The Privateer Coal Fire Pizza

This was a neat place but the customer service was just average. This pizza was slightly better than average and the price was pretty steep.

Nice dive in place for lunch and a glass of wine. The house salad was perfect for two! Thank you!

The food is definitely good. Extremely slow service in the new wine bar section drops the score a bit though. I waited 45 minutes for a grilled cheese sandwich. When I checked on the status of said grilled cheese after 30 minutes I was told they were working on it, but there was a lunch rush, so it would be a little longer. There were maybe 10 other people in the whole establishment at the time. When my sandwich finally arrived, the employee did not say, «Sorry for the wait.» Simply, «Here ya go.» Hopefully they were still just working out some of the kinks in this newly opened portion of the restaurant. I’ll probably give it another shot. It was a pretty solid grilled cheese.

Look at the menu closely!
I gave this place 2 starts because ultimately we were rushed to get out and our waitress failed to mention a very important fact about their pizza… CHEESE DOESN’T COME STANDARD!
I could tell this restaurant has high quality ingredients and a devoted following as soon as I walked in and looked over the menu. I have no doubt that many visit this place and have an exceptional experience. However, the two points I mentioned above are monumentally huge for me.

Friendly place but the food is at best just ok. Amounts are small. It’s ok for a quick bite of your not very hungry.

5 stars for their Margarita pizza — so damn perfect and reason enough to come here. I am a pizza freak so to get 5 stars, and in North County, you should definitely give it a try. The Raen pizza wasn’t as good so make sure you get the margarita first and then experiment from there.

It was okay at best. The pizza was smaller than we expected for the price and the crust was black and burnt. I mean really burnt. The sauce was good, but that was probably the best part.

Came early on a Wednesday night, so it was easy to get a booth. Ordered the house special gnocci; it was resting on a bed of ricotta, instead of being made with it. Gnocci is always a crap shoot; one hopes for little clouds bit these were more like little rocks. Still, the sauce was tasty. The caprese salad with chicken was unremarkable; the crostini was good. A bit expensive for what we got, portion-​wise, but I’m glad we came.

I used to come here often when they first opened and always enjoyed the raven pizza. I would come alone or with 1 other person usually. I like the craft beer selection and the food was always good, I like sitting at the bar. This past recent vist with the family was not as pleasant, we came on a weekend and sat outside. It took a super long time to get our food although the Salad was really good as usual it shouldn’t take half an hour to serve salad. I was already done with a pint of IPA before my raven pizza arrived so naturally I had to order another one. When my sisters fennel sausage pizza arrived it was under cooked and the sausage tasted like ground beef? They sent it back and it came back burnt. really? We got the bill and it was in the triple digits for 2 small pies a salad and drinks ohh I did get the fried olives that everyone said we’re too salty. Maybe I will return alone and sit at the bar and give them another chance someday soon.

I was really craving some good, authentic wood fired pizza and The Privateer seemed to fit the bill exactly.
A bit let down as the food was ok, but really not great.
Prices are high, we went with the caesar salad with balsamic instead, a generous portion and while that was fair in price I really disliked the dressing, unlike any other balsamic, not light or clear at all, it was green and very strong in taste, also way too heavy on the dressing, making it hard to eat more than a bit of it.
We had the kids cheese pizza, same size as the others, actually better than the blockhead at exactly half the price which we would up spending $ 20 on by the time we added cheese and bacon.
The walnut pesto was horrible, the tomato sauce non existent and the bacon more like pork belly, very hard, chewy and salty, also where was the cheese we added?
The crust burnt, not just a char, but burnt in taste, left our fingers black while eating it.
$ 50 for two pizzas and a salad is pricey, we waited about 40 minutes for our food which is just way too long, it could have been taken out of the oven a few minutes earlier and tasted much better.
I did enjoy the service and vibe of the place, just really hoping to like the pizza a bit more, not worth returning.

Neat place thus far. They are finding their way. They will have their grand opening in May. Nice place for the wine lovers of Oceanside. They have beer too, but for the people who love wine, you have to check this place out. I have only been to the market and wine bar, but the wines served are pretty good, not super expensive. Most expensive bottle is $ 24 Syrah. They are working with Oceanside Wine Society to have special event tastings first Monday of each month. Check out Carruthers Winery on May 2^nd. Great potential. Yeah Oceanside!

I had the Grilled Asparagus ($ 7) and Brussels Pie ($ 16.50). I enjoyed them both, but think they were a little overpriced. Probably enough for two people, but not more.
I was greeted warmly upon my arrival and given a choice of seats. I chose the one at the bar. I couldn’t sit at the end, as I would have preferred, because the space was still messy from the last guest. So, I ended up in a place between two couples who basically turned their backs to me and occasionally rammed their elbows into me as they ate. (My own fault, as I chose my seat.)
The two bartenders were very pleasant and efficient. They checked in with me on multiple occasions. The food came out fairly quickly and was very tasty. The grilled asparagus was perfectly grilled, I loved every bite of it. The pizza crust was a little soggy in the middle, you can’t pick it up, but it tastes good.

Cool vibes. Clean hipster design.
Sando was wasnt impressive. Lots of not fresh bread. Turkey was dry but good quality. Not the slippery subway kind.
Would be a cool spot to grab a beer if drying through.
No iced tea.?

Every now and again I get a pizza craving, I come here. Tried the garlic crostini and the dipping sauces are amazing. So flavorful. Not a very filling appetizer especially if you split it but none the less delicious!!! They offer thin crust specialty pies, pasta and special dinner menus nightly. This place is a real treat

Brought my parents here on a Friday night, and it was busy! Got seated after 10 min, and our server was super cool. friendly staff members all around and the ambiance was super casual.
Food:
We ordered the spice cauliflower, chicken wings, Caesar salad, margarita pie, & rean pie. The spicy cauliflower was AMAZING. simple but super good. The wings and ceaser salad are safe, and very rewarding choices haha. The wings had a nice kick to them too.
As for the pie’s the raem pizza was saltier than expected. probably due to the prosciutto, however if you like salty prosciutto you’ll love it.
As for the Margarita pie. its a classic. (Like a pair of new Nike’s, you can’t go wrong)
All in all this place is pretty solid. If i go back again I’d order the wings, margarita pie, and spicy cauliflower hands down!

Puzzling concept.
Interior [A]: Tavern feel with warm wood and low lighting. Bar tucked away in the far corner and a cash register setup directly when you walk in leading me to believe this is a place where you order at counter, take a number, and find a seat.
Service [C]: This place really should just be pay, grab number, find seat. So to have a server seems to really be forcing it. They had two staff on the floor, one of which bussed tables the whole time. The other tended to the other two dozen patrons leaving us hanging too many times to put in our drinks and food orders. Not impressed.
Beer [B]: Beer selection was about 10 drafts with only a few being really local. The only Oceanside beers being from Breakwater. Markup was high with beers like Anchor Steam for $ 7 a pint — ha! Double IPA from Breakwater was the same price at double the ABV, which makes no sense. I didn’t see any beers that pair well with pizza besides Anchor Steam like Firestone Pivo Pils.
Homemade Chips [A]: Razor thin, wide, homemade chips fried in something dark like peanut oil with a Russet potato hue. Excellent salt and pepper seasoning nailed it with a sprinkling of pecorino cheese.
RAEN Pizza [B]: Essentially a large Indian naan bread base with loose prosciutto levitating atop the naan instead of being baked as part of the pizza. Mozzarella, as promised, was totally absent. Either it was forgotten or baked so hard into the naan that it was indistinguishable from lard or butter. An entire bag of baby arugula then piled high atop seemed overdone. The crust was delicious, but again, the flavor, look, and texture is Indian naan bread almost exactly. Pizza crust it is not. Upon taking a slice off the pie to eat, it immediately goes completely limp. Prosciutto pieces and arugula to do come with the pizza slice as they are just levitating atop the crust instead of being baked in like normal pizza toppings. So you have to sort of grab toppings with your hands and reattach them atop the limp naan slice.
Value [D]: For a soda, two pizzas, and a starter of chips, price was $ 45 plus tip. Pretty steep given the smaller size of the pizzas, the strange pizza design, and the poor service. Overall, we walked away puzzled and with a much lighter wallet.

My family and I came here for the first time over the weekend and were lucky enough to grab a booth (cushioned seats yeah). They have an outdoor patio but it was a little chilly on this day to sit outside.
Right off the bat, we went for the Fried Olives and a couple of beers. Though I didn’t mind them, my wife and daughters were not fans of the olives. The sharp pickled briny flavor is a little bitter if you don’t cut it down with something like ranch dressing. I think I would pass on this next time but you might like them.
My daughters ordered the buttered noodles. Pretty plain Not much to write about that but they liked them.
My wife and I split a Privateer Pie. We added jalapenos just to kick it up a notch. It was very tasty even though our mouths were on fire when we left. I do wish the pizza was a little larger, or better yet, if they had a personal-​size option so we could try two pizzas at once.
We ordered a couple of beers too. They have a good assortment though I wish there were a few «heavier» options (Scotch Ale, Barleywine, etc). They have cocktails too, and wine.
Service was on-​point. Overall I liked Privateer, though we weren’t blown away. We live next door to the Pizza Port in Bressi, so it’s tough to say whether I’d make the hike to eat at Privateer again given the other options around us. Definitely give them a shot if you’re in the neighborhood!

After waiting to try this place for a few years, I finally got the chance to do so. I have to say, it’s a great little place. We walked in at lunch time and were quickly greeted and given an opportunity to sit wherever we felt like. It wasn’t too busy when we go there, which was great since there are a few booths, some picnic tables and outdoor seating.
We got our menus, an order of water and a chance to look over the beer menu. There is a beer for everyone from Coors light to craft brews. I went with a Coachella Valley Brewing Company Kolschella ($ 6.02) Very clean, cold and great for a warm day to pair with pizza. My sister got a Mammoth Brewing Company Double Nut Brown ($ 6.48) that was quite roasty delicious.
Note. It would be nice to know what breweries all beer came from, as I just happened to know mine was from CVBC. Some listed breweries and some did not. There are a lot of beer people here in San Diego, so it is nice to know.
We ordered the Fried Olives ($ 5.00) for an appetizer. Awesome salty goodness! They were green olives stuffed with cheese, breaded and fried. The saltiness of the green olives with the cheese and breading were great. Not greasy either.
We also go the BLOCKHEAD PIE ($ 15.00) mozzarella, light tomato, mushrooms, bell pepper, basil, garlic, spinach and a walnut pesto sauce. It was interesting as our waitress said it didn’t come with cheese, but we could add it if we wanted. Since it’s vegan, I wanted to give it a try as I have some friends that would enjoy it. I felt it was a very tasty pie. The pesto stole the show. It’s an amazing pesto that made me want to just keep going back for more. The spinach was great and the mushrooms were super fresh too. I really enjoyed the pie a lot, but the crust was really close to being burned. Charred on it all over. I looked at other pies coming out to other tables and ours was the darkest. It also took 30 minutes to get to us, so we were glad we had an appetizer. I would definitely give it a 5 star in the future if the crust is less charred.
The waitresses were great and worked as a team. I was never thirsty, we were checked on multiple times and we couldn’t have asked for anything more.
For a good pizza place with non-​traditional pies, friendly staff, and good food, give this place a try.

«Three South Oceanside locals living their dream of opening a seaside restaurant and doing it their way.» This quote comes straight from the Privateer Coal Fire Pizza website and you can really feel this… through the space they have created.
My husband and I finally made it over to The Privateer. It’s so difficult to make a decision on where to get pizza pie, when there are so many places serving up something similar these days. We went for something new and different and wanted a non-​chain type of experience.
What I loved most on the visit were some of the unique menu items and I will give them five stars for being the first place I have seen and tried… Fried Olives… (a must try for any olive virgin)! I also love a place that can serve up tasty homemade potato chips and they serve them like I do with cheese baked on top!
I will give it to them that they make a terrific pizza pie — we ordered ours from the menu of the day (which changes daily)…the full coal fire creates the perfect crust. The only reason I am giving a four star rating is that the pizza and service were a bit slow and that included other tables waiting for some time for their items.
As far as ambiance, it’s dark and cool inside with a rustic ambiance. It’s almost nostalgic of the sailors that returned home from voyages in the gone by era — a seafarers delight!
Check them out and order a pitcher of beer and get a salad to share (they come in large tossed salad bowls)…while you wait and enjoy the ambiance around you. There is an extensive patio (we didn’t have a chance to sit here — as it was raining). We plan to return with our dog for a new experience.
PS Don’t forget you don’t have to be a fried olive virgin any longer…

North San Diego County culinary arts continue to be represented with this oddly named, beach-​bum-​casual pizza joint.
It wasn’t too long ago that the only pizza you could get around here was cardboard Pizza-​Pizza or the equally tasteless red, white, and blue bring-​it-​to-​your-​door, dont-​crash-​into-​anybody joint (clue: rhymes with «common-​Joes»).
I refer to Privateer as oddly-​named because privateers were «pirates» legally licensed to attack, rob, and even sink foreign ships on the high seas. (In other words, our government said at wartime that pillaging, plundering, kidnapping, and looting was OK — just not against our team.)
I’m not sure I get the pizza connection, but I sure hope this place doesn’t pillage, plunder, and loot my credit card. Maybe I’ll pay cash the first couple of visits. (If they say «gold coins or black pearls only» we’re outta here).
Independently owned («pirate style»), and using only the freshest ingredients, this eatery heats up pies to perfection in a 100% coal fired oven. Perfectly thin and crisped crust, tangy sauce with a touch of sweetness, and just the right amount of mozzarella to balance it all out.
Serve this up with unique, tasty appetizers like fried olives and my favorite craft beers or fine wine — and all of a sudden I stop worrying about Pirates…
Besides, it’s not like they slice the pizza up with swords. And I didn’t see anyone in the back with an eye patch. But why is that prep cook wearing sunglasses?
#ShiverMeTimbers
#NoSwashbuckling
#FearThePirate