Who has the best pizza in Jacksonville? Vote now for your favorites
Update: Voting has ended for Round 1. Come back on Monday to see who advanced to Round 2 and to cast your picks in our search for Best Pizza in Jacksonville.
It's dinner time, you've worked hard all day and there's nothing in the fridge. What to do?
Order a pizza, of course. In less than an hour, you'll have a whole pie of bubbly, cheesy goodness. You can even put pineapple on it, if that's your thing.
There are countless pizza places to choose from, though, so how do you know who makes the best pie in town?
Let's find out. Over the next few weeks, we'll run a bracket challenge on jacksonville.com featuring 16 Jacksonville-area pizzerias. Simply vote for which of each pair you like best, then check back next week to see if other readers agreed with you. Next week, the field will be down to eight pizzerias. The week after that, four, then the final two a week later. In four weeks, a champion will be crowned.
A word about seeding: We don't know who makes the best pizza in Jacksonville; that's the whole point of this tournament. So when it came time to seed the entries in the field, we didn't use the traditional method, pitting the best in the field against the worst. Instead, we listed them alphabetically, then ran the list through a randomizer. That's why, for instance, the first round has Tony D's vs. Tony Pepperoni and two St. Johns pizzerias facing one another; it's random.
Coming soon: 25 new restaurants are in the works for the Jacksonville area in 2024. Here's a list
Sweet 16 voting guide
Voting begins today and ends at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 7. Elite 8 round voting will begin on Monday, March 11, featuring winners from the previous round.
Best Pizza championships dates
Sweet 16: March 11-14
Elite 8: March 18-21
Final Four: March 25-28
The Finals: April 1-4
Winner announced Monday, April 8
Some of our favorites: Best restaurants for pizza in Jacksonville? Here are 8 worth trying
Moon River Pizza vs. Milano’s Italian Restaurant Pizza and Bar
Moon River Pizza: Order your pizza (by the pie or by the slice) at the counter, then have a seat and you can watch them toss the dough, ladle on the sauce and slide your pie into the oven. Their White Pizza is a perennial favorite.
Moon River Pizza: 1176 Edgewood Ave. S., (904) 389-4422; 925 S. 14th St., Fernandina Beach, (904) 321-3400; moonriverpizza.net
Milano’s Italian Restaurant Pizza and Bar: The Kernan Square pizzeria makes its own New York-style crusts onsite every day. Choose among 23 toppings to build your own pie, or order one of the 14 specialty pizzas on the menu.
Milano’s Italian Restaurant Pizza and Bar: 12620 Beach Blvd., (904) 646-9119, milanospizzajax.com
Bones Pizza vs. Moon Dog Pie House
Bones Pizza: Bones can be a little hard to find; it’s located inside Reve Brewing in Atlantic Beach. But fans say it’s worth the hunt for the wood-fired pies, which include toppings such as sea salt, chili-infused honey, figs and goat cheese.
Bones Pizza: Inside Reve Brewing, 1237 Mayport Road, Atlantic Beach. revebrewing.com/bones
Moon Dog Pie House: Twenty different specialty pies are offered in New York- or Chicago-style, but they warn you right on the menu that the Chicago pizzas take at least a half hour to bake, “longer if we are busy.” They also offer gluten-free crusts, cauliflower crusts and vegan cheese.
Moon Dog Pie House: 116 Bartram Oaks Walk, St. Johns, (904) 287-3633, moondogpiehouse.com
Biggie’s Pizza vs. Carmine's Pie House
Biggie's Pizza: They call it New York-style pizza with a Jax Beach flair, but there are a couple of thick-crust pies on the menu. Build your own or choose from two dozen specialty pies, including some wth pizza sauce, some with pesto sauce, some with pink sauce and some with no sauce at all.
Biggie's Pizza: 311 N. 3rd St., Jacksonville Beach, (904) 853-6327; 1053 Park St. in Five Points, (904) 580-5879; 13423 Beach Blvd., (904) 683-5002; biggiespizzajax.com
Carmine's Pie House: "Revisiting traditional Italian” is the motto for Carmine’s, which offers 19 specialty pies in either New York-style thin and crispy or Chicago-style deep dish.
Carmine's Pie House: 2677 Forbes St., (904) 387-1400, carminespiehouse.com
Tony D’s New York Pizza and Restaurant vs. Tony Pepperoni Pizza Bar
Tony D’s New York Pizza and Restaurant: Choose from a dozen specialty pies (including Chicken Parmesan, Philly Steak and Taco) with a traditional thin and crispy crust, or two rectangular thick-crust pan pizzas.
Tony D’s New York Pizza and Restaurant: 8358 Point Meadows Drive, (904) 322-7051, tdnypizza.com
Tony Pepperoni Pizza Bar: Pizza lovers at the Beaches rave about Tony Pepperoni’s thin and crispy pies, with 24 toppings available. The Duval Pizza comes topped with barbecue sauce, spicy chicken tenders, bacon, mozzarella, cheddar and cole slaw.
Tony Pepperoni Pizza Bar: 2158 Mayport Road, Atlantic Beach, (904) 372-0771, tonypepperoniab.com
Pie95 Pizza vs. Renna’s Pizza
Pie95 Pizza: First of all, you have to give Pie95 credit for a great pizzeria name. Their menu offers seven 12-inch wood-fired pies, including a Margherita and a vegetarian.
Pie95 Pizza: 1510 King St., (904) 683-7357, pie95pizza.com
Renna’s Pizza: The menus are a little different at each Renna’s location, but you’ll still find “New York style taste in every slice.” The Joe’s Special puts a little bit of everything on the crust — pizza sauce, pepperoni, ham, beef, sausage, bacon, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, olives, light cheese and banana peppers.
Renna’s Pizza: 592 Marsh Landing Parkway, Jacksonville Beach, (904) 273-3113; 6001 Argyle Forest Blvd., (904) 771-7677; 11111 San Jose Blvd., (904) 292-2300; 630 Atlantic Blvd., Neptune Beach, (904) 372-4736; rennaspizza.com
Wood Fired Up Pizza vs. Joseph’s Pizza
Wood Fired Up Pizza: The family behind the Larry’s Giant Subs chain flew a chef in from Italy to show their staff how to make a proper Neapolitan pizza and contracted with a Florida dairy to custom-make their mozzarella. Ten varieties of wood-fired pizza are on the menu.
Wood Fired Up Pizza: 1050 Edgewood Ave. S., (904) 503-5142, woodfireduppizza.com
Joseph’s Pizza: Joseph’s claims that its Springfield location is Jacksonville’s oldest pizzeria, operating since 1956. That location offers four specialty pizzas in five sizes, up to the enormous 16-by-16-inch Sicilian. The Beaches location offers the same, plus Margherita, gyro and Alfredo pies.
Joseph’s Pizza: 7316 N. Main St., (904) 765-0335; 30 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach, (904) 270-1122; josephspizza.com
DaVinci’s Pizza vs. V Pizza
DaVinci’s Pizza: Sure, DaVinci’s has pepperoni and sausage and pretty much all the meat toppings you’d expect to find, but it really stands out for its veggie offerings. They offer two vegetarian-friendly specialty pies, or you can choose from more than a dozen vegetable options to build your own.
DaVinci’s Pizza: 469 Atlantic Blvd., Atlantic Beach, (904) 241-2001, davincispizzabeer.com
V Pizza: Each V Pizza location is equipped with a brick oven, which allows them to create “authentic pizza Napoletana” that’s a little out of round and slightly charred on the crust, the way they make them in Naples. Build your own or choose from 15 specialty pies.
V Pizza: 1406 Hendricks Ave., (904) 527-1511; 12601 San Jose Blvd., (904) 647-9424;28 1st St N., Jacksonville Beach, (904) 853-6633; 4477 U.S. Highway 17, Fleming Island, (904) 579-4530; 154 Canal Blvd., Ponte Vedra, (904) 875-3797?; Plus locations in St. Augustine, Fernandina Beach, Gainesville, St. Simons Island and Lake Buena Vista; vpizza.com
Serafina’s Pizzeria vs. Bala’s Pizza
Serafina’s Pizzeria: Serafina’s promises “a little taste of Brooklyn" in its 18-inch pies, which come in varieties you won’t find at just any pizzeria, including the Hot Honey Pie, the Eggplant Pie and the Lasagna Pie.
Serafina’s Pizzeria: 4125 Race Track Road, St. Johns, (904) 217-7310, serafinaspizzeria.com
Bala’s Pizza: Bala’s specializes in New York-style pizza, which they offer in 27 varieties on the menu. You can also choose from more than a dozen “Grandma’s Pizzas,” which are rectangular and have a thicker crust, or 18 “Triple Threats,” which are part pizza, part calzone, part bread stick.
Bala’s Pizza: 164 Everest Lane, St. Johns, (904) 217-7829, balaspizza.com
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Best pizza in Jacksonville: Vote in Round 1 of bracket challenge
