A few weeks ago, almost as a joke, after ordering pizza two days in a row, I wrote a few Instagram posts about the “Brandon pizza tour”. And as much as it started out being light hearted, I really enjoyed branching out and finding new pizza places to explore in my hometown of Tampa. Some were a little further out than others and for that reason, not on the top of my families usual take out list. But I decided to showcase a few of MY favorite pizza shops to share with you.

My favorite Brandon pizza parlor is new to the area, Pizza Rock. It’s been here for about a year and located across from Brandon Regional Hospital on Parsons Road. Not only is the pizza made in the brick oven, that happens to stand front and center in the restaurant, it gives off the most delightful aroma!

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My top picks at Pizza Rock are the cheesey garlic bread, the pepperoni pizza (because that is as adventurous as my family gets when it comes to pizza toppings!) and the show stopper, the Marty salad! You MUST get that salad if you enjoy tasty roughage with your carbs! But seriously, the salad is chockful of chickpeas, calabrese salami, artichoke hearts, asiago & mozzarella cheese on a bed of chopped Romaine and iceberg lettuce, dressed with their red wine vinaigrette. You. Must. Try. It!

Check their hours, as it stands, they are currently not open for service on Monday’s.

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Another great pizza spot is located in downtown Tampa, Osteria Tampa. Run by the local Nocturnal Hospitality Group. It is more of a rustic Italian/ pizza eatery with the classy downtown vibe you can only get as the towering concrete giants stare down at you. They also have a brick oven and several unique pizza offerings such as Salsiccia do Casa with sausage and potatoes, which was different than im customarily used to ordering and interesting. I also tried the Prosciutto pizza and the popular standbys … Margherita and pepperoni pizzas. I loved the brick oven char, not too much but enough the accentuate the crusts flavor. But my favorite dish there was the Rigatoni Bolognese. Omg, that thick and savory meat sauce made me want to lick my plate as to not miss one single bit!

I went with about a dozen coworkers for an off site lunch and we reserved the private dinning room. It is upstairs and overlooks the lower dinning room and large bar area. A very unique perspective for a team lunch! Their menu also boasts brunch, which means they have early dinning hours during brunch service, so check out their website for more details!

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I’d like to introduce the next newbie to the Tampa pizza scene, The Corners. They are located at Sparkman’s Wharf (Channelside Dr). It was definitely a new take in traditional pizza for me, Detroit style pizza. It’s on a thick, buttery crust and only comes in a personal, one person size. And I was smitten! Love at first bite!!!!

I ordered the Ezzo Pepperoni. Basically self explanatory except the sauce is laddeled over the cheese and pepperoni. This way the pizza was not swimming in the sauce! I’m not a huge red sauce fan but this was, hands down, the most delicious, robust red sauce I’ve ever tasted. Trully blog worthy! My friend had the White Spark, made with ricotta, garlic and pesto. She is pretty picky and enjoyed it.

Another plus to this pizza stop is the beautiful backdrop of the port with the setting sun to the west. You can people watch and listen to music as you enjoy eating Al fresco. I also read something about Yoga during certain days and times, at Sparkman’s Wharf, on the large screens in the eating area.

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Pomodoro Pizza in Brandon is my families local favorite. It’s 2 miles from my house (behind the Super Walmart on Hwy 60 in Brandon). W always call ahead to pick it up and be able to eat it at home while it’s still hot since we don’t need to worry about travel time. It’s a classic takeout/ delivery, mom & pop, NY style pizza shop where you can order and dine in on their daily specials or nibble on your pie.

We always order the large cheese and pepperoni pies, sometimes we throw in an order of garlic knots! I’ve had their fettuccine Alfredo on a lunch date with my son in a Saturday and it was flavorful and hearty. I definitely recommend branching out and trying other menu items at your favorite pizza parlor!

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Last stop on our pizza tour, for now, is a visit to More Italian Bistro & Pizzeria, in Brandon right next door to the AMC Regency Theater. A perfect date night combo! Pizza and a movie for the win!

When I picked this pie up a few weeks ago it was for myself and a few co-workers. We all agreed on sharing The 5 Top Special, topped with pepperoni, sausage, onions, green peppers and mushrooms. And quite frankly my favorite pizza thus far. They did not skimp on the toppings. So much so that the four of us sharing the large pizza could barely get through our allotted 2 slices each! It was so filling and in a good way, you feel satisfied once you concede and throw in the towel!

A little tip when dinning at More Italian, check in with your Yelp app and you’ll get 20% off your $20 or more order but read all the details, I can’t recall the restrictions.

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*I was not paid or compensated for these independent restaurant/ food reviews. I paid for these meals and experiences as any customer would have.