NT/WC’s Favorite Pizza & Burger Places

Cynthia Andujar shows off a delicious 900 Degree Woodfired pepperoni pizza.

When it comes to pizza in our area, we have a lot of great options from which to choose, but itโ€™s hard to argue with the readersโ€™ selection of 900ยบ Woodfired Pizza in the Shops at Wiregrass as their favorite in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel for both 2019 and 2020.

Thereโ€™s also no doubt that 900ยบ Woodfired owner Steve Falabella (2nd from left in photo) is one of the most beloved restaurant owners in Wesley Chapel. But, the fact that his place serves both authentic wood-fired Neapolitan style, as well as legit New York-style pizza continues to keep 900ยบ Woodfired Pizza among our readersโ€™ favorites (and ours!).

Weโ€™re partial to 900ยบ Woodfiredโ€™s square, thin-crust Sicilian-style and unique Grandmaโ€™s pizza, as well as many of its tasty pasta dishes. ย 

2 — Pizza Mania is the pizza place that has been open the longest in Wesley Chapel, and itโ€™s always been a top favorite of our readers at its location in the Shoppes of New Tampa at Wesley Chapel for its NY/New Jersey-style pizza and Italian fare.

3 — Amiciโ€™s Pizza won this category in 2018 and finished second last year, and it continues to be a top-three favorite of our readers โ€” and for good reason. It features true NY-style pizza and the best linguine & clams in The Chap. ย 

4 — Via Italia was one of the best places to open in New Tampa in 2020 and while itโ€™s more of a sit-down, authentic Italian โ€œristorante,โ€ it does serve wood-fired Neapolitan, Roman, โ€œCampione del Mondoโ€ and other unique styles of pizza.

5 — NY NY Pizza repeats its finish as our readersโ€™ fifth favorite pizza place in our distribution areas, another choice thatโ€™s hard to argue. We love it for its garlicky Grandmaโ€™s pizza, but try this mainly takeout place by the slice or by the pie.

The Next 10, in order of votes: Mellow Mushroom, Cappyโ€™s, Marcoโ€™s, Best NY Pizza, Fratelliโ€™s, Noble Crust, Little Italyโ€™s, Capri, Pomodoro, MOD Pizza.

FAVORITE BURGER: BURGER 21

The Outlaw Burger and a Wild Blueberry shake.

A burger is often just a burger, and when cooked right, that can be enough.

But, at Burger 21 on BBD Blvd. in New Tampa, which opened its first location in 2010 with 21 menu items, a burger is rarely just a burger. It is, as the restaurant says, reinvented, which helps explain why it is this yearโ€™s readersโ€™ choice for the best burger in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel.

Burger 21 offers a variety of different burgers, all served on brioche buns, ranging from beef to chicken to veggie and thereโ€™s even a seafood burger, featuring a  spicy Thai shrimp patty.

 The regular beef burgers come in double-stacked (the โ€œOMGโ€), blackened or even BBQ-style. 

You can even get your burger on a gluten-free bun, and the fries (including the sweet potato version) are a tasty side. The menu has salads for non-carnivores, and donโ€™t leave without having one of Burger 21โ€™s creamy, hand-spun shakes. โ€” JCC

2 — Five Guys is the delicious bridge between fast-food and restaurant hamburgers and has been a fan favorite everywhere itโ€™s opened, including locations in both New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. And of course, the unique fries are addictive, too.

3 — Burger Monger received a recent makeover, so maybe that was part of the reason why it had its best-ever finish in our Reader Survey this year. Of course, its tasty burgers, hot dogs, shakes and new salads probably had something to do with it, too.ย 

4 — Red Robin is another burger-oriented eatery which had its best finish in our Reader Survey this year. Red Robin features a large selection of โ€œgourmet burgers and brewsโ€ and the bottomless fries are always a welcome treat (except for dieters).

5 — Culverโ€™s is a cooked-to-order, fast-casual place that started in the Midwest but has continued to grow here in Florida with its delicious burgers and other sandwiches. The ultra-creamy frozen custard is really hard to resist, too.

The Next 6, in order of votes: Fordโ€™s Garage, Glory Days, Bubbaโ€™s 33, Fat Rabbit, BJs Brewhouse, Mulligans.