Miami Pizza Legend Opens New Shop in Kendall

If you’ve been around Miami long enough, you already know Thad Winieckie.

He’s the guy so many Miamians grew up seeing behind the glass divider at Miami’s Best Pizza, making thin-and-crispy pies for generations of area families. He wasn’t just an employee or a chef — he was “Miami’s Best” for four decades. But after 40 years of slinging delicious thin-crust pies at the shop, he’s finally doing his own thing, and his name’s on the box. Thad’s Pizza has just opened in Kings Creek, inside the old Mamma Dora’s spot near Dadeland Mall. It’s the first time in his career that he’s calling the shots under his own banner.

Slinging Pies in Miami Since 1982

Thad’s been in this pizza game since the early ’80s, but the story goes back further. He’s Detroit-born, and like many Detroit kids, he had family connected to the pizza industry. Little Caesars founder Mike Ilitch might’ve built the empire, but it was “Big” Al Papich who brought it to Miami in 1970. That first Little Caesars shop in Coral Gables became a machine, pulling in more than 100 deliveries a day to University of Miami students at $2.35 a pop. By 1989, the Little Caesars franchise deal was up, and the Papich family renamed it Miami’s Best Pizza.

That’s when Thad stepped in and became the face of the place. For decades, he pushed Miami’s Best Pizza forward, even when the building was severely damaged by Hurricane Andrew. He was there in the ’90s when they added salads and pasta to attract a lunch crowd, and in ’99 when they expanded into the old hair salon next door. He even took his pies to the big leagues, creating the Marlins stadium pizza at LoanDepot Park, which was miles ahead of your typical ballpark cardboard.

So, why leave? According to Winieckie, the new ownership at Miami’s Best Pizza lost its way (Miami’s Best Pizza closed its original location off U.S. 1 in 2014, but reopened under new ownership in 2018). “They wanted to be all things to all people,” Thad says. “That’s not me. I’m pizza, period.” And when the oven wasn’t packed with pies anymore, he walked.

The Road to Thad’s Pizza

The comeback started with his son, Thelvius, who was working at Mamma Dora’s in Kings Creek. Thad began doing pop-ups there, and the response was huge. Locals wanted the old-school thin-and-crispy pies he was known for, not some half-hearted franchise slice. When Mamma Dora’s lease fell through, Thad stepped in and took the spot. Four weeks later, the ovens are running full-time and the plaza’s got its new anchor: Thad’s Pizza.

The pies lean on a 1959 Detroit family recipe that Thad has been refining for years. The result isn’t exactly New York, and it isn’t exactly Detroit. It’s thinner, crispier, and lighter, balanced with California tomatoes, a rich cheese blend, and toppings chosen for both texture and taste. Sure, you’ll find the classics, but the house specialties give the menu some swagger. The “BBQ Chicken Pizza” (featuring grilled chicken breast, red onions, a barbecue sauce base, and a drizzle on top) is already drawing fans, and the “Goat Pizza” (goat cheese, spinach, mushrooms, artichokes, and a touch of truffle oil) is another standout.

But the real headliner? The “Big Slice.” It’s exactly what it sounds like — a massive wedge of pizza sold solo, or as part of the “Big Slice Combo” with two garlic rolls and a soda for $9. When was the last time you had a legit lunch in Miami for under ten bucks, ready in five minutes? And if you’re not in the mood for a garlic roll, there are garlic squares: thick-crust dough cut into squares, topped with garlic sauce and cheese, dusted with Italian seasoning, and served with a side of pizza sauce. Call it the non-traditional cousin to the classic roll.

His Twins Are Running the Show Alongside Pops

This isn’t just Thad’s show. His 21-year-old twins are also involved. Thelvius has been making pizzas with his dad since he was 13 at Miami’s Best Pizza. His sister Joanna started working there at 15, and now she’s responsible for the tiramisu on the dessert menu. That’s right, the same hands that grew up in the shadow of U.S. 1 are now helping to run their dad’s first solo shop.

And then there’s the secret menu, which is very Thad. Ask him nicely, and he might make you his “double-decker pie” — two crusts, double toppings, the whole heavy package. It started as a favor for a Chicago pizza fan and now lives on as a kind of insider wink. Like Thad says, “Depends on my mood.”

Full Circle Pizza

In a city that doesn’t do a great job of holding onto its restaurant institutions, Thad’s story hits different. He’s been slinging pies in Miami since 1982. He has watched empires rise, crash, and get franchised into mediocrity. But through it all, he’s kept his focus on one thing: making a damn good pizza.

Now, after forty years, the name on the sign finally matches the fella behind the glass. Thad’s Pizza isn’t just another joint in a strip mall. It’s the payoff to a career built one thin, crispy slice at a time.

Thad’s Pizza. 8016 SW 81st Dr., Miami; 786-542-5060; instagram.com/thadspizza.