If you weren't fortunate enough to try Fratesi's during its pop-up days at Over Under, good news: it's back. But this time the bar pies are coming out of Tam Tam's kitchen every Sunday afternoon (for takeout only). The pizza here is a very close relative of Chicago’s tavern-style pizza: ultra thin, super crispy, and with cheese that nearly covers the entire surface. The spicy demon pig boy is thankfully still on the menu.
We have never had a more perfect slice of pizza than the ones served at Miami Slice, a counter-seating spot on the northern edge of Downtown. And this is probably why there's often an hours-long wait to eat at the tiny little slice shop. The five or six New York-style slices you’ll find here have a crust that’s crispy edge-to-edge, yet still warm and fluffy when you bite into it. Our favorite is a pepperoni slice with red sauce, hot honey, and a glob of additional stracciatella.
The huge slabs of square pizza come out of the oven around noon at this Italian Buena Vista bakery (but they’ll warm it up for you if you’re a little late). This is the kind of simple, minimal pizza that really lets the dough shine. And what a dough it is: light and airy inside, but with enough structure and crunch to remain stiff when you lift it with one hand. Toppings are usually pretty simple—some crushed tomatoes, pockets of fior di latte mozzarella, and maybe a few sprigs of basil.
Eleventh Street Pizza is a great New York-style pizza spot in Downtown. The pizzas are foldable yet firm, and made with sourdough crust. Our favorite is the pepperoni and hot honey pizza, which comes topped with Calabrian chili paste, caramelized onions, and little pepperoni cups. The nerano (roasted zucchini, garlic, pistachio, and stracciatella) is also wonderful, and so is the Sicilian square slice, which is actually more like four slices worth of pizza.
Despite its wood fired oven and two rotating pizza options, Walrus Rodeo is not a pizzeria (it actually says so on their website, business cards, and matchbooks). But that doesn't change the fact that the pizzas made at this wonderfully weird Buena Vista restaurant are delicious. The rodeo za is usually on the menu and you should absolutely order it. The white pickled anchovies on top are more vinegary than salty. The pizza is sliced into six pieces and brushed with maple butter.
West Kendall is known for the Kendall Ice Arena, excellent Latin American food, and now (thanks to Vice City) some of the county’s best pizza. During peak hours, there’s usually a line out the door because these Detroit-style pies are magnificent. All of Vice City's pizzas have salty cheese that coats the crust and bubbles over, creating a little lip around the square pies that holds a variety of creative toppings.
And because there's room for two Detroit-style pizzas in town, meet Square Pie City. This spot bounced around as a pop-up before finally getting the brick-and-mortar it deserves right across the street from the Design District. There, in a casual dining room, Square Pie is serving fluffy square slices with really good toppings and edges that could be a touch crispier, but still have a satisfying crunch. Our favorite pie here is the veg supreme.
Lucali is a place with a very big reputation thanks to its original location in Brooklyn, where people spend an entire day waiting for a table. The wait for the South Beach location is considerably less miserable, but the pizza is still incredible. They serve only one size pie here—which should be plenty for two—and it tastes like a thin-crust pizza and a classic New York slice had a baby, and then that baby got its master’s degree in tasting good.
Banchero is a casual Argentinian restaurant in North Beach serving thick, crispy, cheesy Argentinian pizza. They’ve got dozens of options, but the fugazzas—a Buenos Aires specialty—are our favorite. These pizzas have a similar height and depth to Chicago deep dish, but that’s where the similarities end. Banchero’s cheese fugazza has mozzarella baked both on top and inside the dough. Toppings are a blanket of charred white onions with a whole olive sitting in the middle of every slice.
Speaking of outstanding pizza you can only get once a week: Sur. On Fridays, the casual Argentinian lunch spot in Little Haiti has a counter full of thick, square slices with crispy crust and delicious Argentinian-style toppings (there’s usually a vegan slice as well). We have loved every pizza we’ve eaten, which range from ones topped with hard-boiled eggs and olives to their version of a fugazzetta, which is covered in onions and mozzarella.