Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria

Truly enjoyed the service and awesome food. Be sure to ask your waitress for pastas that are handmade. I thought it was a little pricey (I’m cheap, the entrée was only $ 14) but then when the food came the price made sense especially in relation with all the other places downtown. Yum yum yum I shouldn’t have eaten it all in one sitting.

Great pizza! I have eaten in many places in Italy from Rome to Scilly and would compare this pizza to real a Italian one. Just one thing the oil was usually on the top not bottom BUT still great!!!

The best pizza in Tampa !!! I am italian and i live in Tampa since last august, i tryied all pizza Of this area and i am sure 100% that in Bavaro i eat the best pizza. Look like i was eating a pizza in italy. Try try try. Amazing!

The aesthetics were cute, however, the food did not live up to my expectations. Service was ok, and could’ve been better considering there were a total of 6 people there. I ordered the Prosciutto pizza and it looked amazing once it came out. Unfortunately, when I tried to pick up a slice, the pizza fell apart. The dough wasn’t cooked enough to hold the pizza together. So, overcoming that obstacle, I used a fork and knife and to my surprise the sauce was so bland. The pizza overall was missing flavor. For a $ 16 12-​inch pizza, it was very disappointing. My friend ordered the the pasta Bavaro, which contained undercooked pasta and unseasoned sauce (it was watery)!! in terms of waiting for the food, it did not take long at all. However I would rather wait a little more for the food to not be unseasoned and undercooked.
It’s a cute place to sit and have conversation though!

Pizza is excellent — very authentic Naples style. Service is excellent. Bruschetta is pretty but average, although the price is right $ 5 for 5 pieces. Not a ton of prosciutto on the Al Crudo pizza and rather thickly sliced. Love the exposed brick wall and the wood burning pizza oven.

The nutella «pizza» is a great way to end the night.

I thought the food here was good, but not great. I had the ravioli bolognese; the sauce had plenty of meat and tasted pretty good but I wish there was a little more ravioli to balance how much sauce there was. I also had the olive oil and sea salt pizza and it was just okay, I wish I had ordered something with more toppings because I thought the flavor had a lot of potential.
I liked the food, I just think you can do better in Tampa for the price. That being said, I will likely eat here again to try other things on the menu.

I was out walking the city looking for lunch and came across Bavaro’s. After checking the menu, I decided to give it a try and I’m GLAD I did!
The staff was friendly and offered good suggestions on menu items, as well as described how the food was prepared. The restaurant (on the inside) is beautiful! Very nicely laid out and put together, with lots of character and attention to detail.
They offer a nice menu with many options, including brick over pizzas and salads and soup too.
The salad was VERY fresh and quite tasty with a light dressing on it. The pizza was AMAZING! Crust on it was outstanding!
Definitely give them a try if you’re in the mood for pizza!

Make reservations! Long line without. I had the verde salad with chicken. The dressing was so good, lemon olive oil and salt. So good. Everyone else had the tagliatelle bolognese and loved it. We also had the bruschetta and garlic bread. Very good!!! Great service too!

Nice rustic atmosphere. Very loud — so don’t come to chat. Come to enjoy good Italian food. Red wine was served at room temp so needed to be chilled down to «cellar temp». Service was good though.

Our team of about 25 was able to eat at Bavaro’s during our annual It Works! conference two weeks ago. Celine and Gary took such good care of us. The food was amazing, especially the margherita pizza and arugula salad! I fell in love with the atmosphere and the family style sharing. Our server, Celine, was a doll! She was personable and helpful. Gary made us laugh and took a great photo with us! The next time we are in Tampa, you can bet this place is on our list of «must do’s»!

So glad some friends recommended this place! It’s slightly sad downtown Tampa is an afterthought and that’s exactly why I would have never stumbled into Bavaros. The food was amazing!!! We shared family style and ordered penne a la vodka (the most amazing sauce), wood fire pizzas and salads. The flavors were fresh and comforting without being too heavy.
The food overshadowed the fact that the wine list was just okay. My suggestion would be to up the ante on the wine list because there’s nothing better than having an amazing red with an Italian meal!

Hello Chrissy and the Staff,
I would like to extend my compliment to your staff and restaurant. As a first time client I was welcomed as if family. That means alot to me. Your food was fabulous. I had the prosciutto pizza, which was yummy!
I was amazed that every table in the restaurant was full and yet felt very comfortable. I very pleased and will be happy to bring my family next time.
All the best.

Handled a very large party for us with ease. The food was great. Will visit again the next time we are in Tampa.

Amazing and accommodating staff!!! Wonderful ambiance… Worth every penny… Loved it

OK, for those of you who know me I’m not a notorious «Norm»… however, today is my birthday and I wanted a place «Where everybody knows your name». (OK, well that’s not true since no one here knows my name, but you get the point). Yes, I’m guilty of being here twice in like less than a week but with good reason… I love this place! Dinner tonight: Antipasto Bavaro, Pizza; Filetto (Gary’s recommendation– thank you) and of course, ravioli with vodka sauce. I’m going to throw some Billy Joel at you for this little place… A bottle of red, a bottle of white, whatever kind of mood you’re in tonight. I’ll meet you anytime you want in our Italian restaurant. Thanks for your truly great service, atmosphere, food, and wine! Bellissimo!!!

A must-​go place for lunch. I was in Tampa for a few days and chose this place for lunch because of the wood-​fire pizza option.
Margarita pizza was delicious, and they have a nice beer and wine selection. I tried an Italian beer and paid less than $ 10 (+tip). Amazing!

I would give this place 100 stars if I could!
I have collectively spent about 10 years of my life in Italy, and I LOVE PIZZA!!! Here is the thing… just like in the U.S., there is Pizza, there is NY Pizza, and there is Chicago Pizza, in Italy every region tends to have a different style of pizza. And there is one thing that ALL Italians agree on: Pizza Napoletana (Naples Style) is the «ORIGINAL», and most would say it is the BEST. I agree completely, so much, that from my home in Italy, I will drive 3 hours to Naples just to get a pizza!
That said, there are Naples Style Pizzerias all over Italy, but they are usually not quite there. Some say it is the water, the air, the type of oven… but there is NOTHING like Pizza in Naples.
Take this to heart, then consider hat with all of my experience, I the best «Italian» pizza I have ever had in the United states is still WORSE than the WORST pizza I have had ANYWHERE in Italy… UNTIL NOW!
I tried the traditional Pizza Napoletana (without all kinds of toppings… the basics make it for me), and had a chance to chat with the pizzaiolo (pizza maker). He was from Sardinia (ok, not Naples, but close enough). Before having my pizza, I had to ask him (in Italian). Is this place for real, or is it going to be another Americanized disappointment? He replied «No, this is the real thing… It is really, really good». Despite having he exchange in Italian (for credibility’s sake), I remained skeptical.
And I watched my pizza get made. The oven was the right oven! He put the ingredients on just right (not over-​doing it with a thick layer of gunk), and when my pizza went into the over, it cooked in 90 seconds (That means the oven was the right temperature for a true Pizza Napoletana). I watched the crust bubble, just right, and as it came out, it LOOKED perfect.
And then came the test. My first bite. It was as close to perfect as I could dream of. It was as good as any Pizza I have had anywhere in Italy outside of Naples. So good, that it could survive in Naples itself. Yeah, really!!! I found my pizza heaven!
OK, so a word to the Americans reading this: I’ve seen a few negative comments in the reviews here, and I would like to address them:
1) Italian food is not meant to be «delivered». It is made to be eaten right there, on the spot. Never reheated, and not put in a box to be shuffled around. Pizza is no exception. A true pizza will not hold up for delivery, and you will be ruining a work of art. Please get up and eat at the pizzeria. If you want delivery, this is not the pizza you are looking for. If you want to know what pizza is SUPPOSED to taste like, go here and get ready!!!
2) Eating pizza with your hands is not something Italians do, unless it is street pizza. Remember, this is THEIR food. It is meant to be eaten with a fork and knife. So a good pizza will tend to have a thinner crust in the middle, and will not hold up to being handled with your hands. Comparing this to Dominos is like comparing a Ferrari to a Chevy.
3) Italian food (including pizza) is all about balance of flavors. Let’s give them some credit for having the most popular food on the planet… fair? Americans tend to throw lots of flavors and lots of ingredients with a more is better attitude, especially with pizza (everything on it mentality). Not Italians. The balance is what makes it truly art, and pizza is no exception. This place nails it!
4) If you are looking for something that even closely resembles anything like American pizza, pass on by. this is an authentic Neapolitan Pizza, which is as different from American pizza as apples are from oranges.
All of that said, 100 stars from me!!!
Thank you Bavaro!!!

They charge $ 5 for delivery. I placed an order via Unilocal 2 hours ago. Just called them and the girl said «they just came in, it should be delivered soon.» I have no idea what this means. Who is they? The order? The order that I placed 2 hours ago, just came in? Like, via pigeon or something?
Worst pizza I have ever had. I rather eat dominos if I wanted delivery. The pizza is probably good if you actually ate at this place but their pizza just does not deliver well. The crust at the center of the pizza was so unbelievably thin. Which is cool, I love thin crust pizza… If it were crispy! This was basically soggy «crust» with stuff and liquid on it.

This Italian restaurant is the best, I ever try in US!!!
Fresh pizza, their own pasta and really goood beer.
Thats my favorite restaurant!!!

Short walk from Sacred Heart so it’s a perfect place to go after Mass. We started with the cap rear salad. It was probably the best I’ve had in Tampa. The mozzarella was on point. The tomatoes were ripe and the basil was flavorful. Very moist! It will make your taste buds dance!
We then had the pizza carciofi con uovo. It was very well done. It is very Romanesque. The only complaint was that it could use a little more artichokes. Otherwise it was great and the egg yoke was great dipping sauce for the crust. Will definitely try this again!

Came in August from NYC and loved it. Stopped in tonight with great excitement and was totally disappointed. Removing emotion from the review I will only state the facts.
1: the pizzeria ran out of dough at 7:20pm (Monday). More than half the menu is pizza
2: then ran out of Buffalo mozzarella at 7:25pm. A third of the non pizza menu contains buffalo mozzarella.
I am aware and familiar with places that are open till they run out of their product– it adds to the allure and exclusivity of the establishment, however that is not the case or their claim to fame here. This is a good establishment with a good product but there is no excuse for running out of your staple ingredients.

Very good. Highly recommend for kids and adults. From the Midwest and have access to good Italian. This is up there.
PS – get a bar! :-)

No. Not today. The Finicky Eater was annoyed Bamboozle changes to cafeteria style during the lunch hours. By now, we were beyond hangry. He had originally longed for Chinese food after crew camp, but the experience (see previous review) became unpleasant. He did not admit to it because he is quite proud. But I saw disgust in his eyes, as he read on my face that we were positively never eating there. So he pretended he was sacrificing himself for my sanity. Chinese food in Downtown Tampa is like going hunting for giraffes in Publix. It is like trying to buy a kiwi in a shoe store. So we decided to conquer the heat and walk to Bamboozle. A sure bet because I love their Phở soup boats. But my Finicky companion would not eat there unless he could have his usual Kaffir grilled chicken. By now we secretly thought about how to get away with murdering the other. Then… Voilá!
I remembered his favorite pizza place was opened for lunch. Bavaro’s saved his life once more as before the place has saved him from starvation.
When I was an Elementalist (search in Tampa Rican dictionary), I used to go to Bavaro’s often. The place is unusual especially at night when the many nichos (little pedestals embedded in brick wall) are lit with candles. The brick-​oven lights up with flames and the place glows orange and romantic. It is quite small and intimate too. One must speak softly or whisper loudly if one does not wish to partake in the conversation of others or have others eardrop into yours. I love those places that seem sacred. Bavaro’s reminds me of many of the missions found in California or New Mexico… Arizona… Tall ceilings and brick walls… there is an actual crucifix and sepia pictures hanging. Mysterious, but familiar… like a relative you happen to love, but know so little about. At night, you better have a reservation because many know about its magic and it gets rather crowded. During the lunch hour, you can walk in and be seated without much fuss. Today I had the special. A six inch pizza… four slices all different. One slice mushrooms, another artichoke, one more of prosciutto, and the last one soppresatta. Lovely.
The service was amazing today. As I have said… when busy, you are likely to wait. Just order a nice bottle of wine and enjoy the anticipation. Impossible to be constant when serving many… breath… take in the moment… act leisurely. The pizzas are the main attraction even when their sauces are famously sold in Costco or the supermarket. Wood-​fired; they are thin and crispy… light. The Bianca is without sauce and I have tasted it adding Prosciutto di cotto and salami. My favorite is Carciofo con Uovo (prosciutto di cotto, artichoke, basil, one over easy egg and extra-​virgin olive oil.)Then again, an over-​easy egg or a poached one is my favorite sauce so you better love eggs if you are to order this one. If you choose a Panini, you will love the bread since it is a light, wood-​fired pizza dough like an Italian version of a burrito. The Salumi is over-​stuffed with meat, but be aware that the meat is cold. It does surprise you since the pizza bread is so hot from the oven. The Pork Ravioli in Vodka sauce is memorable. Not as heavy as an Alfredo or a Carbonara, but not as light as a marinara either. As dessert, Bavaro’s serves a Nutella pizza… huge… to be shared with everyone and anyone. Leave space for it or you will be forced to carry a box to your car.
Yes. Today was one of those days in which you plan something and end up doing something completely different… Yes, one should become mute when one is hangry… but one does not. Hunger becomes anger often. Nothing better than apologizing over fantastic pizza and a glass of wine.

We were walking around downtown Tampa looking for food before attending the Tampa Bay Margarita Festival this weekend. I had heard several friends rave about Bavaro’s. So, when I saw the sign I knew that we were eating there.
The restaurant is pretty tiny, but it is comfortable. It definitely has that intimate, family owned restaurant feel. They even had these adorable recesses built into the brick walls that contained family pictures. So cool.
We were in the mood for pasta. The menu is mostly pizza and only contains a few pasta selections. The sauces also do not have descriptions on the menu. Luckily, we had an amazing server. He explained everything to us and gave us recommendations.
For a starter, my Husband ordered the garlic bread with cheese added. This «garlic bread» was more of a flatbread wood-​fired pizza. It was delicious, just not what we expected.
I ordered the Homemade Ravioli al Formaggio (cheese ravioli) with Arrabbiata sauce. My Husband ordered the Homemade Ravioli Emiliani which was basically a meat ravioli with a delicious meat bolognese sauce. Both dishes were served with two small pieces of bread. Both dishes were delicious, but a little monotone. I wish mine had some meat in it. My Husband’s tasted great to me, but he said it got a little old after a few bites.
Now, to the real reason for 3 stars and the reason I left a little confused. This meal was $ 50 (before tip!). We had water to drink, garlic bread that was basically a small pizza and cost $ 9 with the cheese and our entrees were $ 18 and $ 19. We left full, but not really satisfied. This meal was good, but not $ 60 good.
While we liked Bavaro’s environment, service and the food was pretty good, we will not be back. We have even better homemade pasta for MUCH cheaper prices at our favorite local Pinellas Park restaurant. No hard feelings and I wish Bavaro’s success. It is just not for our cheaper blood.

This is the tastiest pizza in Tampa. Done. Winner.
They feature an authentic, straight from Italy, wood fired pizza oven. If you are going to have pizza, why not have a proper one cooked in about a minute, the way the inventors of pizza intended. The taste of the crust when cooked this way competes well with the taste of the wonderful toppings.
The only potential flaw is that they slice the pizza New York style. Even I can admit it’s easier to eat this way but Italians are likely rolling their eyes at us. In Italy, you eat your pizza with a knife and fork, cutting it in to bite size chunks. Nobody picks up the pizza slice New York style. I suppose that’s why they call it New York style and not Italy style!
Even better, the clean tasting and bubbly prosecco is also direct from Italy so it’s perfecto also. Finally regarding the food, with your Unilocal checkin, you can enjoy a free gelato for desert.
Our waitress was named Jenna. Once we got chatting with her, she revealed she has a dog named Andrew. Apparently, It was his birthday today while she was working the second of two jobs so, I will conclude this review with… «Happy Birthday Andrew!»

Bavaro’s nails it again. Had a wonderful evening with Unilocal specialists Anna, Nick and Berit. The service provided by Celine, the absolute pizza maestro tending the wood burning oven Rob, and the owner Gary all ensured a fantastic time was held by all.
There’s just no getting past the pizza. It’s the bee knees. The link to Zelda. The afterburner in F\A-18E’s (a nod to the Navy squadron at MacDill lately). It is consistent and it is so good. We most always enjoy the marinara pizza and request a slight drizzle of their house infused red pepper olive oil. Done.
The ambience influenced the diners yet again in a postive way. I don’t know if it’s the warmth of the fireplace, the ambient candlelight or the exposed masonry but this place certainly connects and makes one at ease and comfortable.
In my opinion, the combination of cuisine, atmosphere and company is a consistent win. Keep up the great work!

I really liked this place. I thought the pizza was good and the antipasto platter was generous-​sized.
HOWEVER. This is Neopolitan pizza. It’s NOT what most Americans think when they picture «pizza». The crust is thin and will be slightly wet due to the moisture content of the fresh mozzarella. The flavors are really pure… you’re going to taste dough, tomatoes, light cheese, and whatever your toppings are.
I find this pizza to be right up there with Two Amy’s in DC and Pizzeria Bianco in AZ. Good stuff. I actually liked it MORE than the revered Amy’s pie… dough had a better texture and it wasn’t so soupy.
Family who owns the place is super nice too. Son, daughter, and dad were all working the evening we were in… we chatted with dad about Tampa vs. the east coast. We sat at the bar and it was cool to watch the son stoke the fire as we ate. Smaller spot so if you’re going on a weekend night probably call ahead.

The wood burning oven at this restaurant in downtown Tampa is adorable… however I was disappointed by the results :(
The pizza was flavorful but the cheese and toppings were scant. Even worse, the crust was soggy. This was very disappointing.
We had the Spinach and Funghi pizza’s. Neither one wow’d me a little.
SO: I’ll go with an «A-​OK» 3 stars simply because the tomato soup is THAT good. Its a very large $ 6 bowl that will more than satisfy 2 people, easily. I LOVE tomato soup and am very picky, usually settling for sub-​par tomato bisque but this was a DELICIOUS soup! Thick and full of flavor!
Im probably going to come back for a bowl of soup and a scoop of gelato, pass on the Pizza…