There are many well known restaurants, cafes and bars in and around North Park, San Diego but Caffe Calabria reigns supreme ! If you want bonafide Italian cuisine such as wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, the best quality coffee ( Caffe Calabria roasts it’s whole coffee beans in house ) in California, a full bar that even has the world renowned Delirium Tremens on tap, fully imported Italian decor throughout both levels and the BEST FRIENDLY SERVICE anywhere . . this is the place to be !
My wife and I made the long drive down here on Friday to enjoy dinner at our fav lunch place. It has been a few years since we have been here for dinner. After parking our wheels in the nearby Ace Parking Garage we walked a few hundred yards to Calabria. We said hi to our good friend Leo the famous pizza chef working his Italian Pizza Oven just inside the entrance. To our surprise Arne the charismatic founder/ owner spotted us the second we walked in the door at 5pm. It was great to see Arne and he was very happy to see us. We grabbed a couple of comfy swivel stools at the bar and checked out the comprehensive pizza menu. First up it was a Delirium Tremens on tap served in their iconic long stem glass.
Angelina took care of my beer order for me. I ended up with 2 and enjoyed them both. Now usually when my wife and I come here for lunch we share a single pizza even though they always have 2 WOOD-FIRED PIZZAS FOR $19. We decided to take the deal. My wife ordered a Rubino Pizza ( Speck, Caramelized Onions, Grana, Gorgonzola, Mozzarella fior di latte & Thyme ) while I chose the Diavola ( Organic San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Salame Picante, Mozzarella fior di latte, Fiocchi di pepe rosso & Grana ).
My wife ordered a Latte while I was enjoying my Delirium Tremens beers. A server soon brought our pizza order to our spot at the bar. We chomped into them straight away . . they taste better hot. I tried a slice of my wife’s Rubino pizza . . delicious and she tried a slice of my Diavola pizza . . quite spicy ! We pretty much demolished both pizzas in a few minutes. DESSERT BECKONED…I ordered an Affogato ( Vanilla Gelato with a shot of Espresso & Cocoa Powder ) while my wife had to have a slice of irresistible Chocolate Temptation Cake. Our desserts tasted outstanding…the perfect finale to an excellent dinner. We said goodbye to Arne the owner and all the great staff. WHERE ELSE WOULD WE WANT TO BE !
