Grocery Store Chain Kroger Is Now In Tampa… Sort Of

There have been rumors that the enormous grocery store chain Kroger will open up in the Tampa area. And the Tampa Bay Business Journal says they are ready to serve Tampa Bay customers. But there’s a catch.

This isn’t Kroger’s first time in Tampa. But this time it’s different. You won’t be able to walk into an actual Kroger store and wander the aisles. For now at least, Kroger will only offer grocery delivery service in the Tampa area. Delivery in Orlando started last month.

There were Kroger delivery trucks at this weekend’s Tampa Pride event advertising the arrival of the grocery chain. A quick search of posts from friends online has shown mixed results on delivery service availability here in the area. Service was unavailable when I punched in my zip code in Clearwater on the Kroger site.

Kroger’s online job applications show that work is available at a Tampa fulfillment center, or as they call it, a “spoke.” It’s located at 1820 Massaro Blvd near the I-4/I-75 split. In some parts of the country, Kroger is even using drones to deliver goods. Are you a Kroger fan? Tweet @GenoRadio your Kroger stories and I’ll include them below. [Source: TBBJ]

Geno’s pizza tour of Tampa Bay

• Arte Caffe in Bradenton

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  The newest addition to my list is a close runner up to my favorite pizza in Florida. The crust has a perfect texture. The sauce is out of this world. The cheese has the perfect level of saltiness. I don't get to Bradenton often but every time I go, this tiny intimate Italian restaurant will be a new stop for me. The penne pasta was excellent but the pizza was insanely good.

• Lee’s Grocery in Tampa

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  This place is rated best by many Tampa pizza lovers. I like it. It's better than Tampa's other favorite Eddie & Sam's (which I find blatantly average at best). It's in a quiet neighborhood so you have to seek it out. It's close to the 275/I-4 merge on Central. If you're in that part of town, it's a solid choice. Not my favorite in Florida, but in the Top 10 for Tampa area for sure.

• Pizza Haven in Brandon

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  I unfortunately discovered this place just as I was moving away from the Brandon area. Not the top of my list, but far from the bottom. Nothing fancy. Just good pizza from a local mom and pop shop. I love those.
• Cappy’s In Riverview

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  This was one of my first great pizzas I discovered when I moved to Florida. Pizza lovers argue about New York vs. Chicago style pizza. Cappy's has both. Their NY style is good, but the Chicago version is excellent. They also have other locations, including one in St. Pete I've tried a few times. But the Riverview restaurant seems to do it best. It's definitely not an everyday pizza. Deep dish pizza is an event or an occasion. You will not leave hungry.

• Paul’s Chicago Style in St. Pete

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  I know many who swear by Paul's being the best around. I'm not as much of a fan. I think Cappy's does deep dish way better. However their deep dish isn't bad at all. Call way ahead because deep dish takes a while to make. Paul's loyalists will tell you the REAL Chicago style pizza is the super thin crunch crust. I'm not a fan. I like chewy.

• Due Amici in Ybor

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  There are plenty of pizza spots in Ybor City. There's one on a side street off 7th that I can't remember the name of at the moment. But it's frustrating because depending on who's working, some nights it's awesome and some nights their pizza is terrible. But Due Amici is pretty consistent. The game changer for me was when I tried their Sicilian style.
• There’s such a thing as Detroit style pizza?

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  I honestly had no idea Detroit had their own style of pizza until I discovered Pizza Squared near Busch Gardens in Tampa.

• But sadly…

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  I am sad to report that Pizza Squared is no longer with us. They started going downhill and eventually went out of business about 3 years ago. They had fantastic wings too. It was my Super Bowl go to spot for years.

• Fortunato’s in Pinellas Park

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  Listeners insisted I try this place. It's good pizza, but not great. Thing is in Florida, we have so little great pizza that places like this tend to stand out. It's not a bad pizza, just not great... nothing special to make it unique.
• Little Italy in St. Pete

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  This place on 49th is a local favorite, but really just ok to me. But I felt I should include it since so many have told me it's their favorite. To me it's not really all that flavorful. It's thin and light. I'm a fat guy. I like something hearty.

• Italia Mia in St. Pete

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  Its in St. Pete but no hipsters it's not a place you just never noticed downtown St. Pete. It's not downtown at all. It's hidden in a cruddy strip mall on 62nd Ave. I had the chicken parm dozens of times before I finally tried their pizza. I shouldn't have waited so long. Their chicken parm is top notch but the pizza is very good.

• My New Jersey favorite came to Florida…

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  I'll never forget when I first heard that Grimaldi's, a legendary pizza spot in NYC and New Jersey, had chosen Florida for its first franchise locations. For a few years, there was none better for me.
• Grimaldi’s…

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  I normally am not a chain pizza person, but they captured the magic of the pizza from Grimaldi's locations in NYC at their Florida locations.

• Sorry Grimaldi’s….

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  So is that it? Is Grimaldi's is my #1 pick? Nope! Grimaldi's style of pizza, coal oven, was eclipsed when listeners insisted I try a similar pie in Clearwater and I never looked back.

• Cristino’s In Clearwater

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  I saved the best for last. I won't even let you argue. I've lived from Maine to California. There's no better pizza in the Tampa area than Cristino's. There's not a lot of parking. It's a pain for most who live in Tampa Bay to get to. But you get rewarded with that first bite.
• Look at this thing… it’s art.

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  Cristino's, I love you. You make national lists for a reason. You're a pain in the butt to drive to but that's probably for the best. Otherwise I'd be there weekly. And I'm fat enough.

• Sorry New York City…

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  The first time I had pizza at Cristino's was right before a New York City trip. The pizza was so good that I didn't even seek out pizza when I was in NYC. That's a crime. You can not go to New York City and not have pizza. It's just wrong. But Cristino's is that good.

• Keep it simple.

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  To get the best experience at Cristino's, go with the basic and just tell them you want TheMargherita with extra sauce. It does have cheese, but like most elite pizza spots, they know to put the cheese below the sauce. This tends to weird out many amateur pizza eaters. But trust me. It's the way pizza is supposed to be done.

More of Geno’s stories from this week…