Rosarito is a lobster town. Nearly a million lobsters come out of these waters every year. The restaurants along the free road compete for that catch. Pizza has no business being this good in a place that runs on fried shellfish and cold beer. But a Neapolitan named Manny built a wood-fired oven in a food court off the highway. Now the best pizza in Rosarito has nothing to do with lobster.
We ate our way through the pizza scene from the tourist strip on Boulevard Benito Juarez to the quieter stretches near Popotla. Five places stood out. Three are run by Italians. One has a family recipe older than the town itself.
What Makes the Best Pizza in Rosarito Different
Rosarito sits between Tijuana and Ensenada on the free road along the coast. The drive from the San Ysidro border crossing takes 30 minutes without traffic. That proximity to San Diego shaped the food scene. Weekend crowds from both sides of the border fill the restaurants on Friday and clear out by Sunday night.
The lobster trade dominates. Puerto Nuevo, a few miles south, invented a style of fried lobster served with rice, beans, and flour tortillas. That tradition defined Rosarito’s food identity for decades. Pizza arrived later, carried by Italian immigrants and expat entrepreneurs who saw a beach town with hungry tourists and no serious Italian food.
The Italian presence is real but small. A Neapolitan, a Bergamasque, and a few other European-trained cooks opened restaurants along the highway corridor. They brought wood-fired ovens, imported flour, and multi-day fermentation. The pizza they make here does not taste like Mexican pizza. It tastes like the regions they came from.
Prices run lower than Ensenada or Los Cabos. A full pizza dinner costs 200 to 400 pesos ($10 to $20 USD) at most spots. The premium places push toward 500 pesos ($25 USD). Rosarito is still a budget beach town at the table.
1. ABC Pizza (Manny Pizza)
Emanuele Faiella is from Naples. Everyone calls him Manny. He arrived in Rosarito about two years ago. He did not open on the main boulevard or in the tourist zone. He set up a wood-fired oven in a small food court off Boulevard Popotla, near Kilometer 29. The location is easy to miss from the highway. The pizza is not.
Manny makes Neapolitan pizza the way Naples makes it. The dough is light, airy, and properly fermented. The sauce is fresh. The toppings are simple and right. The crust blisters and chars at the edges. He also makes stromboli with a crust so structured it holds its shape when you pick it up. The calzones, the lasagna, the gnocchi, the cannelloni: everything comes from the same hands. Manny bakes bread in the same oven. He is the kitchen.
PBS featured ABC Pizza on Crossing South. Local consensus calls it the best pizza from Tijuana to Ensenada. Manny is one of the kindest people in any kitchen on this coast. The food matches the person.
What to Order
The wood-fired pizza. Any of them. Start with the Margherita to test the dough and sauce. The stromboli is the sleeper. Order it alongside the pizza. The lasagna works as a second visit. Budget 200 to 350 pesos ($10 to $18 USD) per person.
What to Know
Open Tuesday through Sunday, 1 PM to 8 PM. Closed Mondays. The food court setting is modest. Do not let the location fool you. Cards accepted. Reservations available. Takeout works if the dining area is full. The spot is on Boulevard Popotla near Kilometer 29.
Details
Address: Blvd. Popotla Km 29, Col. Hermenegildo Cuenca Diaz, 22710 Rosarito, B.C.
Hours: Tue-Sun 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Closed Monday.
Phone: +52 661 112 8483
2. Pasta y Basta
Christian Gritti was born and raised in Bergamo, in northern Italy. He graduated at the top of his class from the San Pellegrino culinary school, one of the most respected cooking programs in the country. In the summer of 2015, he opened Pasta y Basta on Boulevard Artesanal Popotla. He brought a wood-fired oven imported from Europe. He brought the recipes from Bergamo. He brought the discipline.
The pasta is made fresh every day. The pizza comes from that European oven. Northern Italian cooking means butter, cream, and technique over tomato and olive oil. Christian also runs a deli and market on-site. The house-made limoncello arrives after dinner as tradition demands. This is not a pizza shop. It is a trattoria that happens to make excellent pizza.
What to Order
Start with the pizza to test the oven. Then order the handmade pasta. The fettuccine or the gnocchi will tell you everything about this kitchen. End with the limoncello. Do not skip it. Budget 250 to 450 pesos ($13 to $23 USD) per person.
What to Know
Open Monday through Saturday noon to 9:30 PM. Sunday noon to 8:30 PM. Located on Boulevard Artesanal Popotla near Kilometer 29. Pickup and dine-in only. No delivery through apps. Cards accepted. The trattoria and deli share the space.
Details
Address: Blvd. Artesanal Popotla Km 29, 22710 Rosarito, B.C.
Hours: Mon-Sat 12:00 PM to 9:30 PM. Sun 12:00 PM to 8:30 PM.
Phone: Check social media (@pastaybasta)
3. Ollie’s Brick Oven Pizza
Ollie opened in 2012 on the free road at Kilometer 40.5. Fourteen years later, the reputation has only grown. The dough ferments naturally for two days. The flour is imported from Italy. The oven is brick, wood-fired, and the centerpiece of the operation. Nothing about this kitchen takes shortcuts.
Ollie’s does not deliver. It does not take phone orders. You show up, you order in person, or you reserve through the website. That policy is not arrogance. It is quality control. The pizza comes out of the oven and goes to the table. No warmers. No delivery bags. No compromises. The wine list pulls from Valle de Guadalupe. A gluten-free option exists for those who need it.
What to Order
The house pizza with whatever seasonal toppings are running. The crust is the star. Let it work. The Valle de Guadalupe wines pair well. Ask the staff to match. Budget 220 to 360 pesos ($11 to $18 USD) per pizza. Add wine and expect 400 to 500 pesos ($20 to $25 USD) per person.
What to Know
Open Wednesday through Sunday, 4 PM to 10 PM. Closed Monday and Tuesday. No delivery. No phone orders. Reserve through olliesbrickovenpizza.com. Located at Kilometer 40.5 on the free road, south of the main Rosarito strip. Cards accepted. The drive is worth it.
Details
Address: Carretera Libre Tijuana-Ensenada Km 40.5, 22710 Rosarito, B.C.
Hours: Wed-Sun 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Closed Mon-Tue.
Phone: +52 664 231 7946 (reservations through website preferred)
4. Betuccini’s Pizzeria y Trattoria
Betuccini’s sits at Kilometer 28.5 on the free road. The villa-style building feels more like a dinner party than a restaurant. The setting is warm and intimate. The brick oven is Neapolitan. The kitchen also runs New York-style pies for the tourists who want something familiar. Saturday nights bring live music. The wine list draws from Valle de Guadalupe.
The menu goes beyond pizza. The fettuccine Alfredo is a full-commitment dish. The Neptuno pizza layers calamari and shrimp on a wood-fired crust. The Caesar salad is better than it needs to be. Betuccini’s is the date-night spot on this list. The other four are about the food first. This one is about the full evening.
What to Order
The Neptuno pizza with calamari and shrimp. This is the dish that uses the coast. The pesto pizza is the quieter hit. The fettuccine Alfredo anchors the pasta side. Go on Saturday for the live music if the evening matters as much as the food. Budget 200 to 300 pesos ($10 to $15 USD) per person.
What to Know
Open Wednesday through Monday, noon to 10:30 PM. Closed Tuesdays. Located at Kilometer 28.5 on the free road. The villa setting is romantic. Cards accepted. Saturday nights with live music fill up. Arrive early or call ahead.
Details
Address: Carretera Libre Tijuana-Ensenada Km 28.5, 22710 Rosarito, B.C.
Hours: Wed-Mon 12:00 PM to 10:30 PM. Closed Tue.
Phone: +52 661 100 6148
5. Rosarito Beach Pizza
The family recipe dates to 1906. That is not a typo. More than a century of pizza knowledge sits behind the counter at Boulevard Benito Juarez 1506, directly across the street from the Rosarito Beach Hotel. The restaurant makes its own flavored olive oils. The ingredients are organic. The approach is old-school Italian by way of a family that carried the recipe across generations and borders.
This is the tourist-strip pizza that earns its location. The English-speaking staff caters to the weekend crowd from San Diego. The tiramisu is house-made. The subs and pastas share menu space with the pies. Rosarito Beach Pizza is not the most ambitious kitchen on this list. It is the most consistent. A hundred years of the same recipe will do that.
What to Order
The house pizza with the signature olive oil. The Hawaiana with mozzarella, ham, and pineapple is the crowd favorite. The tiramisu is the finish. Budget 150 to 250 pesos ($8 to $13 USD) per person. This is the most affordable sit-down pizza in Rosarito.
What to Know
Located on Boulevard Benito Juarez in the Centro, across from the Rosarito Beach Hotel. Walkable from every hotel in the tourist zone. Cards accepted. Online ordering available. The location is pure convenience for weekend visitors.
Details
Address: Blvd. Benito Juarez 1506, Zona Centro, 22710 Rosarito, B.C.
Hours: Check rosaritopizza.com for current hours.
Phone: +52 661 100 2310
Tips for Your First Visit
A pizza dinner in Rosarito costs 150 to 500 pesos ($8 to $25 USD) per person. Rosarito Beach Pizza is the budget end. Ollie’s with wine is the premium. Manny’s ABC Pizza hits the sweet spot in between.
Rosarito sits 30 minutes south of the San Ysidro border crossing on the free road (Carretera Libre). The toll road is faster but drops you inland. The free road runs along the coast and passes every restaurant on this list. From Tijuana, head south on the free road. From Ensenada, head north.
Most spots on this list cluster between Kilometer 28 and 30 near Popotla. ABC Pizza, Pasta y Basta, and Betuccini’s are within minutes of each other. Ollie’s is farther south at Kilometer 40.5. Rosarito Beach Pizza is in the Centro on the main boulevard. Plan a two-stop evening: one Popotla spot and one Centro stop.
Cards work everywhere on this list. Weekend evenings are the busiest. Thursday or early Friday is the sweet spot. Rosarito clears out Sunday night. Monday closures are common.
For tacos in Rosarito, check our guide to the best tacos in Rosarito. For pizza in other Baja cities, see our guides to the best pizza in Tijuana, the best pizza in Mexicali, and the best pizza in Ensenada.