Who has the best pizza in Jacksonville? Polls close at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 21
Jacksonville really loves a good pizza, but it clearly loves some pizzas more than others.
We're down to eight in our quest to find Jacksonville's favorite pizza. In the first round, 77 percent of voters chose Moon River Pizza over Milano's Italian Restaurant, 71 percent chose Moon Dog Pie House over Bones Pizza, 59 percent chose Carmine's Pie House over Biggie's Pizza, 71 percent picked Tony D's New York Pizza over Tony Pepperoni Pizza Bar, 59 percent selected Renna's Pizza over Pie95 Pizza, 66 percent voted for Joseph's Pizza over Wood Fired Up Pizza, V Pizza got 82 percent of the votes over DaVinci's Pizza and 56 percent favored Serafina's Pizza over Bala's Pizza.
The winners now advance to the next round, setting up a big match between Moon River and Moon Dog.
Sweet 16 voting guide
Voting begins today and ends at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 21. Final 4 round voting will begin on Monday, March 25, featuring winners from the previous round.
Best Pizza championship 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
Moon River Pizza vs. Moon Dog Pie House
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
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
Carmine's Pie House vs. Tony D's New York Pizza and Restaurant
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: 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
Renna's Pizza vs. Joseph's Pizza
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
Joseph’s Pizza: Joseph’s claims that its Main Street 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
V Pizza vs. Serafina's Pizzeria
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: 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
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Best pizza in Jacksonville: Vote in Round 2 of bracket challenge
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