Hawkeye's New York Pizza and Pasta — Restaurant in Florida

THE BEST NY style pizza and Italian food we've tried since coming up to the Tampa area. Great staff. My fiance and I were introduced to this place by our friend Larry, who told us how good it was! We chatted with some of the staff members, since some of them come from neighborhoods in the Bronx that we have friends and family in, and it was nice to share memories and it felt like home.The food is FANTASTIC - much better than other places around this area who claim to have "NY style" or "Authentic Italian Style" offerings. There's another "Italian style" place about an hour away from here that is currently getting a lot of hype from online foodie reviewers and getting rated "Best of Tampa" awards, but I swear that this place has them all beat hands down!!! Believe me, we've tried these other places and there is no comparison. Their pizza is THE BEST. The deals and specials are worth checking out too. Wednesdays are "Wacky Wednesdays", and a large pie is only around 12.99!

Today we stopped in for lunch and split a calzone. My fiance wanted to watch NASCAR since it was a Sunday, and the owner, Alex, happily obliged us by putting it on the big screen. The calzone ? Oh my God! It was to die for!! We sat there, speechless from being in a food coma. We fell asleep twice!! That's how dreamy the food was!! ☁️☁️The calzone we had has this certain other establishment's version beat! (Oh and by the way, a calzone only has cheese in it, not meat - that's a stromboli. Get it right, people!!) The food here TRULY is New York style quality. The secret is that it's all about the water. And that's all I'm going to say.

I'm sure that it's only a matter of time before this place blows up really big, so get here while you can, because I'm sure that before long, you won't be able to get a table without a reservation, since the food is superior to all its competitors for miles around, and former New Yorkers and New Jerseyites down in Florida are serious about two things - finding good pizza and Italian...

I very rarely leave a bad review, this might be my first. Were in town visting family and this is the place they recommended. Wife went to go visit them and i stayed at our house with my 4 kids and ordered pizza for delivery. I got a cheese for the kids and one of their specialty pizzas for me. The pizza themselves were ok, but unfortunately the delivery experience was horrible. It was a sat night so I wasn't worried about it taking to long and it didn't but the driver didn't do anything to let me know he dropped the pizza off. No knocking/ringing the doorbell and I got no notification that the pizza was delivered. I eventually saw it on their pizza tracker that it was delivered, go it get it annnddddd my ($26) specialty pizza is missing. At least the kids had there cheese pizza (which by now was cold cuz who knows how long it was sitting outside). I call back and the lady on the phone was nice but said had to remake it as now it was "to cold to serve" i just laughed cuz the cheese pizza was ice cold, but whatever. So now I'm constantly checking the door waiting for my pizza cuz I assume they aren't going to let me know it delivered again (and I have no tracker this time) after over another 90min I get a call from a Texas number, I answer it and he doesn't speak English. He just keeps saying numero? Numero? I said for what? And he said apartment numero? I hang up and he leaves a voice mail saying my name, so I go outside and there's a guy with my pizza. He tries to show me his phone saying his order doesn't have my apartment number but how did the last guy have it and not this guy? Also this pizza was now cold 😂 I'm assuming they remade it right away but didn't have anyone to deliver or used a third party.

TLDR: if you go here get carry out...

Hawkeyes Pizza is not merely the best New York-style pizza in Tampa — it is a quiet triumph of craftsmanship. The crust delivers that unmistakable New York fold with a delicate crunch and a satisfying chew. The sauce is vivid without overpowering, the cheese rich without excess — everything in harmony, nothing overdone. It is a slice that doesn’t beg for attention, but earns respect with every bite.

The moment I saw the Grande cheese label on the box — subtle but unmistakable — it told me everything I needed to know. This place doesn’t aim for greatness; it expects it. Even in the smallest details, there’s purpose. That label wasn’t just packaging — it was proof.

Alex, the owner, is the rare kind of proprietor who runs his shop not like a business, but like a legacy in the making. The service is warm and unforced; the staff attentive in a way that feels real, not rehearsed. That same care extends to the rewards system — a sincere effort to value the customer, thoughtfully built rather than patched in for convenience. I called the store hoping to speak with him simply to say thank you — because gratitude felt owed.

In a city overrun with pretenders and profit-chasers, Hawkeyes dares to be genuine. It respects the craft, honors the tradition, and delivers a product that speaks — not shouts — of excellence. This isn’t just a pizzeria. It’s a reminder that when passion leads,...