Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Unlimited toppings for $10!

Aspirations for that 30-story East Village tower

Why only one size pizza? “I like things simple."
Why only one size pizza? “I like things simple."

"J ó étvágyat!” says Zorka.

It means “Bon appetit,” in Hungarian, she says. She’s from Budapest. We’re sitting in this brand-new, two-week-old pizza-and-salad joint, in East Village.

Place

Make Pizza + Salad

699 Park Boulevard, San Diego

Man, I’ve been waiting for this place to open for months. It brightens up the kinda scuzzy stretch of Park Boulevard between Market and Broadway. Opposite, on Park, is a giant hole where Quartyard was. Think it’s going to be a 30-story condo tower. But Zorka’s husband Terry looks pleased about that.

Blue and Orange line trolleys go right past.

“Well, the crane went up last week, and now they’re bringing 300 workers in, to start construction,” says Terry (co-owner with Zorka). “We’re hoping some of them are going to like pizza at lunchtime.”

Katie loads up on the Kalamatas.

I’m here because, well, the idea of pizza plus salad sounds so healthy. And, too, it’s so easy. It’s right next to the Blue and Orange line trolley.

Sponsored
Sponsored
My creation goes into the 500-degree oven,

Plus, this chilly afternoon, I see they have a sidewalk patio with heating. And inside, I see they’ve kept the pizza formula simple. One size: ten-inch; one price, $10. From Margherita to veggie to buffalo chix to Supreme. Or, you can choose your own. And still ten bucks, no matter how much you load up your pizza.

Carla's melon-and-prosciutto skewers

Katie, one of the servers, is standing behind the glass that protects all the ingredients. I realize I’m getting the chance to create the greatest pizza ever made. Even the crust is a choice. Traditional, wheat, or gluten-free? Taste-wise, says Katie, wheat’s got the most flavor. I go along. The dough dude grabs a ball of brown dough, squishes it under a hot disc, then hands it to Katie.

Taste-wise, says Katie, wheat’s got the most flavor.

Now the questions start. “The sauce?” Pesto, BBQ, olive oil, red, or white? I go red. Next, choose from baby mozzzarella, cheddar, feta, goat, gorgonzola, and vegan, among others. Decision: mozzarella and gorgonzola.

Zorka arrived from Budapest with a business degree in hospitality.

Veggies? Oh, Lord. Eighteen to choose from. I see red. Go for baby tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, red onions, red peppers. This is gonna be one red pizza. But, be still my heart: I see they have, alongside the chopped olives, Kalamata olives, the ones you can actually taste. The ones you don’t usually get offered in an all-you-can-eat scenario, because Kalamata olives ain’t cheap. But here, Katie keeps plopping those suckers on till I say stop.

No hesitation on any of my meandering impulses. At the end we put chicken sausage and pepperoni for the protein (I almost go for Italian sausage...or meatball or chorizo or prosciutto or salami). And then she drops — oh, yeah — fresh chopped garlic all over it.

You can’t go on and look these folks in the eye. Besides, this choosing business has been hard work, mixing this, rejecting that. I’m exhausted. I give Katie the nod. She slides the Bedford Pizza onto a paddle and into the yellow brick oven (“500 degrees,” she says).

Result: man-oh-man, if I do say so myself, we have ourselves a red-and-white masterpiece, under a swirl of red and white onion curls.

’Course, visuals are one thing, taste is another. I know I haven’t balanced out the flavors. Next time I’d definitely go for Italian sausage or salami, but really, I’m impressed. Especially that combo of the gorgonzola and red pepper and baby tomatoes.

I know other places do this customer choice thing, but it’s pretty much a first for me, and knowing the price is fixed to ten Washingtons no matter what or how much you pick, makes it really easy.

Have to ask Zorka (her name means “sunrise” in Hungarian) what happens if a customer gets really, really, greedy, and keeps on adding and adding.

“Well there’s only so much a ten-inch pizza crust can support,” she says, “and we warn customers that too much will make it soggy, and the oven won’t be able to correct it. But this hardly ever happens.”

She arrived from Budapest with a business degree in hospitality, became a manager in a smoothie place, then owned a place up in Valencia, north of L.A.

She and Terry decided to come down to San Diego and launch this pizza idea. “I’m a big-city girl,” she says. “San Diego has that feel, and it’s growing. That’s why we chose East Village.”

But why only one size pizza? Why no other Italian dishes? “I like things simple. And especially at lunchtime, I think working people want to be in and out in ten minutes or so.”

Actually, they do have a whole salad system going, too. The regular “classic” salads like the Caesar or spinach-and-gorgonzola (which comes with bacon, eggs, cranberries, and walnuts) cost $11. Or you can build your own unlimited salad for $9 (added protein goes for $2 each). And they have a short list of “bites.” Burrata cheese goes for $8, skewers loaded with melon and prosciutto, or an antipasto mix of salami, cheese, Kalamata olives and greens, are $6. And they have desserts such as tiramisu for $5. That’s about it.

I decide to get one of those melon-and-prosciutto skewers to take back to Carla. Nice little treats and pretty filling.

Now. Can’t leave without saying “Thank you. I am full,” in Hungarian.

Hmm. Look it up... Uh, “Köszönöm. Tele vagyok?” Hey, when in Little Budapest…

Place

Make Pizza + Salad

699 Park Boulevard, San Diego

Hours: 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m. daily

Prices: Pizza comes in one size (ten-inch), one price ($10). Includes “classics,” such as Margherita, veggie, buffalo chix, Supreme. Choose your own pizza (crust, sauce, cheese, veggies, proteins, finishes), $10; “classic” salads (e.g., Caesar or spinach-and-gorgonzola with bacon, eggs, cranberries, walnuts) cost $11; make your own salad, $9, added protein, $2 each; appetizers (e.g., burrata cheese “bite”) $8; meatballs, $6; pepperoni crisps, ranch dip, $5; melon-and-prosciutto skewer, $6; tiramisu, $5

Buses: 3, 5, 12, 901

Nearest Bus Stops: Park and Market (3, 5); 11th and Market (12, 901 northbound); Tenth and Market (12, 901, southbound)

Trolleys: Orange Line, Blue Line

Nearest Trolley Stop: Park and Market

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Next Article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
Why only one size pizza? “I like things simple."
Why only one size pizza? “I like things simple."

"J ó étvágyat!” says Zorka.

It means “Bon appetit,” in Hungarian, she says. She’s from Budapest. We’re sitting in this brand-new, two-week-old pizza-and-salad joint, in East Village.

Place

Make Pizza + Salad

699 Park Boulevard, San Diego

Man, I’ve been waiting for this place to open for months. It brightens up the kinda scuzzy stretch of Park Boulevard between Market and Broadway. Opposite, on Park, is a giant hole where Quartyard was. Think it’s going to be a 30-story condo tower. But Zorka’s husband Terry looks pleased about that.

Blue and Orange line trolleys go right past.

“Well, the crane went up last week, and now they’re bringing 300 workers in, to start construction,” says Terry (co-owner with Zorka). “We’re hoping some of them are going to like pizza at lunchtime.”

Katie loads up on the Kalamatas.

I’m here because, well, the idea of pizza plus salad sounds so healthy. And, too, it’s so easy. It’s right next to the Blue and Orange line trolley.

Sponsored
Sponsored
My creation goes into the 500-degree oven,

Plus, this chilly afternoon, I see they have a sidewalk patio with heating. And inside, I see they’ve kept the pizza formula simple. One size: ten-inch; one price, $10. From Margherita to veggie to buffalo chix to Supreme. Or, you can choose your own. And still ten bucks, no matter how much you load up your pizza.

Carla's melon-and-prosciutto skewers

Katie, one of the servers, is standing behind the glass that protects all the ingredients. I realize I’m getting the chance to create the greatest pizza ever made. Even the crust is a choice. Traditional, wheat, or gluten-free? Taste-wise, says Katie, wheat’s got the most flavor. I go along. The dough dude grabs a ball of brown dough, squishes it under a hot disc, then hands it to Katie.

Taste-wise, says Katie, wheat’s got the most flavor.

Now the questions start. “The sauce?” Pesto, BBQ, olive oil, red, or white? I go red. Next, choose from baby mozzzarella, cheddar, feta, goat, gorgonzola, and vegan, among others. Decision: mozzarella and gorgonzola.

Zorka arrived from Budapest with a business degree in hospitality.

Veggies? Oh, Lord. Eighteen to choose from. I see red. Go for baby tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, red onions, red peppers. This is gonna be one red pizza. But, be still my heart: I see they have, alongside the chopped olives, Kalamata olives, the ones you can actually taste. The ones you don’t usually get offered in an all-you-can-eat scenario, because Kalamata olives ain’t cheap. But here, Katie keeps plopping those suckers on till I say stop.

No hesitation on any of my meandering impulses. At the end we put chicken sausage and pepperoni for the protein (I almost go for Italian sausage...or meatball or chorizo or prosciutto or salami). And then she drops — oh, yeah — fresh chopped garlic all over it.

You can’t go on and look these folks in the eye. Besides, this choosing business has been hard work, mixing this, rejecting that. I’m exhausted. I give Katie the nod. She slides the Bedford Pizza onto a paddle and into the yellow brick oven (“500 degrees,” she says).

Result: man-oh-man, if I do say so myself, we have ourselves a red-and-white masterpiece, under a swirl of red and white onion curls.

’Course, visuals are one thing, taste is another. I know I haven’t balanced out the flavors. Next time I’d definitely go for Italian sausage or salami, but really, I’m impressed. Especially that combo of the gorgonzola and red pepper and baby tomatoes.

I know other places do this customer choice thing, but it’s pretty much a first for me, and knowing the price is fixed to ten Washingtons no matter what or how much you pick, makes it really easy.

Have to ask Zorka (her name means “sunrise” in Hungarian) what happens if a customer gets really, really, greedy, and keeps on adding and adding.

“Well there’s only so much a ten-inch pizza crust can support,” she says, “and we warn customers that too much will make it soggy, and the oven won’t be able to correct it. But this hardly ever happens.”

She arrived from Budapest with a business degree in hospitality, became a manager in a smoothie place, then owned a place up in Valencia, north of L.A.

She and Terry decided to come down to San Diego and launch this pizza idea. “I’m a big-city girl,” she says. “San Diego has that feel, and it’s growing. That’s why we chose East Village.”

But why only one size pizza? Why no other Italian dishes? “I like things simple. And especially at lunchtime, I think working people want to be in and out in ten minutes or so.”

Actually, they do have a whole salad system going, too. The regular “classic” salads like the Caesar or spinach-and-gorgonzola (which comes with bacon, eggs, cranberries, and walnuts) cost $11. Or you can build your own unlimited salad for $9 (added protein goes for $2 each). And they have a short list of “bites.” Burrata cheese goes for $8, skewers loaded with melon and prosciutto, or an antipasto mix of salami, cheese, Kalamata olives and greens, are $6. And they have desserts such as tiramisu for $5. That’s about it.

I decide to get one of those melon-and-prosciutto skewers to take back to Carla. Nice little treats and pretty filling.

Now. Can’t leave without saying “Thank you. I am full,” in Hungarian.

Hmm. Look it up... Uh, “Köszönöm. Tele vagyok?” Hey, when in Little Budapest…

Place

Make Pizza + Salad

699 Park Boulevard, San Diego

Hours: 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m. daily

Prices: Pizza comes in one size (ten-inch), one price ($10). Includes “classics,” such as Margherita, veggie, buffalo chix, Supreme. Choose your own pizza (crust, sauce, cheese, veggies, proteins, finishes), $10; “classic” salads (e.g., Caesar or spinach-and-gorgonzola with bacon, eggs, cranberries, walnuts) cost $11; make your own salad, $9, added protein, $2 each; appetizers (e.g., burrata cheese “bite”) $8; meatballs, $6; pepperoni crisps, ranch dip, $5; melon-and-prosciutto skewer, $6; tiramisu, $5

Buses: 3, 5, 12, 901

Nearest Bus Stops: Park and Market (3, 5); 11th and Market (12, 901 northbound); Tenth and Market (12, 901, southbound)

Trolleys: Orange Line, Blue Line

Nearest Trolley Stop: Park and Market

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader 1st place writing contest winner gets kudos

2nd place winner not so much
Next Article

Centennial Salute to San Diego’s Military, East Village Block Party, Birding Basics Class

Events March 29-March 30, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.