Filippi's Pizza Grotto Imperial Beach - Imperial Beach, California

Mike R.

I was really happy to hear that they were coming to our little town since the Chula Vista location is so good. I went to opening night which was fun and of course the lines and wait times were huge but that's part of it. I ordered a pizza and lasagna with assorted drinks, bread, and salad but after forty five minutes I started to get impatient and asked how much longer we'd have to wait. The server that was helping us left and never put our order in so we'd been sitting there and waiting on food that wasn't cooking. Opening day, okay you're busy and all your servers aren't going to cut it. We were given bread, drink refills and salads right away but the pizza came out wrong but edible.

The second time I went in was no different. Yeah it was a Friday night but there were empty tables and it took almost two hours to get the wrong pizza yet again.

The only third time wasn't as bad but you wouldn't believe they brought out the wrong pizza again which I finally complained about to the waitress. It's a large thick crust pepperoni and sausage pizza, how hard is that?

Forth time was great, sat right down, drinks came quickly and food came correct. This shouldn't be cause for celebration as most restaurants demonstrate this type of service daily.

Fifth and final time I sat right down, ordered drinks which came quickly, ordered a pizza and waited. It took a while for an almost empty restaurant but hey lets try it, maybe it'll be as good as the last one. Nope, the thick crust was burnt and when I took a bite I tasted raw pizza dough. I was surprised to see that under the toppings the entire pizza was not cooked all the way through. They said they could cook another one for me but I was pressed for time and to be honest I just had no faith in them. The food is awful.

I really wish I could be one of the many people who love this restaurant but I just can't. I truly hope you read this and the other one star reviews and try to improve your customer service but I for one will not be returning.

So update, this place is next level stupid! I'm angry typing so here goes. I online ordered food, walked in and they said 16 more minutes. I walked outside and waited 16 minutes. When I went back in the hostess says we gave your order to someone else. CAN YOU BELIVE WHAT I'M TYPING RIGHT NOW? She even recognized me, I asked if it was someone that met my sons description and she said, no, I think he was Asian. I'm not Asian. If you knew I was waiting and you told me 16 minutes then why would you give it to someone else? Now I have to wait for the manager to come in at 3 to get a refund! NEVER AGAIN!

Don't bother with this place, it's a waste of time and money.

Here are some pictures of the crappy pizza that my wife just ordered. The whole bottom of the pizza is covered in flour. This pizza is awful. I warned her but she wanted to try it again. She finally said she's not ordering from there again. 3/06/22

Irene O.

This is probably the best filippi's in San Diego. It has the old red retro 70's interior with the empty signed wine bottles hanging all around. Red checkered Vinyl table cloths. Very cute. The food has much better flavor and better quality than the others I've been to. Even better than the one in Little Italy. The service was nice we were given options on which table we preferred. We ordered the clam linguine and ravioli with meat sauce dinners. The waitress was very helpful and gave great suggestions, I wish I could remember her name! She was great! The garlic bread is Wonderful and the bread that comes out with the meal is so fresh! Portions were huge! The dinner salad was fresh crisp veggies! Overall we were content with our meal!

Rhianna P.

My family has been going to Filippi's pizza since I can remember.
Escondido location was our go-to spot.
I moved to Imperial Beach about 15 years ago and I was SO EXCITED TO SEE FILIPPI'S COMING!!
My brother and my mom swear that this is the best pizza. My brother is considering taking the train out here just so he can take a fresh pizza to his wife where he's based in Utah.
My mom recently died, but whenever she was craving pizza, it HAD to be Filippi's. Or it wasn't up to par.
Their pizzas are super delicious.
Known for a TON OF CHEESE... GOOD CHEESE.
DONT ORDER EXTRA CHEEZE THERE IS LIKE POUNDS OF MOZZ ON TOO.
They pile on the toppings. I even got a bite with 6 pepperoni layered upon eachother (sh! That probably wasn't supposed to happen!) And oh yes, it was SO GOOD.
They are a little pricier than some of the other spots in IB.
There's a reason.
If you want a Cali- style pizza, all thin with tons of choices for toppings that are untraditional and amazing, DONT GO HERE.
If you want a real nice thick dough, to go with lots of sauce, tons of cheese and toppings, so a slice weighs a ton and you think OMG - GO HERE!!
FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED and they have locations throughout the county now, they are that good.
Oh, amd their Antipasta salad is SUPER GOOD I LOVE THE HOUSE DRESSING!

Emmanuel P.

11/15 I havnt ate all day & it's 8pm, my girlfriend is 8months pregnant, I worked all day from 7 to 5, she's craving filippis & I drive to this location & wait 30min to be seated & 30min to get my pizza & this is what I get... I'm about my customer service as I run a bmw repair shop & this is disrespectful.

Jennifer S.

Friendly casual restaurant with some nice family sized portions. This location is close to the beach, its nice to walk down after if you have a chance. The parking lot isn't big here, about 15 spots, and they have added outside seating with covering now. The pizzas are delicious, if you love cheese, you're gonna be happy, they make them with So.Much.Cheese! The antipasto is another fave and we also like ordering the meatball on the side. The spaghetti and lasagna combo is delish as well, and you can have it with meat sauce or marinara. We've gotten their spumoni for dessert, and the kids love it, we all share it. They have music playing inside, and there are restrooms available as well.

David S.

Overall a good experience. The food very Delish and proportions are big

Chuck D.

We ordered 2 orders of Spaghetti with Marinara sauce at the Imperial Beach location. Maybe they have a different sauce that some of these reviews rave about but their Marinara sauce was a waste of 40.00. I didn't even like the meatballs we ordered. I know they have lots of locations but I would never order their Spaghetti with Marinara ever again.

Keith K.

Do not expect traditional Italian cuisine from this place. I ordered the chicken parmigiana dinner. For the soup it tastes like canned, the salad with Italian dressing is not good. Store bought dressing tastes better than the one they serve. The garlic bread is just bread with melted butter. When the main dish comes out. The pasta sauce tastes not fresh, the chicken parmigiana was covered in sauce and cheese. They do that to cover up the poor taste of the chicken. The chicken batter was mushy and undercooked and no flavor. This is just like the one in Little Italy area. With the same results. Warning do not go there. Olive Garden is so much better than this place.