Pizza Patrol in the Conejo Valley

Pizza is the perfect food. It is easy to order over the phone. Easy to pick up. Easy to deliver. Pizza does not require utensils and thus saves time on cleaning and dishwashing...thus it must be good for the environment! Though often greasy, it provides us with all 4 major food groups (keeping in mind tomatoes are really a fruit). Kids love pizza. Pizza can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, snacktime or dinner and does not require heating (at least in my house). And of course, pizza makes a very good accompaniment to beer. What's not to love about pizza? Here is an alphabetical list of pizza places in the Conejo Valley and neighboring areas:

Ameci's Pizza and Pasta is at 1560 Newbury Road, #3, Newbury Park (805.499.8300), 30651 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, Agoura (818.889.7722), 1724 Avenida de los Arboles, Thousand Oaks (805.493.2914), Westlake Village (DELIVERY ONLY) (818.889.7778), 302 W. Los Angeles St., Moorpark (805.529.3399) and 2780 Tapo Canyon Blvd., Simi Valley (805.581.9770) www.amecipizzaandpasta.com  (Check the Ameci's website for coupons!) Fifteen years or so ago when I was on a tight budget I would cut coupons and buy the largest Ameci pizza and eat it for days. A nice, thin, simple pizza. And cheap! Good place to go on a budget. Mostly delivery and take out.

Cafe Topanga is at 171 North Reino Road, Newbury Park (805.498.2166) Decent food at this place. They deliver. I've only had their pizzas a few times and they were pretty good. Anyone have comments?

California Pizza Kitchen is at 2200 East Thousand Oaks Blvd.,Thousand Oaks (at The Lakes) (805.777.1778), 100 Promenade Way, Westlake Village (CPK "ASAP" fast service CPK with limited menu), (805.374.2727) and 1555 Simi Town Center Way, #790, Simi Valley (Simi Valley Town Center) (805.522.0030) www.cpk.com Tasty pizza with a large selection. Can't go wrong. Beautiful, clean chain of restaurants. I like the pasta dishes there more than the pizza.  Recently visited the Thousand Oaks location with the kids and they both ordered the Mac and Cheese kids' meal.  Large adult-sized portion came in a large bowl and I thought it was tasty.  But they only ate 4 or 5 bites of it.  Problem is that kids envision Kraft Mac n Cheese everywhere they go and usually at decent places like CPK they serve regular Fusilli pasta with cheesy sauce.  Like I say, I liked it but they didn't.  Live and learn.  Next time it'll be back to pizza.

Chuck E. Cheese's is at 130 West Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks (805.497.2522) and 4714 Telephone Road, Ventura (805.644.9777) www.chuckecheese.com (Prior location in Simi Valley has been closed.) I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually enjoy taking the little ones to this place. Where else can you enjoy yourselves with the kids (well, maybe 100 of them running around at the same time), drink beer, enjoy decent chicken ciabatta sandwiches, watch the kids enjoy their PIZZA (which by the way has the consistency of chewy cardboard, but that's o.k....they love it and I consume their crusts), and play some fun games.

Costco is at 5700 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village (818.597.3900), 2001 East Ventura Blvd., Oxnard (805.983.4200) and 2660 Park Center Drive, Simi Valley (805.578.3301). (And allegedly one of these days we will see a Newbury Park Costco near the 101 and Wendy). www.costco.com I love Costco pizza.  Huge slices of pizza for small sums of money.  My top choice for bargain pizza that is well stocked with cheese. It can't be that good for you but who cares, abargain is a bargain. Everything the Costco snack bar sells is a deal, the pizza, the hot dogs, the churros, etc. If I ever become homeless, I will buy a Costco membership and sustain myself at the Costco snack bar.

D'Amore's Famous Pizza is located at 2869 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks (805.496.0030) and 300 N. Lantana, #34, Camarillo (805.445.6534). www.damoresfamouspizza.com I have not taken the opportunity to visit D'Amore's but CVG visitor Jennifer indicates the pizza is "perfect" and the baked ziti is "oh so good." They offer up pizza making birthday parties (hey, that sounds pretty cool!) and school tours.  D'Amore's has baking pizzas since 1987.

Domino's Pizza locations include 2405 Michael Drive, Suite B, Newbury Park (805.499.0681), 2220 N. Moorpark Road, Suite 10, Thousand Oaks (805.496.6221), 2855 Agoura Road, Westlake Village (805.495.3834), 481 High Street, Moorpark (805.523.3030) and 665 E. Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley (805.527.7493) www.dominos.com I've never ever been here and it has been years since I've dined on Domino's pizza. But you can't go wrong with Domino's.

Fresh Brothers Pizza opened at The Promenade in Westlake (100 Promenade Way) in August 2010 (805.777.8448) and is anticipated to open another location at The Commons at Calabasas (4799 Commons Way) in October 2010. Haven't been there yet. Who has?

Greco's New York Pizzeria is at 245 North Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks (Janss Marketplace) (805.777.7271) I've never eaten here. Any comments?

Hungry Howie's Pizza is at 77 Rolling Oaks Drive, Thousand Oaks (CLOSED) and 1087 Scandia Avenue, Ventura (805.647.8100) www.hungryhowies.com Hungry Howie's is a national franchise with over 500 locations and has been in business since 1973. They look interesting, offering a pizza crust in assorted flavors, including, butter cheese, butter, cajun, garlic herb, roasted onion, original, ranch and sesame. They do not charge extra for this.

Lamppost Pizza is at 2160 Newbury Road, Suite A, Newbury Park (805.499.0303) (NEWBURY PARK LOCATION CLOSING 12/4/11), 1145 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village (818.879.2195), 3921 Cochran St, Simi Valley (805.522.9030) and 530 E. Los Angeles, Ste. 101, Moorpark (805.529.6220). This is a family favorite for post game gatherings and parties.  The pizza is decent, and in fact I think it is getting better the more I go there.  Some of my friends say the pizza at Lamppost stands out because it is one of the tastier "next day cold pizza leftovers" pizzas.  This is THE place to go for end of season soccer, football and other sports parties and they have excellent beer and a lot of TVs. 

CLICK HERE FOR DISCOUNT NEWBURY PARK AND WESTLAKE VILLAGE LAMPPOST PIZZA COUPONS AT WWW.BOGOPOD.COM!!

Magoo's is at 722 North Wendy Drive, Newbury Park (805.498.7200) I have not been to Magoo's, but I hear they serve pizza and beer among other things. My friend Tony says they have GREAT chicken wings and tri-tip sandwiches! They have "chop" style salads that are well enjoyed.  A huge display of TV screens at Magoo's and an arcade too!  

Papa John's is at 3321 Kimber Drive, Newbury Park (805.480.3939), 2072 E. Avenida de los Arboles, Thousand Oaks (805.241.7171), 1877 E. Daily Drive, Ste G, Camarillo (805.482.9911) 393 W. Los Angeles Ave., Moorpark (805.529.9100), 706 Lindero Canyon Road, Oak Park (818.879.2111), 1308 Madera Road, Simi Valley (805.584.8500), 2350 Vineyard Ave., Oxnard (805.278.7272), 1411 W. Channel Islands Blvd., Oxnard (805.487.7800), 2202 Tapo Street, Simi Valley (805.584.1700), and 5722 Telephone Road, Ventura (805.650.3200) www.papajohns.com My wife informed me Papa John's was coming to town and would be located practically next door to Tony's N.Y Pizza. Well, there's room for plenty of pizza makers in town so that's o.k. I cannot recall eating a Papa John's pizza before but I'm told that it is quite tasty.

Pizza Hut is at 421 South Reino Road, Newbury Park (805.375.0174), 73 Rancho Road, Thousand Oaks (805.371.3700), 5146 Kanan Road, Agoura (818.991.7508), 252 Los Angeles Ave., #9, Moorpark (805.529.1199), and 2050D First Street, Simi Valley (805.522.8200). www.pizzahut.com  I've just never been a fan of this place or its pizza but given it has been around since 1958 there must be a lot of people who enjoy it.The kids will always eat Pizza Hut pizza and thus it will always be a force to be reckoned with. But let me add something. Pizza Hut now has these "Tuscani Pastas" that are actually pretty good. Not something you'd get in Italy; more like something our 14 year old will wolf down.

PizzaSalad 1655 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks claims to be America's first pizza restaurant to offer a menu wholly comprised of USDA certified organic ingredients.  Absolutely EVERYTHING USDA certified organic.  PizzaSalad opened on 7/1/08.  Visit www.pizzasalad.com or call 805.371.7878.

Presto Pasta is at 1025 Broadbeck Road, Newbury Park (805.498.7737), 1701 Daily Drive, Camarillo (805.445.7737) and 5722 Telephone Road, Ventura (805.658.2898) www.prestopasta.com  The pasta is pretty darn good for a very reasonable price. In fact, I am amazed how consistently decent the quality of the food is here.  Don't expect high-end Italian food at this drive-through (Camarillo) and fast food styel place, but frankly I have a hard time thinking of a better pasta value for the money.  The people here are really nice and donate to a number of local charities.  We have visited the Ventura and Camarillo locations and both have been fine.  As far as the pizza, the kids ordered it here one time and it looked o.k.  They ate it and I ate the crust.  They chowed down on the spaghetti and meatball too, both inhaling it.  Kids meal also includes a drink and a cookie.  I also tried the Ravioli Marinara Cream pasta and enjoyed it.  Presto Pasta is a good value.

Roma Deli is at 2247 Michael Drive, Newbury Park (805.499.2455) www.romaitaliandeli.com I've dined here for 15 years. It is a cute little place to eat at and has some outside seating (though within a few feet of parked cars). Roma is known mostly for its pasta and other Italian goodies for nearly 30 years but the pizza is definitely something to consider. As a matter of fact, today we tried the "Pizza Rustica" (olive oil, garlic, fresh tomato, greek olives, ricotta, feta cheese, mozzarella and ham) - DELICIOUS!

Round Table Pizza locations include 2000 East Avenida de los Arboles, Suite B, Thousand Oaks (805.492.2403), 239 W. Los Angeles Avenue, Moorpark (805.529.2207), 880 Arneill Road, Camarillo (805.484.8900), 1213 South Victoria Avenue, Oxnard (805.382.1300) and 4255-8 East Main Street, Ventura (805.654.0777). www.roundtablepizza.com Round Table has been around since 1959, so most of you have eaten there. Not a bad choice for pizza but I haven't been there for awhile.

Draughts (formerly Stuft Pizza) is located at 398 North Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks www.draughtsrestaurant.com (805.777.7883) The pizza is delicious and their menu is full of great combinations (I love "The Hercules" - olive oil, garlic, spinach, mozzarella, tomatoes, goat cheese). Draughts is a great place to visit for the food, beer, numerous TVs and Tuesday night poker!

Tony's Pizza - Click here.

Toppers Pizza is at 1416 North Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks (805.495.4444) and 520 Arneill Road, Camarillo (805.385.4444)  I frequently hear people talking about how great Toppers Pizza is and this place always is busy. To me the pizza is average but this place has a loyal following. Excellent value for your money here. Lunch specials are very good and the salad bar, though on the small side, has a fresh assortment of items that taste good (and I've noticed they really seem to keep it very clean in there, which I appreciate). A good choice for local dine-in pizza. VERY popular in Thousand Oaks on weekends for families after sports activities.

Vittello's Trattoria at 3316 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks (805.496.3333) serves Italian food that includes pizza at both lunch and dinner.

Comments

[Kim Miles]

I like to order online than on the phone to be put on hold forever! I use Eat24hours, local restaurant that deliver. We order almost every day. Also we get cash back ;)