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.
Italia Mia Pizza Review
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.
