I Broke My Big Tampa Pizza Rule and Instantly Regretted It
Pizza is on everyone’s mind lately because Dave Portnoy from Barstool Sports was recently in Tampa trying different pizza places. Among the ones he tried was my favorite spot for the best pizza in Florida: Cristino’s Coal Oven Pizza in Clearwater. I don’t know what score Portnoy gave Cristino’s, but it got me in the mood for a Margarita with extra sauce because I hadn’t dropped by in a while.
When I pulled in, there were dozens waiting for a table. That’s always a good sign. I posted the photo on my Instagram and Facebook of everyone waiting in the parking lot and mentioned that these people don’t need Dave Portnoy’s endorsement. They know Cristino’s Pizza is worth the wait. In the comments, most listeners backed me up – but a few instead suggested other pizzas. And that’s where I made my crucial mistake.
There’s nothing worse than getting your hopes up about trying a new pizza someone is raving about… and the pizza is just underwhelming. I made the big mistake I don’t often make yesterday. In those comments, a listener suggested a popular pizza spot in Largo that I had never tried. I’d heard of it and initially I thought I’d even tried it. But when I looked them up online, I realized I had not been there… and since I was in the area yesterday, I dropped by. After 4 or 5 bites, I got angry with myself. I broke my rule. I forgot to ask the guy who recommended this place 2 important questions before I took his suggestion seriously.
What are those 2 questions? Take a listen to the latest episode of my Geno Ate Tampa podcast above.
If you’ve never been to Cristino’s, you’ll find them at 1101 South Ft Harrison Avenue in Clearwater. Visit after a day at Clearwater Beach or before a concert at The Sound at Coachman Park. If there’s a wait, don’t be surprised. During peak dining hours, you’ll probably have to sit outside for a while. But there’s a reason you see people waiting like in the photo below. The pizza is worth the wait.
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.
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.
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.
