Italia Mia is Back in St. Pete

This story has gotten so confusing. Years ago, I became obsessed with the chicken parmesan at Italia Mia. I'd often go for lunch since their location on 62nd in St. Pete wasn't far from our studios. The lunch specials were super cheap. Most times, I stuck with the chicken parm but the Italian sausages and pizza were also pretty amazing.

Then the pandemic hit. COVID 19 dealt a lethal blow to many restaurants. Some takeout places thrived. But unfortunately every time I went to Italia Mia, it was like a ghost town. And I couldn't help but notice the taste of the food started to go downhill. I couldn't quite pinpoint what was different, but something had definitely changed. Maybe the ingredients changed. Employers were having trouble hiring at the time so I blamed the pandemic.

When Italia Mia on 62nd closed, I was heartbroken. Even though the chicken parm hadn't been as good, it was still better than almost anywhere else around Tampa Bay. We're known for our Cuban sandwiches and grouper around here... not chicken parmesan.

I later found out those last few times I went to Italia Mia, they were under different management. The cook and that awesome short Italian woman "Mama Rosa" had left and moved to a new place called Italian Touch.

But the Italia Mia story isn't over yet. Our traffic guru Kathy Davis let me know there was a new Italia Mia almost across the street from our studios that has just opened in the past year. To grab some attention from pizza lovers, the new version called Tony & Vinny's Italia Mia is offering $10 large cheese pizzas on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. There's also calzone, garlic knots, subs, and stromboli.

I don't know if Tony and Vinny were the ones who took over Italia Mia near the end at the location on 62nd. But I had to give it a shot if just for the name alone. I dropped in last week to try that $10 cheese pizza special. I didn't try the chicken parm... maybe next time. But let's get into the review of this pizza.

It's good. And that's all I can say. I can't say it's great. I definitely can't put it in my top 10. Those honors belong to places like Cristino's in Clearwater and Cappy's in Riverview. But for $10, it's a solid pie.

Tony & Vinny's Italia Mia's pizza is a little less sturdy than I'd like. It wasn't that true New York fold and eat feeling crust. The sauce (the most important part of the pizza to me) was ok but not super impressive. The cheese was salty and had good texture. I feel like it was a bit undercooked. It felt floppy. I had about 4 slices and then just ended up pulling of the cheese and eating that on the rest. My grade: C+. Definitely better than the average Tampa area pizza. But not worth a drive across town.

If you want to give them a try, Tony & Vinny's Italia Mia is located at 1156 94th Ave N in St. Petersburg, Florida. But don't go for lunch like I did unless it's Thursday or Friday. They're closed. They're open from 3:30 to 9pm Tuesday through Saturday. To call in an order, their phone number is 727-290-6093.

The pizza at Tony and Vinny's Italia Mia wasn't bad by any stretch. There's a lot of bad pizza around Tampa Bay. But if you're in that stretch of northern St. Pete, I'd head to Slice of the Burg next to Publix instead. But for that Italia Mia Chicken Parmesan experience I used to love, it's Italian Touch for me.

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.

Dave stopped in Safety Harbor for one of the best pizza's in Tampa Bay. He tried all three styles of pizza (New York, Old-World, and Detroit). He started with a 7.9 rating with the New York style pizza, but after trying all 3 options, he rated this place an 8.1 (the highest we've heard of so far.) Check them out at 997 Main St, Safety Harbor.

During his stop in St. Pete, Dave visited The Violet Stone for pizza and cheesesteak. You can find them at 2134 9th ave N, Saint Petersburg. He was impressed with their "Caution pizza is well done sign". At first, he got a pie that was very dark on the bottom, which normally won't be a problem for him. Dave did something he never does and took a remake pie. They explained that this was their first day with this brand new pizza oven, so he cut them some slack. The Violet Stone's final score for pizza was 7.9. He also tried one of their cheesesteaks and gave it a strong 9.2

Dave finally found an area of Tampa he liked. He visited Forbici Modern Italian located in the heart of Hyde Park (1633 W Snow Ave, Tampa). By first look at his pizza, he thought it looked more like a Detroit style than Roman style. The crust was way lighter than he expected and rated them a high 7.9, which is the highest he'll go for that style of pizza.  "If people want to argue that this is their favorite pizza in Tampa Bay, I wouldn't say they're crazy."

So happy Dave checked out one of our all time favorite pizza spots. You can try their pizza at 1101 S Ft Harrison Ave, Clearwater, FL. At first glance, he said this looks like a great coal-fired pizza. Good crust, 0 flop, but said it wasn't "piping hot". He gave them an awesome rating of 7.8

Dave has found some really great spots, he stopped here after The Violet Stone. It had a good undercarriage but he thought it would be crunchier. He noticed it tastes and looks like a Neapolitan pizza. The Pizza Box was his top 3 choices of pizza spots in St. Pete. The Pizza Box got an awesome score of 7.8

Many locals were driving Dave to Santoro's Pizza (1329 W Cass St, Tampa). While everyone was waiting to see if Dave would show up, the staff only cared about his pittie Ms. Peaches. Some are saying he gave the spot a 7.8 rating. The video Santoros posted on social bleeped out Dave's score so we'll have to wait and see for the official review. We do know it's under 8.

The first stop in Tampa Bay for Dave (according to his Instagram stories) was Toby's Original Little Italy Pizza. Located at 3523 49th Street N, St. Petersburg, FL 33710. They've been in business since 1972. The One Bite app has its rating at 7.4 based on 54 local reviews. Dave's review was finally dropped and after one bite he said "Straight out of New York" and "The best pizza he's had in Tampa/St Pete so far". He rated Toby's 7.7. Really good stuff.

On his journey through Pinellas, Dave stopped by ANOTHER favorite of ours, Madison Ave Pizza. Although he probably didn't try the biggest pizza in Tampa, he rated their pizza a 7.7! Not bad at all! Try them for yourself at 2660 Bayshore Boulevard, Dunedin, FL.

Also during "Stool Presidente's" stop in Palm Harbor included Piper's Scratch Pizza Shop (US Hwy 19 N, Palm Harbor). After his first bite, Dave's first word was "Wow", which is a really good sign. He was really blown away by their homemade pizza sauce. Dave gave them a good score of 7.6

Dave stopped all the way in Palm Harbor (191 Orange St, Palm Harbor) for a slice from DiGiorgio's Pizzeria. The rating on the One Bite app is 8.3, Dave gave them a rating of 7.5, which a great score for your typical New York style pizza.

Special guest Danny Boy Cane joined Dave at Marina’s Pizza & Pasta locate at 12121 W Linebaugh Ave. They got an extra cheese pizza this time and got an 8 rating from Danny Boy Cane. Dave gave them a 7.5. He said it was a good, quality, normal football pizza.

Dave stopped by this pizza spot in Seminole and left it with a 7.4 rating! Find them at 10785 Park Blvd, Seminole, FL.

Located at 12800 Village Blvd Madeira Beach, Fl. This was the second feature on Dave's social media. He gave them a ranking of 7.1!

Stoolpresidente made his way to Treasure Island while he was in the St. Pete area. It was very hilarious watching him try to figure out where he was in the Tampa Bay area. After one bite of Britt's he said it's "resort style" pizza (aka perfect for tourists). He gave them a 6.8 review.

Day 2 of the Dave Portnoy pizza tour brought him to Palazzo Pizza located at 1818 W Platt St, Tampa. At first glance he described the pizza as "hockey rink pizza". He sat and talked to the owner for a while and really enjoyed the pizza. Dave said he would tell the owner he'd rate it a 7.1, but for the official One Bite score, he gave it a 6.4.

Located at 2210 N. Central Ave, Tampa. Dave didn't have too much to say about this place. Overall the pizza looked good but he gave it a 6.3 rating.

Opened in 1985 Sally O'Neals is definitely a Tampa staple. This place does things a little differently. They are only available for full service on the weekends and do only take out and delivery Monday-Thursday. The slice was hot and floppy and not really Dave's preferred style. After a nice conversation, he rated Sally a 9.6 (wonderful person) but rated the pizza 6.1. Dave did point out the rest of the menu looks fantastic and that sit-down service might be the way to go.

It would not be a pizza tour in Tampa Bay without stopping at this legendary spot. While Joey's is great after a night out or a show at Jannus, Dave's rule is "if it's open late, it ain't that that great". He rated Joey's a harsh 5.9.