CL restaurant critic Jon Palmer Claridge embarked upon a yearlong marathon in search of Tampa Bay's best Italian-style pizza. In order to keep things simple, he ate the classic cheese-and-basil Margherita wherever it was available, but soon realized a second category for New York-style pies would be necessary. What follows are his Best in Show pie, three other standout favorites and the rest of his Top 10. You can read more about Jon's journey here, and find the locations of every pizzeria he visited here.
Best in Show & Best Italian-style, Pinellas
PIZZERIA GREGARIO
It’s the "Hallelujah" chorus in your mouth, with each element taking its turn in a contrapuntal polyphony of exciting flavors. “King uh-huff kings” and the bright notes of acidity from Bianco DiNapoli’s sweet, perfect organic tomatoes leap across your palate. Then the fresh, house-made daily mozzarella proclaims “and lord uh-huff lords.” You try to catch your breath as the air is sucked out of you by rapidly repeated gut punches of pungent garden-fresh basil trilling “and he shall reign… and he shall reign,” in growing intensity. Finally, the tang of the artisanal 72-hour sourdough leavened, multigrain crust, boldly pushed to the edge of flavorful char, hits your taste buds.
“Forever and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah.” Just as Handel builds the intertwining musical lines into an exhilarating musical climax of seemingly impossible ferocity clashing with overflowing joy, chef Greg Seymour (above) displays his own artistry in Safety Harbor. Like a great composer, he takes the same Margherita pizza “notes” available to all the region’s other pizza parlors and delivers a peak experience. It’s a demonstration of “better ingredients, better pizza,” but the answer most certainly isn’t Papa John’s. It’s the five-star brilliance of Pizzeria Gregario.
Best Italian-style, Hillsborough
AVA
Chef Joshua Hernández produces the most beautiful Neapolitan pizza. It exits the handmade Acunto oven looking perfect and camera-ready. There’s a puffy, huge edge (what the Italians call cornicione), fresh sauce and a tangy crust with great char and chew, but no crackle. A true Neapolitan pie, it’s designed to be eaten with a knife and fork. The few basil leaves may also be authentic, but I sure would like a chiffonade. Even so, this SoHo creation is a knockout.
Best New York-style, Pinellas
CRISTINO’S COAL OVEN PIZZA
While there’s a twin in Ybor, it’s the Clearwater location’s crisp coal-fired crust that catches my attention with excellent chew and slight char; even the edges are delicious. And while there’s not much discernible salt or sourness to the dough, the fresh tomato flavor of the sauce balances acidity and sweetness. There’s not too much cheese or oregano, but huge leaves of torn fresh basil make this a delicious pizza worthy of Italy, though it’s clearly New York-style.
Best New York-style, Hillsborough
EDDIE & SAM’S PIZZA
A few places use sliced tomatoes on their Margherita, but this downtown Tampa pizzeria alone decides to throw a tomato-basil tango party. Absolutely tons of fresh, diced tomatoes dance wildly with dots of the yummy herb; miraculously, the crust maintains crispness despite the odds. What a great example of New York-style pizza at its finest. Plus, the pizza is so huge it’s almost laughable.
The following pizzas round out my top 10 favorites, accompanied by some of my contemporaneous notes. They are presented alphabetically. Each spot’s pie is notable, and all display personal characteristics that make them stand out.
Bella’s Italian Cafe, SoHo/Hyde Park
The nearly 30-year-old Bella’s uses a genuine oak-burning stone oven crafted in Milan. The dough is made with beer from an original Venetian recipe (brushing the dough with olive oil before baking gives the crust an extra light and crispy texture). This pizza is small, but a really tasty effort. And while it is light, it’s full of flavor.
Cappy’s, St. Petersburg
The secret to this distinct crust remains in the dark. My guess from baking bread is that there’s lots of olive oil with cornmeal in the dough. Whatever it is, the perennial BOTB winner really stands out.
Gourmet Pizza Company, SoHo/Hyde Park
This is a solid entry, with ample sauce, cheese and basil on a crisp crust. Not a lot of char, but definitely in the upper tier. There’s a commitment to staying house-crafted with local ingredients, and it shows. The shop also has gluten-free and vegan pies.
Lee’s Grocery, Seminole Heights
A reader brought Lee’s to my attention when I mentioned my pizza project in print. I’m so glad I went. This is an absolutely beautiful-looking New York-style pie. It’s huge with beautiful edges, plus fresh tomatoes and lots of basil chiffonade that bursts with flavor. The dough, however, needs more salt, and the sauce lacks the depth of the very top selections. Because it’s cooked in a deck oven, there’s no real char, but they deliver stone-baked crisp crust with plenty of flavor that stays with you.
Tony & Nello’s, Tierra Verde
Thanks to CL A&E editor Julie Garisto for pointing this one out. Our resident Italian knows her stuff. Despite having ample sauce and slices of homemade mozzarella, this pie is crisp from edge to edge. It’s really outstanding, but a little bit stingy on the basil.
Wood Fired Pizza, North Tampa
The wonderful smoky flavor that permeates this crust is the primary element, but with shredded cheese, plus Romano and not much basil. Still, the flavors stick with you, and this pizza is top tier. It’s not listed as Margherita, but as Raquel.
Unlike a real runner's marathon, my pizza race was a year in the making. And the unexpected discovery was that Pizzeria Gregario's Seymour is an artist of the highest order. I was really happy eating all of the top-rated pies in my year-long search. They were all excellent regardless of personal preference, but Gregario alone brought me back to that intoxicating day in Italy.
Make the pilgrimage to Safety Harbor and watch a master ply his craft. There’s a certain Zen quality as the chef manipulates his pizza peel with the sure skill of a pro, rotating his house-made, artistic creations in the blazing oven. Just a flick of his wrist, and the pizza faces the mesmerizing flames. A mere 90 seconds or so under his keen eye and a culinary gem emerges ready for your plate.
Hot, fresh and transcendent.
This article appears in Mar 5-11, 2015.