Posted by Adam Kuban, November 8, 2006 at 12:28 PM
More Times collateral. This time, a question from a new reader in Miami:
Hi there Adam: Learned about you from the nytimes.com article on Totonno’s vs. Domino's. I moved here to Miami two years ago, and as a third-generation Manhattanite, I must tell you that I really miss good pizza. I loved Totonno’s, but since I lived in Greenwich Village for the past 15 years, I really loved a slice from Joe’s off of Sixth Avenue near Cornelia Street as well as the pizzeria on University Place near 13th Street (my old neighborhood). Those were my weekly haunts.
The reason I’m writing is to see if you know of any pizza places here in Miami that are at least good if not very good. With all the transplants from New York and the surrounding areas, there must be something! Only places I have found are a small chain called Archie’s, which is OK, and also a place called Spri that is just so-so. But it let me tell you, it’s no New York. Honestly, if I could find a great slice here, Miami would be Utopia!
Let me know if you have any insight. Great job with your site – I think it’s hilarious and wonderful! —Emily G.
So how 'bout it readers? Any suggestions for good New York style pizza in Miami?
i'm a born and bred NYer who lived in miami for the past 3 years. i've recently moved back to NY, however (the NY force is strong!). i found a couple of places in miami that was decent: Andiamo's on Bisacayne Blvd & 45 (in the Miami Shores neighborhood). Slice & Ice in Coconut Grove (27th ave, right of US1). Steve's Pizza on US1 in the North Miami area (near 125 st) is good too (it's across the street from Home Depot). Hope this helps! Good luck...
Slice n Ice in the Grove on 27th Avenue just south of Bird Avenue is very good and probably the closest you'll find to NY pizza. Piccolo Italia on SW 17th Ave and 18th St is good also. And I like Jeno's on South Beach as well. Then there is Mario the Baker and Miami's Best, which aren't bad.
I agree Steve's Pizza is really good. However they act like you are doing them a favor to buy their food. There is really bad attitude in some of the folks behind the counter.
When I lived in Hollywood, I would make the trek to Squiggy's NY Style Pizza 207 SW 2nd St Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 (954) 522-6655 It was a schlepp but they serve a decent slice and Squiggy is from da Bronx. They had pretty late hours from what I recall, being that they were next door to the Chile Pepper nightclub. Prices went up after a certain time of night as well -- supply and demand and all.
Emily: I am also a Totonno's/Patsy's/Joe's guy. I think those are the best in New York. I used to include Lombardi's, but it has really fallen off. The best place for pizza in Miami is the aptly-named - Miami's Best Pizza. 1514 S Dixie Hwy Coral Gables, FL. Without a doubt, it is the best place in Miami. It is open late to boot. It is an old school place with a big brick oven, everything is made fresh, and the sauce has a great flavor to it. I lived in Miami for 15 years and never had better.
Dear Emily- THREE WORDS - MIAMI'S BEST PIZZA. THIS GUY MICHAEL BERGER ABOVE KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT. DON'T LISTEN TO THESE IDIOTS MENTIONING PIZZA RUSTICA - YUCK . STEVE'S PIZZA(OK) AND ANDIAMO'S. FORGET SLICE AND ICE YOU MIGHT AS WELL KILL YOURSELF. MIAMI'S BEST PIZZA 1514 S DIXIE HIGHWAY. BEST PIZZA IN MIAMI NY STYLE
You said Miami, but I'll cheat and mention Anthony's Coal Fire Pizza in Ft. Lauderdale... only about 20 miles north and worth a visit... it's a very popular place.
Dear Emily, Grew up in NY and left after 31 years. I can tell you I have not tried Miami's Best Pizza but will. These guys know New York and everything they say about the others is right on. I do like pizza Rustica though. It is not like NY pizza at all but when it is hot and fresh, it is pretty good. Mario the baker is real good. The pizza is NY style and rushed to the table as soon as it comes out so it is always burning hot. Geno's on South Beach is O.K. if you hit it right. Steve's is like the thousands of crappy places you would never go into in NY. Alan
Dear Slice Readers, You know who this is....I am still in Napoli rating the best pizzerias in the world and Ed Levine knows there will be hell to pay when I return with my own list but I had one of the best pies of my life tonight and the pizziola told me that this place (Fratelli e Bufala) also had a pizzeria in Miami (original owner lives there now). If this is the case, then the best pizza in Miami (and the United States) lies in the land of the Hurricanes.....to be continued. The Bubble has spoken!!! Article on Napolis best to come!
I am a former New Yorker who often misses the great slices that seem so common in the city. I moved to Miami and the pickins are much slimmer here. My taste runs towards a crust that has the texture of a toasted bialy, a sauce that has some kick, toppings that don't overwhelm the body of the pie, and cheese that has the texture and taste of real cheese, not pizzacheez. Here are some of my Miami impressions from a vegetarian POV: Pizza Rustica: B crust, B sauce, B+ cheese, D too much oil! The branch that is closer to Lincoln Road seems to be less agressive with the oil. I like the 4 cheese and the basil/tomato. Ginos: C crust, C sauce, C toppings Altogether somewhat unexciting with the toppings not really hanging together. Fratelli la Bufala: B crust, C+ sauce, B+ cheese, B toppings. The crust tastes great, but is a little soggy and thin. The cheese is buffalo mozzarella and is quite delicate and good. I liked the Eggplant and the Margharita. With a little tweaking this could be great pizza. Miami's Best Pizza: C+ crust good texture lacking flavor, C sauce ok nothing special, C+ toppings which are good and fresh, but on the vegi pie the flavors don't marry, and it feels dry. Spris: B+ crust good texture + flavor, C sauce ok nothing special, B+ toppingsThis place has a wood oven and they have a great crust and toppings, with the sauce almost nonexistent. The pies have a very fresh feeling and are very light compared to the others. Margharita is the best. The NY pizza I am missing today is/was from 2boots on ave A and 2nd. they had/have a great spicy sauce and some kind of sausage (pre-veg) that just clicked. The crust had a cornmeal crust on the bottom and it was good enough that I never left a crumb behind. Spicy hot and perfect with lots of beer.
Piazza Benvenuto in Weston, West of Ft. Lauderdale has True N.Y. Pizza. The Owners Have a place in N.Y. also, so they know New York. They have Sicilian, that is outrageous & Grandma pizza that melts in your mouth. Even wood oven pizza for the Old World Flavor! Go try it Out! Good People, Great Pizza 954-515-0001. www.Piazzabenvenuto.com
West Boca Raton, FL has Sicilian-style pizza very, very, very close to L&B Spumoni Gardens(Bklyn, NY): Dominic's Restaurant on the SE corner of Glades Rd. and Route 441. South side of Home Depot.
Hi,
I live on the west coast of Florida, but venture to Miami every now and then for business. Last time I was there my wife and I tried the pizza at "Fratelli la Bufala" and I was very impressed. These guys really know what they are doing. Everything on the pie was perfectly balanced. Nothing was overpowering. The ingredients were outstanding and the atmosphere was very authentic, and I had the pleasure of speaking Italian with the pizziola, who is from Naples. All in all, the best pizza experience that I have had in Miami hands down.
p.s.- theres a few great spots here on the west coast of Florida too. If anyone's interested...
Anthony's is excellent pizza (both the original Ft. Lauderdale location on Federal Highway, and the location on Biscayne Blvd in North Miami Beach. I also like Cafe DiBono's pizzas (and their other food is excellent as well). Mario the Baker has always been good, although I haven't been there recently. Steve's Pizza is also a favorite (maybe it's just nostalgia).
I don't put Pizza Rustica in the same category as these others, simply because it is not pizza in the traditional sense. I do, however, find it to be delicious (especially after a night on South Beach, although it is still excellent when sober).
I have also been down here for about 2.8 years(whose counting) and am moving back to NY by the end of september but the only consistently good ny style pizza I have enjoyed down here was Steve's. I tried rustica and I wanted to like it but it reminded me of ellios(frozen), I tried andiamo and also wanted to like it -the service was great the location was great but again the pizza not so great, I cant speak for Fratelli di bufala but it does look promising as a cute Italian place. Mario the baker -the original one wasnt bad but not worth a trip-my favorite pizza in ny was Joes on Carmine just as a point of reference -Enjoy-T
I recommend Papa Piccolo Pizzeria in Kendall. I lived right around the corner during my days in Graduate School and probably ate there almost every day. It isn't going to knock your socks off but they make a respectable NY slice and great Chicken Parm sub. This is where I spent my time trying to fill the NY pizza void while living in Miami. My one caveat is I haven't lived in Miami in almost 10 years so I can't be sure things are still the same
I am Bensonhurst native-Down here in Florida you can fahgedaboud places like Totonnos- people in the Tampa Bay area where I live think Papa Johns is great. However, I found one place that is OK -for NYC,Very Good for Florida. The Pizzeria is Pino's-it is on U.S. Hwy.19 and Alderman Road in Palm Harbor,over in Pinellas County-about 40 minutes from Tampa Airport. Owner Pino is a Napolitano who used to run a Pizzeria in Brooklyn when he first came to the US.Pino's is kind of a trattoria-they serve Pasta alla Carbonara,other,Pasta,good Veal Parmeggiano and and fried Calamari that are not burnt like Onion rings.Unlike other alleged Italian restaurants down here,Calamari heads and tentacles are served ,,and if people think that's "icky"- Olive Gardens are all over. Crowded on Weekends-expect 1/2 hr. or more wait.No delivery-Call and order your pie about 15 min. in advance.
I moved from Brooklyn to Kendall in 1975 (behind Dadeland) and never wanted for NY slices because I found Cozzoli's in the mall to be a very reasonable facimile. Being young and homesick for NYC, I didn't stay there long, but when I returned to visit the area years later, I noticed that they had opened more locations. I see that they are still around, but since no one here has made mention of them, I suspect that their pies no longer compare to a good New York slice. Or perhaps I don't know jack about NY pizza and they never did. The latter is very unlikely, however.
In Miami:
Two Brothers owned by 2 Italian brothers. Excellent! 2 locations Town & Country mall SW 117th Avenue and in front of Dandy Bear on SW 137th Avenue
Mike's Pizza owned by one of the Cozzoli family of the famous Dadeland Cozzoli's back in the late 70's besides Dandy Bear on SW 137th Avenue
Miami's Best Pizza on US1 near UM
Big Cheese on US1 near Dadeland
Andiamo in North Miami 55th and Biscayne
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23 Comments:
Isn't pizza rustica supposed to be good?
Slice Bill at 7:45PM on 11/08/06
For the record, that pizza place on University you're referring to is "Stromboli's."
Slice John McCaffrey at 8:30PM on 11/08/06
i'm a born and bred NYer who lived in miami for the past 3 years. i've recently moved back to NY, however (the NY force is strong!). i found a couple of places in miami that was decent: Andiamo's on Bisacayne Blvd & 45 (in the Miami Shores neighborhood). Slice & Ice in Coconut Grove (27th ave, right of US1). Steve's Pizza on US1 in the North Miami area (near 125 st) is good too (it's across the street from Home Depot). Hope this helps! Good luck...
Slice AR at 8:40PM on 11/08/06
Slice n Ice in the Grove on 27th Avenue just south of Bird Avenue is very good and probably the closest you'll find to NY pizza. Piccolo Italia on SW 17th Ave and 18th St is good also. And I like Jeno's on South Beach as well. Then there is Mario the Baker and Miami's Best, which aren't bad.
Slice Carlos at 9:19PM on 11/08/06
I agree Steve's Pizza is really good. However they act like you are doing them a favor to buy their food. There is really bad attitude in some of the folks behind the counter.
Slice andrew at 10:53PM on 11/08/06
When I lived in Hollywood, I would make the trek to Squiggy's NY Style Pizza 207 SW 2nd St Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 (954) 522-6655 It was a schlepp but they serve a decent slice and Squiggy is from da Bronx. They had pretty late hours from what I recall, being that they were next door to the Chile Pepper nightclub. Prices went up after a certain time of night as well -- supply and demand and all.
Slice Brian Preston-Campbell at 11:27PM on 11/08/06
Emily: I am also a Totonno's/Patsy's/Joe's guy. I think those are the best in New York. I used to include Lombardi's, but it has really fallen off. The best place for pizza in Miami is the aptly-named - Miami's Best Pizza. 1514 S Dixie Hwy Coral Gables, FL. Without a doubt, it is the best place in Miami. It is open late to boot. It is an old school place with a big brick oven, everything is made fresh, and the sauce has a great flavor to it. I lived in Miami for 15 years and never had better.
Slice Michael Berger at 6:39PM on 11/09/06
Dear Emily- THREE WORDS - MIAMI'S BEST PIZZA. THIS GUY MICHAEL BERGER ABOVE KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT. DON'T LISTEN TO THESE IDIOTS MENTIONING PIZZA RUSTICA - YUCK . STEVE'S PIZZA(OK) AND ANDIAMO'S. FORGET SLICE AND ICE YOU MIGHT AS WELL KILL YOURSELF. MIAMI'S BEST PIZZA 1514 S DIXIE HIGHWAY. BEST PIZZA IN MIAMI NY STYLE
Slice Josh Bercu at 5:29AM on 11/10/06
You said Miami, but I'll cheat and mention Anthony's Coal Fire Pizza in Ft. Lauderdale... only about 20 miles north and worth a visit... it's a very popular place.
Slice John Bek at 9:05PM on 11/15/06
Dear Emily, Grew up in NY and left after 31 years. I can tell you I have not tried Miami's Best Pizza but will. These guys know New York and everything they say about the others is right on. I do like pizza Rustica though. It is not like NY pizza at all but when it is hot and fresh, it is pretty good. Mario the baker is real good. The pizza is NY style and rushed to the table as soon as it comes out so it is always burning hot. Geno's on South Beach is O.K. if you hit it right. Steve's is like the thousands of crappy places you would never go into in NY. Alan
Slice Alan at 9:11PM on 11/16/06
Dear Slice Readers, You know who this is....I am still in Napoli rating the best pizzerias in the world and Ed Levine knows there will be hell to pay when I return with my own list but I had one of the best pies of my life tonight and the pizziola told me that this place (Fratelli e Bufala) also had a pizzeria in Miami (original owner lives there now). If this is the case, then the best pizza in Miami (and the United States) lies in the land of the Hurricanes.....to be continued. The Bubble has spoken!!! Article on Napolis best to come!
Slice DJ Bubbles at 12:42AM on 11/25/06
I am a former New Yorker who often misses the great slices that seem so common in the city. I moved to Miami and the pickins are much slimmer here. My taste runs towards a crust that has the texture of a toasted bialy, a sauce that has some kick, toppings that don't overwhelm the body of the pie, and cheese that has the texture and taste of real cheese, not pizzacheez. Here are some of my Miami impressions from a vegetarian POV: Pizza Rustica: B crust, B sauce, B+ cheese, D too much oil! The branch that is closer to Lincoln Road seems to be less agressive with the oil. I like the 4 cheese and the basil/tomato. Ginos: C crust, C sauce, C toppings Altogether somewhat unexciting with the toppings not really hanging together. Fratelli la Bufala: B crust, C+ sauce, B+ cheese, B toppings. The crust tastes great, but is a little soggy and thin. The cheese is buffalo mozzarella and is quite delicate and good. I liked the Eggplant and the Margharita. With a little tweaking this could be great pizza. Miami's Best Pizza: C+ crust good texture lacking flavor, C sauce ok nothing special, C+ toppings which are good and fresh, but on the vegi pie the flavors don't marry, and it feels dry. Spris: B+ crust good texture + flavor, C sauce ok nothing special, B+ toppingsThis place has a wood oven and they have a great crust and toppings, with the sauce almost nonexistent. The pies have a very fresh feeling and are very light compared to the others. Margharita is the best. The NY pizza I am missing today is/was from 2boots on ave A and 2nd. they had/have a great spicy sauce and some kind of sausage (pre-veg) that just clicked. The crust had a cornmeal crust on the bottom and it was good enough that I never left a crumb behind. Spicy hot and perfect with lots of beer.
Slice Michael Crumpton at 7:38PM on 12/20/06
Check out Goodfellas "brooklyns finest" pizzeria in coral springs...best real deal ny thin crust pizza by far! Anthony's coal fired is good too.
Slice mike at 5:01PM on 01/05/07
Piazza Benvenuto in Weston, West of Ft. Lauderdale has True N.Y. Pizza. The Owners Have a place in N.Y. also, so they know New York. They have Sicilian, that is outrageous & Grandma pizza that melts in your mouth. Even wood oven pizza for the Old World Flavor! Go try it Out! Good People, Great Pizza 954-515-0001. www.Piazzabenvenuto.com
Slice kevin at 9:11PM on 06/24/07
West Boca Raton, FL has Sicilian-style pizza very, very, very close to L&B Spumoni Gardens(Bklyn, NY): Dominic's Restaurant on the SE corner of Glades Rd. and Route 441. South side of Home Depot.
ftm002 at 7:13PM on 08/07/07
Hi,
I live on the west coast of Florida, but venture to Miami every now and then for business. Last time I was there my wife and I tried the pizza at "Fratelli la Bufala" and I was very impressed. These guys really know what they are doing. Everything on the pie was perfectly balanced. Nothing was overpowering. The ingredients were outstanding and the atmosphere was very authentic, and I had the pleasure of speaking Italian with the pizziola, who is from Naples. All in all, the best pizza experience that I have had in Miami hands down.
p.s.- theres a few great spots here on the west coast of Florida too. If anyone's interested...
joshiejosh11 at 1:13PM on 09/14/07
Anthony's is excellent pizza (both the original Ft. Lauderdale location on Federal Highway, and the location on Biscayne Blvd in North Miami Beach. I also like Cafe DiBono's pizzas (and their other food is excellent as well). Mario the Baker has always been good, although I haven't been there recently. Steve's Pizza is also a favorite (maybe it's just nostalgia).
I don't put Pizza Rustica in the same category as these others, simply because it is not pizza in the traditional sense. I do, however, find it to be delicious (especially after a night on South Beach, although it is still excellent when sober).
cadillacphil at 4:46PM on 08/17/08
I have also been down here for about 2.8 years(whose counting) and am moving back to NY by the end of september but the only consistently good ny style pizza I have enjoyed down here was Steve's. I tried rustica and I wanted to like it but it reminded me of ellios(frozen), I tried andiamo and also wanted to like it -the service was great the location was great but again the pizza not so great, I cant speak for Fratelli di bufala but it does look promising as a cute Italian place. Mario the baker -the original one wasnt bad but not worth a trip-my favorite pizza in ny was Joes on Carmine just as a point of reference -Enjoy-T
tgreene73 at 1:09PM on 08/18/08
I recommend Papa Piccolo Pizzeria in Kendall. I lived right around the corner during my days in Graduate School and probably ate there almost every day. It isn't going to knock your socks off but they make a respectable NY slice and great Chicken Parm sub. This is where I spent my time trying to fill the NY pizza void while living in Miami. My one caveat is I haven't lived in Miami in almost 10 years so I can't be sure things are still the same
Flaksman
http://www.nyfoodanywhere.com
Flaksman at 2:33PM on 09/12/08
I am Bensonhurst native-Down here in Florida you can fahgedaboud places like Totonnos- people in the Tampa Bay area where I live think Papa Johns is great. However, I found one place that is OK -for NYC,Very Good for Florida. The Pizzeria is Pino's-it is on U.S. Hwy.19 and Alderman Road in Palm Harbor,over in Pinellas County-about 40 minutes from Tampa Airport. Owner Pino is a Napolitano who used to run a Pizzeria in Brooklyn when he first came to the US.Pino's is kind of a trattoria-they serve Pasta alla Carbonara,other,Pasta,good Veal Parmeggiano and and fried Calamari that are not burnt like Onion rings.Unlike other alleged Italian restaurants down here,Calamari heads and tentacles are served ,,and if people think that's "icky"- Olive Gardens are all over. Crowded on Weekends-expect 1/2 hr. or more wait.No delivery-Call and order your pie about 15 min. in advance.
vastedda at 1:38PM on 11/21/08
I moved from Brooklyn to Kendall in 1975 (behind Dadeland) and never wanted for NY slices because I found Cozzoli's in the mall to be a very reasonable facimile. Being young and homesick for NYC, I didn't stay there long, but when I returned to visit the area years later, I noticed that they had opened more locations. I see that they are still around, but since no one here has made mention of them, I suspect that their pies no longer compare to a good New York slice. Or perhaps I don't know jack about NY pizza and they never did. The latter is very unlikely, however.
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
pauliegee at 3:40PM on 11/21/08
Mauro Pizza [by the Slice] in Hollywood.
It's a little bit north of Miami, but there is a great beer bar next door called PRL that you can hit at the same time.
mmakis at 10:53PM on 12/02/08
In Miami:
Two Brothers owned by 2 Italian brothers. Excellent! 2 locations Town & Country mall SW 117th Avenue and in front of Dandy Bear on SW 137th Avenue
Mike's Pizza owned by one of the Cozzoli family of the famous Dadeland Cozzoli's back in the late 70's besides Dandy Bear on SW 137th Avenue
Miami's Best Pizza on US1 near UM
Big Cheese on US1 near Dadeland
Andiamo in North Miami 55th and Biscayne
makeuppro at 1:36PM on 02/23/09