Sixteen dollars and 21 cents. That’s what it’ll cost you, on average, for a large cheese takeout pizza in Jacksonville, according to a recent national poll conducted by an online wagering site.
That makes Jacksonville the sixth-cheapest city in the U.S. for pizza.
But then again, who other than kindergartners really wants a plain cheese pizza when mushrooms, pepperoni, sausage, olives and bacon could be added for just a few bucks?
The poll also doesn’t take into account deep-dish pizzas, strombolis, Roman-style dough, house-made mozarella and any of the Jacksonville pizza places that don’t have a crew of delivery drivers on staff.
So, sure, you could probably find a large cheese pizza for $16.21, but why would you want to when there are so many great pies out there?
We took a look around Jacksonville, dug through old Times-Union reporting and looked at online reviews and menus to find eight places (eight slices per pie, right?) where you can get a pie that’s an experience, not just something cheap to cure your hunger.
Don’t see your favorite on our list? Tell us.
Ale Pie House
1580 Wells Road, Orange Park, (904) 592-1886, alepiehousefl.com
Ale Pie House has new quarters but the same menu and staff after relocating from Avondale to Orange Park earlier this year. The Spaghetti with Grandma’s Meatballs is still a favorite, but there’s a reason they call it a “pie house.” Sixteen specialty pizzas are available (in 10-, 12- and 16-inch sizes), and fans say the margarita pizza is “to die for.”
Carmine’s Pie House
2677 Forbes St., (904) 387-1400, carminespiehouse.com
Don’t just take our word for it: In 2024, online dining review site Yelp.com ranked Carmine’s second in its list of Top 25 Places for Chicago-style Pizza in the U.S. If you’re in any sort of hurry, order the New York Thin and Crispy Pie, but for the full experience, you really need to get one of the Chicago Stuffed Pizza Pies, which are made to order and take 25-30 minutes to bake.
Electric Dough Pizza Co.
1996 San Marco Blvd., (904) 298-7992, electricdoughpizza.com
Part of the appeal of this place is the restaurant itself, which is built into the old San Marco Theatre, an Art Deco building that opened in 1938. It’s run by the group behind Prati Italia and Town Hall and uses a fermented Roman-style dough for its pizzas, resulting in a thick but airy crust. They offer 10 signature pies (which are rectangular, by the way) or a build-your-own option.
Emangeo’s Brick Oven Pizza
10920 Baymeadows Road, (904) 671-7992; 2851 Henley Road, Lake Asbury, (904) 406-0161, emangeosbrickovenpizza.com
New Haven-style pizza is the specialty at Emangeo’s. That’s a thin-crust pie made with fermented dough that is stretched by hand and cooked in a 700-degree brick oven for about three minutes. Emangeo’s, which has two area locations and runs a popular food truck, also serves New York-style pies, stromboli, calzones and other Italian favorites.
Nick’s Pizza
9766 Old St. Augustine Road, (904) 801-3207, facebook.com
Chicago is mostly known for deep-dish pizza, but it’s also the home of Chicago tavern-style pizza, with a cracker-thin crust and toppings that cover everything. Nick’s, which opened earlier this year, offers four specialty pizzas, as well as Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches. You’ll have to get your pie to go, though; Nick’s is take-out only.
Pie95 Pizza
1510 King St., (904) 683-7357, pie95pizza.com
The folks behind Pie95 spent five years selling slices out of a food truck before opening a sit-down Riverside restaurant in 2022, and it was time well-spent. They offer nine specialty pies, plus a “Pizza du jour” that changes every few days unless it’s really popular. Order the Carnivore (pepperoni, sausage and bacon) and the Herbivore (garlic, oregano, basil, onions, arthichokes, olives and tomatoes) and you’ll have everyone at the table covered.
Rodrigo’s Craft Pizza
1029 Park St., (904) 367-3112, rodrigoscraftpizza.com
Lots of pizza places make their own dough in-house; Rodrigo’s goes one better, making its own mozarella. Rodrigo’s opened in 2024 and quickly became a Five Points favorite for its “neo-Neapolitan” pies. They’ll also sell you dough balls, so you can make your own at home. They also offer panuozzos, calzones and more than a dozen non-gluten menu items.
V Pizza
7510 Gate Parkway, (904) 431-0833; 12601 San Marco Blvd., (904) 647-9424; 1406 Hendricks Ave., (904) 527-1511; 154 Canal Blvd, Ponte Vedra, (904) 875-3797; 528 1st St. N., Jacksonville Beach, (904) 853-6633; 4477 US Highway 17, Fleming Island, (904) 579-4530; 2709 Sadler Road, Fernandina Beach; (904) 659-0026; 5700 US Highway 1 North, St. Augustine, (904) 201-9982, vpizza.com
If your home oven could reach temperatures of 900 degrees, maybe you could make great pizzas too. That’s how they do it at V Pizza, which grew from its original San Marco location to 13 restaurants (and another in the works for St. Johns). They have 17 specialty pies, all cooked in less than two minutes in that scorching-hot brick-lined oven. If you have a vegetarian in your party (or even if you don’t), try the Quattro Formagi pie, topped with four cheeses and garlic.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Looking for great pizza in Jacksonville? Try one of these restaurants
Reporting by Tom Szaroleta, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tom Szaroleta, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
