Back at the end of April, FOY "Mar" asked me if I'd been to the new location of Pizza Kaiju which had moved from National City to Barrio Logan after the Market on 8th changed ownership. She mentioned that there were "Yoshoku" (meaning western style Japanese dishes like curry and katsu) on the menu. I hadn't really given it a thought, but seeing that they had stuff like Sisig Pizza on the menu….well, now that was kinda fascinating. One of the things that really stopped me from visiting were the hours at that time. The shop was only open from Wednesday to Sunday; with lunch service only from Fridays to Sunday starting at 1pm.
But finally, on a quiet Sunday, between road trips with JJ, I decided to head on down to Barrio Logan, which is not an area I really frequent. The restaurant is located in the huge Mercado del Barrio….which I last visited back in 2018 when I went to check out Pho Bo….which is still there.
I had fully believed that parking would be at a premium, but I easily found parking on all three visits. The restaurant is actually a combination of three concepts; Pizza Kaiju, Ultra Donuts, and what looks like a beer bar and is in a huge space right on the corner of National Avenue and Cesar E. Chavez Parkway.
What was even more interesting was trying to get into the place as they list the address as being #1115, which seemed closed; but the shop stretches over to both suite 1111 and 1113.
More confusion ensued as I tried to figure out where to look at a menu and place an order as the shop was completely empty. Until the very nice woman working saw me, smiled and waved me over.
I was shown the various menus and while the pizzas were humongous, they also sold slices. I was shown the display case with what was available by the slice on this day.
Sadly, no Sisig or Bulgogi pizza by the slice on this day, but a really nice gentleman was walking by and introduced himself as "Rob" and told me he was one of the owners. He recommended trying a slice of Potato Curry Pizza which was just finishing up and was going to be available. The slices were nicely priced at $5. Wanting to try something else off the menu and I went with the Karaage ($10) as well. This is one of those order and pay at the counter and find a table kind of places.
I had a short wait, but soon enough my dishes arrived.
First off the Potato – Japanese Curry Pizza.
This was really not to my liking. The crust of the pizza was rubbery and soggy, the edges quite chewy. I don't think it had been baked long enough. It did look nice and I thought the amount of cheese was good, but in spite of the curry, I thought this a bit bland overall. The curry itself was quite thick and had some spice; but for some reason the flavor just seemed to vanish in the entire package.
As for the Karaage. Well, you know how much I enjoy my karaage and tori nanban right? I've even experimented with different recipes as well.
Well, I wasn't too inspired by the whitish color. Was not a fan of the way too soft coating which lacked crispness, something that I like in my karaage.
The flavor however was really good, nice umami tones…the soy sauce, a hint of sweetness, it was so moist and juicy. If that batter was better, it would have been among my favorites in San Diego! This was a pleasant surprise!
And since I was still curious about the Sisig Pizza; I decided to return for another visit. This was after our most recent road trip and Kaiju was now open for lunch at 1130 on weekends. The place was a bit more busy this time around and I was also shown some new menu items by that nice woman.
But I was really just wanting try that Sisig Pizza, which they had by the slice on this day. Rob was there as well and he recommended the "Aporkalypse", so I got that as well. Slices were $5 a piece….so ten bucks for lunch….well, that's a bargain these days.
The Aporkalypse was my favorite of the two slices. As you can see, the crust was much better this time around….good yeasty crispness. Loved the tangy tomato tones along with the salty bacon-pepperoni-sausage….there's a hint of spice as well, which was quite enjoyable.
As for the Sisig slice……well, this was fairly bland, even with the slices of serrano chilies; it really lacked the tangy-sour-porky flavors that make Sisig one of my favorite food items. What did help things a bit was the Black Garlic Ranch Dressing that Rob brought to me to try. It had the typical tangy-rich-sourness of ranch dressing, with the addition of some sweet pungency.
Rob came by at the end of my meal to chat. I was curious about how all of what is offered fits within his background. And man, was it an amazing story….born in the Phillipines, raised in Japan and Guam, and a graduate of Campbell High School….that would be in Ewa Beach for those not familiar. The large variety of cuisines fits within his experiences in life…….glad to know it's not just "con-fusion and cultural appropriation". I really enjoyed our chat and Rob was so generous with his time!
So, of course I had to return, right?
Rob wasn't around, but that really nice woman was. It was empty again during this weekend lunch hour.
I had thought that the karaage was so close to being a favorite, that I decided to actually try the Katsu Curry, which is supposedly done Kanazawa style. I went with the chicken katsu ($16.50) version.
Upon delivery I looked and yes, this looked like the thick-rouxed Kanazawa style curry!
The katsu was really crisp, perfectly fried….I think I'm going to ask Rob the next time I see him, what kind of panko he uses. The chicken was moist, nicely seasoned without being overly salty, though I think it could be a bit more tender.
The curry was super thick, rich, and had a nice spiciness to it…..definitely "stick to your ribs" kinda Japanese curry. Of shredded cabbage was a must for "recovery".
The rice was perfectly cooked.
I'm thinking the Missus might like this katsu curry. I mentioned wishing that I could bring JJ here to the woman working and she said "bring him, he will be welcomed"! So, perhaps I will. At that moment, the Old Town Trolley stopped at the corner and a few people got off….some of them entered the restaurant, which made me smile. Really great folks and even though I'm not big on the pizzas here, I'd like to try some of their other menu items. I hope they do well.
Pizza Kaiju
1985 National Ave #1115
San Diego, CA 92113
Current Hours:
Wed – Thurs 3pm – 9pm
Friday 1pm – 9pm
Sat- Sun 1130am – 9pm
Closed Mon – Tues
There are so many television sets in here. Each seat at each table has a view of at least two, even outside on the patio.
Here are a couple of tabletop menus.
The Mister ordered a Happy Hour Group Modelo (16 oz) for $4. I had a taste and it was nice.
We were here on a Wednesday and ordered six 'wings' for $1 each (there were nine flavors (three mild, the rest indicated heat)) and we chose the Honey BBQ. Nicely sauced and topped with sesame seeds, accompanied by celery, carrots and a good housemade Ranch dip. All drums, no flats and quite a good sized serving.
The Happy Hour fried Lemon-Pepper Zucchini ($7.99) was another sizable serving. Light breading, crisp fried and not greasy, the crunch as well as the very pleasant fresh and not seedy zucchini was great tasting on its own and very pleasant with th Ranch dip and housemate marinara. 
The Oggis Stix ($7.99). Pizza dough brushed with garlic olive oil and toped with mozzarella, parmesan and parsley were also served with the housemade ranch and marinara dips. This was kind of a wonderful, decadent bite. since we are watching our carbs; we did take about half of this home and it reheated well.
Here is another tabletop menu- Monday-Friday lunch from 11-2
Here's a cup of potato-cheese soup (add on $2.99). This was very nice on the cool day we were here.
The half balsamic chicken salad ($9.99) was accompanied by a (giant) garlic knot; much fancier than a slice of bread. Spring mix topped with grilled chicken, candied walnuts and Gorgonzola and a house made balsamic vinaigrette.
We decided to try a half flatbread ($6.99) and chose the Charcuterie-Sopressata, Genoa Salami, pancetta, pepperoni, green onion, mozzarella and shredded parmesan. This had Oggis 'pizza sauce' instead of marinara and was a tad 'spicy' but nothing to complain about. I liked the crisp, thin crust and flavor meld.
Since 1955, Lido's has been a mainstay on Broadway in Lemon Grove. This family run restaurant has been a gathering place for families, co-workers and various school sports teams as well as other community events. The take out business has been doing well, especially during Covid-19.
The antipasto salad for two ($11.95) is easily shared. Greens, crisp pickled vegetables (carrots, celery and cauliflower), olives, fresh tomatoes and wedges of stacked salami, mortadella and mozzarella, all topped with a house made Italian dressing make this shared salad a wonderful accompaniment to any meal.
The minestrone soup bowl ($5.25) is my usual order; the daily made rich, herby stock with chunky, slightly crisp celery and carrots along with onions, tomatoes, chickpeas and pasta is consistently flavored and traditional.
Of course we ordered a large sausage and mushroom pizza ($21.95). It's a throwback to our first date. Fresh, thinly sliced mushrooms, chunks of a mild and wonderful Italian sausage; all on a thin crust with a mild sauce.
Every large pizza includes 'Hors d' Oeuvres', or you can.purchase one (or additional plates) for $3.95.
Same location, same way of ordering, another success story of making it through Covid-19.
Similar menu with higher prices.
Choose your items by looking and pointing while walking along the order line.
Watch your order go into the fire filled oven, pay and find a seat. Soon items will be brought to your table. 
I wanted to try the 'new' Folded dough garlic cheese bread ($5.95). Garlic herb butter, Mozzarella and Romano on freshly made dough, folded over. This was kind of a perfect bite for me. Tasty and filling…very cheesy with the garlic butter making a perfect condiment. 
The 3 Topping Signature Pizza ($11.35) on the original crust, house made red sauce, mild Italian sausage, pepperoni and mushrooms was our choice for a pizza. I gave The Mister most of my pepperoni and sausage and enjoyed the cheese and mushrooms on the crisp, chewy yet fluffy light crust.
Which was cooked perfectly in that stove. 
The well-established (since 1955) pizza parlor, serving Italian food as well as cocktails is open for lunch in nearby Lemon Grove. 
A bowl of the house made 
A large (for two) antipasto salad ($9.95) was shared for an appetizer. Plenty of mortadella, salami and provolone along with pickled vegetables and parmesan.
The Italian Salad Bowl ($7.95) is always a good shareable 'appetizer' for us. Don't be fooled by the camera angle- that is a very large, deep bowl (it's the same bowl used for the 'double bowl soup'). Lettuce, tomato, mozzarella, olives, pepperocinis and all of that pepperoni could make a nice low carb meal. But we've been ordering large pizzas lately.
A large sausage-pepperoni pizza ($20.45) is one choice. Neither of us wants too many ingredients to take away from the beautifully flavored dough.
The large sausage-mushroom pizza ($19.25). More of a favorite. You can see the thin crust.
The 'Bar' area is a bit closed off from the rest of the dining area.
Man, this was pretty big. Crust was nicely charred. Though the first two bites gave things away. The slices weren't cut all the way thru and the resulting dough was tough and saturated and not in a good, Neopolitan Pizza way. Nice truffle fragrance, but no truffle flavor. There was a ton of tasteless mozzarella. The crust, while nicely charred wasn't very yeasty, but was too salty. I liked the bacon, that almost had a flavor of jamon, which gave the pizza almost all it's flavor, but there just wasn't enough of that to overcome all that cheese. Too little radicchio or carmelized onion to make much of a difference.
We started at the top right corner of this map (Green Line), changed to the Orange Line and after getting downtown, changed again to the Blue Line going North, ending up at the top left of this map. (Going home, we changed from the Blue to the Green Line)
It was sunny leaving Santee.
Then it got a bit cloudy when we hit downtown.
Many people left the Trolley at this stop, since it was closest to the Ballpark and the Padres had a playoff game.
By the time we were headed on the 'new' line, alongside Interstate 5, there was full fog.
We stayed on until the last stop, followed signage (and the other people who exited) to the Mall (through the parking lot) and eventually got to the Food Court, which overlooks the Ice Rink.
After checking all of the Food Court offerings, we decide on a meal and went off to order. The Mister stopped here, at Craft Pizza.
He ordered a Calzone with ham, sausage and mushrooms; an item going back to our dating days. This was excellent.
I went over to Kebab Grill and ordered a 'Lunch Special' advertised behind the cash register to the left in this photo.
Salad and
Lentil soup. Each was really good and made for a filling and complete meal. Then we started walking around the mall. 
The Mall has remained about the same, with new stores taking the place of old ones. There were some interesting vending machines.
Then we saw this. Had to stop.
A great selection of cookies, cupcakes, pastries and ice cream as well as hot and cold beverages. 
We shared a cup of coffee and a 
It was still overcast changing from the Blue Line to Green Line in Old Town.
Passing the new Snapdragon Stadium and back to sunshine by the time we got home.
