Project Pie – La Costa

My family and I have been here twice. The first time was just ok. Trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, we tried a second time to see if our experience was gonna be better. It wasn’t. I would grade the pizza as fair and their beer selection is poor. In fact it sucks! They only offer 3 different selections of beer of brands I have never heard of. You would think for a pizza joint, the beer would be good and the pizza would be great. It was a total disappointment.

I’m done. I have been a loyal customer since Project Pie opened, visiting at least once every week (I have the loyalty points to prove it). Over the last few weeks, things have gone downhill big time. Take tonight for example:
I was second in line when I arrived, so I expected a quick turnaround. Instead, it took 30 mins to leave with a burnt pizza. Here is why: there were 5 people working, including one person who keep popping in and out from the back room. There was one guy who made the dough, another guy who made the pizza (slowly and incorrectly) and one girl who’s only job was to write down the toppings. The last employee was responsible for putting the pizza in the oven, cooking them, taking them out of the oven, getting them sliced and boxed. If that’s not enough, she was also the cashier and when they ran out of boxes, she put new ones together. As you can imagine, there was a line of uncooked pizzas on the counter waiting until she got around to them. My pizza got burned because she had to work the register for someone else. One pizza didn’t get the post-​cooking topping, as she was too busy elsewhere.
This is just an example of what the last few weeks have looked liked and why, other than to redeem my free pizzas, I won’t be a paying customer anymore. It’s not worth the 30 min wait for what should be a few minutes, especially when pizzas come out wrong.

I used to like this place until the workers burned the bottom of my pizza (TWICE) until it was rock hard pizza and burned my throat as I ate the flavorless brick pieces. The workers are a little too casual and don’t seem to take their job seriously. And the wait is way too long… Only thing I like is their friendliness.

Delicious! I love going to this place and go at least once a month since I work right across the street. I love customizing my pizza. The service is quick and fast. Their salad pizza is super delicious and feels healthy. I just miss their craft soda machine. Otherwise, a very tasty pizza place!!!

My past experiences at this Project Pie location were positive, but my last experience was so terrible that I felt I needed to update my review.
There was a medium-​sized line when I arrived and maybe about 8 people (some in groups) in front of me, but I didn’t think it would take too long so I decided to wait… boy was I wrong!!! My mom and I waited in line for 30 minutes and finally just walked out. As we waited in line, there were plenty of pizzas being made, but either every customer ahead of us was ordering 5+ pizzas, the pizzas were being made super slow, or something else was holding up the line… well there were numerous people in front of us ordering multiple pizzas, including someone ordering off of her phone for a bunch of friends who must have taken at least 10 minutes to get through the line… but the real kicker was that just as the people in front of us started to order one of the employees told them that the pizzas that had just been made in front of theirs were phone orders. Excuse me, what?! Who puts phone orders ahead of people who have been waiting in your line for 30 minutes!!! Absolutely ludicrous… it would have been at least another 20 minutes before we got our pizzas so we left and went over to Dominos instead.
This is one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had in my life!

I like the idea of Project Pie, but the execution is not fabulous. We waited about 20 minutes in line to have our pizzas made, of which you can pick from a pre-​selected menu or make your own. I went with one of the pre-​selected and added a few extra toppings. I do like that the extra topping selections (veggies, cheese) aren’t extra. I think meat may be extra. After our pizzas were made, it was about another 7 minutes or so to wait for our pizza to be cooked in their giant pizza oven. Now, I know I «made my own pizza», but it wasn’t that good. I’m on the side that all good pizza starts with a good crust, and the crust. was not anything special here.
One positive note — The lemonade is excellent.

I’ll start with the pizza, which was good. This is a «build your own» fast casual pizza place with a few pre-​set items. The menu and pricing are both simple and affordable, and there are enough options to have something for everybody. For dine-​in, there are a few beer and wine options.
The restaurant itself is simple; the ordering line is on your right and the tables are to your left. It’s not an overwhelmingly large space so it can feel cramped during rush hours, which is when we went (around 6:30pm). The other downside is that when it’s busy, there can be a wait. It took us somewhere between 15 – 20 to get from the front door to the counter to order. I’m not sure if this is the norm, but it was certainly a negative for our trip. Once we were up there, the staff was very friendly and quick, and the rest of our time there went off without a hitch. We’ll likely be back, I just hope there isn’t a line again.

Can not get enough of their Kale Salad.
Kids eat Free on Tuesdays with a purchase of a regular pizza… come on, $ 8.50 is the most expensive pizza. Done.

3^rd try. The first time they burned my pizza so badly they had to make me a new one (which didn’t get to me until everyone was done eating!). The second time everything was great and I thought it was redeemed.
Tonight was the 3^rd time and service was horrendous. Medium size line yet every single employee looked overwhelmed. Line of pizzas going out. Watched multiple overcooked pizzas come out of the oven and the girl cutting the pizza (who looked so frazzled) literally cut the burnt edges off.
While waiting 15 minutes for my pizza to even go in, I watched one girl go in the back and eat pizza. I also watched another guy go and get himself a drink.
And my pizza came out burnt. Horrendous. Looks like multiple reviews say the same thing. Perhaps management needs to read their Unilocal reviews and do something to fix it?

4 stars for the pizza, 3 stars for service, so a solid 3.5 stars it is for Project Pie.
One of the many build your own fast fires pizza places that have sprung up recently. I dig the trend for sure.
Project Pie is clean and modern (black & white décor that I can totally get behind). Menu is posted large on the wall, with their specialty options or the ability to customize.
I ordered one of the presets, a white pizza with mozzarella, ricotta, Gorgonzola (hold it, though please — I like it, just not on pizza), Parmesan, black pepper, olive oil, garlic and basil. It was pretty good! Loved the basil and the garlic was strong. Ricotta wasn’t the best I’ve had, but the pizza was cooked well. Nice crispy crust without being burnt.
I ordered a couple kids pizzas — one pepperoni and one cheese — and took a bite of each. The red sauce was really good! I didn’t love the flavor of The pepperoni used though.
The ordering process was pretty slow, slower than their competitors, and the guy working the night I was in, mumbled and didn’t make great eye contact. Ordering was kinda awkward. Pizzas took a little longer to cook than other similar places. But the guy who called my name did offer to help carry my pizzas over to my table.
Lots of tables, no patio to sit at (bummer!), but I’m not a fan of the backless bar stools.
I’d be back, but maybe just to call it in for pickup.

Nice price for a customized personal pizza ($ 8.50). They have a cool machine to flatten out the dough. They have various kinds of toppings and seem pretty fresh but I think what refrained me from giving Project Pie a higher rating is that the pizza itself doesn’t come close to other pizzerias. I would still prefer to eat a NY style pizza elsewhere since Project Pie only serves thin pizzas. It’s too thin and baked for too long that it’s almost like eating an unflavored cracker.
End of the day I end up feeling like eating basically the baked toppings served (decent) with a very thin unflavored cracker.
I personally prefer pizzas where the toppings and the baked pizza dough underneath harmonize well and work well together.

I loved the service here as well as the food!
Prices are more than fair, for around $ 8 you get as many toppings as you like and they had plenty to chose from!
I stocked up on pretty much all of the veggies, the guys loaded their with meats and we all really enjoyed our meals!
Plenty of seating and not too busy when we went for an early lunch, clean and bright location.
Perfect for kids and picky eaters, filling, but still lighter than most pizza which makes this a great lunch or dinner in the area!

I always start any pizza review by mentioning… I’m not a snob in life, but when it comes to pizza, I am. It’s in my blood, having been raised in NYC. I’ve reluctantly accepted what people in SoCal think is pizza and what belongs on pizza. Sorry Socal’ers…I love you and love SoCal. but good pizza here is hard to find.
With all that said… I’m not a fan of these ‘build your own’ fast pizza places. Some are better than others, but I still won’t call them pizza.
So, why did I end up at Project Pie? I had just finished work, kids in tow, it was late, I was tired… kids needed to eat. Here are the positives…
The employees are friendly, the place is clean, there is plenty of parking, and the price is reasonable. They do have Boylan soda and kids eat free on Tuesday nights with the purchase of a regular pizza. Oh, and they do have a fantastic fundraiser program…50% of the proceeds go back to your fundraiser when you have your even there. That’s the highest I’ve ever seen at a business.
Now, I’m sure where you can see this going.
This isn’t pizza. Pizza shouldn’t be ready in two minutes. Pizza needs to be made with love… and love takes a whole lot longer than two minutes!
I ordered one pizza for the kids to share. I knew I wasn’t going to like it so why even bother ordering something for myself. On the flip side, they do have some salads on their menu for someone like me.
My kids loved their half pepperoni/​half cheese pizza… but as you can see in my picture, it was more like a 25% pepperoni pizza and 75% cheese pizza. I reluctantly tried it (hey, I’m doing my mom duty of teaching my kids to try things even when you know you won’t like it. because you may actually like it!) and it’s not pizza. The crust was weird, the sauce had no bite to it.
Three stars for their service, kids eat free option, and fundraiser percentages… but not for the food.
Sorry Project Pie.

Overall the service was extremely slow and unfriendly. The service didn’t smile and placed on pepperoni at a time. Secondly we had to keep asking for more toppings as it didn’t seem like enough (4 pepperoni slices to start). The pizza itself was ‘ok’ but for the same price Blaze Pizza & Pieology offer better ingredients, faster service with a smile, and a great pizza… Something Project Pie lacked.

It’s a select-​your-​own-​toppings type of place and you can have as many toppings as you like. As others have noted, more is not always more and not every flavor combination works well together.
The pizzas go into a crazy hot oven and come out in mere minutes. The crust is very thin which lends itself to tasting the toppings more. Mine was a little light on the cheese but otherwise, everything about the pizza tasted very fresh.
We also tried the garlic and parmesan bites (knots) and they were a bit doughy (perhaps needing a few more seconds in the oven) but the buttery garlic sauce they were swimming in was decadent.
There was a slight problem with one of our orders but we received a sincere apology and a freebie for our next visit. Now that’s good and smart business.
The interior is interesting and attractive and obviously well thought out.
Ordering for the first time is a little odd because it’s not obvious what you are supposed to tell the first guy or gal in the assembly line. It’s still not perfectly clear to me (and it definitely wasn’t clear to the 90 year old couple in front of us) but somehow we managed.
If you want a solid, thin-​crust, very fresh tasting pizza pie, you’ll do just fine here.

About 15 years ago, I would have told you that pizzas with any topping odder than basil or a spoonful of fresh ricotta was pretentious. Whenever I saw gorgonzola and thinly sliced pears on the menu, I would call it ‘Yuppie Pizza.’ And while I’ve mellowed a bit in my old age … well, middling age … and despite the fact that I still think that real pizza comes with a limited range of certain toppings, I can at least enjoy some arugula and orange chunks sprinkled on top as well.
But, no Cheerios, son … gotta draw the line somewhere.
So, Project Pie … this seems to be another spot in the vein of Blaze, where they tout that the pizzas will be out in two minutes and on your plate quick after you order it. With the dough and sauce made in house and a plethora of ingredients to choose from, it doesn’t seem like it could be a miss. And it is okay, in its own way; just not much better than alright.
We ordered three pies, starting with a custom Sausage and Tomato. Their crust is thin, served dry and stiff, giving a cracker chew and a good taste to each bite without being difficult to eat; I like that. The sausage had a fair amount of spice and the tomatoes were sliced thin so they didn’t drown the pizza in they moisture. I think this was executed well and served as the best pizza on the table.
Next up was their #2, the Project Pie version of a Meat Lovers. In all honesty, this one was fairly forgettable. We were just there less than a week ago and I can’t really remember anything good or bad about this pizza. Looking back at the pictures, I’m reminded that the toppings all made me think of the kind you would see on a frozen pizza at the supermarket. The meat here does in no way actually taste like that, I just couldn’t help thinking that those pepperoni that curl up into little bowls do the exact same thing on a Kroeger brand. Everything else is lost in what felt like just an average pizza.
Last up was the #8, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Prosciutto, Red Onions, Mozzarella, Parmesan, and a drizzle of Olive Oil. This was an ambitious choice that caught my eye that I thought we could try. And it was edible, good in some ways, but the combination of salty prosciutto, salty parmesan cheese, and salty brussels sprouts made each bite of this pizza … well, extremely salty. Mix in the high tart from the red onion (instead of a balancing sweet), and this pizza wasn’t all that good. Sad as I was hoping it would help move me further from my prejudice against yuppie pizza.
Oh, and that Boylan’s Soda they have on tap? Yeah, that stuff is extremely nasty. My girlfriend, who normally enjoys diet cola, found this iteration undrinkable as it had a hint of mint to it that actually climbed and jumped off with that ‘hint’ of mint. My mother took one sip of the Root Beer and just shook her head at the rest. The Cream Soda was the only one we tried that was remotely drinkable.
In the end, Project Pie is okay. I wouldn’t mind going back again to try something else. But, I can’t really recommend it much past that. Be mindful of the combination you choose, grab something bottled and don’t get a cup, and you should probably survive.

Project Pie actually offers a pretty decent tasting pie at a relatively low price. Came into this particular location because of a flyer received in the mail and did not regret it whatsoever. This place is honestly a tad bit better than the rival Pieology as they have a slightly better tasting crust and some additional better tasting toppings. Ordered a custom pie and had them place extra sauce, some meat and veggies with a bit of extra cheese. The staff was very courteous, accommodating and really made the experience pleasant in nearly all facets of the business. Overall, I’m not a huge build your own pizza kind of guy, but I will most definitely be back at Project Pie in the near future.
Pros–
Location
New establishment
Taste
Service
Friendliness
Single large screen TV
Parking
Ordering process
Cons–
Can be slow
Needs a good tea
No alcohol served (yet)

Bottom Line: Disappointing but there is some promise for this two-​month old establishment.
I ventured into Project Pie with very little expectations but I knew it was a newer business and that I needed to review them with grace. Unfortunately, my experience here was more of one of a two-​day old restaurant rather than a two-​month old restaurant. There was a lot of miscommunication between the staff as to what I wanted order and who had already done that. More communication and teamwork behind the counter would go along ways.
I ordered a white pizza, the #5 specifically. It consisted of mozzarella, ricotta, gorgonzola, parmesan, garlic, basil, olive oil, pepper I also had tomatoes added to it. The tomatoes were barely red and not too appetizing. Next time I will probably «design» my own and see if I have better results.
I enjoyed watching the pizza dough being prepped. First it is pressed from a dough round to a flat piece of dough on a dough press. Next, the dough is aerated (for lack of a better word) by hand. When cooked in the super hot oven, the dough is transformed into a light and crispy crust.
The interior at Project Pie is very cute. Also, I appreciate that they have study boxes for those wanting it to go.
Also, the staff was friendly and really good about acknowledging waiting customers with a «We’ll be right with you» or «Thanks for waiting.» I thought those were good practices.
Project Pie currently offers Boylan sodas and has applied for a beer and wine license. Yay for pizza and beer.
I’ll definitely give Project Pie another shot in several months when their practices are more refined and the staff is more up to speed. I definitely see the potential in this fast fired pizza shop.

After hearing about Project Pie’s Hillcrest location for years, I was happy to see this place move into north county.
I came in on a Saturday around lunch, Many tables were still empty but there were a few people in line. So, as I looked over the menu on the wall I noticed that the line wasn’t moving very quickly. This became even more apparent 10 minutes later when I still hadn’t ordered. Then right before it was my turn, a large phone order was taken and placed right in front of mine. Add at least another 5 minutes of waiting. Luckily I was only ordering from the numbered selections, not custom orders. That would have taken forever. Time to pay! Manager guy was busy juggling three or four tasks at once. Slicing pies, Calling out names, fixing up to togo orders. more waiting. I finally got to order.
Pizzas are yelled out when ready, not when the entire order is ready. So it will be three or four times you have get up and grab your pie.
The Pizza looked nice. I mean, I’m sure if I ordered a custom pie it would have more stuff on it right? Hell, when I order from Pieology it’s a mound of toppings.
The BBQ tasted bold, with the main culprit being the blue cheese as part of the toppings. This actually worked. The White pizza was also pungent in flavor.
The Salad was a positive differentiator from competing pizza places. It was fresh and worthy or ordering.
Failed Projects —
1 They need to refine their pizza creation process. Way too long of a wait especially when people are ordering custom pies. One girl was too chatty with the customer which slowed down the line. Pieology and Urban Pi get this right.
2 Pizza seemed lackluster in size and quantity compared to Urban Pi and Pieology. It also costs more here.
3 Acoustics and seating here suck. Cheap plastic high seats. Very few seats that are good for kids.
The Best Build Your Own
1 — Urban Pi
2 — Pieology
3 — Tie — Project Pie /​CYO Pizza

Project Pie was the first quick fire pizza place that I tried a few years back over in Las Vegas. Since then the concept has exploded all over San Diego. Blaze Pizza, PizzaRev, Pizza Studio, Project Pie, Pieology, CYO Pizza and Urban Pi all have opened shop. Project Pie Carlsbad recently opened is nearby so my wife and I stopped in for lunch today.
My first impressions was that the menu could use some improvements. There are two pizza sizes to choose from with prices but it doesn’t list the dimensions of each. Toppings are scuttled down at the bottom and could be a lot more organized. Check out Blaze, PizzaRev, Pieology or Pizza Studio sites for example. Sauce selection is limited as they do not offer a white sauce if you desire.
I opted for the one cheese pie, prices compared to other quick fire’s as of ⁰⁶⁄₁₅:
Project Pie: $ 7.00
Pieology: $ 6.45
PizzaRev: $ 5.99
Pizza Studio: $ 5.99 (cheese or with pepperoni)
Blaze Pizza: $ 5.00
Project Pie is the most expensive out of the group for a cheese pie. Portion size was on the disappointing side for me. They really skimped on the cheese and pizza sauce on my pizza. My last two quick fire’s have been at PizzaRev and they were much more generous with the toppings. Taste of the pizza wasn’t bad. I enjoyed the crust. I prefer a sweeter red sauce but that is personal tastes.
The highlight for me was the offering of Boylan Beverages. I enjoy their cane cola product and was glad to see it offered here. Project Pie is convenient if you live or go to school nearby and want a quick bite to eat. It is not a bad place to eat at, I just prefer to eat somewhere else.