The Haven Pizzeria

The Haven Pizzeria is located right off the 15 freeway in the Kensington area. When I got the invitation to try out the restaurant, I realized we had sampled them during Taste of Adams Avenue in 2015! At long last, we would be returning for a full meal experience! There's a small parking lot to the right of the restaurant if you happen to get lucky, otherwise street parking is what you're left with. You order at the counter and then they will bring you your food. Of course we had plenty of yummy things to try!

The Traditional Bruschetta is a heavenly bite with plenty of goat cheese to adhere the fresh tomatoes to the crusty bread underneath. The basil strips pack a little mintiness to it. Most of the time you don't want to fill up on appetizer-type items but I couldn't resist working my way straight into the second piece as well!

These Roasted Brussels Sprouts were sprinkled with walnuts giving it a unique nuttier taste rather than the typical savory balsamic glaze we usually find. They were only caramelized on the very top (baked?) and were too soft inside for my preference.

The menu gives you the option to build your own Mac & Cheese so we added sun dried tomatoes and meatballs to the base. More saucy than cheesy, Dennis enjoyed this lighter 'pasta-like' creation, especially the well seasoned italian meatballs which I would have eaten on their own!

Obviously we had to try the pizza at a pizzeria. There were two sizes available, 9" or 14", so two of the smalls seemed appropriate for tasting.

The PBTO (pesto bacon tomato onion) Pizza was my favorite. That candied bacon was in chunky sizes allowing you to really taste the salty with a hint of sweet. Caramelized onions are also my jam but the pesto was a more hidden flavor. We were enamoured with the dough though, which ripped apart like bread and was incredibly soft, even out to the edge! I don't always eat the crust but this one was too irresistible to toss!

The Righteous Pig Pizza was light and flavorful with the right amount of goat cheese to delight my palatte. There was the saltier flavor from the prosciutto and more of those yummy caramelized onions. A trail of the sweet balsamic glaze really helped to change up the flavors and the greens made me feel healthy! I did notice both pizzas left some oil on the plate yet it didn't feel greasy.

We couldn't decide on dessert so got two different ones. I loved the chocolate panna cotta which was like chocolate pudding heaven. It took me a while to figure out that taste but so much better than the plastic cup type!

The Cannoli looked like a great treat! These shells were made in house but were a little bit of work to bite through, which we mentioned to the server. Tastewise they reminded me of the almond flat cookie that sometimes is used for writing messages on cakes. Once you crack through, the combo of shell with the cream filling was much better. Dennis said the filling reminded him of one from a Godiva truffle (tiramisu?).

Later the server came back to tell us the shells were thicker than normal that day. We appreciated that she took our comment and actually followed up!

The restaurant itself isn't too large but seems to be a bright happy spot in the neighborhood.

They have different specials each day and based on our current experience, we can't wait to try more! Definitely try the pizzas and the bruschetta for your carb of yum fix!

Disclaimer: We were invited to dine here and our meal was complimentary. We were not otherwise compensated and all opinions stated are our own.