A review of Pizza Guru at Santa Barbara.com

Pizza Guru
3534 State St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 563-3250

Category: Pizza, Vegetarian
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-9:30pm, Sun 11:30am-8:30pm
Price: $10 - $20
Serving: Lunch, & Dinner
Reservations: No
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Pizza Guru writes:

Locally-owned and operated, Pizza Guru serves traditional and eccentric gourmet pizzas, salads, panini & pastas - made fresh daily from locally-sourced, organic ingredients. The Guru also specializes in vegetarian, vegan & gluten-free pizzas & entrees. Daily Lunch Specials and Blissful Happy Hours, too! We're devoted to deliciousness!

Fresh, locally-sourced, organic goodness in-house and delivered.

Pizzas, Panini, Pastas, Calzones, Soups, Salads, Desserts, Beer/Wine

Home of the Gluten-free Crust! and Gluten-free beer!

Happy Hour: 3pm - 7pm
Delivery: $15 minimum, $2 delivery fee, Delivery hours: 11am-9pm, Delivery region: Milpas St to Patterson Ave, Payment options: cash, check or credit, Call (805) 563-3250

Reviews by the General Public

Nothing to write home about..., 10/23/2009
Reviewer: Pizza Eater from Santa Barbara, CA
We picked up our pizza, so we are not able to comment on the "atmosphere" of the Guru. However, while we were there, we had to wait in line for what seemed to be 7 minutes or longer. Friendy people, just slow people. We excitedly drove home with the enticing aroma of the "Guru Special" filling our car and teasing our tastebuds, and were let down only when we actually took a bite. The food is not "bad" but for the price, it's not great. And it does not even compare to other restaurants in the area such as Gino's (on Figueroa) or Pasaenos(?) on San Andres St. For these reasons, we will not be going back to Guru. And now we don't know what to do with our left-overs.

Delicious Pizza and Gluten free stuff is TASTY!!, 10/5/2009
Reviewer: MG from Santa Barbara, CA
Love the Gluten free options. Like the options for toppings and sauces. Service is good and friendly, maybe a little young to be experienced in customer service, but some at the counter really try and are very nice.

Gluten Free Pizza is Great, 9/10/2009
Reviewer: Mark from Santa Barbara, CA
I'm so happy that there is finally a place offering gluten free pizza. The texture and flavor of the crust was great. Also noticed that they had gluten free mac and cheese, I'll be sure to try it next time.

it would have been nice if we LEFT with a pizza?, 8/27/2009
Reviewer: cielo from Santa Barbara, CA
I will preface this by saying I was VERY excited to try Pizza Guru out after learning they have a gluten free crust for people who can't eat wheat (like me!)... I went there last night to try the gluten free pizza 20 minutes after ordering it for take out. The girl working was pretty busy when we got there and when she was able to get to the register and checked on our pizza saw that the chef hadn't even started our order and it looked like he was behind on about 3 other pizzas... so she told us it would take an hour to make a gluten free one. Sad. We went someplace else.

much more than pizza!, 8/25/2009
Reviewer: jennifer foster from Santa Barbara, CA
I had the pleasure of dining in Pizza Guru for the first time last week- we have ordered delivery in the past, but with new owners we decided to check out the restaurant in person- don't let the pictures above fool you- the inside has been re done and is super cute and quaint inside, with nice oversize wood furniture and a big screen TV- great first impression. The menu is amazing- so many delicious sounding choices- we ordered a pizza, a salad, and a pitcher of beer- pizza was really good but missing the main ingredient (which was steak)..salad was excellent, so fresh tasting, with bits of goat cheese, apple and candied walnuts, really good dressing too. We heard another couple saying that their pizza was missing the steak too, so I don't know if the cook was not familiar with the menu yet or what, but they were really nice about it and sent us home with some lovely tiramisu for the mistake. Service was very nice, even though they were so busy with delivery orders. One suggestion- please make your menu available online- I'm sure you would get much more business if people could see all the wonderful items you offer (other than the typical pepperoni pizza!) :-)

Pizza Guru Enlightens Upper State st., 8/24/2009
Reviewer: Dro from Santa Barbara, CA
This place is conveniently located by my work on upper State. I've tried their pizzas, sandwiches, calzones,lasagna, chicken wings and beer. All were great. Everything is fresh, healthy and for the most part organic. Eating healthy is important to me and so is saving money. That's why I go to the Guru for lunch. You cant beat their slice and a beer combo for happy hour.

Finally GLUTEN FREE Pizza in Santa Barbara!!, 8/11/2009
Reviewer: Paul S. from Santa Barbara, CA
I've been eating at Pizza Guru for about three years now. There have definitely been some ups and downs in the past, but I believe they are under new ownership, which probably explains why I've been finding myself there more and more lately. The crust on their pizza is by far the best in town, and you can tell that they use quality ingredients in their pie. Most importantly they offer gluten free pizza and beer here, which I haven't found anywhere else in Santa Barbara. My girlfriend loves their salads (she likes to say they are "better than Fresco"), and I've been trying more of their paninis lately. They've made a lot of changes in the decor and it has a really nice, warm feel to it. Overall the food is easily 5 stars, the only area they could improve a bit is customer service, but I can still give them 4.5 stars for that. If you haven't tried it yet you are missing out.

Gluten free pizza!, 7/27/2009
Reviewer: Gluten Free from Santa Barbara, CA
This is the only place in town to get gluten-free pizza. They also have a great selection of toppings and soy cheese. The service is pretty bad, and every time I call for a delivery, they tell me that they don't deliver to my area. I tell them that the manager said that they do, and after checking, they take my order.

Gluten Free Pizza!, 6/10/2009
Reviewer: Jocelyn from Santa Barbara, CA
We tried Pizza Guru tonight after hearing they offered gluten-free pizza. My husband is gluten-free and has never eaten a restaurant pizza in his entire life. Thank you so much for having this option. Having it listed directly on the menu inspires confidence that everything will be done correctly and his needs will be met. He also really enjoyed being able to get a gluten-free beer to go with his pizza. There are so many choices and combinations for toppings that we will definitely be back to try more.

OMG Great Pizza, 6/1/2009
Reviewer: Jonny from Goleta, CA
I have eaten A LOT of pizza in my day. So as my family headed into Pizza Guru for the first time I was skeptical. We ordered the White Pizza and the Pulled Pork BBQ pizza (name?). The BBQ pizza rocked my world with great flavors without being overpowering as some BBQ meals can be. The White Pizza was also very good with a fairly strong garlic flavor. The crust held up well and did not distract from the toppings. As our Governor would say "I'll Be Back!"

Ok food/service, 4/24/2009
Reviewer: Glenn from Buellton
The pizza was really good, the sandwich was just Ok. Night shift cook Mr. Grumpy and I had a wait, Daytime shift people were nice. Salad was good. Lots of veggie/gourmet pizza options.

new owner does not live up to the original, 3/12/2009
Reviewer: marla S Wilson from Santa Barbara, CA
Service was lovely this pizzone was soooo disappointing- really guys sauce is not tomato paste from the can spread onto a pizza- why would i go here over a frozen pizza? they used to be good- now they need to step it - up

It's okay.. , 12/7/2008
Reviewer: Bryan from Santa Barbara, CA
I've ordered from Pizza Guru a few times. Each time it has been okay, just nothing to write home about. I ordered last night. I had a cheese pizza with the white garlic sauce, and asked for it well done. The pizza was pretty tasty but it was not well done like i asked. Rusty's is really good about actually making it well done. I also ordered a chicken ceasar salad. The driver originally had forgotten it, so he had to drive back to the shop to get it. It only took him 5 minutes or less since i live down the street. So that was good. The salad was okay. The dressing wasn't that good though, and neither were the "garlic" croutons which tasted bland. But overall, I probably will order from them again, just because I love their garlic breadsticks! They also have a pretty extensive menu compared to Rusty's.

Don't ever call in an order because they'll never get back
Reviewer: Vince from Santa Barbara, CA
I really love the pizza at this place, but everytime I call in an order, they put me on hold for a long time and never pick up. Horrible customer service!

Favorite Pizza in SB after new ownership!
Reviewer: Justin from Santa Barbara, CA
I love their pizza with the white garlic sauce. I highly reccomend to try the white garlic sauce with your favorite two toppings. Some of the best pizza i have ever had, definately best in SB. Very small so i would highly reccomend to order take out or delivery. Also only place ive seen with decent looking delivery chicks.

Great Pizza... Vegan Options Available Occasionally
Reviewer: Nancy Kim from Santa Barbara, CA
I love Pizza Guru and have eaten there many times. Whether ordering take out or eating in, their pizza has always been tasty. My only dislike is that sometimes if you order a pizza that is heavy on the toppings, the pizza gets extremely soggy. Aside from that, Pizza Guru has got to be one of my favorite pizza joints in town. Word of advice to vegans/vegetarians though - CALL AHEAD to make sure they have the soy cheese. I cannot tell you how many times my vegan friend and I have tried to order a pizza to share and been told they were out. To date, I've only gotten one (1) vegan pizza out of at least ten (10) attempts.

Great pizza, average service
Reviewer: Aaron from Santa Barbara, CA
I've eaten pizza from Pizza Guru probably 15 or 20 times now and it's always excellent. They have a great variety of toppings and have been careful to make their restaurant vegetarian-friendly. My only complaint is that the employees seem particularly disinterested in their jobs, and too frequently my order comes out wrong. If you're looking for the best informal pizza place in Santa Barbara, I suggest trying Pizza Guru and Giovanni's.

Terrible experience
Reviewer: Kyle from Santa Barbara, CA
Last Friday I called in an order for pickup at 5:40pm they told me it would be ready in 20 min. I arrived at 6:00pm only to be told that my ticket had been misplaced and my food wouldn�t be ready for another 10 min. I asked if I could buy a couple beers while I waited, seeing the two people at the table next to me drinking made me thirsty. I was then told that they were not aloud to serve alcohol yet but the people who were drinking next to me knew the owner so it was ok for them to drink. I was dumbfounded but didn�t say anything and went and sat down. I then waited until 6:45 until I finally received my pizza. To make matters worse when I finally got home to eat the food didn�t make up for the terrible experience I had picking it up. I would like to add that there were maybe 8 other people in the place, can you imagine what it would be like if they got busy. Pizza Mizza it is. Hope the alcohol board doesn�t catch the owner giving out drinks to his friends before his license gets approved this place is bad enough it would struggle not being able to serve beer.

Pizza Guru writes: I don't know what to say about the poor service you received except thank you for bringing it to our attention so we can improve ourselves for future patrons. I would, however, like to clear up the misunderstanding about your beer. I specifically remember the day to which you refer in your comments and you were slightly misinformed. We had received our license that very day and had not yet properly educated our staff on the particulars of serving alcohol, thus they were instructed not to do so. As I left for the evening I saw that one of our customers was a man who had taken particularly good care of me when I rented a car from his agency. I comped him a pitcher and that was that. I certainly understand your frustration, though. If you decide to give us another shot send me an email at josh@pizzaguru.com and I'll get you taken care of with a couple of long-overdue beers.

i love pizza guru!
Reviewer: Christina from Santa Barbara, CA
Pizza Guru is great. Their variety is so amazing-who else offers a vegan option with soy cheese?! I am very grateful for that. The next best thing is their sauce selection. From the traditional tomato, to pesto, to curry, they offer it all. The tomato sauce is a bit tangy, so just ask for light sauce. Crust options are good as well. My personal favorite is the whole wheat. (Thin crust available upon request!) The ingredients are yummy and very fresh, especially the mushrooms! The only thing I would improve is the sun-dried tomatoes. Perhaps use a different brand, the ones you use are too chewy and a bit sour. Otherwise, amazing pizza.

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