Neat little spot. No seating, it's really grab and go. The owner, "Hammer" is clearly passionate about what he does and puts in a lot of hard work. He was the only guy back there cranking out pizzas when I went in. If the review was purely based on a hard working small business, this place would ACE it. 5-stars for that. Unfortunately I felt like the pizza was very average. Not terrible by any means, but nothing making you want to come back. There's no "wow" factor. We got the "Hammers Deluxe" pizza and it had a lot of great toppings on it. Definitely covered in toppings, there just wasn't much taste and the crust was just average. Also, for ~$33 out the door, this pizza is not cheap. One of the more expensive pizzas. Again, it was a solid pie, I guess I was just expecting a bit more for $33 and all the great reviews. read more

I have lived in NY/NJ for a few years. This pizza is a legit NY style pizza. Exceptional crust to sauce to cheese ratio. Thin and crispy crust. If you like NY style, this is the place for you. Its kinda like Bronx pizza. read more

Hammer's NY Pizza - Legit NY style pizza - Pizza Near Me - Encinitas, California

Finally got a chance to try this place after many recs. I should preface this review by saying I'm not a huge pizza person, I know weirdo, but I do appreciate a good pizza pie! First, what jumped out at me were all the comparisons people were making between Hammer's and Bronx pizza. I must say after trying Hammer's, and this is only based off of 2 different pizzas, Bronx still has my heart. But not to say Hammer's isn't good at all! We ordered the Whitestone. Not bad, love the ricotta, but needed more flavor. Perhaps more dollops of ricotta and slightly more mince garlic? Their Deluxe was my favorite. Lots of toppings, veggies and meats. Love their thin crust. If you're itching for a good NY style pizza, Hammer's will scratch that itch. Not Bronx, but probably the closest thing in North County. read more

Hammer's NY Pizza - White Stone (No Red Sauce) Specialty 18" Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Best NY pizza in north county. Just visited NYC and got all the famous places, and this is the closest by far. He uses quality ingredients and even shreds his own whole milk mozzarella, unlike that pre shredded stuff a lot of places use that's filled with preservatives... Come support this locally owned small biz and enjoy some of the best NY pizza in the area. read more

** 2/17/19 update** I received a "hate message" from a friend of the owner of this place harassing me and calling me a snowflake, telling me to F off, etc. He boasted that they are both "brookelynites" & said some pretty nasty things about me being a vegan and told me "stay in your lane...stick with going to self realization centers and naked cafes." Wow. I think he should maybe stay in his lane and not come after me, especially with such needless vitriol. Profile was "Nathan", his picture is a tv screenshot, 2 friends on yelp, and a small handful of reviews. It's so unprofessional when the owners friends come after you for writing an HONEST review. I would advise everyone and anyone to beware of this place-as the owner is obviously spiteful and seeks revenge if you don't like his poor service. Also, the owner never reached out to me, and now, 7 months later, he responds because the updated negative review is fresh on his feed, stating that he "is always kind". Yet his response isn't even speaking to me, or addressing the service my friend and I received when we were in his store. He also states that I never went back to his restaurant (note that he didn't invite me to come give them another shot, and did not apologize for the poor service we received).. Of course I didn't go back- why would I go somewhere where they treated me poorly? He never reached out and invited me to come back and experience good service. He clearly could care less that we were treated poorly as that NEVER was addressed. His response is egotistical and sounds like a bully. This review is for service only, I didn't get to eat their food because they weren't willing to make anything for me and the customer service was terrible. I found this place on yelp and it seemed to have good reviews and vegan options so we went to try it out. I was with one of my best friends and our daughters that are both teenagers. When we arrived, nobody else was there. We told the man behind the cash register that it was our first time there and he explained that the pizzas were all extra large and in the $20 range price range. I asked if he could make something vegan for me because it did say that this pizzeria makes vegan food. He didn't really respond, I asked him about the calzones, to which he hesitated and then asked the guy behind the counter. The man behind the counter in the kitchen was even worse. I couldn't understand him at all -he was sitting down and mumbling. But basically I got the gist that he said the calzone wouldn't come out good. Ummm OK? I was getting a serious vibe that these people are not in the mood to work and did not want us to eat there. My friend asked if I wanted to go somewhere else and I agreed. So we left. Neither of them answered anything to us on our way out. Very unprofessional. Definitely do not recommend this place. read more

I'm sorry for writing a bad review about this place solely based on a single interaction. They are good people w great 'za.

The best pizza in North County without argument. I'd put it up against any pizza in the county, for sure. The pepperoni pie and strombolis are awesome with nice big portions and a crust which is a perfect compliment to the toppings. The crew there is great and I've put this shop into the rotation! read more

Authentic 1970s style NY pizza. Every pie is made by Hammer himself with top quality ingredients. No trends or fashions, just great old school pizza. read more

I'm going to give this place a solid 3 star review. It's tucked away, a corner store, and the park situation there is interesting. It seems all the spots are either reserved for other businesses or limited to 5 or 10 minutes each. Now, the food. We ordered a half cheese half pepperoni, well done pie. They nailed the 'well done' part. Most places don't get it right. However, I personally thought the sauce was too sweet. I like mine with a 'bite'. The ingredients were fresh and the crust was a traditional thin crust, just like New York pizza. Price was 20.84. There is no seating and that will prevent us from coming back on a regular basis. A table for two and two barstools are inside. Outside, there is one table for four people. We ended up taking the pizza to a local park so we had more room. Would we order for take-out? Probably not since we live too far from it for the pizza to still be fresh. If I was in the area and craving pizza, I would stop in but I wouldn't make a special trip down here. read more

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I'm kinda obsessed with NY style pizza. Thin and crispy. Truthfully there aren't many places in SoCal that pull it off and Hammers hit the nail on the head. We go all out when we order: large - half cheese half pep, dinner Caesar, wings and garlic knots. Pie: 9.2 Caesar: decent Wings: similar to your grocery store frozen bag Garlic knots: Bomb (you get a side of marinara) The man behind the counter/owner is a native NY sweetheart. Treat him right and let his pizza do the same read more

Hammer's NY Pizza - Pardon the foot this pizza far from stinks - Pizza Near Me - Encinitas, California

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So sad! Everyone said how great this pizza is, so we had high hopes. It's really not that special. It looks like NY pizza, but it's not. A NY slice is supposed to have a bit of a chewy crust. Some tiny bubbles in the crust too. This crust was dry. No flavor. Sauce also was not noticeable. For the one with ricotta-the ricotta is grainy. Pesto flavor was not really there (probably bc it was such a thin drizzle). To top it off, we all had stomach issues after. read more

Hammer's never disappoints! The pizza, wings, and garlic knots were amazing! The guys are amazing, this place is truly a hidden gem. The weird vegan reviews are ridiculous...go to a bougie non-authentic pizza place. Pizza isn't vegan. It's got cheese. Get over it! read more

Cranky Authentic New Yorker makes Best NY Style Pizza in SoCal... I am from NYC ... this place is awesome read more

Doordashed so can only comment on pizza quality that was excellent. Flippin is closer to us so more convenient but dang it hammers is better... better sauce, better ricotta.... Will order again! read more

Did someone say, tastes like cardboard? We ordered from Hammers because we learned that the Giant NY Pizza nearby (our regular place) had closed. Let's just say, we'll keep looking around for our new favorite place. Here are a few things to note: - We ordered one each of the 18" vegetarian and 18" spinach white pizzas. - I've lived in New York, and this crust was nothing like New York pizza...it more closely resembled cardboard from our perspective. And, as it cooled down, it became ever harder to chew. We finally just cut off the edge crusts and tried to eat the rest, but even that felt disappointing. - We had a debate on whether we'd rather eat Hammer's Pizza or DiGiorno's frozen pizza from the grocery store. DiGiorno's won. Bottom line: There are too many other pizza places in the area to waste time trying Hammers. We'll never be back. read more

I really love this place. The guys are super friendly. And I finally figure out their business hour! No wonder I didn't see them open, but now I know! Give them a try! You will not regret it!! Ps I just love their plain cheese pizza!, but others are delicious as well. read more

Some of the best pizza you can get. No fussy fancy frills, just a great quality pizza made with pride. It is what I think of as a good quality New York style pizza that I miss around here since moving from New York. Hammer is a nice guy and fun to chat with while you wait! read more

Likes: The dough was consistent from crust to the tip of the slice, good texture. Toppings and sauce were good. Overall I like the pizza. Dislikes: The $30+ pizza is overpriced. People running the place, either put on a fake smile and make paying customers feel welcome or remove yourself from interacting with them. read more

Outstanding pie. Delicious and thin and crunchy. Highly recommended. Not much else to say....yum!

If you want authentic NY-style pizza (along with a bit of authentic NY-style attitude) in Encinitas, this is place. Hammer is a true master at his craft and his thin, crispy yet pliable crust definitely ranks in my top-5 of all time great pizzas. Don't miss this place! read more

Hammer's is the BEST New York style pizza in North County - Hand's Down! Born and Raised on Long Island, New York I know what I'm talking about. The slices are perfect. Nice and thin - just enough crispyness. It's not drenched in sauce so it doesn't get all soggy if you eat it later. And speaking of the sauce, Hammer has his own recipe and it's killer. If you are in Encinitas you need to find this little pizza place, it's tucked in the back of a small parking lot and you can easily drive right past it. My wife said to get the Caesar Salad too (it's her favorite when we order our 2 pies for the family). read more

Hands down the best pizza in north county... the guy running the place is a bit difficult at times, but I will put up with anything when you make a pie like this guy... his Stromboli is amazing... he told me I have to order the French bread style pie 3 days in advance so he has time to raise the dough properly--enough said. read more

It's not bad pizza but it's severely overpriced. We got a 3 topping pie and dropped $30 on it. It was good, not great, and nothing we would rush back to spend $30 on. read more

Their pizza is SOOOO GOOD!!! It really tastes like classic NY pizza! Super thin crust and the best flavor!!! I will definitely be ordering from this restaurant again!!!! Yum!!!! read more

Tucked away in the teeny strip mall with the TimeKeepers. Caught a glimpse of their "NY Pizza" sign, but hadn't tried until today. We got their slices, hubby got the pepperoni I got the white pizza with artichoke. First of all their crust is typical NY, crispy and light, foldable crust is so yum. Ricotta is fresh light and cheese and artichokes are so good! Hubs loved his pepperoni pizza, great sauce, cheesy, NY crust. Yum. Soda fountain had 2 of their 5 nozzles not working, oh well, tiny indoors with perhaps 2 tables, we sat outside on their one table, but enjoyed the sun and our pizzas. I think they are closed on Monday and don't deliver perhaps they'll sign up with Uber Eats! read more

Hammer's NY Pizza - Hammer's NYC pizza is in the Encinitas hood! - Pizza Near Me - Encinitas, California

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The pizza is mediocre at best. Very very light on the cheese and a little too salty for my liking. Not worth what you receive. read more

I ordered dinner for my family and I at 5 pm via DoorDash and it said Hammer's had accepted my order. Then at 5:45 pm I get a notification that the order was cancelled because the store is closed. Now we are going to have to place another order elsewhere and wait another hour. Extremely frustrating. read more

I made a special order, ordering 24 pizzas for a large gathering. I am happy to say that we ordered too many pizzas and we have a couple left overs because the sauce, the dough, the pepperoni- is/was delicious. Everyone at the event gave compliments. This is the best NY style pizza in North County San Diego, no one else even comes close. read more

Hammer's NY Pizza - 24 pizzas!!! - Pizza Near Me - Encinitas, California

I'd say a solid four stars for Hammer's Pizza. I lived in Encinitas for years and never noticed this little pizza place, it's tiny and tucked away in a tiny plaza. Easy to miss if you aren't looking for it, and you don't want to miss it. If you enjoy traditional NY style pizza, great tasting and huge sizes this is the place for you. I'm a native New Yorker and this pizza is one of the closest things to great NY pizza in California that I've found so far. We ordered a large, thinking the size would be smaller like most CA sized pizzas, yeah no, it was massive!!! Which for any pizza lover, like myself, is never a bad thing. Too much pizza, no such thing. So why four stars you ask? Two reasons really, one they don't deliver. In a pizza joint, I personally prefer to be lazy and have delivery. And the second was the cost and time it took to make the pizza. We ordered on a normal weeknight around 5:30pm but it took them more than 40 minutes to cook. The cost seemed a little in the high side to me, but the taste makes these minor things worth it. I totally recommend giving this little a try when you're in the mood for great NY style food! read more

Hammer's NY Pizza - Large pizza pie....is very large! - Pizza Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Hammer's makes pizzas authentic to New York. They come closer to matching the great thin crust pizzas I've had on my trips to New York City. The sauce, crust and cheese combine to deliver a unique taste experience. Hammer's has become my go to pizza take-out spot. Service is good and you know you're dealing with New York natives. They're no nonsense and personable. My one disappointment is the restaurant is small, with next to no seating. For me, it's always grab pizza and hit the street. Still, I they keep me coming back. read more

Hammer's NY Pizza - Cheese Pizza. - Pizza Near Me - Encinitas, California

Best slice of pizza I've had since I left NY 10 years ago! Everything is freshly made everyday. The crust is thin and crispy. The sauce is a perfect blend of subtle flavor and not too thick. Cheese, pepperoni and sausage complemented the crust perfectly. I had one slice... then another... had to stop myself from ordering a third! I ended the meal with the yummiest cannoli with homemade filling. I wish I lived closer... Oh and Hammer is an awesome dude read more

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Best pizza in encinitas. This is a must try. Level is wave above dominos and pizza huts.

Pretty good pizza for for North County but not as good as a traditional New York zaaaa! (duh! It is Cali after all) I first had a slice from here a few months ago through a friend who ordered a few pies for a party. The crust was nice and crunchy and the toppings weren't anything fancy but still fresh and tasty. The last few times I've gone on my own to pick up a pie were as good as that first taste with my friends but still good. My most recent trip was to try their Special Vegan Pizza. Apparently they said that they are the only local place that caters somewhat to a vegan or plant based client, so thumbs up to THEM! The pizza was HUGE as they all are and the toppings were fresh and plentiful but I would have loved more flavor overall. It was a bit dry and could have used a salty element or deeper flavor element such as artichoke hearts or a nice herb infused oil drizzle. I do understand however that a nonVegan Restaurant/chef won't have the vegan chef saavy on how to create magic with plants verses just covering it with cheese and meat but I give them props for trying. Overall their pizza is good! Better for meat eaters ofcourse (which I was a few months ago) :) Work a bit more on your VEGAN pizza and I'll love you loooooong time! Oh, and service is awesome! Very NYC pizzeria feel with playful banter and loud conversations over pies! Makes me long for bleaker street pizzzzzzaaaaa scene! read more

I tried Hammer's after seeing a flyer at a bank and reading the reviews. After trying my bounty of food including slices, stromboli, and more, we're in love. The husband made me promise to visit often to support them and make sure they don't go out of business. So, this is good pizza. They use real parm on their pizzas, have a garlic wash, and do egg sodas (awesome!). Their slices are killer - flavorful, foldable, and fabulous! The strombolis are customizable which is awesome, and the pizza list. Oh, the list! They have vegan options, a good amout of of veggie and meat options, and, most importantly, they have a baked penne (ziti) pizza. Better than Flippin, Frescos, and perhaps as good as or better than It's a Sicilian Thing. Sooooo gooooooood.... They really do bring a taste of NJ/NY to Encinitas. As a note, this is a takeout/delivery place with a small counter area for eat in, so do be advised. read more

Hammer's NY Pizza - Stromboli of delicousness. - Pizza Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Que the music " you're simply the best...better than all the rest !" Encinitas is lucky to have the most authentic and deliciously crispy pizza right here. Very fresh pizza with that Crust, that zest - that Pizzow! Hammer is the funny and friendly. read more

Hammers knows how to make a NY style pie right, this is my new go to spot :) Luckily I spotted this gem when I stopped to get my watch fixed at Time Keepers yesterday. My dad is known as "Hammer" back in my hometown/NJ so I needed to get a photo to send him. While I was taking my photo, Hammer (the owner) came by to talk to me. He was awesome! I told him I was from NJ and assured him I would be back to try the pizza (it was 10am). After thinking about pizza all day yesterday, today I called in a pick-up order for a large cheese pie. Hammer had it ready when we arrived to pick it up. He said he hoped we approved and I was really hoping the same so I could write a positive review and support a fellow Hammer. Tasty flavorful thin sauce - just like my favorites. Perfect amount of cheese. Dough done right. Thin and delicious. I'm staying true to my pizza critic ways when I say I was beyond satisfied. Even if the place wasn't called Hammer's (which I love), I would be back! Call in to-go order Pizza by the slice read more

Hammer's NY Pizza - Large cheese pizza done right, awesome sauce - Pizza Near Me - Encinitas, California

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This place is legit and the pizza is awesome. They have weird hours but it's a one man show and he consistently knocks out authentic NY pizza. I actually prefer Chicago style pizza but if what you are looking for is New York style... you won't be disappointed with Hammer's. read more

Hammer is the owner and cook from BROOKLYN! The pie was awesome yo, truly delicious, home made fresh and authentic even the cannoli was made fresh... I'll be back for sure. ONE OF MY TOP BEST PIZZAS I'VE HAD IN SAN DIEGO!!! read more

Hammer's NY Pizza - Menu - Pizza Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Oh my, oh my! Zah was delish! Now my favorite... "One bite and everyone knows the rules!" read more

Well, we don't live in the area but found this place online and decided to give it a try. I walked in about 7:15 pm (they close at 8). A guy was there working by himself and I could tell he wasn't having a good day. I heard him taking an order on the phone and he appeared hurried and frazzled. When he hung up he didn't even look at me instead just muttered "Are you here to place an order?" and shaking his head stated that he likes to get the last orders placed by 7pm AND it's better to call. When I explained that I tried to call but no one picked up the phone he replied with "Oh." He proceeded with "Well, I'm not sure i can get it done in time" and then reluctantly agreed to make my pizza! I even tipped well when paying beforehand to see if that would cheer him up. NOPE. By the time I came back about 30 min. later this guy was still in a bad, bitchy mood. Overall, it would have been better if I just would have walked out earlier and had my dinner elsewhere with a business who appreciated customers. Bottom line is the pizza was just OK. The customer service; however, SUCKS. read more