Coal Fired Pizza – Southeast Florida

As we travel around the country, we’re always looking for that perfect…or at least really good pizza.  As I’ve lamented on this blog many times, we just haven’t found a great pizza here in East Tennessee.  We do have a couple of new leads…places to try…but they will be the subject of future blog postings.

So…we were back in South Florida… Where should we go for a positive pizza experience?

Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza was on my restaurant list when we were in Florida back in 2012…and it was this time as well.  We decided to give it a try.  This location is in Fort Lauderdale.  As per Trip Advisor, it earned 388 Excellent or Very Good Reviews vs. only 21 Poor or Terrible Reviews.  To check it out, go to http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g34227-d484279-Reviews-Anthony_s_Coal_Fired_Pizza-Fort_Lauderdale_Florida.html.

The interior of Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza is very large for a pizza joint.  It has a nice feel to it.  Note the full bar as well…

New York native Anthony Bruno moved to South Florida more than 25 years ago with his father to start Anthony’s Runway 84, an upscale Italian restaurant that is reputed to be a Fort Lauderdale icon. (http://runway-84.com/home.html) We’ll have to give it a try on our next visit!

Unable to find the great pizza he remembered, Anthony decided to introduce South Floridians to the old-world art of coal-fired cooking.  He opened the first Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza here in Fort Lauderdale back in 2002.  

Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza uses 800-degree coal burning ovens to create a “well done” taste.  Signature menu items include specialty pizza made with the freshest top-quality ingredients, coal-oven-roasted chicken wings topped with grilled onions and Italian-style salad.  Reportedly, Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza’s food and service have continually been ranked “very good to excellent” by the Zagat Survey.

So on to what’s really important…the pizza!

Laurie and I ordered this large 16 inch pizza, topped with Italian sausage and pepperoni. ($20.97) The crust wasn’t quite as thin as we like but the sausage and pepperoni were significantly better than average.  The crust was crisp although it didn’t hold up when picked up and folding it was the best method of eating a slice.  All in all, it was a far better pizza than we have found here in East Tennessee.

Although it’s a vegetarian pizza, the Roasted Cauliflower Pizza with olive oil and garlic, Romano and mozzarella cheese, then topped off with bread crumbs sounded pretty good to me. (Large - $19.75/Small - $16.75) Maybe next time…

Dawn Marie ordered a small pizza with 3 toppings. ($18.96) She chose pepperoni, onions and black olives. The toppings hit the spot and she thought that this was a good pizza...but not her favorite.  

We liked Anthony’s pizza and we would take advantage of any of their locations should the opportunity present itself!  Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza has 21 locations throughout Florida, as well as 12 locations throughout the Northeast (DE, PA, NJ, NY and CT). Expansion plans include additional locations in the Northeast and Coral Gables, FL.

The original Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza can be found at 2203 South Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale Florida.  Phone: 954-462-5555.  I couldn’t find a website but Anthony’s is on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/anthonyscoalfiredpizza.

Pizza is one of those dishes that is based on personal preferences.  In our case, the thickness and consistency of the crust is very important.  In 2012, Dawn Marie took us to Steve’s Pizza in Miami: http://www.stevespizzas.net/. As of this posting, Steve’s is our favorite South Florida pizza joint!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for another slice of pizza!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave