Bazinga Eatery

Overpriced Mac and cheese. I love Mac and cheese, I wanted to love this place, I don’t. It was honestly nothing I couldn’t prepare better at home. And our waitress was not good… At all. Wish I had more to say but for north park, there’s way better options

This place is a hidden gem of North Park. My brother and I tried it on a whim. I had the Crab Mac and he had the steak and brie. Wow! Sooooo good I couldn’t wait for it to cool before tearing into it. You won’t be disappointed here. In fact, you will be coming back for your comfort food fix!

The steak and Brie mac and cheese is TO DIE FOR. I absolutely cannot tell you how tasty and well-​seasoned the dishes were!
I would highly recommend it, and will most definitely return to try other food on the menu. Don’t miss out on this find!

I’d had Bazinga bookmarked for quite a while and finally had a chance to check them out recently for a late lunch/​early dinner. We got there not long after they opened for the night (just after 4p) and you could tell — SUPER quiet and it was pretty apparent that they were still in the process of doing all that needs to be done before a dinner shift.
I decided on the chorizo mac and cheese and the boyfriend went for the vegan version with daiya cheese (it comes with two add-​ons and he went with spinach and broccoli). The mac and cheese comes out in individual cast iron skillets, brilliant for both presentation purposes and for keeping things hot. No one likes congealed cheese, after all.
According to the menu, the chorizo mac and cheese has manchego, sharp cheddar, and fontina cheeses. It was hard to tell and seemed pretty one note to me. The chorizo also made everything pretty greasy (as, I suppose, chorizo is wont to do) so overall it wasn’t my favorite dish and I’d try something else before getting it again. The boyfriend quite liked his, although he commented that it could have used a bit more daiya.
Service wasn’t unpleasant, but it was very terse. The layout of the restaurant is also odd — walking in the door, you have to walk past a few family style tables and turn a corner before you get to the main restaurant/​bar area and the tables there are situated in a way that makes it seem like you’d be pretty on top of other diners should the place be full.
Bottom line: I’ll return when I’m having some comfort food cravings, but I won’t be rushing back any time soon.

Seriously, if you love mac and cheese, you must come to this eatery. They have various options for you to choose from. I ordered the Benedict mac and cheese which was extremely satisfying. There wasn’t much of a wait time either after we ordered our food and it came out sizzling hot so you know it wasn’t already prepared beforehand. Friendly reminder: don’t forget to check in and get your free mac and cheese ball! Very delicious.

Came here on a Sunday afternoon with some girlfriends. It was pretty empty which almost turned me off to eating here but…
My friend J ordered the Crab Mac ‘n Cheese which was pretty tasty… except there’s corn in it. Maybe some folks enjoy the corn but we definitely didn’t think it was necessary. The Asiago, crab, and avocado made it rich enough… seriously, tell them to nix the corn!
My friend E got the French Onion Mac ‘n Cheese and whoa!!! The Gruyère and the grilled onions tasted friggin’ fantastic! Get this! Don’t hesitate! It’s $ 8 of pure goodness!
I ordered the Steak & Brie Mac ‘n Cheese and the steak was cooked to perfection. You really don’t need the mac or the cheese… just steak and mushrooms. But, since I love Brie, I guess that could stay too.
This place is a bit pricey but the various types of cheese that use make it worth it. Maybe next time I should just get the sampler!

Everything tastes great and is beautifully presented. The Mac and cheese balls served with aioli dipping sauce are definitely worth a taste. Main dishes come in a mini cast-​iron skillet.
Server was friendly, beer was good, food was excellent. Definitely coming back.

It’s really a 3.5. Seriously Unilocal,let us give half ratings haha anyways, rounding up for optimism. Came here to catch up with a friend and as we are both foodies we were excited to try this place out. It is as Unilocal defines it as Comfort Food and specializes in Mac n Cheese. They lose a star for lack of attentive service as it took forever to get a refill or the bill, but the food was good none the less. Ambiance was nice and it wasn’t too busy when we came in around 630pm.
The [Benedict] was pretty good. I felt like I hyped myself up too high and found it underwhelming but it was still good.
Looking forward to my next visit to try other items on the menu. Brie and Steak, I’m coming for you.

Been looking for a great comfort food spot in SD for a while and I’m so glad I finally found one! Bazinga is located in the new exploding part of North Park by Modern Times and Underbelly. They specialize in Mac n’ Cheese so I had to try it out. I ordered the original, but they also have a many different takes on the dish. The mac n’ cheese came out HOT in a pan so you know this wasn’t cooked in some giant bowl but rather made to order. On top were crunchy panko crumbs which gave the cheesy plate a hint of crunch. It was so good, I’m definitely coming back for their spicy mac n’ cheese with chorizo.
They also have a really good selection of craft brews on tap. My personal fave is the Cali-​creamin’ from Mother Earth brewing company. So smooth, light, and reminds me of a cream soda beer. So GOOD especially to wash down the rich mac n’ cheese here. Oh, and I also saw they have some deals for mimosas so brunch may be in the future for me here.

Being a huge fan of mac & cheese this place had been on my radar for sometime. I finally got to try it last night for dinner. Verdict? It was just ok.
I came by for a Friday night dinner and surprisingly this place wasn’t as packed as I thought it would be. My friend and I being huge fans of mac & cheese had really high hopes for this place. To start off we got an order of the fried mac & cheese balls and for our entrees I got the chorizo and my friend got the brie and steak. The mac and cheese balls although very crispy, were pretty bland. I could barely even taste the cheese. The sauce that it came with though really helped but sadly that was all you could taste. Texture was spot on but the flavor wasn’t there. For my chorizo mac this one had more flavor. It had jalapeño peppers and chorizo mixed in and topped with crunchy chicharron. This did have a kick to it and was a bit spicy which I loved. For the chorizo, I couldn’t really find any in the mac and cheese. I was hoping for slices of sausage but I I guess its ground up into tiny pieces instead. The chicharron topping was genius and that was probably my favorite part of the dish. My friend said her steak and brie was ok. The steak was cooked perfectly but she also said her dish lacked some flavor and it was on the bland side. The portions are on the smaller side (for a guy) but since it was such a heavy dish I think it was decent.
Service here was very good. Everyone was friendly and checked up on us often. If they worked on their flavors a bit more then I think they would have a home run. Great concept but just an ok execution.

I was excited to try this new place that replaced Sea Rocket Bistro. The area of Upas and 30^th is really developing nicely with the addition of the apartments on that corner with Under Belly and Tacos Pearla.
I ordered the GorgonApple ($ 9), which contains gorgonzola, fontina, Granny Smith apples and candied walnuts. It was intensely rich and I finished the entire plate. All are served in a hot cast iron skillet. My friend got the French Onion, which had Gruyère, fontina, caramelized onions topped with fried onions
We got the Grilled Vegetables salad ($ 8) with yellow squash, zucchini, red bell peppers, portabello mushrooms, red onions, parmesan cheese & Mediterranean dressing.
On a Tuesday night it wasn’t too busy and service was prompt. I checked in on Unilocal to receive a free Mac’n Cheese Ball that had a side of aioli. I should have eaten it later though…
The only drawback was how my body handled the food. It’s not really a fault of the restaurant but my lack of restraint. I woke up in the middle of night feeling odd in my stomach. I think I over did it, ate too much and paid the price. I needed an antacid.
I will definitely be back and maybe only eat half my dish. :)

My friend and went on a Sunday evening. There was only the bartender working as the hostess, bartender, and server. It was dead when we arrived but quickly picked up. Surprisingly she did a very good job and gave good service. It was our first time there so I’m not if I would have returned if we got bad service.
Anyway, the food was delicious. We started of with the Mac & Cheese Pizza then moved on to the entrees. We shared the Chorizo Mac & Cheese and the Brie & Steak Mac & Cheese. Everything was very tasty but the Mac & Cheese Pizza was my favorite. The only thing I didn’t like about this place is that they don’t offer much outside of Mac & Cheese.

I wanted to love this place, but I don’t. Service was excellent, but the mac and cheese just didn’t hit the spot for me.
My favorite dish of the night was the appetizer– carne asada fries with mac and cheese. It was like nachos and carne asada fries had a baby. That baby was freaking delicious.
We also ordered the spinach salad to share and the mac and cheese sampler. The sampler was disappointing. That’s probably because I really did not like their base recipe for mac and cheese. The cheese is saucy and one note. I like my mac and cheese a little more complex– I like to taste the different cheese marrying each other. That just was not happening here.
I might be back to try the gorgonapple and the benedict because they may have the complex flavor profile I’m looking for, and definitely the carne asada fries, but unless I fall in love with those dishes, this place is not a home run for me.

What I tried:
Mac n’ cheese balls (8 out of 10)
Mac n’ cheese sampler (5 out of 10)
I would probably only come back for beer and the cheese balls. I liked the texture of the cheese balls, crunchy on the outside and melted mac n’cheese on the inside, reminds me of Porto’s mash potato balls in OC.
The sampler was meh. In the end they all started to taste the same. The standout was the chorizo because of the chicharron inside. So if you do order, maybe ask for extra.

Okay so I am not a good Unilocaler as I am a creature of habit and go to my favorite places where everyone knows my name, Zensei Sushi, Paesano’s, Mazara’s, Bluefoot, Lefty’s, Bar Pink… Splash… rinse, lather and repeat.
I took Friday off so that I could spend a long weekend with my husband. He had several things that he wanted to do or to try. So after a morning at Black’s Beach… o₀ the right side of the beach where the paragliders fly over and hover to look at nude bodies, he mentioned that he wanted to try Bazinga’s.
I really, really like the décor. It’s warmer and less obtrusive than the dark paint of Sea Rocket, they opened up the space a lot and it has a lighter airy feeling. I actually like the new remodel. This is a family place, I think that this place is great for people with kids as the portions and sizes of the plates are «kid friendly.» So if you are a mom and dad and you want to eat somewhere else other than The Station, I recommend this place.
My husband and I, who are not parents, are hard pressed to visit again. I will come here for Happy Hour as they have good quality Chardonnay for 4.00 a glass from 4:00 — 7:00 pm but Christ on a Cracker is their beer expensive. «Happy Hour» price for a beer is 6.00 normally 7.00. I am sorry, beer will never be wine and never shall the twain meet. Charging 7.00 to 8.00 a beer is insane.
The mac and cheese was underwhelming, as another Unilocaler stated: «it’s alfredo and noodles», we had a «special» for 12.00 that was a bratwurst and red cabbage on «mac and cheese» I liked the red cabbage and the brat was decent. The mac and cheese was awful, it was bland and it tasted like alfredo sauce. I can whip up a decent mac and cheese in my crockpot for 10.00 for 6 servings. My husband and I shared that dish and we left the place hungry. The three beet salad with goat cheese was delicious but the size of the salad for 8.00, you can get the same thing at Il Postino at a bigger portion for 7.00.
Like I said, this is a family friendly place which is who they are marketing to and that’s fine. I will be back for a 4.00 Chardonnay and a salad but I won’t go out of my way.
*****to the server who waited on us, she is five star quality, I wish I got her name because my husband and I thought that she was terrific.

I’ve been saying for years now that San Diego should have a mac n cheese restaurant! When I first spotted Bazinga I was very excited.
S’mac was one of my favorite guilty pleasures when I lived in New York, with their delicious variations on the pasta dish, with quality cheese, veggie, and meat combos. So I know it’s possible to have delicious, diverse mac n cheeses at a restaurant!
Finally I got a chance to try Bazinga. One of the first things I noticed is how incredibly loud the dining area is. Even though only half the tables were full, I had to speak loudly to my eating partner across the table and could barely hear the waitress. I’m not a designer or an architect, but perhaps they could cover the not-​pretty ceilings with a somewhat absorbent material to counteract the sound. or something. I don’t know.
The next issue was that it took a very, very long time to get our food. I wish I had taken note of the time but I’d estimate 40 minutes.
I ordered the sampler and it was not good. Every flavor in the sampler had almost the same cheese! I could only tell the difference in one dish within the sampler. It seemed like almost the same base then with different toppings sprinkled on. And the base wasn’t even good. The cheese was blah. How is this a mac n cheese restaurant that doesn’t have excellent mac n cheese?
The chorizo mac n cheese (which my partner ordered and was included in my sampler) included big chunks of chorizo that were so salty it hurt my tongue. It would have been better with a different chorizo or cutting the chunks smaller.
All in all, I did not like my meal. Maybe because they are sort of new they are still working out kinks. Or maybe the sampler was just a bad choice. I don’t know… sorry Bazinga.

All mac everything? This place is on to something.
Walked in for a casual Monday night I-don’t-feel-like-cooking meal. I would agree with some of the other Unilocalers that this place lacks a bit of character (apparently North Park restaurants have to meet some sort of super high standard set by places like Seven Grand), however don’t be so quick to judge this book by its cover.
After looking at the menu, we had decided: beets salad, prosciutto caprese, bacon bowl, and the sampler.
The salads were both really good! A really nice way to cut some of the richness of all of those cheesy noodles. The beets salad had a delicious goat cheese infused with thyme and lemon, and the prosciutto caprese boasted heirloom tomatoes. Yum! The bacon bowl (
) was also really tasty; just the right amount of perfectly cooked bacon to lovingly wrap some mac (or cavatappi, to be specific).
Of the sampler, my favorite hands down was the french onion. This is really good; the sauce, the onions, and the crispy onions on top all gave great flavor. The chorizo mac is also quite good; I love the spiciness of the chorizo and the smokiness of the poblano. The drunken mac, as others have said, needs just a bit of work; I honestly think if they didn’t bake the pretzel bits (they get a little soft/​soggy when baked) this would be even better.
The only thing I really want to see is a bit more cheese flavor in the sauces; they are definitely more alfredo-​type sauces (consistency-​wise). Overall though, everything was good! I will definitely be back for that french onion!

OK, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE comfort food, especially mac n cheese, but I didn’t like this place for several reasons:
1. The wait time is quite long for just mac n cheese
2. A bit pricey for what it is
3. It isn’t cheesy enough!
4. All of them are pretty bland — I never have to add salt or pepper to my food, but this time, I used A LOT.
The benedict that I got was an interesting idea, but I was thoroughly disappointed :(
Probably won’t try this place again.

Ohhhhh maaaaan soooo loved this place. It could be because I seriously am a Mac and cheese snob and would eat it for every meal of I could-​holy moly. I got a sampler and since I don’t like chorizo I doubled the French onion. That was my fav for sure. The basic was ok. The other one on the sampler was not the most amazing bit whatever. It’s Mac and cheese!
The interior was nice but plain-​would love to see some art on the walls. Server was very nice and helpful. Was timely and efficient. Will be back!

On a neighborhood walk, I saw this place and stopped in my tracks. The name, the food! I must go, I thought. I got on Twitter and inquired as to when «soon» meant in terms of opening. Fast forward a few weeks later and I went to the grand opening of a great addition to the North/​South Park neighborhood.
I love mac and cheese. As in, order it whenever I have the chance. Sure, I can make it at home but what’s better than a well made mac and cheese complete with a perfectly breaded topping? I love the original concentration on just having mac and cheese any way you want.
I had the sampler which let me taste half the mac and cheese menu. The chorizo one was so incredible! It was spicy but with a hint of sweet, cinnamon or nutmeg, perhaps? I will be trying all flavors in the near future with my eye on the lobster mac. The portions are served in small, iron skillet pans and they serve dessert, too.
They also have small bites and salads for the weirdos, although I do want to try their kale caesar, which I guess makes me a weirdo too. A few wines and craft beers on tap, water for the table and friendly service in a welcoming space.
I’m getting hungry writing this review so I suggest going for some soul-​satisfying comfort food.