New Tampa-Area Hits & Misses In Stacker.com’s Pizza Rankings 

Included among the Top-21 Pizza Restaurants in Tampa in Stacker.com’s rankings, based on reviews on Yelp.com, were (above) #4-The Grill at Morris Bridge (photo by Charmaine George); (below middle) #11-Capri Pizza-N-More; (below left) #15-Cali Tampa Palms; and (below right) #21-Via Italia. Note – All of the photos, other than The Grill’s, are from each restaurant’s website or social media. 

On April 21, Stacker.com, a nationwide website started in 2017, published a list of the Top-21 Pizza restaurants in Tampa, using data from Yelp. Here is how Stacker, which says that its mission is to, “provide approachable journalism that combines rigorous data analysis with rich editorial insights,” introduced this pizza feature: 

“Data is as of March 29, 2024. Businesses were selected using Yelp’s ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only restaurants with at least 25 reviews were considered.” 

As you read this feature, please recognize that the rankings of the eight New Tampa-area pizza places shown here — four that made Stacker’s Top-21 list and four that didn’t — are not our rankings or even our readers’ ratings. Stacker’s list was compiled using data culled from reviewers on Yelp.com. 

The only reason we’re providing them for you in this space is because four of the Top-21 (out of literally hundreds of pizza places with Tampa addresses) are located in zip code 33647 — which makes the story news for us and, we believe, for our beloved readers. 

A few other things to consider when reading these rankings is that: 

1) For this feature, Stacker’s list does not include any restaurants that do not have Tampa addresses (so no Wesley Chapel, Lutz, St. Pete, etc.), 

2) That the feature itself doesn’t say whether the rankings are for the restaurants overall or just for their pizza, but Yelp ratings usually take into account each restaurant’s overall menu, as well as ambience, service, prices, etc. 

3) That there appears to be at least one New Tampa restaurant — Johnny C’s Italian Eatery — that actually had a higher overall rating on Yelp — 4.3 stars out of 5, compared with 4.2/5), than at least one of the Top-21 (Via Italia), even though Johnny C’s has 45 Yelp reviews and Stacker’s criteria were that each ranked restaurant had to have at least 25 Yelp reviews. 

Also not explained is why Stacker chose the Top-21, instead of the Top-20 or Top-25, as at least three other New Tampa-area restaurants that feature pizza also had overall ratings of at least 4.0 stars out of 5 — Woodfired Pizza & Wine Bar (2822 E. Bearss Ave., 4.1 on 389 reviews), Taste of New York Pizza (17503- C Preserve Walk Ln., 4.1 on 165 reviews) and Cappy’s Pizzeria (16019 Tampa Palms Blvd. W., 4.0 on 152 reviews) and therefore might have made a Top-25 list. 

Cali Tampa Palms
Capri Pizza-N-More
Via Italia

Anyway, Congratulations to each of the places that made Stacker’s Top-21: 

#4 – The Grill at Morris Bridge (10920 Cross Creek Blvd., 4.5/5 on 120 reviews) 

#11 – Capri Pizza-N-More (10359 Cross Creek Blvd., 4.4/5 on 88 reviews) 

#15 – CALI Tampa Palms (17004 Palm Pointe Dr., 4.3/5 on 751 reviews) 

#21 – Via Italia (8644 Hunters Village Rd, 4.2/5 on 250 reviews) 

Again, these are not our rankings or yours, although some of you may see your reviews of some or all of these places on Yelp. We just thought that including these ratings on our pages would be another great conversation starter for our readers.

Here Are The Places Stacker Left Out  
Because We Know At Least Some Of You Would Ask: 

Here are some of the other pizza places in New Tampa and their ratings on Yelp: Westshore Pizza (3.4/5 on 59 reviews); Marco’s Pizza (3.2/5 on 49 reviews); Papa John’s (3.1/5 on 28 reviews); Domino’s (2.9/5 on 32 reviews); Hungry Howie’s (2.3/5 on 23 reviews); Pizza Hut (1.6/5 on 28 reviews).

Gary’s Favorite NY-Style Pizza in NT & WC 

Pepperoni & sausage pizza at NY NY Pizza 

1. New York New York Pizza 

As a native New Yawka, although I have nothing against other kinds of pizza — and there are lots of good options for those other types in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel — pizza to me has a thin crust, a certain kind of mozzarella (only) cheese and a certain tomato sauce taste. Some places have it but most simply don’t. 

However, all of the places on the list below come pretty close to the pizza I loved most in my home state, with NY NY coming closest of all.

2. Amici Pizza 

3. 900Âș Woodfired & NY Pizza 

4. Fratelli’s 

5 (tie). PizzaMania 

5. (tie) Taste of NY Pizza 

Have You Entered Our 2023 Dining Survey & Contest Yet?

So far, we have asked you to name your Five Favorite Restaurants in Wesley Chapel, Your Five Favorites in New Tampa & Your Favorite Pizza & Sushi places in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel. If you’ve only responded to one or two of our questions, you can still respond to any of our Dining Survey & Contest questions for your chance to win FREE dining prizes (to the restaurant of your choice) of $100, $60 or $35. Click below to enter and answer any of these questions and look for additional chances to win in every issue of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News through the end of October!

Click HERE to enter your Five Favorite Restaurants in Wesley Chapel

Click HERE to enter your Five Favorites in New Tampa & Your Favorite Pizza

Click HERE to enter your Sushi places in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel

Wesley Chapel Dining Survey Results: Your Favorite Pizza!

(L.-r.) Preston Parilo, Cynthia Andujar, Joe Carrion & Ivan Plumb obviously enjoy serving — and eating — the delicious New York-style pepperoni pizza at 900Âș Woodfired Pizza in the Shops at Wiregrass Mall. (Photo by Charmaine George)

1. 900Âș Woodfired
28152 Paseo Drive #195
(813) 527-6940
900DegreesWoodfirePizza.com

Pizza continues to be a favorite option for lunch and dinner with our readers and none is more popular this year than owner Steve Falabella’s 900Âș Woodfired Pizza in the Shops at Wiregrass, which won this year’s Favorite Pizza in Wesley Chapel with our readers by a fairly wide margin.

And, considering that Falabella opened not only his Falabella Family Bistro (our readers’ fourth favorite restaurant in WC) but also a second 900Âș Pizza location (900Âș New York Pizza, which finished a solid sixth with our readers in its first year) in The Grove at Wesley Chapel in 2021, the fact that so many still selected the original 900Âș location as their favorite pizza place is a testament to Falabella’s commitment to quality food at super-fair prices.

The primary difference between the two 900Âș locations is that only the original pizza shop in Wiregrass offers Neapolitan-style woodfired pizza (like the Margherita pizza in the photo, right), as well as the New York style ‘za available at both locations.

But, thanks to its other great Italian specialties, 900Âș Woodfired Pizza also finished 10th as our readers’ Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel. Among the favorite appetizers are the deep-fried calzones known as Panzeretto and the bruschetta, while my favorite pasta dish is the authentic pesto Genovese, although the penne alla vodka, Alfredo and Bolognese sauces also are all pretty popular.  And, wash them down with ice cold Peroni on draft, as well as bottled beers and wines by the glass or bottle. — GN

2. PizzaMania
1734 Bruce B Downs Blvd.
(813) 907-0005
MyPizzaMania.com

One of the first pizza places to open in Wesley Chapel also is still high among our readers’ favorites, as the NY/NJ-style pies and Italian specialties continue to earn lots of votes.

Not only is there ever-popular regular pizzas, but also gourmet options, like But, of course, pizza, including gourmet options like Margherita, white sauce and more, but PizzaMania also offers everything from fried ravioli and bruschetta to arancini (traditional rice balls) and other appetizers, plus a variety of salads, hot and cold subs, calzones and strombolis, plus wings with a variety of sauces, lasagna, baked ziti, stuffed shells, gnocchi Sorrentina and pasta with vodka, white clam and pesto sauce and even a seafood combo of mussels, shrimp and clams that helped it finish tied for 34th Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel with our readers. — GN

3. NY NY Pizza
3757 Bruce B Downs Blvd.
(813) 528-8771
NYNYPizzeria.com

Technically, the New York New York Pizza in Wesley Chapel is part of a small eight-unit chain (including one in Tampa International Airport) of no-frills Tampa-area pizza places that serve excellent true-New York-style pizza. But, chain or no chain, the Wesley Chapel location has been among the top five favorite pizza places with our readers since it first opened.

NY NY, which finished third to second-place PizzaMania by only two votes and ahead of Amici by a half-dozen, offers a large variety of pizza-by-the-slice and whole-pie options, including everything from cheese and pepperoni to meat lovers and white and from cauliflower crust to my favorite Grandma’s pizza with a garlic red sauce in our area.

NY NY also has a nice selection of salads, sandwiches and even burgers plus baked pasta options. — GN

The rest of the 2021 Pizza Top 10:

(4) Amici
(5) Mellow Mushroom
(6) 900 NY
(T7) Fratelli’s
(T7) Best NY
(T7) Blaze
(T10) Papa John’s
(T10) Bosco’s. 


Nibbles & Bytes: Sushi, Pizza and Healthy Items Highlight New Businesses

Pick Of The Week 1: Blue Fin Japanese Restaurant!
For those who complain about all of the chain restaurants that have opened in Wesley Chapel, one thing you should realize is that already we have quite a few excellent non-chain Japanese places — and you can add one more to that already-impressive list.

Blue Fin Japanese Restaurant has finally opened at 6034 Wesley Grove Blvd., next to Treble Makers in The Grove, and offers great Japanese specialties, from a huge assortment of sushi rolls to the excellent gyoza dumplings pictured top left (and other appetizers), to large portions of chicken teriyaki with fresh veggies, hibachi (but not prepared tableside) filet mignon and many more. It is open every day for lunch and dinner and serves beer, wine and sake.

For more info, call (813) 803-4709 and please tell Lawrence, the owner, that I sent you. — GN

Windy City Pizza Replaces Full Circle Pizza In Pebble Creek!
If you’re a fan of authentic deep-dish Chicago-style pizza but you haven’t yet tried the new Windy Cindy Pizza that opened recently in the former Pebble Creek Collection location (at 19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa, a mile or so south of the Pasco County line) of Full Circle Pizza — what are you waiting for? I brought the large Chicago deep dish pie with pepperoni & sausage pictured above to the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus & everyone raved. I’m not from Chicago, but this deep dish is legit! 

Tim and Matt, the owners, are both originally from Chicago (and previously owned Windy City on N. 30th St., near USF, and promise that their deep-dish and thin-crust Chicago pizza is authentic, as are the Chicago Italian beef sandwich and Windy City nuggets (fried homemade pizza dough served with pizza dipping sauce) and more. 

For more info, call (813) 388-5844 or visit OrderWindyCityPizza.com. —  GN 

It’s Chick’n, Not Cluckin’
Last issue, we told you that the former location of Hardee’s on Wesley Chapel Blvd. (next to Goodyear Auto Service) was going to be come a new chicken restaurant called Cluckin’ Fun, but we were only half-right.

The banner sign that had been up came down because the building was being re-painted, but according to the leasing agent, the new non-chain fried chicken place will actually be called Chick’n Fun, and also said that it should be ready to open within the next 45 days. — GN

LĂŒfka Refillables Hosts A Chamber Ribbon Cutting!
Congratulations to co-owners Danielle Howard (right in photo) and her mom Gail Sickler (center), who hosted a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event on Sept. 23 at their new Wesley Chapel location of LĂŒfka Refillables Zero Waste Store at 27221 S.R. 56. 

LĂŒfka, founded by Kelly Hawaii (left) and her husband Parosh in Seminole Heights in 2019, offers eco-friendly personal care (Jannah loved the handcrafted soap I bought for her) and cleaning products, including many refillable and zero-waste items.

For info, call (813) 596-9376 or visit lufka.com. — GN 

Pick Of The Week 2: Green Market Cafe!
Located next door to LĂŒfka (at 27225 S.R. 56) is the sixth location of a Tampa Bay-area chain called Green Market Cafe.

Green Market definitely could have been included in our most recent issue’s “Healthy Food & Drink” story, with its menu of salads (like the almond chicken salad in the first photo), healthy bowls, wrap and other sandwiches, house-made soups (like the excellent spinach feta soup Jannah and I sampled recently) and unique drink options like Kombucha and CBD-infused water.

Green Market Cafe makes it easy to order, whether online (with pick-up and delivery options), at the self-service kiosk inside the store or at the counter, and proudly proclaims that all locations buy their produce “directly from the source — our local farmers. We strive for balanced nutrition…and wholesome ingredients free of hormones and preservatives — all at affordable prices.” For more info, call (813) 803-4590 or visit visit GreenMarketCafe.com for the current specials. — GN