Cristino's Coal Oven Pizza, a popular Tampa Bay pizzeria, quietly closed one of its two locations after dinner service Tuesday evening.
The restaurant announced the closure of its 3-year-old Ybor City location at 1701 E. Eighth Ave. Wednesday morning, inviting patrons to visit the Clearwater flagship instead.
"Thank you Tampa, and in particular Ybor City for allowing us to serve you for the past three years. We had a tough decision to make, but as a family decided to close our Tampa location," the Cristino family wrote on Facebook. "We appreciate all of you who have supported us and chose Cristinos to have your special parties, company lunches, or quiet date nights on our patio. We enjoyed meeting you all. Thank You So Much!"
The Best of the Bay-winning pizzeria's coal-fired pies (which CL food critic Jon Palmer Claridge highlighted in his Pizza Marathon top 10 a while back), gelato and other Italian delicacies will continue to be served in Clearwater at 1101 S. Fort Harrison Ave.
