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Florida Has Better Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Than Chicago

Author Geno

You read that title right. Florida has better Chicago deep dish pizza than anywhere in Chicago… or Illinois for that matter. That is according to reviewers on Yelp. A new ranking of the best Chicago Deep Dish Pizza spots in America only had ONE Chicago restaurant. And that one came in at the bottom of the top 10 … at #10. One Florida pizza maker beat it.

The Best Chicago Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago

We’ll get to the Florida winner in a moment but first let’s debate who won the only spot in the top 10 for Chicago deep dish pizza that’s actually IN Chicago. Yelp users ranked Michael’s Original Pizza & Tavern as the best of the best in the Windy City. Michael’s has a score of 4.3 stars on Yelp based on 823 reviews. Located at 4091 North Broadway Street in Chicago, they also serve up the popular crispy thin crust pizza that many Chicagoans love more than deep dish.

I’ve never had a pizza from Michael’s but I’m honestly kind of shocked that Lou Malnati’s didn’t top the list in Chicago. It’s a pretty legendary spot for deep dish. They have locations all around Chicago and it’s my must-visit anytime I’m in the city. I’ll definitely have to visit Michael’s next time to compare.

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

I can’t believe reviewers found better deep dish pizza than the one at Lou Malnati’s.

The Best Chicago Deep Dish Pizza in Florida

So I mentioned that Michael’s Original Pizza & Tavern in Chicago was the best deep dish style in Chicago, but there is a pie here in Florida that beat it! It’s not close for many of us but the next time you’re in Jacksonville, look up Carmines Pizza House.

With a Yelp score of 4.4 after over 1,000 reviews, Carmine’s is the best deep dish Chicago style pizza you can find in Florida, according to Yelp’s survey. One reviewer asked Yelp to stop telling people about Carmine’s. They say it’s a quirky little spot with very limited parking. Sounds like those parking spaces are going to be a lot harder to come by now.

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza in the Tampa Area

What about closer to home? I have two favorite spots for deep dish Chicago style pizza here in the Tampa area. One I’ve found even rivals Lou Malnati’s. Cappy’s Pizzeria in Riverview really has a phenomenal deep dish pizza. By the way, Cappy’s has several locations – I just always seem to get the best pizza at their Riverview restaurant. Cappy’s been a reliable pie for years. Thick chunks of tomato and salty gooey salty cheese… it’s just incredible pizza. It’s not an everyday pizza. You really have to have a solid appetite to put one of these pies away. I’m not a big crust guy but even Cappy’s crust is tasty.

A runner up for me, but the favorite for many here in the Tampa area, is Paul’s Chicago Style Pizza in St. Pete. They also have a couple locations and serve up that crispy cracker crust style too. I’m just not a fan of the crispy thin… I like the deep dish indulge experience. [Source: Yelp]

Barstool President Dave Portnoy Pizza Tour Around Tampa Bay Official Rankings

Those who are passionate about their pizza know about Barstool’s Dave Portnoy. He’s the founder of Bartstool Sports and is known for his controversial pizza ratings from across the country on “One Bite Pizza“. Most know the rules, Dave judges pizza based on one bite. Well, he was in Florida this week and stopped in Sarasota and Tampa Bay. Keep scrolling to find out which pizza places Dave Portnoy visited in Tampa Bay. All of the ratings aren’t out yet, so we’ll update this post as soon as they drop.

The Barstool legend started his pizza tour in Sarasota at IL Panificio Pizzeria. After someone hyped up the mom-and-pop shop with mixed reviews, he decided to check it out himself. He ordered 1 large cheese pizza and after “one bite” he declared “Not bad at all”, but wished it was a little crispier. He gave the pizza a 7.4 rating, which is pretty good for Dave’s standards. This is a higher rating than Tampa staple Eddie & Sam’s. Dave gave them a 7.1 rating 5 years ago.

Related: 5 Tampa Bay Pizza Restaurants With Raving Reviews

The highest ranked spot on Dave’s list with a score of a perfect 10 is Monte’s Restaurant in Lynn, MA. So far his highest ranked pizza spot in Florida is Mister O1- South Beach in Miami with a ranking of 8.1. But let’s see how those rankings change after he posts his Tampa reviews.

Once the word was out that Barstool’s Dave Portnoy was looking for pizza in the Tampa Bay area, local pizza places hopped on social media to drive Dave to their spot. Here are the places he checked out during his pizza tour in Tampa. Dave had to split his pizza tour into 2 days, one day for St. Pete/Pinellas, and 1 day for the Tampa area. Dave posted these spots on his social media and has been slowly releasing the individual reviews. We’ve updated this list to reflect his official ratings and ranked them from best to worst.

  • The Nona Slice House

    Dave stopped in Safety Harbor for one of the best pizza’s in Tampa Bay. He tried all three styles of pizza (New York, Old-World, and Detroit). He started with a 7.9 rating with the New York style pizza, but after trying all 3 options, he rated this place an 8.1 (the highest we’ve heard of so far.) Check them out at 997 Main St, Safety Harbor.

  • The Violet Stone

    During his stop in St. Pete, Dave visited The Violet Stone for pizza and cheesesteak. You can find them at 2134 9th ave N, Saint Petersburg. He was impressed with their “Caution pizza is well done sign”. At first, he got a pie that was very dark on the bottom, which normally won’t be a problem for him. Dave did something he never does and took a remake pie. They explained that this was their first day with this brand new pizza oven, so he cut them some slack. The Violet Stone’s final score for pizza was 7.9. He also tried one of their cheesesteaks and gave it a strong 9.2

     

  • Forbici Modern Italian

    Dave finally found an area of Tampa he liked. He visited Forbici Modern Italian located in the heart of Hyde Park (1633 W Snow Ave, Tampa). By first look at his pizza, he thought it looked more like a Detroit style than Roman style. The crust was way lighter than he expected and rated them a high 7.9, which is the highest he’ll go for that style of pizza.  “If people want to argue that this is their favorite pizza in Tampa Bay, I wouldn’t say they’re crazy.”

  • Cristino's Coal Oven Pizza

    So happy Dave checked out one of our all time favorite pizza spots. You can try their pizza at 1101 S Ft Harrison Ave, Clearwater, FL. At first glance, he said this looks like a great coal-fired pizza. Good crust, 0 flop, but said it wasn’t “piping hot”. He gave them an awesome rating of 7.8

  • Pizza Box

    Dave has found some really great spots, he stopped here after The Violet Stone. It had a good undercarriage but he thought it would be crunchier. He noticed it tastes and looks like a Neapolitan pizza. The Pizza Box was his top 3 choices of pizza spots in St. Pete. The Pizza Box got an awesome score of 7.8

  • Santoro's Pizza

    Many locals were driving Dave to Santoro’s Pizza (1329 W Cass St, Tampa). While everyone was waiting to see if Dave would show up, the staff only cared about his pittie Ms. Peaches. Some are saying he gave the spot a 7.8 rating. The video Santoros posted on social bleeped out Dave’s score so we’ll have to wait and see for the official review. We do know it’s under 8.

  • Toby's Original Little Italy Pizza

    The first stop in Tampa Bay for Dave (according to his Instagram stories) was Toby’s Original Little Italy Pizza. Located at 3523 49th Street N, St. Petersburg, FL 33710. They’ve been in business since 1972. The One Bite app has its rating at 7.4 based on 54 local reviews. Dave’s review was finally dropped and after one bite he said “Straight out of New York” and “The best pizza he’s had in Tampa/St Pete so far”. He rated Toby’s 7.7. Really good stuff.

  • Madison Ave Pizza

    On his journey through Pinellas, Dave stopped by ANOTHER favorite of ours, Madison Ave Pizza. Although he probably didn’t try the biggest pizza in Tampa, he rated their pizza a 7.7! Not bad at all! Try them for yourself at 2660 Bayshore Boulevard, Dunedin, FL.

  • Piper's Scratch Pizza Shop

    Also during “Stool Presidente’s” stop in Palm Harbor included Piper’s Scratch Pizza Shop (US Hwy 19 N, Palm Harbor). After his first bite, Dave’s first word was “Wow”, which is a really good sign. He was really blown away by their homemade pizza sauce. Dave gave them a good score of 7.6

  • DiGiorgio's Pizzeria

    Dave stopped all the way in Palm Harbor (191 Orange St, Palm Harbor) for a slice from DiGiorgio’s Pizzeria. The rating on the One Bite app is 8.3, Dave gave them a rating of 7.5, which a great score for your typical New York style pizza.

  • Marina’s Pizza & Pasta

    Special guest Danny Boy Cane joined Dave at Marina’s Pizza & Pasta locate at 12121 W Linebaugh Ave. They got an extra cheese pizza this time and got an 8 rating from Danny Boy Cane. Dave gave them a 7.5. He said it was a good, quality, normal football pizza.

  • Brooklyn Pizza Company

    Dave stopped by this pizza spot in Seminole and left it with a 7.4 rating! Find them at 10785 Park Blvd, Seminole, FL.

  • DeLosa's Pizzeria

    Located at 12800 Village Blvd Madeira Beach, Fl. This was the second feature on Dave’s social media. He gave them a ranking of 7.1!

  • Britt’s Pizza

    Stoolpresidente made his way to Treasure Island while he was in the St. Pete area. It was very hilarious watching him try to figure out where he was in the Tampa Bay area. After one bite of Britt’s he said it’s “resort style” pizza (aka perfect for tourists). He gave them a 6.8 review.

  • Palazzo Pizza

    Day 2 of the Dave Portnoy pizza tour brought him to Palazzo Pizza located at 1818 W Platt St, Tampa. At first glance he described the pizza as “hockey rink pizza”. He sat and talked to the owner for a while and really enjoyed the pizza. Dave said he would tell the owner he’d rate it a 7.1, but for the official One Bite score, he gave it a 6.4.

  • Lee's Groceries

    Located at 2210 N. Central Ave, Tampa. Dave didn’t have too much to say about this place. Overall the pizza looked good but he gave it a 6.3 rating.

  • Sally O' Neal's Pizza Hotline

    Opened in 1985 Sally O’Neals is definitely a Tampa staple. This place does things a little differently. They are only available for full service on the weekends and do only take out and delivery Monday-Thursday. The slice was hot and floppy and not really Dave’s preferred style. After a nice conversation, he rated Sally a 9.6 (wonderful person) but rated the pizza 6.1. Dave did point out the rest of the menu looks fantastic and that sit-down service might be the way to go.

  • Joey Brooklyn's Famous Pizza

    It would not be a pizza tour in Tampa Bay without stopping at this legendary spot. While Joey’s is great after a night out or a show at Jannus, Dave’s rule is “if it’s open late, it ain’t that that great”. He rated Joey’s a harsh 5.9.

Hear Geno on the air weekday afternoons. Geno's passions include fat guy food, concerts, sports, travel to Europe and South America. He loves 80s and 90s music, from MTV hairbands to old school freestyle, alternative rock to TRL era jams. Geno's radio career began in his hometown of Portland, Maine. Since then he's been on the air coast to coast from Boston to Las Vegas, Tampa to California.

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