Let me start this by saying: Killer Pizza is not new, though it’s relatively young at around 18 months. It is not hard to find; it’s just off the beaten path of Downtown St. Pete and Central Avenue. What Killer Pizza is, however, is severely unheralded, tucked away in a north St. Pete strip mall where you might never come across it if you didn’t go looking. That, along with its truly stellar New York-style pies, is what makes it the best pizza place in St. Pete you may never have had.
There’s a reason for the term unheralded, rather than underrated. Because Killer Pizza is quite properly rated by those who have had it, racking up a 4.8-star rating on Google reviews in its 18-month run, which is highly impressive for a casual pizza joint. No less impressive is that those ratings are coming from a spot where most food is ordered to-go or for delivery. To this point, however, Killer Pizza has remained a hidden gem, staying somewhat unknown outside of its neighborhood. It’s a classic “if you know, you know.”
The Velvet Guillotine, top, is topped with house-made tomato sauce, cup & char pepperoni, ricotta, and fresh basil. The Sugar & Suffering, slice at top left, is made with tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella, cup & char pepperoni, candied jalapeños, grated pecorino romano and a chili ranch drizzle. The garden of Doom, slice at bottom center, is served thin and crispy, topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, black olives and tomatoes. We got our wings tossed in a Korean sweet-and-spicy sauce.
Killer Pizza is located at 1156 94th Ave N in the Northgate Shops plaza. If you live nearby, you likely already know this, and while I hope you enjoy these words, you aren’t the target audience for this article. It’s the rest of St. Pete who needs to know that this is among the best – if not the best – New York-style pizza in town.
A friend of mine had been raving about Killer Pizza since shortly after they opened, and I finally got my first taste a couple weeks ago. In the time since, I have become an unappointed brand ambassador, urging everyone I come across to give them a try. I was blown away, as much as pizza can blow anyone away. This isn’t Michelin dining, so don’t come in expecting to experience new sensations or have a whole new world of flavors unveiled. This is the same dough+sauce+cheese+protein equation all other pizza joints in the world operate from. Killer Pizza just does a great job in excelling at making that basic approach taste special.
With hand-tossed dough, house-made sauces, high-quality cheese, and creative topping combinations, Killer Pizza does it right. And because it’s a thicker New York-style pie, it holds up very well when taken to-go or ordered through delivery. The undercarriage is strong to keep from folding over in your grip, the crust is perfectly chewy, and the sauce-to-topping ratio keeps things flavorful without marinara taking over. It’s filling, too, as the slices and pies themselves are bordering on gigantic. A single slice was roughly the size of my normal-sized head. Two of us could not come close to finishing all we ordered.
It’s no surprise the pizza is so good, however. Killer Pizza’s founder spent years tossing pies downtown, catering to lunch, dinner and late night audiences alike. While doing so, he listened to what the customers had to say, even if the speech was occasionally a bit slurred. What they liked and what they didn’t like. What they wanted more of, what was unnecessary, what worked well, and what they might be open to. Critique, praise, and suggestion alike.
After those years of learning, he put the lessons into action, opening Killer Pizza in the former Tony & Vinny’s Italia Mia space and making it his own. His work is our gain, and his pizza is our dinner. And probably breakfast the next day, given the propensity for leftovers.
I also want to give the spot credit for doing something not all pizza joints are capable of: excelling at offerings beyond the pies. The baked-then-fried wings, tossed in housemade sauces, impressed much more than I’d have expected. The garlic knots could feed a small child, and that small child would be very happy. I haven’t yet tried the sandwiches or calzones, but presumably those are strong, as well. I did get to try a fried mozzarella that was on special the day of my first visit, which was A) incredible and B) one of the biggest cheese pulls I’ve ever witnessed in person.
This was a lot of words to say something pretty simple: Killer Pizza should be added to your local pizza rotation. There is no shortage of great spots in St. Pete, and everyone has their favorites. Killer Pizza is now one of mine, and I’ll be back again soon.
Killer Pizza is open Tuesday-Sunday from 11 am – 10 pm. Follow them on Instagram to see the latest specials.