DINING

The Pizza Guide

Every Orlando Local Needs to Know About

By Catie Moore

Pizza is the universal form of comfort food. We make it from scratch on date nights, we order it for parties, sleepovers, movie nights or even go out and order a pie at our favorite local restaurant. Approximately 3 billion pizzas are sold each year! For some, pizza is nostalgic. It brings back memories from childhood, family gatherings or even our favorite street vendor. It seems to be a staple “go- to” meal. As a result, the evolution of pizza has been on the rise since the Ancient Greek civilization.

Where it all started

In the 18th century, modern day pizza as we know it, began in the southwestern Campania region of Italy, known as Naples. In 1861 Queen Margherita visited Naples and legend has it, she loved the Italian style pizza so much, they named the margarita pizza after her and her love for the savory Sicilian dish. The upward trend of dough, garlic, tomatoes and cheese spread throughout Italy and eventually moved west to the states where it inherited the local flavors of the American dream. The evolution of pizza reveals much about the history of migration, economics and technological change.

While there are many different styles of pizza these days, let us show you a few pizza places that are dominating the Orlando foodie scene.

Pizza Bruno

Pizza Bruno offers a Neapolitan style pizza, similar to the traditional version once favored by Queen Margarita, herself. Bruno Zacchini, the proud owner of Pizza Bruno, opened his first restaurant in June of 2016. Bruno, a Florida native, spent summers on the Jersey shore where he began peddling pizzas and cheese steaks to the boardwalk crowds at the age of 13. Once his Jersey dreams were met, Bruno moved to Orlando in 2002 for culinary school and thus began his extremely successful culinary career. Pizza Bruno now has two thriving locations – one in College Park and the other in Curry Ford. Chef Bruno also offers cooking classes with a different recipe each month. This November, build the perfect charcuterie board, make two versions of knots and a Chocolate Budino (An Italian pudding).

Sodough Square

Sodough Square has officially put Detroit style pizza on the Orlando foodie map. Sodough Square was founded by Robert Bair, the creator of many famous startup concepts, such as Gringos Locos, Tin & Taco and Neon Beach. SoDough Square just might be his best creation yet. Growing up in the Motor City, Bair has trained his staff to craft each unique pizza as if you were on your way to a Red Wings game with a soda pop in your hand. What makes SoDough so special? They bake every square pie in traditional blue steel pans sourced directly from Michigan. Everything is made in house including Stanislaus tomato sauce, proprietary brick cheese and last but not least, the authentic Detroit dough with a caramelized cheese crust. SoDough Square is located off of Michigan Avenue and due to the high demand and freshly made ingredients, pies are limited, so get there early and enjoy the motown experience.

Lazy Moon Pizza

Whether you enjoy vegan options, Lazy Moon Pizza has a motto we can all agree on—Eat Drink and Be Lazy! Owners, Tim Brown and Matt Griffis have created a perfect, inclusive atmosphere for all pizza lovers. Lazy Moon enthusiasts appreciate the matured dough, homemade sauce and extensive, fresh toppings. The vegan options here include pizza, calzones, soups, and salads with Daiya cheese and tempeh. This eclectic pizzeria is one that you won’t want to miss!