Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria

Dinner for a good cause is the best kind of dinner in my book! We were looking for somewhere new for dinner last Wed night when we heard that all proceeds at Amici that night were going to the family of slain Escondido Police Office Laura Perez.
We were greeted with the doors being opened for us and a warm greeting by two police officers. I’m pretty sure that doesn’t happen every night but it was a very nice touch. We were offered a table promptly and our waitress came out soon after. With Bellinis and mimosas being only $ 3 I had to try a Bellini. It wasn’t bad at all.
To eat I had a small antipasto salad (talian salami, pepperoncini, whole kalamata olives, and mozzarella added to the garden salad) and my fiancé had a small Amici’s combo pizza (pepperoni, meatball, bacon, sautéed mushrooms, black olives). Both were good. My fiancé’s pizza crust was too burnt for my taste but he liked it. I thought $ 18 for his pizza was expensive but it did have a lot of yummy ingredients on it so he thought it was worth it.
All in all a pretty good experience.

Last week my other half and I came here for the first time and I have to say, I like this place. The service was impeccable — friendly, efficient, fast and professional; the place itself is modern, airy and spotlessly clean. And the food was good. We split a spinach salad as a starter — absolutely delicious. I ordered the eggplant pizza and my partner the pepperoni pizza. My only small complaint is that my pizza was somewhat bland; I had to spice it up with red pepper and Parmesan cheese. But overall, I definitely recommend this place.

Ever since my break up with Landinis, I have been on the hunt for a pizza delivery place. Ive been hurt before, but I am a romantic who likes to keep her heart open. However this latest experience has left me abandoned, alone and with mild gastrointestinal discomfort… let me replay what happened…
Breathing heavily, I scoured the menu. Drool seeping from the corner of my mouth, I finally make my selection. I opt to go more traditional, a large pepperoni and sausage pizza and a side of meatballs. Delivery quoted me 30 – 45 minutes. I anxiously awaited my prize. Delivery driver arrived about 45 mins after order. Prompt service was a breath of fresh air. I was excited, it was like a first date, so many possibilities of a future pizza delivery relationship. Palms sweating, I lift the box and peer down at my pie. Instead of a choir of angels ringing out, a flat trumpet sounds. WAH WAHHHH. My smile turns to sadness as I see the crust is burnt.
Always the optimist, I say to myself «Maybe it will taste better than it looks.» but with one taste I am hit with the cold hard fact that sometimes looks are everything, you can judge a book by its cover, if it looks like a duck, etc. I am saddened and so I turn to the meatballs to comfort me. «Be gentle» I whisper. I am pleasantly surprised at their good flavor and consistency. The gravy it came in (the tomato sauce) could be more chunky and less watery but not shabby at all.
All in all, this place will not be getting a second date from me. While your balls were tasty, you were too expensive and the burnt pizza crust (see pics, i picked out the best pieces) left me feeling unsatisfied. 2 stars for the meatballs and service.

We have dined here now twice and been very happy! As Northeast transplants finding what er consider «good pizza» has been tough in SoCal, but Amici’s is very close to a Boston or New York place… The picture in the men’s room will tell you where the owners hail from.

We went to Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria for the first time today. We have lots of good pizza in the neighborhood: Bronx Pizza, Arriverderci among others. I have to put Amici’s at the top. If you like true, Italian style pizza like they make in Naples, this is your place.
The ingredients are all clearly fresh and delicious. The crust is somewhat thin and its flavor and texture complements the toppings.
Service was very good. The ambience is very nice and more upscale than a «pizza joint.» And their prices are reasonable.
Definitely recommend giving them a try.

Oh my lanta. What an awful, awful experience.
First off, this is my first review on Unilocal.I usually don’t bother to write anything unless the restaurant is exceptionally good (or in this case, bad).
I ordered delivery. It took an hour and ten minutes when I was told it would take 30 minutes. I ordered a margarita pizza, garlic sticks, fettuccine Alfredo, and this gnocchi side platter.
The food was DISGUSTING. The pizza was bland and seemed more like a regular pizza than a margarita pizza. Especially with how much money I paid for it. The fettuccine was awful, dry and stuck together. The gnocchi was hard. The only thing I could put in my mouth was the garlic sticks, which were not anything special.
Overall — what a disaster. This place needs to get its things together because the food and delivery service was beyond bad. I’m so unhappy I spent my money on this place. Look elsewhere for Italian food — I would have been better off buying a microwaveable grocery store bought pizza.

Fresh brewed iced tea, check!
Pesto chicken and roasted vegetable sandwich, delicious!
Atmosphere clean and contemporary! Reminds me of Pizza Nova. .I’ll be back!

As a pizza lover this was a very disappointing experience.
I got a pizza to go and the service was great, guy was nice and courteous.
The pizza however. Extremely average. It’s not disgusting just nothing to write home about. Won’t go back.
I got the pepperoni pizza and basically it would’ve been ok if it was a kids meal or a lost dish in the back of the menu of a restaurant specializing in something else. Definitely expected more from a place that calls themselves a Pizzeria with an Italian name. Actually this pizza is identical to the one you can get at the Cheesecake Factory (got the small pizza and salad lunch combo there). They must have the same supplier. A joke for a Pizzeria, definitely no pizzaiolo there.

OK, the pizza was great, no question about it. With the competition close by, however, I wonder about their price structure. It may be a bit on the high site, but definitely, I would come back.

I love this place. It’s such a cool modern New York style pizza place. They brick oven to prepare the pizza’s and the dough is sooo delish! They have a small
Patio out front which is cool when hanging out with friends who have furry friends. I would highly recommend this place! I’m so in love with it!

Amici’s is actually an established Bay Area restaurant (with several locations) so when we saw one opening nearby, we couldn’t wait to check it out.
We came by for dinner on a Friday night. When we first got to the restaurant (about 5:30 p.m. or so) it was just my husband and I, the staff, and like one other guy. But, by the time we left an hour and a half later, it’s was packed!
THE FOOD
First, we were starving. So for starters, we ordered the «flame roasted lemon» chicken wings and gnocchi with butter and parmesan. The gnocchi was dry (but I admit that I’m slightly snobby about gnocchi); I was not impressed. But the chicken wings: O-​M-​G! They were DELICIOUS!!! And I don’t say that lightly because I actually don’t like chicken wings and never eat them. Like, never ever. My husband was surprised that I ate the wings. But these wings were juicy, super citrusy, and really flavorful. I’d definitely order these again. Heck, I’d go back just for the wings.
As for pizza, we ordered the Calabria (which we had a sample of at Taste of Hillcrest the weekend before) and the Milano. We ordered the small/​10 inch in both and honestly, we could have ordered two mini/​7 inch pies instead; or, I definitely could have done the mini. After we were done, we had a box of three or four combined slices. Ah well, next time.
The Calabria with green olives was really, really good. Seriously, really, really good. This is my pizza. I think that the green olives give it an extra kick of saltiness without just tasting like salt. The Milano was also good but threw me off because the potatoes look like pineapples; so every time I took a bite, I unconsciously thought that the pizza would be sweet (but it wasn’t).
THE SERVICE
The service was really good, nothing to complain about. Our waiter was attentive, came by regularly, and then brought and timely processed our check.
OVERALL
I find some of the other comments a little puzzling. The pizza *is* a little pricier but, ummm, it’s gourmet pizza. If someone wants cheap pizza, Bronx is down the street. (And don’t get me wrong, I love Bronx pizza.) I also love Project Pie, but it’s just different depending on mood and budget, among other things. In my opinion, the prices here are comparable with other GOOD gourmet pizza joints in San Diego, Las Vegas, and the Bay.
We really enjoyed Amici’s and will be back.

My boyfriend lives close by and he had been wanting us to go here, so we finally went for a late lunch. He thought it was more of a fast-​casual place, but it is actually sit down. I was kind of laughing because I completely agree with most of these reviews: overpriced! We split a caesar salad which had homemade dressing that was really tasty ($ 13) and then split a medium siciliano pizza ($ 23). We both really liked the pizza, but overall, it was nothing super great. We each had an iced tea and our total was $ 43, plus tip. Yes, the food was good, but so expensive for what it is! Some of the «small» sized pizzas on the menu were pushing $ 20; at Project Pie down the road, you can get just as good of a pizza with unlimited toppings for $ 9.
I guess you are kind of paying for the sit-​down experience, but I mean, it’s pizza!
It also said on the menu it was a taste of NY, but then had Boston things everywhere (which I did like because I am from that area), but it kind of seemed like it was trying to hard to be something it wasn’t.
Overall, the food was good, but the value was not. Project Pie, Rockfire Grill and Chocolat all have pizza that is just as good but at a way better price point.
I am betting this place will not last very long.

Not bad but too expensive. $ 30 for a «large» 15″ pizza and two bottles of water.
If this was actually located on the East Coast it would go out of business.

We came here because it was a ridiculous wait across the street at RB Sushi. Initially, we were both super excited and overlooked the few bad reviews that were on here since there’s only a handful so far as this place just recently opened.
We looked at the menu and everything seemed quite ok. Our server greeted us and took our order down. My beer and the waters were brought over pretty fast.
We waited at least a good 20 mins or so before the rest of our dishes came out. And when it finally did, at this point when hunger hits you pretty bad, anything will taste good. Not only did the food taste mediocre but as starving as we were, we were immediately disappointed. The flavors just weren’t there for the pizza (I got their seasonal special with squash). And the pasta? Let’s not even get there. It appeared as if it sat around for the longest time and tastes so bland (along with being drenched in a puddle of oil)!
It took ages to get our check. While I applaud the server for giving us my beer in the house to «make up» for the long wait, she goes ahead and has the longest conversation with a table next to ours while we waited for her to come back and grab our check. And when we finally paid, she does the same thing again and takes forever to bring my card and receipt back. Pretty considerate huh?
And «best pizza west of NY?» More like «most overpriced pizza west of NY!» I wouldn’t mind the prices if the environment, quality and service was consistent all around. Totally disappointed!
Be warned…

Amici’s is good! The service was VERY good! I would say the prices are high for what you’re getting. The service is in line with the pricing, but the food and cafeteria style seating are not so much in line with the pricing. I know their other locations are in San Francisco and La Jolla. I’d say their pricing is more expected for those locations because everything has a bloated price tag in those areas, but for Hillcrest, where there’s a ton of competition for good food and good service, I might take the pricing down a notch, or add a little more to the food or to the table/​chair set-​up.

After a visit to Vibra Hospital located directly across the street, I stopped in at Amici’s for a bite to eat before heading home. Super friendly and inviting staff seated me right away in the outdoor patio. It was happy hour and so I ordered the Cesar Salad and the Butternut Squash & Ricotta Mini Pizza. My lovely waitress, Jamie suggested the Pinot Grigio which was perfect! The salad was good, not great. The Pizza was OUTSTANDING!
Best of all, my phone was almost dead and I had a pretty long drive home. Someone on staff actually left to go upstairs and provide one for my phone to charge while I dined. How’s that for customer service!

Came for lunch. Was awesome. The Caesar salad is amazing. Home made dressing — you have to try it. Ordered a philly pizza — with the hot sausage — don’t be afraid — wasn’t that spicy. Service was wonderful — Jaime was amazing. You should try this place!
Edit! After we left, one member of our party left a sweater behind as they chased us down — 2 blocks! Amazing staff. Thank you.

Just opened last week but not ready yet!
Stopped in for dinner server takes our order then 5 mins later another server comes over asking for order. We said that we already ordered and he then said first server could not remember what we wanted! We ordered again. Garlic bread sticks arrived no garlic my cheese ravioli arrived cold in center food was just not ready for customers yet. Just to bad they were not trained. Asked for manager and told he was busy
Think I will wait 6 months before trying again

Great food, great beer, great service!
For only being open since Tuesday I think the place is doing great.
Fun attitudes, great location, fresh ingredients, good pizza and the most amazing Fettuccini Alfredo I’ve ever had!
May be alittle pricey but I would say it’s worth it, it definitely isn’t a Dominoes or Papa John’s.

Amici’s — the box says «best pizza west of New York», but really it should state «most expensive pizza west of New York».
My friend and I went to Amici’s for dinner and both of us ordered an individual pizza, shared a salad and ordered one soda, and the total cost was about $ 65! The food was mediocre, but the prices are just absolutely ridiculous for what you get…
The service was good I will give them that, but I mean it better be for prices like that! Meh.