It's such a great addition to the relatively lacking local / indie food scene here. It's also a great place for lunch or dinner if you have kids. The pizza is tasty & affordable. The entrees are all pretty creative takes on classic dishes. My favs are the Chicken Piccatta and the Lamb. Added bonus - the shopping center that Pizza Nova is located in plays family movies on a huge screen in an outdoor commons. The commons also has a massive fire pit, and is adjacent to Ryans Bros Coffee. Perfect family evening: Pizza Nova for pizza, Ryans Bros for coffee & hot chocolate, firepit, family movie, grassy area for kids to sit or play. Southern California evening time al fresco at its finest. read more

Never been to this restaurant until recently. They have amazing customer service and some of the best bartenders. Don't leave until you have eaten all of the garlic bread knots. They serve sandwiches, pizza, pasta, and some the best salads. Fun for the family and friends. Love the Lobster Bisque! read more

Hooray Happy Hour and THANK YOU Matt for making my experience excellent! This was my first visit to Pizza Nova in San Marcos (I usually go to the one in Solana Beach because it's more convenient). My friend and I decided on this restaurant for our meeting late afternoon, which happened to be during happy hour. We ordered a couple of small pizzas, stuffed mushrooms, and craft beers. MUST TRY: *Shrimp wrap - HUGE, enough for 2 people for sure! *Minestrone Soup - Tasty, hearty, and comforting. *House salad - Amazing! Plus, you can pick up a tray of it. I brought this to a Christmas party this year and there wasn't a morsel left of it :) Great prices, great food - will definitely return! read more

Great place to come , don't recommend the non alcoholic strawberry drink... not too good , tastes like pure cilantro Good customer service & even better food read more

Pizza Nova - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

2.5 stars. The only reason why i'm giving it a low score was because the service sucked. Like really bad. 1) when I arrived here for a late lunch, there was no one to greet me, so i just stood there looking at the practically empty restaurant waiting to be seated while the servers and bartenders just walked around doing their own thing. WTF? 2) After waiting 10 minutes of waiting to be seated, I finally got seated and the party that came in after us got to place their orders before us. We were ready to order. WTF? Happened to come during happy hour so all appetizers were discounted. I got me a screwdriver which gave me a buzz to get over the fact that I started with deplorable service. *Order the calamari, buffalo wings and mini thai chicken pizza. The server brought out bread drenched in olive oil. It was good once I dipped it in the marinara that they gave us for the calamari. **The calamari was good but the marinara had a lot of heat to it. Wow. My mouth was on fire. **Buffalo wings provided the necessary balance we needed. Didn't wow but my brother and I was satisfied. **During happy hour, the pizza selection is limited so I went with the thai chicken. Where our server did shine was that he said we can make it to what cheeses I wanted in there. [He must've saw my lactaid pill]. Points for that. I enjoyed the pizza as it was cooked to the right crunch however the cornmeal-like grain underneath the pizza was overwhelming and got all over my clothing because it didn't stick to the crust. **I would've appreciated if the server came by to ask if I wanted more water. He clearly saw I have an empty glass and waiting for him to come by to ask for more. As my brother and I left, the hostess that finally showed up to the counter, didn't even say thank you for dining or please come back or acknowledge our existence. I was staring right at her. Nothing. I left disappointed after hearing so many good things about this place. One more thing: I didn't appreciate being solicited while eating by a random stranger asking for donations. Talk about random and uncomfortable. If management or a hostess was there, they would've saw that it bugged the customers that were dining. read more

Wooohooooo! I'm still reeling from the deliciousness that was devoured with fervor a few nights ago. Let me break it down fo' ya... First of all, I was both shocked and impressed that this place was a) open on 4th of July, and b) they were delivering. After reading the reviews and looking for some good gourmet pizza/pasta nummies, we decided to avoid crowds and give into the pleasures of home food consumption via delivery from Pizza Nova. Okay, only weird part was that they said on the phone that it was not busy there in the restaurant at all, yet it would be an hour for delivery. hmmm. we live all of 2 minutes up the road. It wasn't that big a deal. gave us time to catch up on Avatar:The Last Airbender on netflix. Man, OH MAN was it worth the wait. Here's what we ordered: Apps- Hot wings, and Baked Garlic. Pasta- Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken Pizza- 14" Pepperoni White Pizza, but we substituted Pancetta for Pepperoni. $2.00 extra but soooooo worth it. Pancetta is italian bacon. Less fatty. Should be its own food group. Delivery guy got here almost 1 hour to the minute. And we were slightly startled at the bill of $50.00 even. I quietly said a prayer to the Lord asking Him to grant us food mercy and make it marginally tasty for the price. This food DID NOT DISSAPOINT! yaaaaaay! i actually skipped around the kitchen with glee. The wings were large and meaty. Yum. Not too hot or spicy. The baked garlic was PERFECTION. Soft, smoky, buttery and not at all burned or overcooked. it came still in the bulb, split in half, so you had to take a knife and whittle them out and spread em on the grilled sourdough. Came with goat cheese and pesto sauce. OMGOSH. fresh made pesto. WORD TO YOUR MOTHA. that's what i'm talkin about. if you have a food happy dance, you'll be doin it while eating this bit of heaven. The Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken was pretty good. One of the better alfredo sauces out there. Definitely fresh made. Light. Not too thin and not pasty glue either. The chicken in it was rosemary chicken breast. Good, but not phenomenal, slightly dry. Overall a dish I'd eat again. Now, onto the pizza. I love white pizzas from my jersey days when I used to rock a broccoli white pizza during my high school lunch breaks. This was most def a gourmet pizza. It had garlic, alfredo sauce, the pancetta that we substituted in for the pepperoni, mozzarella, fontina, ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. The ricotta was ON POINT! Creamy, sweet, light, like little clouds of cheesy joy. I have to say, our idea of rocking pancetta instead of pepperoni was the best call EVER. Come on, crispy, chunky BACON pieces on a pizza? I AM A GENIUS. The crust was excellent, and I am a crust junkie. It was soooo worth the $20. We had enough pizza and wings left over for the next day and we were STILL doing the running man around the kitchen with MC Hammer like intensity. We will order again....and again. and then AGAIN. The wait and price made sense once we got everything and the light of truth shone down on our tongues and illuminated our taste buds with joy and appreciation. read more

I would have given zero stars! They sat my black husband and I in the far back corner next to the kitchen and forgot we were there. They didn't even ask for our drink order. After they served the 3 white couples before us, we decided it was time to go. We will never go back! read more

Over the past 6 months I've had great to ok to terrible service and food. We tend to ALWAYS go on a Thursday, not on purpose it was just happened that way. We used to go once a week to then to twice a month, then as service and food dissipated we started going even less and less, now we go once a every 4-6 weeks. I have celiacs so I'm Gluten Free and I like that they have GF options. We always come after happy hour, around 6:30-7 right when everyone is leaving. Me and my husbands favorites aka PROS: Caprese Salad (GF) Baked Garlic (I can get this to go without the bread and get my own GF bread I love this) South West Corn Chowder, so GOOD! Thai Chicken Linguine, husband loves this. Fettuccine Alfredo, husband loves this but thinks this is really heavy. PIMMS CUP Great Drink Nova Mule (even though the last time we were there they were OUT OF GINGER BEER??? so we couldn't have Pimms NOR Mule) CONS: Spotty service Minestrone soup HAS NO Flavor Meatballs, also had no flavor, husband said mine are way better NO GF PASTA WHY NOT? PIZZA'S: This is Mixed I can't order their GF pizza anymore because their is NO consistency, none at all. First was was cooked perfectly. Then form there on out I got one REALLY undercooked had to send it back. and whenever I tell them to make sure its well done, they never do. It's why I say service has gone downhill, not listening to the customer. My husband Loves their pizza we always get the chili sauce to make it extra hot, its basically sriracha paste. I hope they get a hold of everything because I want to come back but each visit had become worse than the last. read more

I came here with a few friends for happy hour which is from 3 to 6pm. Beers and appetizers are $4 per and everything tastes decent. I had the calamari, which was bland and tasteless. But they do give plenty of garlic bread balls. These are smothered in butter and oil. If you're not a fan of movie theater butter (the one that just pours out like oil), then you may not enjoy this bread. Their unlimited garlic bread is good, but I fear it may have drowned my taste buds. After I ate 3 of the bread balls, I could barely taste my calamari. I ordered Italian sausage and penne pasta to go and that was delicious. The to-go container is made of very solid plastic, which is great for me because I can wash and reuse it for packing lunch. I took off stars because the service during happy hour is Not Good AT All. My friends and I stood by the door for about 2 minutes, then decided to seat ourselves. The waitress came by and walked away without ever giving is menus so we had to go hunt those down on our own too. Finally, we asked if we could order food when she came by for our drink orders because we had been waiting sooo long and were starving, but she said no! She said she'll take our drink orders first and come back later to take our food order. Total attitude from the waitress, she even rolled her eyes at us a bit. Overall, it was a poor experience because the waiters are all bit rude, but the food is decent. They have mostly pizza and pasta dishes. Given a choice, I would go to BJ's over this. read more

I love pizza. I make it no secret..... it is the kryptonite to my diet. Especially good ones. I went here tonight for dinner and quite frankly I'm glad I did. The reception was quick and cheerful and we were quickly seated. We opted for an inside booth, though I think next time we'll sit by the fire pit. The interior decor is nice, not really a big expert on decor and such, it just feels like a nice place to eat. Any how, we got our drinks and they gave us a dish of garlic bread balls. Free. Plus they were really good. We order our food and roughly 5 minutes later we have our pizzas. This is going great so far, great service, complementary food and it's fast? I ordered a 10 inch deluxe (or whatever it's called- the one with all the toppings) with anchovies, my brother orders a pepperoni pizza (adventurous he is not) I cleaned my entire plate, no joke. It was that good. The pizza itself was loaded with mushrooms, bell peppers, olives, pepperoni, sausage and anchovies... they skimped on nothing. This easily was one of the better pizzas I've had. They even gave us an additional serving of the bread balls, again no charge. My pizza was 12.95 and it filled me up. They have other things on the menu, they have pastas, salads, sandwiches, calamari, and other unique pizzas like a BBQ chicken and even one with pears and some goat cheese pizza. They even have desserts too. Oh and our server kept making sure we were happy with our meal and to keep my water full (sadly, I was the DD so no beer for me, too bad a cold brew would be an excellent companion for this pizza) What a great little place this is and yes, I'll be back... especially when the weather gets colder.... the fire pit sure looks inviting on a cool night. read more

UPDATE - Ok, as soon as I posted my last review ( within 5 minutes) the manager reached out to me and apologized for my poor experience. She was thoughtful, prompt, and efficient in addressing my concerns. She turned a negative into a positive and has regained our business. read more

Pizza Nova - Roasted Turkey Sandwich - Italian Near Me - San Marcos, California

When one goes to dine in the zoo that is San Marcos, there are a plethora of options. However there is one that shines above the rest, that stands in solitude and superiority among all others. It is not the divine food, nor the curated draft list that is present that makes this place special, but rather the staff, who is the true treasure. They are all seemingly sons and daughters of Aphrodite, each blessing the customer with grace and beauty beyond that which is found in any ordinary restaurant. I choose to spend my time amidst the ever giving grace of the staff at this establishment, and encourage all whom seek an elevated experience to stop by and be blessed with the presence of such kind beautiful souls. A nova is the most straightforward word that can be used to describe the feeling within you as you enter. Let your soul be kissed and choose Pizza Nova over the subpar competition that exists around them. read more

Portion sizes are hugeeee! My friend and I shared the most fantastic "house salad" I've had in my life! Definitely will return to try the Pizza! The bartender was super nice :) read more

After writing my not-so-flattering review of Pizza Nova last month, I received a message from the Operations Manager inviting me back to give it another shot (see kids, Yelp really does work). She also informed me there was a miscommunication with the ABC and they were serving alcohol on the patio again. AND, she said there was going to be a manager's meeting the following morning to discuss bartender and server issues. Desperately wanting to rewrite my previous review, I went back in. A hostess engaged us in some humorous conversation while we waited for a table in the bar area to be cleared off. Once we were seated, our server immediately came over, greeted us and took our drink order. So far, so good. We had just set our menus down when he was back at our table taking our entree order. Since we loved the Stuffed Portobello Mushroom so much, we ordered it again. It was as good as I remembered. I also ordered the Gorgonzola Pear Pizza, which was excellent. A meatball sub was also ordered, but I didn't try it. Our server came back to check on us throughout the meal and so did a manager. My mom looked at me and asked if we had signs on our foreheads! It was funny. Unlike our previous visit, our server asked if we wanted dessert. Why of course, thanks for asking! We couldn't decide between the Tiramisu and the Creme Brulee. He suggested we order the Tiramisu. So we did. It was delish. So, I have revised my review and am happy I gave it another shot. Thanks Pizza Nova, I will be back. read more

Very good pizza and craft beer. Staff is very friendly. One of my favorite local restaurants.

Just called to order a pizza for delivery. I was warned that its a $20 minimum. Fine. The pizza I ordered came to $14. I said how about a side salad. He said that will bring you to your $20 minimum. Fine. I asked for a total, he wasn't going to tell me I had to ask. Nearly $30! I asked how that is, he said there is a delivery charge. I have never heard of a restaurant charging a fee AND a minimum. Usually its one or the other. I asked why I need to pay a fee when I met the minimum. I asked if I could just pay the delivery fee and only get the pizza as I only ordered the salad to meet the minimum. I was told "that wont work". I said forget it. I have eaten here a few times because I can literally walk there I am so close, but forget it. Every time I do I think, why did I just blow a ton of money on food that's really not that great and service that sucks big time. Get a clue Pizza Nova.(no wonder you're so slow these days) read more

Been here many times for lunch and happy. I find that they have great deals for lunch and happy hour. For the amount that you pay for full price menu items, I avoid dinner when ever i can. Happy hour is great. All apps are half off. Some deals on wines and whatever beer is on tap. The food is always consistent, but the service is hit and miss. I prefer sitting in the patio area. read more

Love coming here during their Happy Hour, which is Mon-Fri 3-6pm. They have couple selections of personal pizza for $4 each and appetizers for $4. It;s not a bad deal since you can get one appetizer and 2 mini pizzas and walk away spending under $20. My husband loves their crust and everything is very delicious. Happy hour is great too because you beat the night time crowd and the waiters are always pretty good about filling up your drink and getting out your order. And they have beer and tv. Great place and friendly toward kids :) read more

Yum! I find myself quite frequently - can't get myself away from the garlic knots! Pizza Nova is extremely clean and the staff is always quite perky and happy. The lunch special never fails because you have options of the entire menu in smaller portions.The food is delicious, but pretty pricey for pizza. read more

I like this place. Highlights: +Absolutely ADORE the white pepperoni pizza. I love ricotta on pizza! +Pizza dough was light and delicious. +Garlic bread balls are yummy +House salad was tasty--blue cheese and fruit are always appreciated! +They have Splenda. +Management really cares about customer satisfaction. I've also tried the pesto pizza and chicken marsala. Neither thrilled me enough to make me order again. read more