The Best Pizza in Miami Beach, by the Record
The best pizza in Miami Beach, by the professional record: Michelin Guide, Miami New Times, and 50 Top Pizza have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Lucali comes out on top.
La Leggenda Pizzeria and Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza hold the next two places. Miami New Times shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with 50 Top Pizza next.
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Rank 1. Lucali
Wood-fired Pizza
The wood-fired brick oven at the back of this Miami Beach pizza shop is the whole point. It's a Brooklyn transplant with plank floors and chunky tables that feel nothing like South Beach, which is part of the appeal. The 18-inch pie comes out lusciously charred with a light crust, fresh tomato sauce, and basil, and you can dress half differently if your table can't agree. A Michelin Bib Gourmand, which means the prices won't ruin dinner.
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Rank 2. La Leggenda Pizzeria
Neapolitan Pizza
The open oven anchors the room on Española Way, and the dough has been cold-fermenting long enough that the crust comes out airy and a little charred at the edges, the way Naples intended. This Neapolitan pizzeria keeps buffalo mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes on the non-negotiable list, and the Italian wine list is short enough to actually read. It ranks eleventh on 50 Top Pizza USA, so the tourists and the locals both know to show up early.
- 50 Top Pizza #55 · 50 Top Pizza World
- 50 Top Pizza #11 · 50 Top Pizza USA
- Miami New Times Top 100 Restaurants
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The dough slow-proofs for 72 hours, which explains a lot about the thin, blistered crust on these 13-inch pies. This Michelin-selected pizzeria is tucked into the ground floor of an office building just off Lincoln Road, easy to walk past and hard to forget once you've been. The Italian-born chef imports his flour and takes the whole operation seriously enough to name one pie after a staggering pile of fresh ginger. Small room, big ambitions, South Beach prices.
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Rank 4. Il Pizzaiolo
Neapolitan Pizza
The ceramic-topped tables inside this South Beach pizzeria signal that someone cares about the small touches. The Neapolitan pies come out with a high, airy crust built on a long-fermented dough, and the San Marzano tomatoes and fiordilatte are the real kind. Fresh pasta and homemade desserts round out the menu, and the Italian wine list does solid work during happy hour. A pleasant outdoor terrace handles the warm nights.