Bronx Pizza: New York Thin Crust, Cash Only, Since 1997

Overview

Bronx Pizza has been making New York–style thin crust on Washington Street in Hillcrest since 1997, and in that time it has become the pizza San Diegans name first when the argument starts. Yelp has ranked it #7 among the top 100 places for pizza in the United States, and it turned up on a top-ten-on-the-West-Coast list in 2021.

The shop describes itself better than anyone else could. On the East Coast, they write, every neighborhood and sometimes every block had a pizza place where the locals knew the guys behind the counter and the same faces turned up for generations. "We're that place." Come in for a slice, share a table with a stranger, and — in their words — "witness our legendary customer service."

That last line is a joke, and it also isn't. Bronx Pizza is brisk. You order, you pay, you get out of the way. People who love it love that part too.

Here's the one thing to understand before you go, because there are three separate ways to show up and fail:

It's cash only. There's an ATM inside, but no cards at the counter. There's no delivery — pickup or eat-in, nothing else, no apps. And it's closed Mondays and Tuesdays, which is the one that catches people who assume a pizza place is always open.

Sort those three out and the rest is easy.

What to Order at Bronx Pizza

Everything is an 18-inch pie cut into eight slices, and slices are sold individually all day from whatever's out.

• A cheese slice ($3.50) or a topping slice ($4.00). The default order and the right one for a first visit. A variety is available daily — you take what's in the case.
• The two-slice special ($9.00). Two slices and a drink. The best value in Hillcrest, and the order most regulars are making.
• One slice, side salad and a drink ($9.00). The same price, for anyone pretending to be sensible about lunch.
• A whole cheese pie ($20.00), with toppings at $3 each. The topping list is long and properly Italian-American — meatballs, anchovies, cherry peppers, ricotta, eggplant, roasted red peppers, artichokes, pesto.
• The Bronx Deluxe ($31.00). Pepperoni, sausage, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives and garlic. The everything pie.
• The Porko ($28.00). Pepperoni, sausage, meatball. No vegetables were consulted.
• The Whitestone ($23.00). Mozzarella, ricotta, garlic and parmesan with no sauce — named, like a lot of this menu, after a Bronx neighborhood. The quiet connoisseur's order.
• Tomato Basil ($23.00) and Pesto ($23.00), both also sauceless, and the Artichoke Case ($22.00) with dollops of sauce rather than a full spread.
• Calzones ($11.00) with mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta, plus up to four fillings at $1.50 each. Side salad $5.00. Drinks $2.00.

A whole specialty pie at $28–$31 feeding four people is, in 2026 San Diego, genuinely hard to beat.

How to Visit Bronx Pizza in Hillcrest

• Address: 111 Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103
• Phone: (619) 291-3341
• Hours: Wednesday–Thursday 11 a.m.–9 p.m. · Friday–Saturday 11 a.m.–10 p.m. · Sunday 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
• Closed Monday and Tuesday
• Payment: Cash only. ATM inside.
• No delivery. Pickup and dine-in only.
• Instagram: @bronx.pizza

Bring cash before you leave the house. Yes, there's an ATM, and yes, you'll pay its fee. Bring your own and skip that.

Go at an off hour if you can. Lunch and the post-bar rush are both busy, and the counter moves fast because it has to. Know what you want before you're at the front.

It's a small room. Shared tables are part of the deal — their own copy tells you to share one with a stranger. This is not a lingering sort of restaurant, and that's precisely the point.

Order a whole pie if there are three or more of you. The math gets dramatically better and you skip the slice case entirely.

Bronx Pizza sits on Washington Street at the edge of Hillcrest, one of the densest and most walkable parts of San Diego. If you're exploring — or thinking about living there — our Hillcrest neighborhood guide is a good place to start.

The Takeaway

Bring cash, go on a Wednesday, order two slices and a drink for nine dollars, and don't expect anyone to ask how your day is going.

What makes Bronx Pizza matter nearly thirty years in is that it never tried to become anything else. No delivery app, no third location, no seasonal menu, no card reader. A thin-crust pie, a slice case, a counter, and a crew whose own website lists their collective lifetime accomplishments as "a handful of college degrees, a few felony convictions, several years of attendance in twelve-step programs, dozens of tattoos, too many burns to count."

You can't manufacture that. San Diego has a lot of good pizza now. It has exactly one of these.

For more San Diego spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks — including Hash House a Go Go a few blocks away, and Hillcrest vs. North Park if you're weighing the two neighborhoods.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Bronx Pizza? At 111 Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103, in Hillcrest.

Does Bronx Pizza take credit cards? No. Bronx Pizza is cash only. There's an ATM inside if you forget, but it's cheaper to bring your own.

Does Bronx Pizza deliver? No. There's no delivery and no third-party apps — pickup and dine-in only.

What are Bronx Pizza's hours? Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

How much is a slice at Bronx Pizza? $3.50 for cheese and $4.00 with a topping. Two slices and a drink is $9.00.

How big are the pizzas? All pies are 18 inches, cut into eight slices. A cheese pie is $20 with toppings at $3 each; specialty pies run $22 to $31.

Is Bronx Pizza actually that good? Yelp has ranked it #7 among the top 100 places for pizza in the United States, and it's the shop most San Diegans name first when the New York–style argument starts. Go decide for yourself — it's $3.50 to find out.

How long has Bronx Pizza been open? Since 1997.