\u201cThat was my inspiration. That\u2019s why it\u2019s called Sisters Pizza because even though she\u2019s not physically here, she was my partner and my inspiration every day,\u201d Green Lake said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The menu is inspired by the sisters\u2019 love of pizza, with creations such as the OBecian (white sauce, mushrooms, pesto and goat cheese) because they used to live in Ocean Beach and the Chickie Chickie Parm Parm (red sauce, mozzarella, thinly sliced chicken parm and fresh basil), a tribute to one of their favorite television shows, \u201cParks and Recreation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe and I together, that was kind of one of our hobbies,\u201d Green Lake said. \u201cWe would try out different pizza places. I mean, we would even order dominoes \u2026 so we definitely didn\u2019t discriminate. Although we always tried to find where the best pizza places were. So it just seemed like the obvious choice that a pizza shop was going to be the type of restaurant I would open.\u201d<\/p>\n
Customers at Sisters Pizza can also get appetizers like fried calamari and mozzarella sticks, salads, soups, sandwiches, pastas and a third-pound burger.<\/p>\n
The menu and the energy of Sisters Pizza are influenced by Green Lake and her sister\u2019s upbringing in New Jersey, including a diner they would frequent called Garden Pizza.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy parents loved it because they could go and get an entree and a bottle of wine, and my sister and I would be satisfied just picking a slice of pizza and going to the cooler and grabbing a can of soda as a treat,\u201d Green Lake remembered. \u201cSo with Sisters Pizza, I wanted to be able to provide other families with that opportunity where the parents could kind of like have a date night, even with the kids being there, and everyone would be happy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sisters Pizza, which opened up its second location in North Park in February, hosts several events throughout the year and supports community efforts in Hillcrest.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re staunch allies to the LGBTQ community,\u201d Green Lake said. \u201cWe make it very well known that we want to be part of this inclusive community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sisters Pizza hosts an annual neighborhood holiday party in Hillcrest, with drag queens and carolers and sponsors events benefitting HIV and AIDS prevention and education.<\/p>\n
Green Lake said she wanted the first location of Sisters Pizza to be in Hillcrest because it\u2019s a community that has been very welcoming to her friends, husband, employees and herself, since she moved to San Diego over 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an obvious choice when I was looking to open my business that I wanted to have it in Hillcrest because I already knew a lot of the neighbors, and I\u2019ve gotten to know so many more,\u201d She said. \u201cSan Diego is a big city, but Hillcrest has a very small-town neighborhood feeling that I love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here are Green Lake\u2019s recommendations for dining and exploring in Hillcrest.<\/p>\n
![\"Emily](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SUT-L-Emily-GREEN-LAKE.jpg\")
Emily Green Lake is the owner of Sisters Pizza, with locations in Hillcrest and North Park. (Gretchen Otero photography)<\/p>\n
Q: Where is your favorite dining option?<\/b><\/p>\n
A: <\/b>Recently, I\u2019ve been really into Dashi, a newly opened sushi place right near the iconic Hillcrest sign. The ambience is minimalist yet cozy, the service is phenomenal, and everything I\u2019ve tried on the menu is super fresh and tasty. In addition to a wide variety of interesting seafood options, they offer plenty of tasty vegetarian and vegan options, too. For drinks, my go-to is The Loft. It\u2019s an inclusive dive-y spot and serves as a home-away-from-home for many of its patrons. Word of caution: when having drinks in Hillcrest, don\u2019t order a double until you try what a single tastes like.<\/p>\n
![\"Interior](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SUT-L-HANDPICKED-EMILY_004.jpg\")
Interior of BlueStocking Books along 5th Avenue in Hillcrest on Thursday, December 18, 2025, 2025 (Photo by Sandy Huffaker for The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Q: What is your favorite small retail business or pop-up vendor to support?<\/b><\/p>\n
A:<\/b> Bluestocking Books has been around since 1967, so its cool, vintage vibe is completely authentic. They have a huge collection of used books, in addition to current best sellers and newer titles, plus stationery and great gifts for bookworms like me.<\/p>\n
Q: Where is your favorite open space?<\/b><\/p>\n
A: <\/b>The Seven Bridges urban hike is a fun way to take in much of Hillcrest, Balboa Park and the east side of Bankers Hill. There\u2019s no start or finish. The goal is to cross the following seven bridges, taking whatever route you choose. My route goes like this: First Avenue Bridge, Spruce Street Suspension Bridge, Quince Street Wooden Bridge, Cabrillo Bridge, Balboa Park Rose Garden Bridge, Georgia Street Bridge and Vermont Street Bridge. It\u2019s a fun way to explore Hillcrest and get your steps in. Plus, there are plenty of places along the way to stop for a snack and a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n
Q: Where is the best piece of artwork?<\/b><\/p>\n
A: <\/b>Harper\u2019s Topiary Garden, a short walk from Hillcrest in Mission Hills, is actually a passion project set in the front yard of a home on a residential street, where the owners have crafted over 50 topiaries inspired by world travels. It puts Edward Scissorhands to shame. It\u2019s a fun spot to check out, pick out as many animals and figures as you can and snap some pics. There are some great galleries in Hillcrest where folks can check out work by local talent, too. My favorites are The Studio Door, which regularly features unique exhibits and events, and Revision, an amazing studio for neurodivergent artists.<\/p>\n
Q: Where is your favorite entertainment attraction or historic landmark?<\/b><\/p>\n
A: <\/b>Drag shows at Urban MO\u2019s are always outstanding, truly performance art. San Diego is fortunate to have some of the best drag artists in the world who perform there regularly. Don\u2019t miss a performance by Mariam T, Paris Sukomi Max, Naomi Daniels or Nadya Simone, though honestly, you\u2019ll be thoroughly entertained by whoever you watch perform there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While she worked part-time as a restaurant server or bartender, in addition to working as a high school…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":480197,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,171,66363,1370,3549,7264,1072,7289,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-480196","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-handpicked-by-locals","13":"tag-latest-headlines","14":"tag-san-diego","15":"tag-sandiego","16":"tag-things-to-do","17":"tag-top-stories-sdut","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115808970021600365","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/480197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}