Filippi's Pizza Grotto Poway

Service was great. Atmosphere is cozy. A few things about the food - the dinner bread would be better if it was a crisp buttered sourdough. The house Italian dressing might be yummier with not so many spices drenching the salad. The pizza is superb - perfection combo of crust and topping. Lasagne is a huge portion and makes delicious leftovers - mine was served cheesy and saucy, just the way I like.

I had a really disappointing experience at this restaurant, and unfortunately, the biggest issue was the staff’s attitude. From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere felt unwelcoming. We notified the front desk that we would be a bigger party but we weren’t sure exact amount since they were all rolling in. He seemed very irritated and stated that they were very busy and didn’t know if they would be able to accommodate. We notified him that we didn’t mind waiting. We weren’t in any rush. We ended up being about 14. When we were sat, there wasn’t a SINGLE table in the entire section that was even occupied. So I don’t know if he was trying to deter us or what. But they WERE NOT BUSY! Then we asked for separate checks which would only been 4 and our served stated because we were “walk -in” and not a reservation, she wouldn’t be able to do separate checks. This made zero sense! We have been here before when we have tournaments locally. We’ve had separate checks in a walk in experience before. So if this was HER preference that’s one thing. But the inconsistency is frustrating. No matter how good the food might have been, the rude and unprofessional behavior completely ruined the experience. Customer service matters, and sadly, this place fell far below even basic expectations. We won’t be returning. And this definitely won’t be our first option when we have tournaments locally.

Stopped here for lunch with my family (9 people). They accommodated our large group and we could split the bills ( max 3 ways). The portions were huge! Ordered the family spaghetti and a meatball. Was enough for at least 3 people- spaghetti, bread, soup, salad. Split with my daughter and we had left overs. Medium pizza will be enough for at least 3 people. This place was recommended by my cousin and I'm so glad we went!

This was my first visit to this location. I've been to the downtown location twice and another location in Chula Vista. The atmosphere was chill, but soon turned busy as soon as we were seated. We ordered the Fit for a King Large which was more than adequate for 3 people with leftovers. The bottom of the crust was a little hard but the top was loaded with lip smacking cheese, veggies, and meat. For easy cutting its best to let the pizza sit for a bit, don't worry it will still be hot and gooey. Staff were BUSY, but sweet, and accommodating. Lunch specials looked good, but we were in for the dinner crowd, there was plenty of parking but the parties coming in were in groups of 4 and more. Plenty of space to accommodate the dinner rush.

A very comfortable place to eat with very friendly service. The antipasta salad was great. Get the small one because it will be good for three people. I must say the pizza is different. Toppings on the bottom with a lot of cheese. This was our first time here so if I knew they made the pizza with so much cheese, I would have asked for less. The pink lemonade was very good. Plenty of parking is available.

Huge proportions. My 1/2 Lasagna + Meat Ball arrived quickly but could have been a bit hotter so minus 1 ⭐️. My server Angel was helpful, attentive, and efficient.

Pizza is heaven! They put the cheese on last. I've been missing a good Italian place. That being said wasn't to big of a fan of the meatball subs, there's to much seasoning in the meatball. Tasted like a sausage instead of a meat ball. Definitely coming back for more pizza!

I grew up in this town and have been coming to this particular Filippi’s for nearly a decade, and the quality has been getting steadily worse since I was young. Today was the final straw. I ordered a pizza to go, (generally I prefer to dine in) on a relaxed, not busy, Wednesday night. I called on the phone and the girl was EXCEPTIONALLY rude. I noticed right away her terrible attitude. She talked like an aggressively bored teenager that hated her job. After telling her my order and giving her my info, she told me it would be ready in 30 minutes and hung up. When I arrived only about 15 minutes later, I wasn’t greeted or helped at the counter for a few minutes, despite the restaurant being quite empty. Eventually she came over to the counter and asked what I wanted, I told her my name and I was picking up a pizza. She said nothing, just walked away. I was shocked to see she was clearly not a teenager, but an adult with the same awful attitude. A few moments later she brought out my pizza, and told me the price. $32 for a large pizza blew me away a little bit, but I suppose it is a family restaurant… I opened the box to find this monstrosity below. What in gods name happened here? Highly disappointed in this restaurant. Terrible service, and what a ridiculous end result. The pizza tasted…. Fine. It was fine. So mid it hurt. If you’re in poway and want pizza, go to Rosarias instead.

Came here with my family, and the service was honestly amazing. The ambiance as well. Really enjoy coming here to eat. The food itself was ok, nothing really to brag about. But honestly when you're eating here with family, the food isn't the most important thing. You come here for the vibe and staff. Would come again!

You must have their antipasto salad with their homemade dressing, it's so good we buy extra to have on hand at home when we can't make it in.

I've always been happy with their food. They give generous portions that taste great!

Date of most recent visit: November 4, 2023 Review #1450! The family had come here a couple of weeks prior to celebrate my brother's birthday; while we shared the Fit For a King pizza (lots of cheese on that one), I resolved to come back here after donating blood to try one of their sandwiches. I went with the Super Torpedo ($12.65) - this was a pretty good sized sandwich stuffed with ham, capicolla, cotto, hard salami, and provolone cheese on a toasted Italian roll. As there's no sides with the sandwich, I also went with a side of Sicilian olives ($5.15). My food turned out good - I even brought half the sandwich home to share with my father - but it felt like there was something missing that I couldn't quite put my finger on. This Filippi's is spacious with a large parking lot. Service is quick enough. I suppose for Italian food, this location is what it is; given how each Filippi's location their own menus, though, perhaps I should stick to the Scripps Ranch location (closer to me... and it has prime rib!).

Pizza was awful. Crust is bland and thick - even when you order "regular crust". Also? Be forewarned, "regular cheese" is an absolutely ridiculous amount of cheese. So overpowering and unnecessary.

Filippi's pizza is a bit different than other pizza. Some say it has too much cheese (they are wrong), some say the sauce is different (if you mean that distinct strong tomato flavor, they are right and it is delicious). It is the only pizza that I actually crave. Keep it up guys, I think I love you as I have for a million years!

Lasagna is good. Ordered via phone, went in to pick up but have to drive all the way to my bank to withdraw cash since their wifi is down and couldnt process credit card. the lady before me is kind of pissed because she needed to withdraw and i guess her family is waiting for her.

Was in the area for some training and my co-worker wanted Italian food. Someone we bumped into recommended this place. It wasn't too far from our hotel. They had their own parking lot, that was nice. We entered and were greeted right away and got seated immediately. They decorated the dining room as Italian as they can. The overall building and atmosphere was a bit dated, but clean. Our server seemed rushed and was short when attending to us. The room was not that full since we arrived around 545pm. She wasn't rude, just short. Our drinks and side dishes like the cheesy bread, soup and salad arrived quickly. Followed by our main dish with more bread. The minestrone soup was nice to start. I wanted another cup. The salad with Italian dressing was pretty decent size and I had an ample amount of dressing just how I like my salad. I had the chicken Parmesan. Big portion. Love the right amount of cheese melted on top of the chicken. It was okay. Nothing stood out. My co-worker had the same side dishes and ordered shrimp Alfredo. When her entree arrived, we were shocked on the amount of pasta. I mean, the plate could have feed a family of 4. So much pasta, after she was done, her plate looked like it was never touched. Overall, our experience was ok.

Pizza is always phenomenal! Love the salads as well. We mostly grab carry out when we are in town, but occasionally stop in to eat and it's festive and fun. It's not white linen, let's be real. But it is one of our favorite pizza stops in San Diego!

Pizza To Go: Pizza has too much cheese that covers the added toppings--so much cheese it can gag you. The sauce is great, but the Pizza had too much cheese piled on! The Thursday and Friday pizza cook puts too much cheese. Will drive to Scripps location from now on.

I have never left a review anywhere, but this was the worst food I've ever had. I did a pickup order and first off, my salad was missing. I asked for meat sauce with my pasta and it came with marinara (no meat). Our chicken parm sandwich was missing the chicken. The bread was so stale that it was impossible to bite into. I will never eat here again and truly do not recommend. An absolute waste of $50.

Always a great dining experience when we visit! Staff is great and the food never disappoints! One of our favorite Filippi's locations

I love coming here! Huge portions at a reasonable price! Service is nothing less than great! My favorite place to dine!

For my birthday l, my husband order a meat Lasagna tray from the online menu. However what we received was a cheese Lasagna that cost over $100.00. We also ordered salad that was over $30.00 the cam we wet old veggies . Both pricing was different from the price shown on the website once you arrive to pick up the order. We will NEVER order from them again.

The basic pepperoni pizza was AMAZING! 10 out of 10! The vibe of this place is very 1980's like an old Pizza Hut. Talk about taste, texture and appearance it has it all! However the thing that was disappointing was the special called Fit for a king, it came recommended by the waitress. Being my first time I LOVE trying new things. It shouldn't be called fit for a king, more like fit for a joker. The sauce was lacking or not present at all, the veggies were not cut up and big. It seemed as if they just threw a bunch of stuff on it and called it a pizza. I asked for sauce because it was basically naked, and I got charged for it. Overall would only come back for the pepperoni pizza.

Filippi's had GF pizza !! Yay!!! Thank you!! Crust is buttery and perfectly crispy think crust Authentic Italian warm and clean ambiance.

I've been to about five Filippi's locations throughout San Diego County and Poway is probably the worst. The restaurant itself is spacious, clean and bright. Air conditioning was excellent. But I didn't come here to hang out and watch TV, I came to eat good Italian food. I ordered the "Half & Half" with spaghetti and lasagna, plus added a meatball and sausage. Every single thing came out in varying degrees of room temperature from tepid to lukewarm. Nothing was properly hot. The plates, the sauce, the spaghetti, the lasagna, the meatball, the sausage - all lukewarm or less. The spaghetti pasta itself was overcooked well past al dente. If I came back here it would only be for pizza and maybe some wine. In my experience, the best composed pasta dishes I've had at any Filippi's location would be in Santee.

It's really tough to find much good in the food, or service at this Filippi's 1. The food is just not good. The pasta sauce was very acidic and the taste was very disappointing. It was flavorless. 2. The garlic bread was made with a red sauce that we found strange. The taste was not good. 3. The bread here served with the salad and paste lacked any flavor, and was not Italian style bread. 4. The service was not friendly. The waiter never smiled, and seemed to not want to be at work. I would not recommend any location of this small chain. The food was flavorless, and a true disappointment. To call this Italian food is a disservice to the Italian community.

The service was great. Angel is outstanding. The food was soo great and Evelyn was soo happy with her dinner

YURELI IS THE SHIZNIPS! Super cool. Very nice! Had to come back a second time and was still awesome the 2nd time!! Great attitude ! Gave excellent advice too

Wow. If you like cheese this is the place for you! If you like garlicky sauce then you're doubly in luck. This gem will be in our places to visit when we are in town. The lasagna was amazing too. I wasn't overly impressed with the pizza. However my family was. I think it was because I fell in love with the pasta. I'd recommend it 100%

So so sad this place has gone downhill in the past year. I think we all know why. The pizza now has such little cheese on it. They used to be KNOWN for having lots of cheese on their pizzas. And the last pizza we ordered, had half the pepperonis on it that they usually put. SHRINKFLATION at its finest. Charge you more... give you less. This Filippi's used to be among the finest restaurants for pizzas in San Diego. Now it is like the other Filippi's that you avoid going to because you feel ripped off every time you go there. I wonder if the cooks even care that they are producing skimpier pizzas? On the plus side, they still use quality ingredients...but for how long?

This Filippi's pizza grotto in Poway has a good parking lot and spacious restaurant. The staff was nice and the prices can be very reasonable especially during lunch time. The bread was fresh and warm. We ordered the lunch special of all you can eat spaghetti and sauce. It was a gigantic portion of pasta and meat sauce. We also ordered the famous huge meatball. The meatballs here are soft, flavorful and delicious. We also had a carafe of Chianti that was very good for a house Chianti. We enjoyed our lunch here and recommend their lunch specials.

2nd and last time I order from Filippis. When you burn something, you know it. They gave me a large pepperoni with onion and extra cheese with half the pizza burnt. Shame on these guys. Said nothing as they handed it to us like it's what we ordered. I didn't order a burnt pizza, half of which is inedible

Such a random spot to find Filippi's but no complaints since I live nearby. Go-to's here are pizza, ravioli, and lasagna. Always consistent and delicious. Portions are generous and I often find myself packing to go for my lunch the next day. Very old school dine-in feeling. Great service and lots of bread. Kid friendly place and also takeout orders available if you want to eat at home instead.

The food is consistently good, and if you love a lot of cheese on your pizza then this is the place for you. Since we normally order take out, service isn't reviewed. Decor includes red checkered table cloths lending an "authentic" casual Italian themed decor. Excellent value for the price

Too much cheese. Soggy crust and awful lunch service, server needs to retire. Do not recommend. Run !!!

Shrink-flation Have ordered *lots* of Fit for a King pizzas from Filippis, mostly from Poway. Went tonight for dine in, ordered a pizza and when it arrived, we both looked at each other wide-eyed. Wow! Love the pizza but it no longer works for us. Feel bad because extreme price increases along with getting less is everywhere outside their control.

We have been dining in the Poway Filippi's restaurant for over 25 years. We were very disappointed the last two times we have been there. The pizza had half of the cheese and half of the toppings. The pizza dough is not the same as well. The salad did not have the large olives or peperoncino's. We had to ask for them and was brought store bought tiny olives and smaller peperoncino's. There is a huge turn over in the staff, they are okay, but they are not the same. The cost of the food is so much more and it feels like we are getting less quality for the price. I know times are hard for everyone, but this could mean we will not return as often. I hope this reaches the owner of the Poway restaurant and it has a strong enough impact to make the necessary changes to return to their great quality of food and the wonderful staff.

The spaghetti and meatballs Were flat did not taste any Italian ingredients? The service was good. The parking was Ample but I don't believe I will be back. It's hard to find. An Italian restaurant that taste like good food I used to get in New York Growing up. Sorry but I will not go back to Felipe. If anyone knows of a good Italian restaurant that has authentic Italian food. Maybe even a hole in the wall. Let me know @louieandrini@gmail.com Thank you so much.

Been going to Filippi's for years. This location isn't too bad. Usually just get pizza. Uploaded some more recent menu pictures for ones like me that like to look at menu pics instead of text view.

The food and service was great! We had Veal Parmesan and an antipasto salad. The pizza is very good here.

Jesse the sever was the BEST!! We came in for a birthday party and he was very attentive to our needs and table! Very polite and overall 5 stars for him!

Filippi's is one of our favorite places to eat. We love their pizza and ambiance. Service is always great!

It's been a few years since I've been to a Filippi's. My usual location was in Little Italy. I remember it having amazing food and I would crave going there. I finally got the chance to visit one of their locations again, this time in Poway. I would typically go for their pizza but I decided to try something different so I ordered their Filippi's Family Combo which came with spaghetti, lasagna, and ravioli. The star of the show in this dish was definitely the lasagna. I couldn't get enough of it! The spaghetti was pretty basic (as spaghetti is) but what disappointed me was the lack of flavor in their sauce. I felt like it was missing something (maybe more salt?). The combo also came with a minestrone soup and salad with choice of dressing. I wasn't a huge fan of the minestrone so I didn't really touch that. If I were to come back, and was craving something other than pizza, I would simply order their lasagna. My sister ordered one of their pizzas (I forget which toppings). I had a bite of it and that's when I was reminded why I liked Filippi's so much in the past. Cheese for days!! Literally so much cheese on their pizzas I will definitely come back soon, just to have their pizza again. That one bite simply wasn't enough.

Always delicious! When I want some cheesy goodness I head over to Filippi's Pizza Grotto in Poway, CA. I mean LOOK at the pictures of that pizza!!! Love all the cheesiness, and the antipasto salad is absolutely delicious as well. Tried the garlic bread and it was pretty good too. Just a great family restaurant where you feel cozy and warm and leave feeling STUFFED!

Jessie, our server, was attentive and helpful. Filippi's pasta never disappoints. Had a great dinner.

Met my sister for lunch. We have been to a couple of Filllipi's around town. This one must be under the control of the same family members as the Escondido restaurant. The service was great. The food tastes exactly like the food in Escondido. My wife and I live in Escondido and have eaten at the Escondido restaurant for 25 years. The Poway restaurant was clean, bright, and a great place for a good meal and conversation without a lot of noise.

Wonderful food. Pizza is to die for-best in San Diego. Excellent salads, pasta, lasagna, and sandwiches too. Nice ambiance.

Recently came to this location and the location is bigger, great service. Ordered spaghetti and a pepperoni pizza full with flavor. The bread had so much flavor compared to other pizzas I've had. The plates were large in servings. Recommend this location and thankful for the staff for their service.

Went here for the first time today, and our server Jesse was so great! Very kind and attentive. Food was amazing as well!

Food was so good, old style Italian with all the love and passion put into it. We had an enormous group of +30 people and the service, attentiveness and professionalism were beyond compare. They were patient and friendly, we felt so welcome and happy. This was a surprise celebration for my Mom's 88th birthday and it was an incredible evening. The excellent food, hospitality and kindness of the staff was remarkable. Hi recommendation for this restaurant. Rich Hoffman

Came here after they opened on a Saturday. Not crowded at all, so maybe this location is more popular for dinner. Wasn't really feeling this experience. First, we got there when they first opened, which I regretted remembering the minestrone soup wouldn't be as good. The later in the day, the better the soup is because it gets to sit. This time, the soup wasn't even ready, which I wish they told me at first because I wouldn't have ordered the dinner. The salad dressing was super watery and tasted weirdly like Catalina dressing. Wasn't feeling the marinara sauce on the so-called garlic bread. Everything on the combo plate was cold to semi warm. Especially the ravioli. They were going to bring the check thinking I forgot about the soup. The soup was not even close to done. It had very hard veggie pieces and no flavor. I wish they would have just let me know it wasn't up to par. I feel bad comparing this location to others. But it lacks the authenticity of Little Italy and mom and pop feel of Imperial Beach. Prob won't be coming back, and they previously forgot my bread on a doordash order.

I recommend their Antipasto Salad & the Hot Ham & Cheese sandwich. If you like mayo be sure to ask for the mayo packets because they only put vinegar & oil dressing on the sandwich. Their salad dressing is awesome that they put on the Antipasto Salad. They also sell the dressing. Their homemade bread is delicious.

My son and I had the best dinner with Jessie as our waiter at Filippi's in Poway. He was timely, polite, and very attentive. We both had the chicken parmesan dinner and it was fantastic. Even though we had to take home part of our dinner, we had to order some Tiramisu to share. Everything was delicious. Thank you, Jessie!

We called ahead to order pizza from here when heading to a friends house and we were to bring dinner. We got a small cheese/pepperoni pizza for the kidless and a large fit for a king pizza (pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and black olives. They told us it would be about 25 minutes and the pizzas were ready by the time we arrived. Pizza was hot, check out was fast. It was a little on the spendy side $55 for 2 pizzas but I don't usually order 2 pizzas at once. When we got to our friend's house everyone was suprised how much cheese was on the pizza. Like SO MUCH cheese. I fall into the category of you can't have to much cheese but if you are not a super fan of cheese beware! Pizza was good. We usually order from the PB location and probably due to the cheese much preferred this location! Will definitely stop in again if in the area.

Can I leave 0 stars? Fillipis sucks. For $36 it's not worth the money. The crust is pretty bad. Too doughy and no flavor. Doesn't the owner taste the food? Ordering somewhere else for pizza!

Top notch Italian cuisine! I was craving eggplant Parmesan and spaghetti. Well this place never fails to deliver the best freshest food. Got my extra marinara sauce. My wings were mouthwatering and everything looked amazing and the biggest delicious meatballs. Please give my praises to the Chef. Happy customer!!

What happened ? This has been my go to pizza place for 30 years. You raised your prices and lowered your standards. Glad there is a new pizza place across the street. Ya know Pizza Vero. Bye !