Four stars for the beer. The pizza is a meh footnote. Rated ★★★★☆
I’ve been coming here since it was the “Carlsbad Brewery” and served cajun food, including red beans and rice on Tuesdays. Guess that didn’t pay the bills, because they sold out to the Pizza Port. I’m not all that fond of the pizza. It’s thick and doughy, and has too many toppings; I like my pizza thin and simple. The “beer buddies” are good but oversalty; the caesar salad isn’t too bad. All in all a big “meh.” The worst thing about this place is that it’s where all the kiddie groups go after their sporting events — there’s screaming ragamuffins running all over the place.
Then why four stars? The beer, my friend, the glorious beer. Their own brew is lovely — the Carlsbad Chronic, the Sharkbite Red, Wipeout IPA. But it doesn’t stop there; they have other well-chosen local and remote microbrews on tap. On your way out, grab a growler. I especially like the fact that I can go out in the afternoon for a bodysurfing session, then come here, wrapped in a towel, bare sandy feet, rationalizing away the empty calories because I just got a workout.
Feeling really daring? Have a stout float. Irish stout, with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmm, creamy goodness.