Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

North Park shows up in Crown Point with pizza and beer (and soda)

The urban brewery crafts a hangout for friends, neighbors... and family

The house pepperoni pizza at North Park Beer Company Pizza Shop in Crown Point Pacific Beach
The house pepperoni pizza at North Park Beer Company Pizza Shop in Crown Point Pacific Beach
Video:

FEAST!: North Park shows up in Crown Point with pizza and beer (and soda)


"Friends & neighbors," read the lighted marquee letters that stretch across the ceiling above the pizza counter. The same words have been mounted upon the front door of North Park Beer Company, since it debuted in its namesake neighborhood 8 years ago, and neon-lit upon the wall of the tasting room and burger kitchen the brewery opened in Bankers Hill in late 2022.


Place

North Park Beer Company Pizza Shop

3801 Ingraham St., San Diego

But that North Park location is an epic, Craftsman styled beer hall, a cosmopolitan marriage of dark stained wood and copper to complement stainless steel tanks filled with some of the city's best beer. And its vibe is echoed with a tinge of stately Art Deco in Bankers Hill.


Here in Crown Point, at the brand's newest property, North Park Beer Co. Pizza Shop, the decor goes an entirely different direction. Patios extend the neighborhood's beachy feel. Below the bright red ceiling letters, the walls are painted with kung fu kicking cartoon characters — one a pizza, one a hop cone taken from the packaging of North Park's best-known and most awarded beer, Hop Fu IPA. And though a huge menu behind the counter features that, and dozens of other beers, wines, and hard kombuchas, I'm putting in an order for fountain sodas. Because I've brought the kids.



A casual counter shop with a cartoon Kung Fu motif

"We're not allowed to drink beer," they remind me, as I try to explain what a hop cone is, and why this one has kitana swords strapped to its back. Not to worry though: their curiosity ends there, as they much prefer to refill their own cups with every flavor at the soda fountain. It's filled with Boylan, a craft soda company that's been making fizzy drinks since Benjamin Harrison was president — cane sugar, no high fructose corn syrup.

Sponsored
Sponsored


If there's no food and drink pairing more ideal than pizza and beer, pizza and soda probably comes a close second. Along with the decision to call this a pizza shop rather than taproom, the soda fountain signals the beer company's intention to establish a family-friendly presence in this Pacific Beach neighborhood.


To be clear, that starts by appealing to parents. High quality beer clearly tops the list of reasons to visit. Unlike a certain family of multiple award-winning, pizza-making grog producers that populate San Diego area beach towns, this place makes a valiant go at cooking consistently well-made pies. It gives its dough a three-day fermentation, then cooks it in a fancy Italian pizza oven with rotating ceramic plates that cooks each pie's crust to an even crisp in under five minutes, at temperatures exceeding 700 degrees.


"The Veg," a vegetarian pizza (vegan optional) featuring cherry tomatoes, garlic confit, red onions, green bell peppers, sautéed mushrooms, and basil.


They're like thin-crust Neapolitan pies without the wood smoke. The 12- or 18-inch pies start at $16 and $24 respectively, whether you opt for marinara, crushed tomato, creamy tomato, basil pesto, or bechamel sauce. Topping choices range from $1.50 to $6, and are similarly varied— meats range from pepperoni to oil-cured anchovies to homemade meatballs. Veggies include black or green olives, fresh or pickled jalapeños, and even habañero pepper (with the warning, "no refunds"). Additional options include vegan cheese, or adding Calabrian chili oil, hot honey, or burrata.


In other words, something for everyone, and enough permutations to keep things interesting for visit after visit, as adults try to nail down the best beer to go with each combination of sauce, cheese, and topping. And the kids try to find the perfect ratio of lemon lime soda, ginger ale, and root beer.


The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Memories of bonfires amid the pits off Palm

Before it was Ocean View Hills, it was party central
Next Article

Aaron Stewart trades Christmas wonders for his first new music in 15 years

“Just because the job part was done, didn’t mean the passion had to die”
The house pepperoni pizza at North Park Beer Company Pizza Shop in Crown Point Pacific Beach
The house pepperoni pizza at North Park Beer Company Pizza Shop in Crown Point Pacific Beach
Video:

FEAST!: North Park shows up in Crown Point with pizza and beer (and soda)


"Friends & neighbors," read the lighted marquee letters that stretch across the ceiling above the pizza counter. The same words have been mounted upon the front door of North Park Beer Company, since it debuted in its namesake neighborhood 8 years ago, and neon-lit upon the wall of the tasting room and burger kitchen the brewery opened in Bankers Hill in late 2022.


Place

North Park Beer Company Pizza Shop

3801 Ingraham St., San Diego

But that North Park location is an epic, Craftsman styled beer hall, a cosmopolitan marriage of dark stained wood and copper to complement stainless steel tanks filled with some of the city's best beer. And its vibe is echoed with a tinge of stately Art Deco in Bankers Hill.


Here in Crown Point, at the brand's newest property, North Park Beer Co. Pizza Shop, the decor goes an entirely different direction. Patios extend the neighborhood's beachy feel. Below the bright red ceiling letters, the walls are painted with kung fu kicking cartoon characters — one a pizza, one a hop cone taken from the packaging of North Park's best-known and most awarded beer, Hop Fu IPA. And though a huge menu behind the counter features that, and dozens of other beers, wines, and hard kombuchas, I'm putting in an order for fountain sodas. Because I've brought the kids.



A casual counter shop with a cartoon Kung Fu motif

"We're not allowed to drink beer," they remind me, as I try to explain what a hop cone is, and why this one has kitana swords strapped to its back. Not to worry though: their curiosity ends there, as they much prefer to refill their own cups with every flavor at the soda fountain. It's filled with Boylan, a craft soda company that's been making fizzy drinks since Benjamin Harrison was president — cane sugar, no high fructose corn syrup.

Sponsored
Sponsored


If there's no food and drink pairing more ideal than pizza and beer, pizza and soda probably comes a close second. Along with the decision to call this a pizza shop rather than taproom, the soda fountain signals the beer company's intention to establish a family-friendly presence in this Pacific Beach neighborhood.


To be clear, that starts by appealing to parents. High quality beer clearly tops the list of reasons to visit. Unlike a certain family of multiple award-winning, pizza-making grog producers that populate San Diego area beach towns, this place makes a valiant go at cooking consistently well-made pies. It gives its dough a three-day fermentation, then cooks it in a fancy Italian pizza oven with rotating ceramic plates that cooks each pie's crust to an even crisp in under five minutes, at temperatures exceeding 700 degrees.


"The Veg," a vegetarian pizza (vegan optional) featuring cherry tomatoes, garlic confit, red onions, green bell peppers, sautéed mushrooms, and basil.


They're like thin-crust Neapolitan pies without the wood smoke. The 12- or 18-inch pies start at $16 and $24 respectively, whether you opt for marinara, crushed tomato, creamy tomato, basil pesto, or bechamel sauce. Topping choices range from $1.50 to $6, and are similarly varied— meats range from pepperoni to oil-cured anchovies to homemade meatballs. Veggies include black or green olives, fresh or pickled jalapeños, and even habañero pepper (with the warning, "no refunds"). Additional options include vegan cheese, or adding Calabrian chili oil, hot honey, or burrata.


In other words, something for everyone, and enough permutations to keep things interesting for visit after visit, as adults try to nail down the best beer to go with each combination of sauce, cheese, and topping. And the kids try to find the perfect ratio of lemon lime soda, ginger ale, and root beer.


Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Too $hort & DJ Symphony, Peppermint Beach Club, Holidays at the Zoo

Events December 19-December 21, 2024
Next Article

Born & Raised offers a less decadent Holiday Punch

Cognac serves to lighten the mood
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader