There are not only one but two new pizzerias that have opened in Pacific and Mission beaches.
Hoboken Pizza & Beer Joint, founded by New Jersey native Anthony Kruk in 2003, closed in January.
The restaurant space was taken over by Thank You San Diego, a new restaurant group from Mark Slattery, Paul Lyones, Steve Pure, and Seth Dominque, which also owns Riptides Bar & Grill in Pacific Beach. The new ownership renovated the space brought back most of Hoboken’s staff, and reopened as Rizers Pizza.
Meanwhile, Pizza Port Brewing Co. opened a new location at Belmont Park in Mission Beach, in advance of the amusement park’s 99th anniversary this year. Pizza Port took over the Round Table Pizza space within the beachfront amusement park. Like other branches, this location offers a variety of pizzas and snacks, and its craft beer is available throughout the park.
“We’ve wanted for the last few years, with the shared vision from our parent company Pacifica Enterprises LLC, to create something in the park to make it distinctly San Diegan,” said Sarah Abelsohn, Belmont’s director of marketing. “Every time we’ve had the opportunity, we’ve tried to put things into the park that are local to the San Diego community, things with a local reputation. That is our overall dream and vision for the park. So we partnered with Pizza Port when the opportunity came up.”
“Pizza Port at Belmont Park is a great way to share our adventure for ‘fun,’ sun, and a lifestyle that makes living in San Diego awesome,” said Gina Marsaglia at Pizza Port Brewing Co., of the company’s move to Belmont Park. “What better place to experience that than at a beachfront amusement park? We always love partnering with local businesses and are excited to be opening at Belmont Park in time for their 100th anniversary next year. Cheers to 100 more.”
Bios of the new ownership group at Rizers Pizza include Slattery, with more than 20 years in community who has owned and operated several local businesses in greater San Diego; Lyones with over 13 years in PB who has extensive background in commercial and restaurant kitchens; Pure, 15-plus years in PB and a local business owner in the piercing community along with several years in the bar/restaurant service industry; and Dominique with over 18 years in the bar-restaurant service industry who comes from a security, bartending, and management background with 12 years experience in the community.
Dominique, who is also general manager at Riptides Bar & Grill at 1014 Grand Ave., talked about the new ownership crew at Rizers Pizza, which had its grand opening on Saturday, March 9.
“We all were big fans of Hoboken and all live in the community and when we heard it was closing, we wanted to preserve it as a part of PB’s culture, so we stepped in and helped out,” said Dominique. “We formed this local ownership group to come up with something delicious that people would enjoy, and would be a little taste of home (for East Coast natives).”
Rizers Pizza has worked to keep the flavors and items the community enjoyed from Hoboken while focusing on a pizza crust with a characteristic crack of a New Jersey pie. In addition to round and square pizza styles by the slice and whole pies, Rizers now offers additional items like pasta, cold and hot subs, appetizers, and salads. From the bar, expect a selection of beers on tap, as well as cans, bottles, and a selection of wine.
Rizers also offers a Sicilian-style pizza that is not deep-dish but is thicker than thin-crust styles. Dominique pointed out that Thank You San Diego is “not trying to take over” the local pizza market but rather “just wants a slice” of it.
And Rizers is not re-inventing Hoboken. “We’ve maintained the staff and the recipes,” Dominique noted adding, “We’ve sourced new bread for sandwiches and done slight tweaks with our sauces and other small adjustments to help with the quality and to get more consistency going out the door.”
RIZERS PIZZA
Where: 1459 Garnet Ave.
Contact: rizerspizza.com, 858-270-7766.
PIZZA PORT
Where: Belmont Park, Mission Beach.
Contact: pizzaport.com, belmontpark.com/restaurants-san-diego-ca
