Angie C.
Yelp
After walking past Surf Rider Pizza for the past couple years now, we FINALLY stumbled upon LUNCH here and let me tell you right now-- we have been missing out !
First off, Surf Rider is located in Downtown La Mesa, so there's plenty of metered street parking or even neighborhood parking . We also learned that they have a small private parking lot in the back which is super convenient. We stopped by on a random Wednesday afternoon and it was pretty empty with just a few groups sitting out in the patio as well . We placed our order and easily found a shaded table . Customer service was ordinary, we weren't expecting much from a pay first, then sit down type of place . Our food took about 10 minutes or so, and a kind busser brought our food to us-- here's what we had:
GARLIC KNOTS: Yes, they were fresh . Yes, they were fluffy . I was hoping for a bit more as these babies are displayed as the first thing you see when you walk in. (I was thinking maybe fresh garlic butter brushed on top would give you a "wow" factor)--- but, it was just served dry with a marinara sauce . Nothing extraordinary, but it does satisfy your carb-ey dreams !
PLAIN WINGS W/ HONEY SRIRACHA AND BUFFALO SAUCE ON THE SIDE: Absolutely loved how crispy and naked the wings are ! Im not really a fan of battered wings, so these were up my alley . The wings were mid-sized and juicy on the inside . The honey sriracha sauce reminded me of an elevated sweet chili sauce and the buffalo sauce was nice and creamy . Would totally come back just for the wings !!
MT. HELIX THIN CRUST PIZZA: We originally didn't order any pizza, but later decided we NEEDED to try just one lol . So, hubby went down and got the most popular kind, and it happened to be The Mt Helix, which is like a meat-lovers . This was soooo tasty-- it was thin, with a nice crisp on the bottom . It had charred pepperoni, smokey Canadian bacon, and Italian sausage; Im not even a meat-lover pizza type of girl, but this was pretty fire !
DIRTY CHEESESTEAK: This was good, but pretty basic . Steak, cheese, and grilled onions . We opted for dirty sauce on the side-- it definitely gets spicier, the more you keep eating it; It was giving me jalapeño spice vibes, and I was here for it . I wish the bread it was served in was more fluffier and toasted .
Candy IPA was our fave brew of the day-- light, crisp, and YESSS It has a slightly sweet undertone . SOOO GOOD if you love hazy IPA's .
Overall, we really enjoyed our time here . The environment is fun and inviting . The food and drinks were pleasant . I would love to be back to try their other pizzas and maybe just to watch the game and sip on some brews during happy hour ! Highly recommend checking it out if you're in the area !