So we tried to go to Jimmy's but it was too crowded. Since the kid was with us, we basically had to make a snap decision. Pizza Nova is next door so we went in. It was fairly busy for a Wednesday night actually, but we were seated right away.

There were 4 adults plus 3 yr old. We ordered the kid a childs pizza. I think it only came with juice. The rest of us shared an appetizer, a bottle of reasonably priced wine, chopped salad and a large pizza. Total was $125 before tip. I don't know why, but that surprised me. I'm not opposed to paying that amount of $, but I feel like from a value for money perspective, I'd choose otherwise.

That being said, it had been a few years since I'd been to Pizza Nova and the food was much better than I expected. My husband insisted on the baked garlic appetizer and it was really good.

Despite the location, parking was not difficult. I like that it's on the harbour. I'm still going to give it a yes recommendation if you stick to pizza and dough balls.

I like Pizza Nova. A decade ago when I lived in Solana Beach I used to go to the one off Lomas Santa Fe Drive pretty regularly. In particular, I like their pizza because it has a thin crust, and I think their wines are surprisingly good for a restaurant at this price point. (I also have a soft spot for their trademark dough balls.)

But these days pizza is significantly cheaper at major chains than it used to be. So Pizza Nova has become comparatively pricier, I think. While I like their food well enough, there almost always seems to me to be a better option when we're looking to go out nowadays. As a result, I hadn't eaten at a Pizza Nova in years.

But we went to this one recently because it was right next to another restaurant that we tried to get into spontaneously one night. But since we had no reservations, that other restaurant had too long a wait for our young daughter to tolerate. So went went to this Pizza Nova instead, as a fallback, merely because of its proximity to the other place.

I was girded for disappointment and walked in here with almost no enthusiasm. But you know what? The whole experience was a pleasant surprise. The food and wine was really good, and the whole experience enjoyable.

Despite the fact that a small crowd began gathering at the front door as we arrived (all wanting a table, like us), we were seated almost immediately, just ahead of the crowd. Our waiter was also really cheerful, and his service prompt.

The red wine we ordered was surprisingly good, too. As was the baked garlic appetizer, which was greeted with no enthusiasm by my family when I ordered it, but which was ravenously enjoyed by everyone once it arrived.

And their "Works" pizza, which we ordered as a group and shared, was also just as good as I remembered.

It's perhaps the ultimate compliment to the experience that when we left I asked my wife rhetorically why it had taken us so long to go back here. And you know, just a week later we ordered another "Works" pizza from here to be delivered.

Went for a birthday party and was surprised that on a Tuesday night it was PACKED but after the good things I’ve heard(most specifically about the garlic bread bites) I wasn’t surpised at either the buisnesses nor at how good everything was. Though we were a large group, our waitress was attentive and did not interrupt too much or leave us waiting around to order! The bbq pizza was divine(and the thing to try) and while everything else was defnitley more than good, I am not sure I would rush back again unless for the atmosphere and the attentive staff. If I did go back however, it would be for their lunch specials which my co-worker’s continually rave about, and apparently includes their house salad which was (following the garlic bread) one of the best parts of the meal!

My favorite thing for lunch. Big enough that I usually save half for dinner. And I'm pushing 200lbs.

Our friend took us here after our arrival from Chicago. My kids had the ceasar salad and it was amazing along with the artichoke dip. My pasta was good and the pizza's looked amazing. The little bread doughs they give you were to die for ...