Tampa Bay's Top 100 Restaurants: pizza
Restaurant critic Laura Reiley dined out for nearly 200 meals this past year. We think that makes her more than qualified to tell you some of the best places to eat in Tampa Bay. As we roll out her Top 100 Restaurants over the next few days, here are her picks for best pizza joints. What? Your fave isn't listed? Let us know in the comments section.
Full Top 100 list | Search for another restaurant/bar
Best pizza
In September, longtime Tampa pizza maestro Cesare Bastone tossed his last pies, dying of a heart attack only a couple weeks after the Times included Cesare's of New York Pizza in a roundup of best pizzas. He may be making pie in the sky, but there are still some terrestrial heavy hitters in the area. Not known for its pizza, certainly, but Mise en Place does a rock shrimp, poblanos and chorizo pizza that is hard to beat. Matthew McClellan, owner of Tour de Pizza, wins the prize for thinking big. Thin-crust pizzas, lots of cheese, not too much sauce — but his dream is to install a bicycle in the restaurant that, when pedaled, powers the pizza oven. The coal oven at Cristino's can cook a pizza in five minutes, rendering it crisp but tooth-resistant, with those black bubbles and perfectly gooey cheese. Order a pie without too much stuff on it, and save room for gelato.
Mise en Place, 442 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa; (813) 254-5373, miseonline.com
Tour de Pizza, 212 37th Ave. N, St. Petersburg; (727) 898-5555, tourdepizzaonline.com
Cristino's Coal Oven Pizza, above, 1101 S. Fort Harrison Ave., Clearwater; (727) 443-4900, cristinospizzeria.com
Want more? Here are 10 unsung pizza joints in the Tampa Bay area.
"He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise." 
I'm going to seriously have to control myself, I could eat that picture, What a beauty.
Posted by: Old Chef Dude | January 12, 2009 at 09:23 PM
I'm telling you Laura, you gotta try an "Alkaseltzer Special" from Charley and Millie's in Seminole. They've been there since I was a little kid, so easily more than 40 years. You won't be disappointed!
Posted by: John Mc | January 12, 2009 at 09:34 PM
Eddie and Sam's is a runaway winner. Some of the joints you lisyed don't even serve what qualifies as pizza.
Posted by: ignatz | January 13, 2009 at 03:30 AM
Good call on Tour de Pizza - great place and a great owner. I'm a cyclist so I'm a bit biased.
Posted by: Kenneth | January 13, 2009 at 02:04 PM
Good call on Tour de Pizza - great place and a great owner. I'm a cyclist so I'm a bit biased.
Posted by: Kenneth | January 13, 2009 at 02:04 PM
Great choice with Tour De Pizza! Those guys are putting out the best product in this area maybe even Florida....check them out you will love it a promise.
John B.
Posted by: John Brilliant | January 13, 2009 at 02:15 PM
Hello, This is Matt from Tour De Pizza and what an HONOR to be picked one of the Best Pizza Places in Tampa Bay. I would like to offer a FREE slice of cheese pizza to anyone who brings in this article. Please print this blog and come on in to give us a "TRI"
See you Soon!
Matt McClellan
Tour De Pizza
212 37th Ave North St Pete 33704
limit 1 per person offer expires January 20th 2009
Posted by: Matt McClellan | January 13, 2009 at 08:31 PM
Matt, that's so sweet. Who couldn't use a free slice these days? Hope your place is busy in the next weeks with those slicers and also regular paying customers!
Posted by: Laura Reiley | January 13, 2009 at 10:31 PM
It is clear to me that Laura has not been to Primi yet. They're between 1st Ave N and Central on 4th Street.Excellent Italian.Do a review on them. You'll see.
Posted by: Chris | March 26, 2009 at 03:52 PM
Chris, Primi got reviewed the week before I started at the paper, so it's been in that weird no-man's land for me--too early to re-review. But I'm curious. What's good there? I did have dessert there once, an amazing gorgonzola panna cotta with berry sauce, if I remember correctly.
Posted by: The Mouth | March 26, 2009 at 05:04 PM
East Coast Pizza is in Riverview is worth taking a ride to. There expanding to Tampa and make a great New York Pie.
Posted by: Scott | May 20, 2009 at 10:20 PM