Cucina Caprese Pizzeria & Trattoria

Absolutely brilliant. Decided to stay in SD for the night. Wife found this place online and close. Greeted at the door, the owner and his wife both took our orders. Our daughter has celiac and they assisted her in picking the right appetizer and dinner. All the food was amazing and worth the prices.

Arrived here when a friend recommended it, hailed as a gem among grad students. Park on the street or church lot. You're greeted by a cute stone oven and some very Italian employees eager to serve, joke, and take your order. I split a "meat lovers" (I forgot the actual menu name) with my friend, but you could easily finish one yourself for a lunch time meal too. The pizza itself is simply phenomenal. The dough is extremely light and fluffy, yet the gluten resists easy breakage. Some pizzas require you to brace your neck while you grind your teeth and muscle your arm away in the hopes of ripping a piece of the crust off. You're chewing it because you don't want to waste food, not because it's enjoyable. This however, is the perfect amount of effort to chew. As soon as your teeth meet, the deed is done, your hands are only there to support the rest of the slice as it falls away. And there's a bit of char to contrast the marinara and subtle sweetness of the meatball, pepperoni, and pancetta. What's more impressive is how the entire bottom remains crisp during consumption. This is in spite of all the oil, meat, and sauce juices that permeate the top. I recommend you pick off a piece of pepperoni or sausage and savor it before melding it with the section you took it away from. You can better appreciate how these components come together as a slice. Or just wolf it down, you won't be disappointed either way. Leave work, leave class, take an Uber, it's worth a try and really so much more.