Leucadia Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
30 Reviews for Leucadia Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant
My dad used to work for them during the 90's, they've somehow kept their standard of food high through their many iterations and new chain openings.
Regardless, it's the food that matters, and this place has it down. Best garlic bread in North County, fantastic view of Moonlight beach, close to the Seaside bazaar, decent prices, great for parties, great pizza, good quality ingredients.
Best pizza-place in North County, full stop.
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I have been eating at Leucadia for almost my whole life so I guess the nostalgia factor is a big part of why I like it so much. I think it was the first pizza I loved and truly craved all the time.
It's a casual place that serves Italian, if you consider Italian pizza and spaghetti with meatballs and RED SAUCE-A-MIA. I like the crowd here and I have always had really nice servers that don't get too cheesy with you. This one has a really nice interior with a big bar and several fish tanks decorating the dining area.
I am a big fan of regular cheese pizza and thats what I usually get here. The crust is chewy deliciousness and their sauce is wonderfully sweet, best served with a heaping pile of garlic bread. Of course it's americanized and completely not authentic, but at least here there's no phony Olive Garden type of marketing to make you think that it is.
This is a great place for families and kids or just a casual night out. Of course there is better pizza around but Leucadia has some kind of weird San Diego charm that keeps me coming back. Simple honest food here and I just can't get enough of it
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Pizza Port was packed. Parking...pitiful. Perturbed we perused possibilities for pizza. Location-assist led us to Leucadia Pizza. Parking was plentiful.
Enough with the alliteration.
So we walking in around 1:30 PM and were seated immediately, and we had out choice of patio (too sunny) or inside. As soon as we sat down a big basket of garlic bread arrived at the table (8 pieces) free of charge.
Service was friendly, apparently we chose our table in the bar area and our waiter told us we had to order whiskey in a jovial bantering way (which we didn't).
We opted for a small meat lovers pizza and an appetizer of lobster mac and cheese, hopefully saving room for dessert.
The bread basket was refilled before our appetizer arrived, and we watched the Olympics as we waited. When the mac did finally arrive we dug in. It was served piping hot and had huge chunks of lobster atop ziti in a creamy alfredo sauce. Not quite what we were expecting,but good none the less. Hans detected some onion, so he left most for me. The pizza was pretty average, not horrible or even bad, just traditional. I think the sauce was a little too sweet for my own personal taste, so I happily finished the mac, and gave my extra piece of pizza to Hans.
The dessert case was too much to resist. I ordered the strawberry misu, which was good, but maybe it was a couple days old. The strawberries were starting to sog, and the real whipped cream starting to deflate, but I ate pretty much the whole thing as it still tasted delicious.
I have nothing really negative to say about LP other than that. All in all, a better than decent place, good food at a good price, and friendly service give this place a solid 4 stars. I just don't make it up to Leucadia too often, but when I do, I'll know where to go.
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So, the food is A-OK. Nothing spectacular. But, definitely not terrible either. 2 blocks from Moonlight Beach.
Primarily, I'd like to focus my review on their delivery service. It is a very welcomed service that I've utilized many times when we just wanted to stay in for the night.
Well, except for this one time a few years ago. My hubby said that he had dinner all planned out for that evening, and not to worry about a thing. We proceeded to have some cocktails and get into the groove of things. Somehow we ended up in the living room having SEX near the front door.
Things were soooo reaching a climactic point when...
...Ding-dong!
Someone was at the front door!!! Omg...I'm trying to bust a nut here you guys and I'm hearing bells. And not in a good way!!!
In a split second, my hubby tears off running up the stairs to our bedroom and leaves ME - butt ass naked and dripping in sweat at the door!
DING-DONG!!!
That fucker won't go away! I want to finish what we started and Imma kill me some Jehovah's witness and shove them in their watch tower or make some under-priviledged, pimped out little black kid selling Kit Kats and coloring books out of a box's day, if I have to!
I open the door and peek around to see who it is. Well, my oh my, if it isn't the Leucadia Pizzeria delivery guy! He hands me a card and leaves the bags of food on the step. Turns and walks away.
My jaw dropped. A SET UP?!?!? Yes, a set up. All masterfully planned and timed by my hubby. BIG tip included.
The card had the usual "I love you, you rock my world" stuff in it. But additionally had, "The pizza guy always rings twice!"...
You see, I had bought this book, "101 Grrrreat nights of Sex" that has all sorts of fun little things to do. You tear out the sealed pages, randomly one by one and do what is instructed. This was one of those pages that was my hubby's turn to do. I didn't have a clue.
We finally were able to complete the transaction and enjoy the pasta. I have a weird sort of love for Leucadia Pizzeria...and, their delivery service.
So, 25 years of marriage later, we still have fun, eat pizza, and occasionally answer the door.
;)
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We order pizza once a week and they are the best, especially if you want a specialty pizza. It's expensive but its worth it. Try a large pizza with rosemary potatoes, artichoke hearts, pine nuts, roasted garlic (and goat cheese if you really want to get fattening) and a apple walnut salad-excellent dressing! good cookies too!
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Let's see: Dry, overpriced, unseasoned, and the "deep dish" was not deep and not very big at all.
Other than that, this pizza RAWKED THE HAUS!
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YUMMY!!!!
After a good hike with the crew, we ended up here for lunch. Thank goodness for good signs. We just drove down 101 near where we were staying and found this place (remembering that our "local" had mentioned it casually a few days earlier). The 5 of us got a table out on the patio. What a great setting for a spring or summer day. There is a little covering so that you get sun but not burning into you. It was a bit cool the day we went, so the jackets stayed on for the most part, but the sun was out on this beautiful day.
We ordered 3 medium sized pizzas and proceeded to share them. I am amazed that we were even able to decide. There were some really great combinations and pretty creative choices. One person did get a salad as well. Wow, these were great. They ended up feeding all 7 of us pretty well. Our server was also great. We had refreshed iced teas every time we even got close to being done and water too. He must have thought that we ran 100 miles the way we were drinking our water and teas. The flavored tea is excellent, by the way. I usually just order water, but it hit the spot.
I think the group would definitely come again and sure we would enjoy it just as much.
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For me, Leucadia Pizza is better at lunch than dinner. They have really good lunch specials whether it be pasta or sandwiches that average about $5-$6, and are good: personal pepperoni pizza, pesto pasta, simple spaghetti and meatballs, fettucini, or meatball sandwich and more. You get more than what you pay for. They also deliver and they deliver to my work often - at least once every few weeks.
To top it off, chocolate chip cookies. When you order for delivery - usually - cookies are included, they aren't the greatest but cookies will being you a smile every time.
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This place has got some delicious pizzas.
I love their salads as well and their pastas are delicious and full of flavor!! The soups are alright, but I think the best is the garlic bread that they serve to you when you first arrive at the table.
I went and had lunch here today with my friends and I had their Thai Chicken Pizza. It was nice and delicious with not too much of a peanut sauce on it.
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Good pizza in the heart of Encinitas, fun and family oriented atmosphere. Love that the restaurant is close to the coast and on 101. The service is good, the prices are fair. I also enjoy that the restaurant delivers, but only within a certain area.
Ordered for delivery, which took a ridiculous amount of time. We ordered a bbq chicken pizza and an apple walnut salad that came with some garlic bread.
The food was ok. The salad had huge frosted walnuts, plenty of shaved cheese, and yummy dressing. The bbq sauce on the pizza was really good, but I didn't love the crust. I thought it was a bit on the dense side and I prefer a lighter crust. Garlic bread was delicious, but making decent garlic bread isn't too challenging.
Not my favorite pizza place. Not even my top 5. Put it this way... if given the choice between Pizza Hut or Leucadia Pizza it would be a toss up and not in a "wow they're both soooo good kind of way." So if you happen to be in the area just drive down to Pizza Port, it's worth it.
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THE crappiest, sloppiest, wettest, and most revolting pizza you can have in San Diego county, save for if you were to soak a pita bread in water and eat it.
Don't even mess with this place at all. Go up the street to East Coast, or even a bit farther to Pizza Port. If you are feeling spendy, get from Cicciotti's. Or heck, just order out/delivery from places in the other side of Encinitas.
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my wife and i eat here a couple times a month. love the pizza, love the garlic bread they bring out. always grab the fresh baked chocolate chip cookies on the way out. it's 10x better than the corporate pizzas
One of the more underated pizza joints in town. It's like 300 feet from where I live so it's a no brainer when I don't feel like driving, however I don't go too much because I'd generally rather go to Pizza Port where the pizza is better and the beer is fantastic. I agree with the stick to the basics comment. I wouldn't go here for pasta -- just the pizza. They are also a slight bit pricier than most.
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I like the pizza here! I've tasted the minestrone soup, the Greek salad and the Teriyaki Chicken pizza. The soup and salad were okay -- nothing spectacular, but the teriyaki chicken pizza blows my mind. It is soooo good! It's so flavorful but not too rich on sauce -- just the right amount.
I've never dined in -- only take out, so I can't comment on the service/ambiance of the restaurant.
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Hmm thought this was my place but on my last visit it fell short and all I was remembering about why I come here is the delicious garlic bread they keep refilling so much that I don't even need an actual dinner. I had the Thai chicken pasta which was so disappointing I really barely even ate it....I recovered my hunger by eating some of my friends shrimp salad which was actually quite tasty and then a piece of pepperoni pizza. Yummm!! My advice is stick to the basics here and you will be happy.
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The only time I've ever eaten here was the time that I discovered a paper napkin had been baked INTO the crust of my pizza. WTF? Seriously. WTF? Management offered to give us free dessert instead of a new pizza (or comping the inedible napkin pizza), and the waitress just laughed at us when we first informed her of the problem. Needless to say, I've never been back. It's now known among my circle of friends as the Leucadia Napkineria.
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Leucadia Pizzeria is by far the best pizza in north county. I heard from a rival pizza place that they infuse their dough with sugar, but I'm not complaining. I'm eating at a pizza place, not at God's house, so I'm not trying to eat healthy. Besides, Wonder Bread puts sugar in their dough and look how well they've done.
The food here is amazing, you can taste a big difference between here and Domino's/Pizza Hut/Round Table.
The "quick lunch" specials are always a sound deal. Enough food to fill you up, not expensive, and actually tastes good.
Can I be an amateur reviewer for a second here? The pizza is soooooo good. It's my favorite pizza place in san diego. The dough is amazing which means the pizza crust is worth eating. So, so good.
They used to have a 10 dollar large pizza coupon on their website. I used to always print that off. Now that I'm forced to pay full price the pizza just isn't that craveable. It's more of a special-occasion-once-every-few-months type of place for me.
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I like how they have the dessert display right near the entrance so you can drool as you walk in. They have great garlic bread that is slightly sweet. The pizzas are pretty good on average.
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I'd go there for the lunch specials, but if it is pizza you are craving I'd recommend going south a bit to Pizza Port in Solana Beach.
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Although their pizza isn't bad, Leucadia Pizzeria isn't the first place I think of when I'm craving pizza... in fact, Leucadia Pizzeria isn't the first place I think of for Anything besides garlic bread. The only item on their menu that is flat out amazingly delicious is their sweet garlic bread and equally amazing is the fact that they bring you an entire basket of this delicious bread for free when you sit down. The pasta at Leucadia Pizzeria leaves much to be desired. After trying several of their pasta entrees, I've come to the conclusion that they should just stick to Pizza... If you like semi-sweet pizza sauce and sweet pizza dough, you should definitely give Leucadia Pizzeria a try.
edit: Purchases no longer include a famous chocolate chip cookie after your meal... you must now pay for a box of them to satisfy your sweet tooth. damn you leucadia pizzeria.
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so i have been to this place a few times. the food is decent. service is not good. the last time i went, my friend and i got seated right away since it wasn't crowded (just one large party who were in the process of ordering when we were seated and a family of 4). my friend and i sat there for about 20 minutes without a server acknowledging us. it wasn't like we were tucked away in an obscure corner. we were in plain sight with our menus sitting on the table waiting for someone to take our order or tell us they would be with us in a moment. several staff members were walking around in our vicinity who never even made eye contact with us. so after the 20 minute mark we decided to leave. i haven't been back because i was so turned off by the service there.
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Great pizza and desserts. Try the carrot cake. My favorite pizza is the "Thai pizza". Also you get a free entre on your birthday!
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Definitely not traditional Italian-seasoned pizza or sauces here. The pizza is good however if your palate is on the sweet side. I would imagine they add sugar into their sauces and breads. They have a large selection of toppings...the most I've seen anywhere and their own combinations are interesting.
It's a great place to bring the kids and totally kid-friendly. They have extended booths that fit up to ten people. Not a quite dinning spot but rather loud and on any given day expect to find a birthday celebration going on as they can accommodate large parities..
I like some of their pasta/penne dishes especially the dish made with creamy Vodka sauce and ham.
However they make the best chocolate-chip cookies around. Their garlic bread is awesome as well but very heavy...
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Outstanding pizza.
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We rented a condo near here and had their food 3 times in a week. The pizzas are OK, not the best I've ever had, but certainly not the worst. I found the crust to be too thin and a little tougher than I prefer. We were quite disappointed when we ordered dinner on Thursday night and were told it would be 1 hour to 1 hr 15 minutes. I called in after almost 2 hours and found that our order had never been entered by the MANAGER who took it over the phone -- so we had another 45 min wait for dinner. They gave us the more expensive pizza for free, but we still had hungry, crabby kids to deal with while we waited almost 3 hrs for 2 pizzas.
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When in doubt choose Leucadia Pizzeria. Translation: if your hungry and in Leucaida there really isn't another restaurant other than Leucadia Pizzeria where you can always find excellent food, quality service and a relaxed atmosphere.
The patio features a nice ocean view and unlike the beach front restaurants within the vicinity, Leucadia Pizzeria won't break the bank. The menu isn't extravagant or overly exotic, but the food sure is good. Of course, the restaurant is known for pizza and this one serves up a variety of pies including BBQ chicken and Greek pizza, but the pesto pizza is to die for! Plus, they offer plenty of mouth-watering salads. Oh yeah did I mention, the complimentary garlic bread is the best I've ever had?
You'll probably be too full by the time dessert comes around, but I dare you try the strawberry cheesecake after you chowed down a couple of slices of pizza. If you have to wear maternity pants the next day, so be it.
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my favorite pizza in sd! they have lots of random flavors (in the vein of california pizza kitchen), but the quality of the pizza is so much better. thick crusts and lots of cheese and the sauce is good (not excessively salty like so many other places). their garlic bread is great too!
update 12/1: came here again last week and tried their pastas. while nothing was bad per se, this is definitely a place to come for the pizza! on a side note, they make some damn fine buffalo wings...
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Service is average, pizza is good but greasy-beware!
The pizza, pasta and salads are average here. Service is average too.
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