Pizza in Miami

731 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach South Beach

305-673-2020

Pizza, Best Of

There are some fine nonpizza items — like carpaccio with avocado and hearts of palm — at this informal sprig of Lincoln Road's longtime upscale Italian fave Tiramesu. But as long as Spris' kitchen keeps producing such great thin-crusted pies from a genuine wood-burning oven, you'll probably never try anything else. The basic Margherita (tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh basil) and tomatoless "white" Rustica (Parmesan, mozzarella, cured olives, garlic, mushrooms) are both outstanding, owing especially to top-quality cheeses and superior spicing. But the absolute must-not-miss pie is the Porcini, topped with full-flavored tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella, porcini mushrooms, and crunchy arugula thrown on after baking, making this pizza seem almost like health food.

14 articles

Square Pie City

3918 N. Miami Ave. Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

786-408-3591

Pizza, Best Of

2 articles

Steve's Pizza

12101 Biscayne Blvd. North Miami

305-891-0202

Pizza, Sandwiches, Recommended, Best Of, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

With so many New Yorkers migrating to Miami, you'd think we'd have the staples of that city mastered. Although we have plenty of options when it comes to a towering pastrami sandwich or a perfect lox-and-cream-cheese bagel, we're still lacking in the all-important pizza-by-the-slice department. That is, unless you live near North Miami, where Steve's Pizza has been a neighborhood institution since 1974. The little joint has nailed the look and feel of a local hangout: It's always crowded, especially Sundays; the dingy walls are covered in graffiti; and the slouching, tattooed cashiers take your order with the proper air of indifference. The brick-oven, no-frills pizza would survive in Brooklyn, and that's saying something. Steve's has mastered an irresistible sweet tomato sauce and an artfully simple crust that's crisp on the outside and comfortably doughy inside. And the pastas are excellent as well. Try the spaghetti and meatballs and the baked ziti. But the real deal is pizza by the slice done right — a rare delicacy in the tropics.

17 articles

Strange Beast

15220 SW 72nd St. West Kendall

305-209-0406

Brewery, Pizza

Styx Sports Bar, Grill & Pool

15346 W. Dixie Highway Aventura/North Miami Beach

305-945-9053

Pizza, Bars and Clubs, Best Of

With a name like Styx Sports Bar, Grill & Pool, it's gotta be good. This North Miami hair metal namesake is where a Mystic Pizza-era Julia Roberts would have hustled her shooting skills, racking 'em up and laying it down. And if you follow in her footsteps, while wielding sticks with the best of 'em, you can chow down on ribs, wings, fries and other greasy goodies. Even if you get played, you should still have enough leftover to pay off your surprisingly cheap bar tab.

2 articles

Sylvano

820 Alton Rd., Miami Beach South Beach

305-673-4344

Italian, Pizza, Recommended

A young, attractive, and spirited crowd fills Sylvano every night. They come for the lively scene, dependable Italian fare, and truly budget prices. Pastas, for instance, run $8 to $12 and include a toothsome lasagna with Bolognese-style beef, and orecchiette with tender cubes of eggplant, grated ricotta salata cheese, and a pleasantly neutral tomato sauce. Those on a really tight budget might want to split a thin, blistery-crusted margherita pizza for $6.95. Same price brings a sprightly spinach salad with goat cheese and lots of chopped peanuts and bacon. Main courses are also gratifying, none more so than pollo Milanese, the flattened, breaded, generously portioned chicken breast pan-fried to a positively succulent state. The owner used to be part of the Sport Café team, and like that similarly low-priced SoBe Italian restaurant, TV sets broadcast sporting events, and photos of athletes adorn the walls. Sylvano shares something else with the late Sport Café: a large, loyal, lively customer base that makes dining here a cheap neighborhood thrill.

3 articles

Taste of Bombay

111 NE 3rd Ave. Downtown/Overtown

305-358-0144

Chinese, Indian, Pizza, Recommended

This Indian eatery (which might also serve Thai, Chinese, Philippine, Italian, and/or Japanese food, depending on the season and the chefs' vacation schedules) doesn't serve Bombay's famed regional chaats (snack foods). The menu covers only the usual Northern Indian/Moglai dishes found everywhere, and à la carte prices are no bargain. A daily lunch buffet, though, is one of downtown's better lunch deals. Priced the same as a single vegetarian entrée, the all-you-can-eat spread includes six main dishes (which change daily but are always a mix of vegetable, meat, poultry, and fish) plus vegetable pakoras, salad (the standard Cuban iceberg lettuce/tomato type), clove-studded rice, two chutneys (hot mint and sweet/sour tamarind), dessert, and -- the one item not heated on a steam table -- appealingly flaky, butter-drizzled, warm nan bread. And the 10-buck tab includes a civilized setting: silverware, tablecloths, and cheerful décor that encourages chats, if not chaats.

2 articles

Tavern In the Grove

3416 Main Highway Coconut Grove

Pizza, Restaurants, Best Of

There's pleasant bumping and grinding as you inch your way to the bar and your next frosty one. There are darts, a pool table, and a couple of videogames, but the entertainment is mostly supplied by a jukebox laden with hard rock. They occasionally slip in a little hip-hop. That's what they're listening to at the University of Miami these days, and the Tavern is a home away from home for underclassmen. Pitchers are preferred to bottles; after all, college kids are looking to get the most bang from Mommy and Daddy's buck. To paraphrase Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused: "That's what I love about these [college] girls. I get older, and they stay the same age." Yes, they do.

7 articles

Vapiano

1221 Brickell Ave. Brickell

305-364-5716

Italian, Pizza

1 article

ViceVersa Miami

398 NE Fifth St. Downtown/Overtown

Bars and Clubs, Pizza, Italian, Small Plates, DrinkHere

Helmed by acclaimed Miami bartender Valentino Longo, this Italian aperitivo bar in the Elser Hotel downtown opened with authentic Italian cocktails and a selection of pizzas that even nonna would approve of. Here you'll find Italian influences in every detail, including multiple negroni options, plus three sections stacked with other cocktails. But whatever you order from the bar, you won't want to miss the lineup of neo-Neapolitan pizzas, all made with freshly stretched mozzarella and local flours that undergo a 24-to-48-hour cold fermentation. In short, ViceVersa is how you aperitivo like an Italian.

3 articles

Yiya's Gourmet Cuban Bakery

646 NE 79th St. Miami Shores/Biscayne Park

305-754-3337

Bakery, Coffeehouse, Cuban, Pizza, Sandwiches, Recommended

Whenever some young, enterprising chef chooses to tamper with food basics, he or she runs the risk of popular revolt. And often the result is total failure. But now and then, a place such as Yiya's Gourmet Cuban Bakery arrives, executing the essentials with high ambition balanced by common sense, style, and unparalleled craft. Since opening in early January 2009, co-owners Delsa Bernardo and Abbie Cuellar have served an assortment of their simple yet sophisticated pastelitos filled with guava, coconut and cheese, and meat. And there are no high prices of the sort usually brought on by the word gourmet. In fact, all pastries cost between 95 cents and $1.25, including the hefty dulce de leche strudel. Add espresso or a smooth, not-too-sweet café con leche, and you have breakfast. Then, until 6 p.m. (AKA closing time during the summer), Delsa prepares the shop's signature lunch specials: a $5 pan con lechón and the slightly pricier goat cheese pizza on Indian nan crust. But whatever you do, don't rush off. This place was made for loitering. Slouch down on the throne-like leather sofa, sample some free wi-fi, and enjoy the modern, sun-soaked interior. Remember, though, to get a loaf of homemade bread or a half-dozen buttery croissants for the road. You'll love yourself the next morning.

3 articles

Pizza in Miami

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