12 July 4-10, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ MIAMI-DADE THREE MIAMI RESTAURANTS MAKE LIST OF BEST PIZZERIAS IN THE U.S. While Miami’s increasingly gouda pizza scene has already received much attention in 2024, two Miami restaurants have just received international recognition and a third has just received recognition for its classic slice. La Leggenda Pizzeria, O’Munaciello, and Miami Slice have been included in the annual list of 50 Top Pizza Restaurants in the U.S. by 50 Top Pizza, an Italian online guide focusing on the best Italian pizzerias in the world. The organization, founded in 2017 by a team of Italian food and beverage journalists, annu- ally curates the list of the best pizzerias in It- aly, Europe, Asia, and the United States. No. 9: La Leggenda Pizzeria Located along Española Way in Miami Beach, La Leggenda Pizzeria has made the publica- tion’s list of top ten pizza restaurants in Amer- ica, coming in ninth. Napoli-born and raised chef and owner Giovanni Gagliardi, dubbed La Leggenda (the Legend) by friends in Italy for his pizzaiolo skills, is making some of the best Neapolitan-style pies in South Florida. Gagliardi performs his magic in a small space tucked away near the eastern terminus of Es- pañola Way, where his domed, wood-fueled oven turns out from-scratch pizzas with crusts that are invariably soft, airy, and per- fectly blistered. Don’t miss the margherita STG, made with real-deal mozzarella di bu- fala campana and fragrant fresh basil. No. 11: ‘O Munaciello Coming in just behind La Leggenda at number 11 is ‘O Munaciello in the MiMo District, with a second location along Coral Way. Voted New Times’ Best Upper Eastside Restaurant in 2018, O’Munaciello isn’t your regular pizza shop. The Neapolitan-style restaurant on Mi- ami’s Upper Eastside makes a slate of unique pies. Some are infused with activated charcoal, creating a black-hued dough. Most are topped with traditional fixings such as mozzarella, to- matoes, and basil. The eatery offers other fare from Italy’s Campania region, but the star of this Biscayne Boulevard spot is the pizza made by chef Carmine Candito, who grew up work- ing at his family’s pizzeria in Naples, Italy. No. 5 Best Pizza Slice in the U.S.: Miami Slice New Times’ very own Best Pizza of 2024, Mi- ami Slice, isn’t just getting well-deserved rec- ognition by New Times, it’s also getting recognition worldwide. Miami Slice, which serves up artisan, New York-style pizzas with a viral following, has just been named the fifth-best pizza slice in the U.S. The pizza slices here truly are out-of-this- world good — very thin crusts with just the right amount of crisp, bubbling cheese and decadent drizzles. The lines extend far past the entrance well before the restaurant even opens, and if you arrive early, you’ll be rewarded with the option to dine in or take out. The staff shuf- fles massive slices in and out of ovens before plating them on wooden boards, where they receive a final dusting of fresh-grated cheese, sauce, or add-on toppings. The menu offers five slices that can be gussied up with a choice of four “extras,” including hot honey, a red sauce, three-cheese dip, or a few dollops of creamy stracciatella. NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR ▼ UPPER EASTSIDE MIAMI RALLIES BEHIND ITALIAN RESTAURANT BURGLARIZED FOUR TIMES When Gabriel Medici’s family-run Italian restaurant in Miami was burglarized, he was stunned — when his eatery was burglarized an additional three times in one month, he was devastated. Luna Pasta e Dolci, located on Biscayne Boulevard at NE 69th Street, was struck by multiple break-ins and burglaries over two days late last month, costing the business thousands of dollars in damages and losses, in addition to costing the business something priceless: their sense of safety and peace. “We made a police report because it hap- pened three times last month,” Medici tells New Times. “First, it was one night, then, it was literally the next night after that, and then, they waited like another two weeks be- fore it happened for a third time.” | TASTE TEST | ▼ Café Photo by Nicole Danna La Leggenda Pizzeria photo The charcoal-infused dough is a specialty of O’Munaciello in Miami’s MiMo District. Miami Slice in downtown Miami, La Leggenda Pizzeria in South Beach, and O’Munaciello are ranked as the best pizza restaurants in the U.S. by 50 Top Pizza.
