If you’re in the Irvine area, we discovered a casual family restaurant that offers artisan thin crust pizza. At Square One Pizza Café families can choose tasty appetizers, personalized pizzas, pastas and more. AND if you’re a Pokémon hunter – catch various characters while you’re there. Square One Pizza Café is a Poké Stop!
We were invited to stop in and check out Square One Pizza Café. First thing we noticed, this restaurant had clean lines, and a very comfortable casual family feel. During the lunch service, patrons are invited to order at the front counter and select any seat. Once it hits 5pm, evening guests are seated for a traditional dinner service.
![Square One Pizza Cafe Restaurant setting]](https://balancingthechaos.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Square-One-Pizza-Cafe-Restaurant-setting.png)
We had the opportunity to meet Kyle & Liz Gillies. They originated in Southern California, and relocated to Baltimore a few years ago. While there, Kyle developed the Square One Pizza concept with a previous employer who opened Bagby’s in Baltimore. The Gillies finally decided to return to California and follow their dream of opening their own restaurant, and Square One Pizza Café was born.
We started off the evening with Bruschetta, a grilled baguette topped with a layer of goat cheese, fresh Roma tomatoes, red onions, garlic, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil with a little bit of green capers.
I chose this beautiful Caprese Salad with a perfect balance of delicious slices of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil with a pile of greens and a hint of salt and oil drizzled across the entire dish.
We shared the Pesto and Pine Nut Penne Pasta that was quite a substantial portion of al dente penne with the Pesto sauce sprinkled with a light mozzarella, so full of flavor.
The hubster chose the Steak Sub, which he truly enjoyed. Even my little man loved the delicious grilled steak with layers of White Cheddar and Provolone Cheeses. The sub was garnished with lettuce, Roma tomatoes and mayonnaise on a delicious baguette. The Gillies also told us they make their fries and chips in house from fresh potatoes, so we of course, HAD to sample them as well.
Now, the kids ordered pizza. And with each of them having such different tastes, one ordered the child’s size in a basic cheese and the other ordered a “Create Your Own” with Apple Wood Bacon and black olives. Their pizza crust is a special recipe cooked up by Kyle, and is flattened into a square – hence the name “Square Pizza”. My kids both enjoyed the little crunch the crust had along with the their home made fresh pizza sauce. If you can believe it, my daughter finished her very own 10″ pizza. So not like her!!!
Square One Pizza Café regularly offers specials and catering. Once a month plan on a “Beer Night” where a local brewery comes out and does tastings. They’ve even started a “Wine Night” and will be adding it occasionally.
For more information about Square One Pizza Café, visit their website: https://sq1pizza.com or Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
