Best Brooklyn Style Pizza in San Diego
Experience Brooklyn's uncompromising pizza tradition in San Diegoâultra-thin, crispy-throughout crust with distinctive char from coal-fired ovens reaching 800-1200°F. Born from early 20th century Italian immigrants in Brooklyn neighborhoods, this style maintains the borough's oldest pizza-making traditions: coal ovens, thinner-than-NY crusts that crack when folded, and restraint with toppings. Discover where San Diego captures Brooklyn's legendary coal-fired, thin-crusted perfection.
Expert Tip: Pro tip: Authentic Brooklyn pizza should crackânot bendâwhen you fold it. If it stays flexible like traditional NY-style, it's not thin or crispy enough. Look for visible char spots (blackened bubbles from coal-oven "kisses"), which add smoky flavor. The crust should be crispy from edge to center, not just on the rim. When ordering, keep toppings minimalâBrooklyn pizza is about the crust, char, and technique, not topping abundance. If available, ask if they use coal or wood-fired ovens for that authentic smoky depth. In San Diego, seek pizzerias emphasizing "ultra-thin," "crispy throughout," or "Brooklyn-style"âthe best spots nail that crack-when-folded texture even without coal ovens. Eat it fresh and hot; Brooklyn pizza doesn't stay crispy once it cools.
Key Characteristics
What Makes It Unique
Brooklyn pizza distinguishes itself through extreme thinness and crispnessâthinner than even New York styleâcreating a crust that cracks rather than bends when folded. While NY-style has a crispy edge with soft, pliable center, Brooklyn-style is crispy throughout. The defining element is coal-fired ovens using Pennsylvania anthracite coal, burning at 800-1200°F (far hotter than gas ovens at 500-550°F), cooking pizzas in just 3-5 minutes. This extreme heat creates the signature smoky char, deep flavor, and distinctive blackened spotsâa "kiss" from the coal. High-gluten flour hand-stretched (never rolled) creates structure despite extreme thinness. The sauce often has a sweeter profile with added sugar, contrasting with the charred, smoky crust. Brooklyn pizza represents purist pizza-making: restraint with toppings (often just sauce and cheese), focus on technique and heat over innovation, and preservation of coal-oven traditions when most moved to gas. Famous Brooklyn pizzerias like Totonno's, Grimaldi's (coal-fired brick ovens for crisp-yet-chewy crust), Di Fara, and Lucali maintain these coal-fired traditions. The result is thin, crispy, charred perfection with unmistakable smoky depth.
History & Origins
Brooklyn-style pizza emerged in the early 20th century when Italian immigrants settled in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, and Coney Island, bringing traditional pizza-making from Naples. Coal and wood-fired ovens were common equipment available to these immigrants, who adapted their techniques to the extremely high temperatures these ovens provided. As pizza gained American popularity through the 1920s-50s, Brooklyn pizzerias maintained traditional coal-fired methods even as Manhattan pizzerias transitioned to more accessible gas deck ovens. This preservation of coal ovens became Brooklyn's defining characteristic. The coal-fired technique wasn't innovationâit was tradition maintained. Legendary Brooklyn pizzerias established the style: Totonno's (opened 1924 in Coney Island by Antonio "Totonno" Pero, trained at Lombardi's), using coal ovens for distinctive charred crusts; Grimaldi's (1990 in DUMBO by Patsy Grimaldi), whose coal-fired brick ovens create the signature crispy-yet-chewy crust with char; Di Fara (1965 in Midwood by Domenico DeMarco), crafting artisan pies; and Lucali (2006 in Carroll Gardens by Mark Iacono), offering candlelit, no-menu coal-fired perfection. Brooklyn pizza represents the borough's Italian-American identityâworking-class, traditional, unpretentious, focused on craft over trends.
In San Diego
San Diego's Brooklyn-style pizza scene brings East Coast coal-fired traditions and ultra-thin, crispy crusts to Southern California. The Pizza Standard in Tierrasanta shocked the San Diego pizza scene with Brooklyn-style pies featuring light, airy dough crisped to perfection with excellent chewâthe San Diego Union-Tribune praised it for rivaling NYC's best. A Brooklyn Pizzeria (locations on C Street and Friars Road) captures the essence of New York-style pizza with thin, light, crispy crusts faithful to East Coast traditions. Bronx Pizza (Mission Hills, operating since 1997) is iconic for its thin crust and crispy slices, bringing authentic East Coast style to San Diego for nearly 30 years. While true coal-fired ovens are rare in San Diego (coal ovens cost millions and face regulatory challenges), these pizzerias achieve the characteristic ultra-thin, crispy-throughout texture and char through high-heat gas deck ovens and wood-fired techniques. Look for pizzerias emphasizing "Brooklyn-style," ultra-thin crusts, high-heat cooking, and minimal toppings. The key identifiers: crust that cracks when folded (not bends), even crispness throughout (not just edges), visible char spots, and smoky depth of flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Brooklyn pizza different from New York pizza?
Brooklyn pizza is thinner and crispier throughoutâit cracks when folded rather than bending like NY-style. Brooklyn emphasizes coal-fired ovens (800-1200°F) creating distinctive smoky char, while NY-style often uses gas ovens (500-550°F). Brooklyn pizza is crispy from edge to center; NY-style has crispy edges but a softer, pliable center. Brooklyn sauce is often sweeter with added sugar.
Where can I find authentic Brooklyn-style pizza in San Diego?
Top spots include The Pizza Standard (Tierrasanta) with Brooklyn-style pies crisped to perfection, A Brooklyn Pizzeria (C Street, Friars Road) for thin, light, crispy crusts, and Bronx Pizza (Mission Hills, since 1997) for iconic thin crust crispy slices. While true coal ovens are rare in San Diego, these pizzerias achieve the characteristic ultra-thin, crispy texture through high-heat techniques.
Why do Brooklyn pizzerias use coal-fired ovens?
Coal-fired ovens using Pennsylvania anthracite coal reach 800-1200°Fâfar hotter than gas ovensâcooking pizza in 3-5 minutes. This extreme heat creates the signature smoky flavor, deep char, and crispy-throughout texture that defines Brooklyn pizza. Coal ovens were common when Italian immigrants arrived in early 1900s Brooklyn, and the borough maintained this tradition when others switched to gas.
What famous Brooklyn pizzerias are known for coal-fired pizza?
Legendary Brooklyn pizzerias include Totonno's (1924 Coney Island, coal ovens for charred crust), Grimaldi's (DUMBO, coal-fired brick ovens for crisp-yet-chewy signature crust), Di Fara (1965 Midwood, artisan coal-fired pies), and Lucali (Carroll Gardens, candlelit no-menu coal-fired perfection). These pizzerias preserve Brooklyn's coal-oven traditions.
Can you fold Brooklyn pizza like New York pizza?
Yes, but it behaves differently. New York pizza folds smoothly and stays bentâthe signature "New York fold." Brooklyn pizza is so thin and crispy it cracks when folded, creating audible snaps. This cracking (not bending) is a key identifier of authentic Brooklyn-style pizza. Both are designed for one-handed eating, but Brooklyn's extreme crispness changes the folding experience.
Why is Brooklyn pizza so thin and crispy?
Brooklyn pizza emphasizes tradition and restraintâthinner crust showcases technique, hand-stretching skill, and coal-oven mastery. The extreme heat (800-1200°F) from coal ovens dehydrates the dough rapidly, creating crispness throughout. High-gluten flour provides structure despite thinness. Brooklyn's working-class Italian immigrant roots valued simplicity: thin, crispy, charred, no frillsâjust perfect execution.
