Hammer’s NY Pizza

Let me make myself abundantly clear:
If you live in North County, are originally from the East Coast, and understand what real pizza is, then you are probably bashing your head against the wall trying to figure out where to find a decent slice.
Hammers is the place. Hands-​down. The crust in the sauce make it, but the fresh toppings also are delicious.
Friendly on the phone.
They do not deliver. You need to go pick it up. No seriously. You need to go pick up the pizza. It’s that delicious. It’s actually worth getting up off your butt and going to get.
It tastes like I’m back in college when I eat their slices. I want to write poetry about these damn slices. They’re even better the next day.
Ask for more of their sauce. I want to take a bath in it.
Did I mention that this is the best pizza in north county?
Go get the pizza and keep this place in business.

Heard many great things and finally came in for a few slices. This guy is serious about his pizza! It’s been a while since I’ve encountered someone so passionate about their food… and I mean this in a good way. I’ll be back for a whole pie soon.

Great phone service — placed order with Josh. Picked up four large pizzas and a stromboli — all ready when promised. Margarita pizza was my favorite!

Hands down the best pizza I’ve had in encinitas Carlsbad area. They make you earn it by going to pick it up but its worth every penny.

This pizza is amazing! It’s like I’m in NY again enjoying what pizza is supposed to taste like. My go-​to pizza spot when the wife lets me eat it!

My first NY slice was at Joe’s Pizza on Bleecker St. I never realized how good a pizza could be with just sauce and cheese.
Hammer time hits the nail on the head. Closest thing I’ve had since my slices in NY. It’s Christmas Eve and I hope they’re open!

Very Good Pie! Cannolis were terrific. Great job Hammer and Mike. Good Luck and keep up the tasty work.

Yeah! This place is seriously the best pizza! Just moved to the neighborhood so of course one of the first things we look for is a new pizza joint. Well, look no further! Pizza place found. The crust is perfection, just crispy enough! The sauce to cheese and topping ratio was also perfect! Guy working the joint on a Saturday afternoon could not have been nicer! $ 6.50 for 2 slices and a soda lunch special really topped off Hammer’s awesomeness!

This was some fantastic pizza! My wife and I got a build-​your-​own pizza: ½ mushroom pepperoni), and ½ sausage and green pepper. The ingredients are extremely fresh and it tastes like genuine New York pizza. My grandmother got a single slice of one of the premade pizzas (margarita) and she loved it as well. Hammer actually has a whole separate oven used for heating pizza up, and he explained to me that it was very intentional as the primary oven is used for baking pizza is and most places just burn the pizza that they try to reheat. My grandma’s reheated pizza was perfectly warm and wasn’t burnt at all. Hammer himself was extremely kind and very helpful! I will definitely come back if I find myself in Encinitas next time I’m in San Diego again.

Whatever you do, don’t tell the guy behind the counter how happy you are to have found this «hidden gem.» He HATES that phrase, mainly because he’s got a huge sign out front that renders his business anything but hidden. However, although it’s on El Camino Real, it’s set off the road just a bit, tucked in behind a watch repair shop, and it’s more of a counter than a sit-​down restaurant, so one could be easily forgiven for filing Hammer’s under the «hidden gem» category.
Food-​wise, Hammer’s serves up authentic east coast thin crust, hot, crispy and with just the right amount of sauce. Two slices is all I need, but if you’re having a couple people over, a whole pie will be a huge hit. It’s super quick and the guy is funny and a pleasure to chat with while you wait.
Is this pizza radically different than East Coast Pizza in Cardiff, or Flippin’ Pizza, just up the road? Not really. It’s just as good though. Where Hammer’s sets itself apart is with the calzones and strombolis. If you find yourself with a roaring appetite, try one of their strombolis — you can pack in whatever ingredients you want, along with cheese and sauce, rolled up in their sweet, delicious dough. Don’t make plans after though, as you won’t want to leave the couch. It’s that good.
Hammer’s is now officially in my regular pizza rotation.

My family was visiting from North Jersey the last week and they said (and I quote) «Tastes the same as any pizza joint in Jersey» — And I said «EXACTLY! Do you have any idea how PRECIOUS that is in California!!!»
Artisan pizza is ok, but any person from the East Coast will argue, it’s not the same… And just like pizza spot in NY/​NJ, you just pick-​up. It’s clean but kinda small, exactly that: a pizza joint!
Wish they had delivery but after 2 years living in California and ENDURING no good pizza, trust me, this is good. Authentic taste. like freaking good. cheesy, large, foldable slices. like real NY pizza!
PS: The cannolis are pretty good too.

Best Pizza east of Manhattan Island! Sauce, crust, cheese, spices are all perfectly combined to make a delicious pie.
Judge a place first on their cheese pie if it’s great everything else will follow … Cheese Pie & Tomato Garlic pie are my favorite. The Stromboli is great too!

I’m going to give this place a solid 3 star review. It’s tucked away, a corner store, and the park situation there is interesting. It seems all the spots are either reserved for other businesses or limited to 5 or 10 minutes each.
Now, the food. We ordered a half cheese half pepperoni, well done pie. They nailed the ‘well done’ part. Most places don’t get it right. However, I personally thought the sauce was too sweet. I like mine with a ‘bite’. The ingredients were fresh and the crust was a traditional thin crust, just like New York pizza. Price was 20.84.
There is no seating and that will prevent us from coming back on a regular basis. A table for two and two barstools are inside. Outside, there is one table for four people. We ended up taking the pizza to a local park so we had more room.
Would we order for take-​out? Probably not since we live too far from it for the pizza to still be fresh. If I was in the area and craving pizza, I would stop in but I wouldn’t make a special trip down here.

Hammers NY pizza is good, but it ain’t no NYC $ 1 dollar pizza ;)
Just kidding.
There are so many pizza places in Encinitas, it is nice to finally have a standout spot — Hammers NY ! The wife and I had five slices + garlic knots — each slice had fresh ingredients with a nice, thin crust. The pizza wasn’t soggy like other spots in the area.
Dudes, its pizza. How can you really go wrong?

This is a small mom and pop shop definitely worth trying at least once!
There pizzas as made from scratch, as are all their ingredients. You can taste the difference.
If you are up for the Sicilian pizza experience this is the place to visit. It’s light, airy, and delicious.
They also have a tasty Sicilian spice mixture that I recommend you sprinkle on your pizza. Yum.

I had seen outstanding reviews for Hammer’s, but had not had a chance to try it. After all, it seems that 80% of new businesses in Encinitas are pizza places. I should preface this by saying I’m not from New York, and I don’t have a deep seeded fixation on New York style pizza. That being said, I did not love the pizza. For one pizza with three toppings, we ran up a nearly $ 25 bill. I’m willing to pay for quality, but this just didn’t seem worth it to me. The sauce was sparse, the pizza itself was relatively unflavorful. Again, maybe it’d because I don’t worship at the New York style pizza alter, but compared to their competitor East Coast Pizza in Cardiff, I’d choose East Coast everytime (I’ve yet to try Allen’s or Giant NY pizza yet).
The thing that really grinded my gears was a sign posted behind the counter. It asks customers to not pay with airline/​hotel/​rewards credit cards. As a compulsive collector of miles/​points, I understand that premium cards cost more per swipe, but we are talking 1−2% difference. It seems like nickel and diming to post this sign. Just embed the cost into your price like everyone else does. We are talking like 25 cents difference, no one will notice. The sign draws attention to this kind of skinflinting.

Stopped in to get my watch fixed at Timekeeper (the best watch shop in San Diego) and was treated to one of the best slices of NY thin crust around.
I look forward to getting a few pies for my next gathering of pals. Awesome ownership that knows and loves making pizza that pleases!
Great find.

Hammer is the owner and cook from BROOKLYN! The pie was awesome yo, truly delicious, home made fresh and authentic even the cannoli was made fresh… I’ll be back for sure.
ONE OF MY TOP BEST PIZZAS I’VE HAD IN SAN DIEGO!!!

Hammers knows how to make a NY style pie right, this is my new go to spot :)
Luckily I spotted this gem when I stopped to get my watch fixed at Time Keepers yesterday. My dad is known as «Hammer» back in my hometown/​NJ so I needed to get a photo to send him. While I was taking my photo, Hammer (the owner) came by to talk to me. He was awesome! I told him I was from NJ and assured him I would be back to try the pizza (it was 10am).
After thinking about pizza all day yesterday, today I called in a pick-​up order for a large cheese pie. Hammer had it ready when we arrived to pick it up. He said he hoped we approved and I was really hoping the same so I could write a positive review and support a fellow Hammer.
Tasty flavorful thin sauce — just like my favorites. Perfect amount of cheese. Dough done right. Thin and delicious.
I’m staying true to my pizza critic ways when I say I was beyond satisfied. Even if the place wasn’t called Hammer’s (which I love), I would be back!
Call in to-​go order
Pizza by the slice

I tried Hammer’s after seeing a flyer at a bank and reading the reviews. After trying my bounty of food including slices, stromboli, and more, we’re in love. The husband made me promise to visit often to support them and make sure they don’t go out of business.
So, this is good pizza. They use real parm on their pizzas, have a garlic wash, and do egg sodas (awesome!). Their slices are killer — flavorful, foldable, and fabulous! The strombolis are customizable which is awesome, and the pizza list. Oh, the list! They have vegan options, a good amout of of veggie and meat options, and, most importantly, they have a baked penne (ziti) pizza. Better than Flippin, Frescos, and perhaps as good as or better than It’s a Sicilian Thing. Sooooo gooooooood… They really do bring a taste of NJ/​NY to Encinitas.
As a note, this is a takeout/​delivery place with a small counter area for eat in, so do be advised.