Eat/Drink

Eddie & Sam’s named in the Top 100 Pizza Spots in the U.S.

February 9, 2022
• By Andrew Harlan

February 9, 2022
• By Andrew Harlan

Tampa’s own Eddie & Sam’s NY Pizza (203 E. Twiggs Street) was just named one of the Top 100 Pizza Spots in the U.S. by Yelp. This isn’t surprising. The restaurant has fed hungry Tampenos since 1998, and this restaurant makes use of New York water to make their pies. While the restaurant opened in Tampa in ’98, the owners have been in the pizza game since 1982.

Classic New York style pizza is characterized by its wide, foldable slices with thick, flavorful crust. The iconic crust has been attributed to the minerals in the New York City tap water that pizzaiolos use to make the dough. Eddie & Sam’s N.Y. Pizza imports New York waters in order to bring authentic New York pizza to their Florida family.

The Sicilian Pizza at Eddie & Sam’s | Photo via Eddie & Sam’s

Eddie & Sam’s uses New York Water for its pizzas

What pies keep customers coming back year after year? Start with the Lasagna Pie. This behemoth is a whole Sunday dinner you can hold in your hand. Fold a slice complete with melty ricotta, Eddie & Sam’s signature homemade marinara, ground beef, a generous amount of mozzarella cheese, and Parmigiana cheese.

For the cooler days here in the city of Tampa we highly recommend the Chicken Parmigiana pie. Eddie * Sam’s breaded chicken breast completely coated in that very same signature marinara sauce will make you feel like you’re back in your nonna’s kitchen.

The premier pizza experience at this Tampa treasure involves the sensational Sicilian slice. This slice is made with dough that is fermented for 4-5 hours. The fresh baked crust is topped with homemade Sicilian Sauce and topped with whole milk mozzarella cheese.

The Supreme Pizza (meatball, Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, green pepper, onion) | Photo via Eddie & Sam’s

Eggplant Parmigiana pizza is on the menu

Other notable menu offerings include the addictive mozzarella sticks, the Bianca (white) pie made with a ricotta blend with fresh garlic, mozzarella, provolone, and Parmigiana, the eggplant parmigiana, and the veggie lovers delight.

You can visit Eddie & Sam’s, 203 E Twiggs Street. This local legend wasn’t the only spot in the Tampa Bay region to make the list. Noble Crust in St. Petersburg, and Cristino’s Coal Oven Pizza in Clearwater also made the Top 100 list.

In case you didn’t know, Noble Crust also operates a location at 11618 N Dale Mabry Highway in Carrollwood, and at 28330 Paseo Drive in Wesley Chapel.

Yelp’s methodology for selecting these restaurants:

This is an all-time list of the Top Places for Pizza in the United States according to Yelp. The website identified businesses in the pizza category, then ranked those spots using a number of factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews.

So far this year, pizza is one of the top five most searched items on Yelp and pizza variations are regularly a top trend for Yelpers. In 2021, Detroit-style pizza was a must-order dish with review mentions up 52% and in 2022, Yelp expects blonde pizza, often referred to as white pizza, to reign supreme.

What to read next:

Andrew Harlan

Andrew Harlan is the Editor of thatssotampa.com. Follow him on Twitter @harlanyoungII and Instagram @harlanyoung. Send tips and potential stories to info@thatssotampa.com.