IsaBella Artisan Pizzeria & Craft Beer Garden

San Diego, United States

4.5

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 858-270-1798
Website:
www.isabella-sd.com
Address:
4011 Avati Dr, San Diego, CA, 92117
b/t Eichenlaub St & Morena Blvd
Clairemont
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.4 miBalboa Avenue
1.7 miClairemont Drive
1.8 miline nr 30
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
Yes
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Street, Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Beer & Wine Only
Happy Hour
Yes
Best Nights
Fri, Sat, Sun
Coat Check
No
Smoking
Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Dogs Allowed
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Open now
Local time (San Diego) 7:23 PM Friday, June 27, 2025

Business hours

Monday 4:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 4:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 4:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Thursday 4:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Friday 11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Saturday 11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Traditional Neapolitan pizza with a local twist, gourmet pastas, adventurous entrees, the best wings in San Diego and all your favorite local, craft beers. We have a huge, dog friendly patio with 3 fire pits, funky lighting and great acoustic based music. Try one of our house specialties, like the Carnitas Pizza, the Sausage Bomb Pasta, or Chicken a la BOMB. One taste and you’ll agree that IsaBella has the best pizza in San Diego

History

Established in 2013.

Established in 2013 by Entrepreneur, Gary Zendell, IsaBella is an open air artisan pizzeria in San Diego that boasts a huge, dog friendly patio/​craft beer garden, which has three fire pits, funky, ambient lighting and live acoustic music on the weekends.

Aside from a friendly disposition and a sunny, contemporary atmosphere flush with fresh Mission Bay breezes, IsaBella sets the bar for traditional neapolitan style crust with an adventurous twist. Some specialty pies and plates include the Uncle Franks Bolognese, Isa’s Carnitas Pizza, and Chicken a la BOMB. Also on the menu are bruschetta, fresh salads, the best wings and meatballs in San Diego, and a thoughtful selection of local and international craft beers.

As seen on KUSI news, the Discovery Channel and in all the local papers, Isa. Bella is has been getting tons of credit for being the best restaurants in Bay Park, and soon becoming known as one of the best pizzerias in San Diego.

Meet the Business Owner

Gary Z.

Business Owner

Entrepreneur, Gary Zendell, a 20-​year resident of San Diego and long-​time SD City Schools Teacher has owned several successful businesses. In 2006 he started Platinum Party Rentals, now San Diego’s Premier Wedding and Events headquarters.

After selling the assets of PPR in 2010, one early morning (at around 4:20), by way of a pantry scarce of ingredients, Gary invented the – now locally renowned late night feast, The Sausage Bomb, which was served from a hotdog cart in Pacific Beach weekend nights.

The Sausage Bomb was met with so much enthusiasm that, just two years later Gary opened his first full-​service restaurant, called IsaBella; named by combining his wife’s name, Isabel, with the Italian word, Bella – for beautiful.

In August of 2013, IsaBella opened its doors an gave birth to the Sausage Bomb Pizza, the Sausage Bomb Pasta, and lots of other amazing offerings. Enjoy!

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Vicinity

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20 reviews of IsaBella Artisan Pizzeria & Craft Beer Garden

No registration required
Place rating: 4
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Everyone working here is really nice. The service is fast and the pizza is good. Good selection of beer on tap and cool atmosphere with a patio and fire pit.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Today was my husband’s 70th birthday and we decided to celebrate it quietly in our neighborhood where we could bring our Bedlington Terrier puppy. We arrived early, sat in the lovely patio and ordered a bottle of wine. I mentioned to our server, Richard, that it was Jack’s birthday and that he also retired Friday after serving his country as a Navy Captain from the Naval Academy, class of 1968. He brought Jack a dessert after we payed the bill and said the owner would want him to honor Jack… wow!
When we first ordered I told Richard that the owner of Avati Salon told me to order the Brussel Sprouts… OMG…we did and they are amazing. We also ordered a caprice salad and the eggplant which we will order again! The food portions are perfect and delicious. When you order a bottle of wine, a pizza comes with it. upgrade and you have a wonderful meal. We love this quiet little corner of Bay Ho, a community that is the best kept secret of San Diego. We love isa. bella!
Place rating: 5
El Cajon, CA
The Staff and I ordered Lunch to go very good, had left overs for the next day. The price was reasonable as well.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Ordered Carry out lasagna and is was sooooo good! Exactly what I needed after a HARD STRESSFUL day at work!
Place rating: 5
Encinitas, CA
BBQ chicken pizza was great! Beer selection was decent. The service from Richard was 5 star! Very attentive, polite, and made great recommendations. Lots of good things to say about this place, but the service is what would make us return. Thank you!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I love this pizza! Don’t know what it is about the crust but there’s no other place like it. Crispy and slightly chewy with great flavor. Beer selection is always solid too. And a cool dog friendly patio. Great place!
Place rating: 5
La Jolla, CA
I’ve had a lot of pizza in my life time, as well as my youngest son who has an ongoing pizza challenge on IG… but the pizza crust at IsaBella is fn awesome! I want the recipe for the crust!!! The beer selection awesome, and our server Saturday late afternoon while we ate on the patio was accommodating. Buon Appetito!
Place rating: 5
Westminster, CO
Party of eight on a Saturday evening, and there was no wait or delay in service. The pizza was good, but the chicken ala bomb was Da Bomb! We did some crispy brussels sprouts for an appetizer and they were great.
We had questions about some of the beers and the guy brought us several samples before we ordered our pitcher. Order a pitcher and get $ 10 off a pizza. The server was friendly and prompt and the the food came out quickly. Certainly we will return when we come back to town.
Good beer selection and nice patio.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I’m so glad I found IsaBella’s… this place is fantastic and its close to home! The food was wonderful, I had the BBQ chicken salad and fiancé had the Sausage Bomb and it was the BOMB!!! We also shared the garlic bread and I just couldn’t get enough. The interior décor really made it fun and inviting. It’s decorated in bright colors with lots of windows. There is a huge patio (also PET FRIENDLY) area with couch like seating, heat lamps and I think live piano music on Fridays… maybe even more nights. They had happy hour till 6:30 so we made that. I’d definitely like to come back again not only for dinner but also for happy hour on those long work days. If you are looking for a different kind of restaurant (non-​chain) place locals or not… It’s a must try.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
My boyfriend & I have found our «regular spot»!
We loved this place so much we came back to back evenings!
The environment is amazing! It’s in an odd little area/​plaza, as others mentioned, but you completely forget about that as soon as you enter the patio area.
The patio has lounge type chairs that are SO comfortable you want to stay for HOURS!
Patio has heat lamps, fire places, & cute tables/​chairs — very modern & current while still having a relaxing feel.
The food was AMAZING! You can not go wrong with pizza here! It’s so yummy! My boyfriend got the pepperoni & I got the BBQ chicken the first night — both were delicious! The second night I got the pepperoni & he got a meatball one — again, both delicious!
The beer selection is on point! Tons of options & all we tried were delicious.
The first time we came we used the buy one dessert get one free. We tried the triple chocolate brownie & the churros — both were to die for!
Our service was great as well!
I’ve heard they recently redid their entire menu, so if you were here a while ago and didn’t like it, give it another shot!
We will be back… again & again & again!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
This review is long overdue. Our group had a happy hour event a few months ago and the restaurant was super accommodating of our group. We had an area reserved for our group of 20 outside and even had our own server. Great location for a group get together. Be sure to take advantage of the free cheese pizza deal with the purchase of a pitcher of beer or a bottle of wine!
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
IsaBella should be in a more hip area of town, but sits instead in a modest mall in the neighborhood of Bayho. It’s just kind of cool with a dog-​friendly patio and a long fire pit.
Ok, onto food:
Appetizers: I think the meatball trio and garlic wings are delicious, but they come in small portions. The garlic wings have a drizzle of Asian sweet chili sauce on them. I think this item should be named differently because «garlic» doesn’t seem to cover all the flavors it has. The brussel sprouts seem to have a slightly sour vinegary taste that isn’t my favorite but I can still eat it. Also, why does it seem to cost 50 cents per brussel sprout though?
Pizzas: I’ve tried the margherita and bona terra, which are tasty and very similar to flatbreads to me. I like the thinner crusts that they have here versus thick and doughy. They are not very filling though as they are more «personal» then regular size. You’ll have to order something along with it –like a good beer. There’s a nice variety of them. During happy hour, you get a complimentary cheese pizza with a pitcher.
Overall, I think everyone will enjoy the food here. But you will leave dissatisfied with either the portions, or the prices. I will spend money on good food, but both times I’ve eaten here I feel like I’m overpaying.
Place rating: 5
Humble, TX
First restaurant to eat at here in San Diego, so glad we came here first! The food was wonderful, I had Uncle Frank’s Bolognese and «Butterfinger» Tiramisu, minus the Butterfinger. Outside seating is so relaxing out here, great music, awesome overall!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Excellent price for the 3 course lunch deal that includes either a salad or cup of soup and a small tiramisu dessert. Highly recommend!
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
This review comes after several visits. I’ve been in and around the hospitality industry for years. Now I spend my time with my beloved wife and our dog Brandy visiting dog friendly restaurants in southern California.
Our first visit could be described as a drive-​by. We stopped on a Friday night to check out the dog friendly patio. There was a large group on the patio and only two wait staff. After 20 minutes I went inside to the bar and asked for table service on the patio and; after another 15 minutes of no service we left. This is normally the kiss of death but my wife wanted to try IsaBella so we came back another night. Am I glad we did!
First off, they have Wycliff, a northern California champagne, that made my wife an instant fan. They have a pretty decent beer list that rotates frequently with more than just IPAs.
For appetizers we had the meatball trio and the panko encrusted mac n cheese balls. The meatballs win hands down, the were flavorful on their own and did not need the three sauces to shine. The mac n cheese needed a good dose of black pepper to overcome the bread crumbs.
For our entrees what stands out is Uncle Frank’s Bolognese, my wife’s choice and the four mushroom pasta, my choice. The mushroom pasta was flavorful, used more than one variety of mushrooms and the cream sauce was not dry. The bolognese sauce was complex and you could taste the herbs and spices. She also raved about the lasagna during an earlier visit.
As for Brandy, she had a chicken breast lightly grilled.
Finally the churros, all I can say is, stop talking, eat them while hot and you’ll thank me later!
Place rating: 5
University City, San Diego, CA
Wow. That was hands down the best pizza I’ve had in San Diego since I moved here over ten years ago. Seriously. Folks from the East Coast are picky about their pie — really picky — we are pizza snobs. I’ll admit it. The real secret to a good pie is the crust– and IsaBella’s nails it.
Based on the reviews, I ordered the fusion Carnitas pizza — and folks are right — mega tasty. The carnitas was amazing! All sorts of flavors bouncing around your mouth, creamy avocado, not too sweet sauce — all on top of awesome crust. I’m definitely curious to try the other pizzas — because it’s really rare to get a 5 out of me on the first try.
The patio is really nice — a good place for a first date or girls night out. It really has that laid back comfortable atmosphere. Plus — there is live music — which could be hit or miss, but it’s nice to see that there is obviously a rotation to the music as well as the BEER. I’m noticing from previous pictures that my beer menu ain’t their beer menu… a definite plus.
The Churro’s were awesome — an odd thing to order at a Pizza joint — but it worked really well with the carnitas pizza. Again — a twist to the traditional — and I don’t want to ruin it for you, but the salted caramel alone was amazing!
Had a really great experience here — I’m definitely coming back. The outdoor patio is extremely pet friendly which is another reason why you should visit IsaBella’s!
Place rating: 2
San Diego, CA
Not sure why this place has such high reviews; however, when you are in the food wasteland of Clairemont, with the likes of Outback Steakhouse, Chilis and Troy’s, a newcomer such as IsaBella may come as a standout.
This took reign in the perpetual failing spot of the ex Boll Weevil and after a few other failed spots, hailed a mediocre Italian (err pizza) place that served craft beer.
I was going to be in the neighborhood and the wife loves pizza. I saw a groupon, and it was on like «donkey kong»… We ordered a spatering of items, called ahead and prepared to take o I ut and make this a solid weekday eve.
Even though I called ahead for the order, when I arrived to pick up, with 2 tired kids in tow, the food was not ready. While they fought in the parking lot, the server/​bartender asked me if I wanted a drink. I was tempted, however said «no», but I saw they had a Mammoth Lakes IPA. i said ‘could try a little of the Mammoth. She proceeded to start to pour a full pint. I stopped her, saying I just wanted a sample. I took a sip and left it on the bar, as it was just ok.
Time continued to slip by, and the kids and I grew more and more impatient; I kept waiting to see the food come up but it didn’t; almost a ½ hour, I looked around the corner and into the window, It was FINALLY ready. 2 pizzas, some wings, and something called wild mushroom pasta, which was hardly wild mushrooms, but a regular bit of regular mushrooms in a super greasy pasta.
The person that had been helping me disappeared and I was beyond frustrated. I left the amount that would cover the amount over the groupon, and proceeded to leave. It had taken so long, that my battery had died in my car. The girl who had «helped me» came out asking for payment of the beer??? Really, after 45 minutes, you want to charge me for a beer that not only I didn’t order, but had not been fully poured, nor finished?
Once I got home I realized they had done a crappy job of packing the food and now staining my seat was the ½ stick of butter that they had «cooked» this «gourmet» pasta… First and last time that I will be going back to this place.
When my wife, who is a major player for a large restaurant chain, called in to call attention to the problem, their answer brought up how I had left and not paid for my beer. Great customer service! Thanks.
The patio looks nice.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
A hidden gem located on Morena Blvd. Who would’ve thought. :)
Service was good. Indoor and outdoor seating. Too bad they were too busy that we had to sit inside instead of the patio seating. It would’ve been nice.
Great selection of craft beers but I didn’t get to try it.
Food:
Bolognese Pasta that was delicious
But my favorite was the «build your own pasta.»
Fettuccini, creamy pesto and bacon. They did not skimp at all and the bacon complimented the dish very well. :) Tupac ended up eating my dish.
Definitely a nice restaurant to come to after a hard days work. Good for big groups and really nice welcoming atmosphere.
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
*sigh* What a let down!
I really wanted to love this place, but the meatball pizza and sausage bomb pasta were disappointing. I couldn’t decide if I wanted pizza or pasta, so my date and shared so we could get a feel for both dishes. The meatball pizza’s crust was decent, but very floppy. I do wish there were more meatballs on each slice. What was really disappointing was the forest of basil (on top) and the giant plop of ricotta cheese right in the middle. When picking up each slice the ricotta cheese just slid right off.
Second up, the sausage bomb made me wish we had ordered another pizza instead. The spicy andouille sausage with penne swimming in a cheesy cream sauce was a little too rich for my taste buds. The little slices of bread were tasty though.
At $ 13.50 for the pizza and $ 14 for the pasta this place is pricey for what it is. I guess we gotta pay for that fire pit, right?
Place rating: 3
El Cajon, CA
Free parking. Nice seating. They have a person playing a piano which was really nice. We ordered bbq chicken n pasta. The pizza tasted really good, it was about $ 14. The pasta was ok.
When you check in there on Unilocal you get a free desert when you buy one desert. However, the desert we wanted, which is on their special menu, was not available because they were out of it. Staff did seem nice, but our waiter was not very informative. We asked him what is good he said pizza good pasta good but didn’t really recommend something good. I saw customers setting with their dog, so I’m guessing the restaurant is pets friendly. The patio area is really nice, but it was a little bit dirty. I ate n left very quick so i feel that i need to go and try the place again. The place is good for groups.