The Foundry

So sad to see this place has closed before I got to try it. Anywhere known as a craft beer bar is good in my book!
Sidenote: I dont’ think the owner was a huge fan of us Unilocalers.
See article here:
Well, we can get pretty annoying: P

Ran by this place on Monday night, it’s out of business OR the owners are turning it into a Sports Bar of some kind. Hopefully something more original than pizza, there are too many of those in the neighborhood any more.
Best wishes to the owners of The Foundry, this place was charming inside and I liked their Phở.

Happy anniversary!
Sure don’t know why it has taken me this long to review the place but after the party that they threw the other night forgetting is no longer an excuse…
Yeah it was hot, so what?! The apps were movin’ and the beer was flowin’. Slices were being served up on demand and the crew handled the crowd with grace and ease. I started dipping into some of the heavier brews and was nice and loose by the time I cashed out and moved thirst down the block.
On a side note the banana bread beer was really tasty and went well with my slice. I have no idea who makes it and it really isn’t something that I would typically order but will be diving back into this one on my next trip back. Perhaps I can pay an extra dollar or two so they don’t serve it in a wine glass and I can hold onto my manhood while sipping it?
Great addition to the neighborhood and I am sure there are several more great years ahead for these guys!

The Foundry has it all wrapped up in one place. I can see how this would be the perfect little meet up spot for people who can’t agree on what they want.
You can order phở, sushi, tots or a pizza. I personally will almost always order phở if it’s offered. You can say I’m all about it. You get three proteins with your phở, I went for the steak, brisket and meatball — like a baus.
You can order local craft beers, fancy beer or cheap light beer if that’s what you like. They don’t discriminate against your beer preferences, but offer what you didn’t even know you wanted but should try.
I am already a fan of the foundry, so you can expoect to find me here on my next trip down to SD… and I’ll probably order the phở.

3.5…
Generally, when you find a place that serves more than one type of cuisine that are completely unrelated (i.e Mexican and Japanese), it’s not usually good and hardly as authentic as you’d like it to be. And I’m not talking about Fusion cuisine as that seems to be the trend lately and has been quite successful. I’m talking about serving two or more separate types of food. The Foundry seems to be a place to grab Italian Pizza’s, Japanese Sakes, some Vietnamese Phở and Sandwiches as well as American Sandwiches.
Here’s the deal:
— Place itself is chill and inviting.
— Employees are nice and sweet.
— Pizza (supreme) — enjoyed it.
— Bahn Mi Sandwich– decent but didn’t taste authentic.
— Soft Shell Crab Tacos– flavorful but too fried.
— Garlic Fries– where’s the garlic?
— Tator Tots (came with the sandwich) — put a smile on my face.
Overall, it was an enjoyable place to hang out with friends. The food just did not satisfy our taste buds.

Despite having a «Little Italy» (ironically located around India St.), San Diego really doesn’t have a lot in the way of excellent pizza. Thus, since I arrived here five years ago, I’ve been on a mission to find legitimately great pizza. Though it’s not perfect, the Foundry may in fact have the best pizza I’ve had in the city.
There’s a lot to love here. The cheese blend (whatever it is) is fantastic and perfectly done, the sauce has a unique flavor that you can’t quite place, and a crispy-​on-​the-​outside, chewy-​on-​the-​inside crust that made me excited about a thinner crust than I normally am.
The sole negative was that of the meat toppings on my piggy pizza, which didn’t stand out as far from the San Diego crowd. Not terrible, mind you, but terribly average. Which just isn’t fair.
Summary: This pizza is gooooooood. But still little piggy wants mooooore before he goes weeeeeeee all the way home.

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500−700PM and All Day Sunday Funday: Buy a beer get a free slice of pizza! Only $ 2 more gets you an extra slice.
Or if you’re anything like me, you’re gonna want more than 1 beer, so you’ll get three Happy Hour Specials, and enjoy 3 beers and 3 slices of pizza. Its good thing I keep a Breathalizer in my car. Its bad enough I’m an Asian Driver, but even worse sometimes I’m an Asian Driver in a Prius… and no one wants a Drunk Asian Prius Driver, which is really dangerous on the streets…
24 Beers on tap is pretty solid. Unlike Toronado and Hamilton’s, even when The Foundry gets crowded you can still have a conversation without shouting upclose at your girlfriend’s face with your nasty IPA beer breath. Or maybe I just need to keep mints or gum with me…
BONUS: It doesn’t «smell» in here like Hamilton’s.

Yay beer!
That’s what I said when I came to The Foundry. I came here for the Pubcakes, and stayed for the trivia. Sadly, I also called and they said trivia started a 7, and it started at 9. I was a sleepy kid at work the next day.
TONS of beers. A very wide selection, and a very creative «elements of beer» menu to go with it. And a chalk board, but everyone knows craft beer bars must have a chalk board. It’s a rule.
For eats (other than the cupcakes), I had the Philly. Nothing special about it. I should have gotten the pizza. It looked and smelled rad. I’d say next time, except for the part where I live in Del Mar, so it’s pretty far away for me.

True… I have yet to try their pizza or beer. Obviously this is what they are known for. Some friends and I tried tons of other stuff on the menu and we were all less than impressed. I had wanted to come here for awhile and thought I’d check it out and maybe come back again with my beer loving boyfriend in tow. That being said, if you want a crazy amazing beer selection, this is a good place. Supposedly their pizza is good too. I might be back to give it a try.
Here is what we ordered:
*french fries — They were straight up Ore Ida
*chicken wings were average, nothing special
*egg rolls — They were mediocre but I’ve had better out of a bag, which I think these were…
*shrimp po-​boy sandwich — This was seriously underwhelming. 4 shrimp with so much breading that it was hard to even tell it was shrimp. The roll was boring and dry. The shrimp po boy at Which Wich is half the price and 10x as good.
This place has a great location and beer selection… all the potential in the world. If the only thing they can do well is pizza, then they should just stick to being a pizza and beer joint. Calling themselves a «gastrolab» led me to have really high expectations. Even without high expectations, this place would have disappointed me.
I do really enjoy their menu design…

If I don’t know where my brother is (Leo I.), I can find him there.
A cool neighborhood bar — not to crazy. A place where «everybody knows your name». Not a huge place — but a good place to meet a friend, have a date etc.
BEST FEATURE: my favorite beer on tap — DogFishHead 90 minute. My heart is happy.
OTHER BEST FEATURE: Good people working there. The owner is super cool and interacts with the customers. Very cool.
I highly recommend for you local neighborhood bar (and they have FOOD too!)

Amazing beer selection (tap and bottle) with some killer food. An intimate and cozy atmosphere. My husband plays Magic here every other Tuesday (yes he’s a nerd), and while he plays, I get to hang out with awesome people and drink my fill of amazing beer! Their Happy Hour consists of a $ 5 beer and pizza slice special (with a beer listed at or under $ 5 — so it’s basically a free one topping slice with your beer, not bad!).
The food is good. Pizza, Phở, tator tots were all above-​average bar food. Amazing selection of beers from ciders to IPAs to porters. Any place that has Dogfish on the menu will make me a happy camper. Bartenders are all incredibly friendly and helpful! Foundry is now one of my favorites in North Park, only getting better if they stop running out of PubCakes when I’m there =P

Ooooh, I like it! 4.5 bumped up to 5 just cuz there’s nowhere else like it.
The Place– The revamp turned out really well. It’s laid back and comfy without that sticky-​icky dive bar feel, and its the perfect size for a get together; I can’t wait to celebrate my birthday here! I hate giving away the secret, but there IS a small parking lot in back. good luck finding it empty, though :)
The Service– Big fan of the no attitude thing! A great place to bring someone if you’re trying to ease them into craft brews without making them feel like a noob. Service is mostly gold star,
The Food– The concept is pretty neat. Phở place in NP, why hasn’t anyone done that yet? We stopped by for beer week and the pairing menu was a thing of beauty. And they still have their pizzas (by the slice, too!) so post-​beer munchies are a go, Eastern and Western style.
Oh, by the way… BEER. Ohhhh I LOVE all the beers! A ton of good stuff on tap, and even more choices bottled– that plus the easygoing attitude of the place, plus the easy availability of munchies, win win win. Gonna be great when they can finally start serving booze after 11!

With a new name, remodeled interior, redone menu, two dozen new taps and a new bar, The Foundry has really done a good job of reinventing itself as a fresh entity from summer 2011 onwards. Most of the reviews carried over from the time when this place was known as Rosaria’s Pizza are largely irrelevant now. The pizza pies are the same (and individual slices can still be ordered if you ask for it), but everything else is quite different.
Their slogan of «craft beer, no attitude» really holds true here. The selection of bottled and draft beers caters to everyone from Bud Light chuggers to Trappist monks. They even have cider, wine, and Lindeman’s Framboise in bottles if hops and barley aren’t your poison of choice. The menu and the staff are pretty helpful with recommendations and the servers are knowledgeable about different brews. The Foundry is definitely a top notch bar and a place where our hero doesn’t feel judged by the steely gaze of North Park hipsters regardless of whether he orders an Avery, a Stone, or a PBR.
One thing that sets the Foundry apart from other beer bars is its unique «hang out» type feel and suitability for hosting small events. Our hero has been to their grand (re)opening, birthday parties, gaming nights, and charity fundraisers here and they’ve all been executed very well with great support from the management here. If you’re thinking about hosting a small event or get together in North Park close enough to the action but quiet enough to have a conversation, give this joint a shout about it!
PROS:
— Wide variety of beers on tap and none of the «beer snob» attitude you usually get from such types of bars.
— Interesting selection of Vietnamese and American selections available: phở, cheese steak subs, and pizza!
— They do a good job combining different ingredients to form unique pizza styles like their scallop seafood pizza or the cheeseburger pizza.
CONS:
— Their thick doughy pizza parlor style crust seems to consistently lean towards to the softer side unless you make it a point to request it well done or crispy when you order.
— They have a beer license only for the time being, so there’s no hard alcohol available at the bar and they stop serving booze before 11 PM.

New look… New menu items… New liquor license… Same great pizza!
As if these guys couldn’t get any better, they now have 24 beers on tap and over 50 different bottles. I’m about 90% sure that the amount of choices for brew here is larger than the capacity of this joint.
They’ve also made some awesome additions to their food menu including a Philly cheese steak, bahn mi sandwich, and the best phở I’ve had in recent memory. From the surplus amount of meat added to my bowl, their broth tasted like the love sweat of a $ 90 dollar New York Strip.
Always enjoyed the pizza from this place, and now with their new catchy name there are that many more reasons to stop in.

So – anyone who knows me knows that I’m a MORON when it comes to beer. I can have a fairly informed discussion about liquor and even hold my own when it comes to wine, but, when it comes to beer, I’m lost. Lagers, ales, hops, etc. — it’s all a foreign language to me. I’d always felt that most beers taste the same (i.e., «good») and left it at that.
The Foundry is the perfect place to get a beer-​education.
Actually, it’s probably the best place to get a beer in town, period.
When originally confronted with their beer menu — which seemingly goes on forever — the bartendress asked me what I’d like. I said I had no idea. She asked if I had any preferences. I said something light, flavorful, and a little spicy would be nice. She immediately recommended a pint of Trippel coriander-​spiced Belgian ale, which may very well be the most delicious beer that I’ve come across.
(Who ever knew that beer could remind me of chicken tikka masala?)
Thanks to the Foundry, I am no longer a dunce when it comes to beer. I may even get my diploma from Beer University someday.
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p. s. There’s plenty of great reasons to check out the Foundry, even if you’re not a beer hunter. Great wine selection, superb pizzas and other small bites — including Pubcakes — and a beautiful, contemporary vibe too. They really did a fabulous job turning a relatively drab block in North Park into a destination.

It’s called FOUNDry not POUNDry folks ! #fobinsidejoke
Birthday Bar Hop Part 2 aka The End.
Yes. I was donezo after 2 bars. #lolastatus
Nerdy Shay-​Shay and geek squad arrived here after our trip to URBN to grab a bite to eat and more drAnks.
Thanks to Nick (owner), Roger (navigator), and Lauren (chef) for the suggestion ! It was a more intimate setting compared to URBN. Small, warm, and inviting.
I was finally able to conversate with my friends w/​o talking over people, which was a nice change. Seemed like the whole restaurant/​bar was reserved for us since it was practically vacant when we got there.
I was a bit typsy by this time, but a few things I do recall:
1. I called the guy on the counter, Nick a few times when he really wasn’t. Doh. sorry me bads ! Don’t mind the drrrunk birthday girl.
2. I think there were 2 bathrooms. Co-​ed? Becuz I used both. =/​
3. Offers vegan/​vegetarian pizza FTW !!!
4. Fruity beer. check. wine. check.
5. Chill and cool vibe where you can also catch sporting events via tele
6. Chef Lauren gave out complimentary veggie wontons (a special on the menu?) ! Ooh and my favorite wine, moscato as a gift ! :D
Thanks to The FOUNDry and those who came to my birthday shindig ! It was a nice ending to my fun-​filled birthday adventure fo’ sho’ !

Rosaria’s is under new management and it’s awesomeness continues! I showed up for the grand opening and this place was all a buzz (completely packed!!). The changes are great! They have added a bar (yea!!!) with a TON of new beers (quite an extensive list I might add! very impressive!!! Clearly the owner knows what’s up !), and they also include wine for those of you who are not beer fans. They have repainted, added new lighting and booths and a flat screen to catch the game.
Pizza is still amazing and the pubcakes (pumpkin!) are my favorite. This place has changed from dive pizzeria to happening bar/​restaurant.
Quick tip: you have to order from the bar.
I wish I still lived in SD so that I could be here more often.

Just went to the grand opening of The Foundry, which more North Park-​ians might know as the now old Rosarias. It went under new management and they totally redid the place to include a full bar and beer list. The pizza is still there but they are expanding their food menu.
At the moment they have about 50 bottled beers and encompass a wide variety of different tastes. They are having happy hour from 5 – 7 where you can get any beer that’s $ 5 or under for $ 5 with a slice of pizza. They also have a variety of cake balls and cake pops.
Definitely interested in seeing what they do with this place, but hoping they don’t change the pizza and neighborhoodliness of Rosarias.

P&P = Pizza and Pubcakes…
Came in for a snack and walked out with an experience.
We ordered (NYC style) pizza slices (2 slices and a drink for $ 5) — one with pepperoni and one with Italian sausage. If you check in on the Unilocal appy, you get a free Pubcake or Cakeball. COOL…
Since my birthday was coming up, I ended up getting a smörgåsbord of Pubcakes and Cakeballs. Thanks guise!!!
Pizza came out piping hot. A bit undercooked, but my bad since I didn’t mention «well done» as I’m accustomed to when ordering pizza.
The owner then asked if I wanted to make my own pizza — UGH YAAAAAAAAA!!! I’ve never made pizza before and I had such a good time making it!!!
We trademarked our pizza the «Mandy Special» — Mozz cheese, pepperoni decorated in a «M», Italian sausage, mushroom, and a touch of bell pepper for color. Must order it well done!
It was DELISH!!! BEST PIZZA EVAAAA — and not because I made it ;)
Not sure if the «Mandy Special» will be a frequent on the menu, but perhaps with a little persuasion, it’ll be available soon!

I came here on a night I worked because I promised some friends dinner at work. I was pleasantly surprised that they were open till 11:00pm on a Friday. I ordered two pizzas one veggie and the other supreme.
The veggie pizza had artichoke hearts, bell pepper, onions and so many other veggies as well as fresh garlic. It was quite nice. I like that the veggies were cut in decent sizes. I hate getting half a freakin onion on my slice. The cheese wasn’t overdone either. Yes there is such a thing as too much cheese!
The supreme was damn good. I know it had meats, veggies and of course cheese. I liked this one more maybe because I love me some meat. All the flavors blended quite well. I will be getting this bad boy again.
I couldn’t leave without a cake pop! Yes I said cake pop. They also have pubcakes which are one of my personal favorites.
Next time I go I’m trying the white pizza it sounds awesome!