A little crust, a touch of sauce and a dash of cheese is all you really need to make a pizza. Making a great pizza, though, takes a lot of care.
Jacksonville has pizza places on just about every corner, but the good ones take a little effort to find.
For National Pizza Day (Feb. 9 this year), we selected some of our favorites, presented in alphabetical order.
Carmine’s Pie House
2677 Forbes St., (904) 387-1400, carminespiehouse.com
Located in the heart of Riverside, Carmine’s has been a neighborhood favorite since its 2011 opening.
But its pizzas routinely draw diners from well beyond its 32204 ZIP code. And its Chicago Stuffed Pizza Pie rivals some of the originals from the 60610, making it one of just a handful of Northeast Florida pizzerias to offer true deep-dish pizza. You’ll be taking some home anyway, so share an appetizer or two while waiting the 25-30 minutes for your pie to bake.
Available in New York-style thin or Chicago deep dish are nearly 20 specialty pies, including The Tropical BBQ (adds pineapple to traditional BBQ pizza); Home on the Range (meat lover’s pizza); Bad Ass BLT (made with Ranch dressing); and — Picture it! — The Sophia, made with garlic cream sauce and spinach.