Will H.
Yelp
Of the 3 Neapolitan pizzerias we tried in the Tampa area during our brief stay, Bavaro's was definitely the best of the bunch.
It's a small and insanely busy location, but the staff managed to be friendly and the ship seemed to run very smoothly. The atmosphere is inviting and cozy insides, with plenty of outdoor seating on the sidewalk area. I'd definitely recommend making a reservation if you don't want to be waiting for a while. We made a reservation, but we still had to wait until closer to our reservation time to get our table, so expect the potential of a wait if arriving early.
As far as the food goes, the pizza is really good. Wood-fired, and you can tell the dough has spent some decent time fermenting and developing flavor. Definitely the most flavorful dough we had while in Tampa. It's a really nice representation of classical Neapolitan dough. Soft, crunchy, charred. The toppings were good, too. Sure, the margherita is predictable, but I was really impressed with the flavors of their seasonal "butternut pizza," with shaved butternut squash, caramelized onion, romano, stracciatella, hot fennel sausage, fried sage, and Reggiano. Their fennel sausage is great. I felt like the amount of toppings was a little excessive, but the flavors were just so good. I'd have gone back for this again if I had another night in town. We finished the meal with some cannoli with pistachio, and they were simply excellent.
Overall, Bavaro's hit the spot. Excellent service and wonderful food served in a nice, casual atmosphere. If you're craving Neapolitan pizza, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this Bavaro's location; their pizzaioli certainly know what their doing!