NBC Pizza Parlor

While MooTime down on Orange Avenue does the upscale ice cream thing and charges accordingly, NBC operates on a different economy entirely: you're paying for volume and reliability, not artisan anything. This is where Coronado families go when someone forgot about the soccer team pizza party, or when you need to feed eight people for under fifty bucks. The pizza won't make you rethink crust structures, but it does what frozen Costco pies can't — it's hot, it's fresh, and there's enough cheese that nobody complains.

The location tells you everything: tucked onto the Navy base on South O Street, technically accessible to civilians but surrounded by enough military infrastructure that you feel like you're getting away with something. There's a pool table, a handful of TVs usually tuned to whatever game matters that night, and the kind of worn-in booths that have hosted a thousand family dinners during deployment cycles. It's not trying to compete with the island's polished sit-down spots — it's the anti-Del, and that's the point.

The biggest operational reality: service moves at its own pace. An hour wait for a pizza isn't unheard of, even when the dining room looks empty. If you're in a hurry, call ahead. If you've got time and kids who need to burn energy, the pool table buys you patience. Beer and wine are available, which puts it ahead of most base dining options, and the outdoor seating works when San Diego decides to be 72 and sunny, which is most days.

This isn't destination pizza. It's the spot you learn about because your neighbor mentioned it, or because you've been driving past it for three years and finally got curious. For the price and the neighborhood's general lack of cheap-and-cheerful options, it fills a gap that the ferry landing boutiques and Orange Avenue bistros don't touch.