Pizza Madness Round 1: Lee County winners and results right here

Robyn George, Fort Myers News-Press
·6 min read

UPDATE: Round 1 voting closed at 2 p.m., March 9. Check out the results to learn who made the Elite Eight. Round Two voting begins at 5 a.m. Monday, March 13.

During the last few weeks, you submitted your choices for 30-plus of the best local pizza joints in Lee County.

Of all the mom-and-pop places selected, the majority were located in Fort Myers and Cape Coral. A few from Estero, Bonita Springs and Pine Island were on the fence but made it with late surges.

JLB's best pizza in SWFL:Our 12 favorite pies & slices from Fort Myers to Naples

Best in state:Florida grabs five spots in Yelp's annual Top 100 places to savor a slice of pizza

Did your favorite pizza place survive. Scroll down to find out.

Fort Myers March Madness bracket 2023 | Round 2 Matchups
Fort Myers March Madness bracket 2023 | Round 2 Matchups

Round of 8 voting guide

  • Voting begins at 5 a.m. Monday, March 13, and ends at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 16.

  • Final Four voting begins March 20 featuring the previous round's winners.

Lee County's Best Pizza Challenge voting dates

  • Sweet 16: March 6-9

  • Elite 8: March 13-16

  • Final Four: March 20-23

  • THE FINALS: March 27-28

  • Winner announced Monday, April 3

Pizza D-Lux, Fort Myers vs. Pine Island Pizza

Pizza D-Lux took the No. 1 seed in this tournament with the most votes. We stopped by to see if it really was “the best, New York style, thin crust pizza” that readers said. Two bites into The D-Lux (pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, green pepper and onion) and we knew what the fuss was all about. (6810 Shoppes at Plantation Drive, Unit 1, Fort Myers; 239-278-3589; pizzadlux.com)

Love a good Cinderella? Look no further than Pine Island Pizza, the final team to make our bracket. Brooklyn-born owners Pete and Melissa Marsala owned five pizzerias before opening one in Bokeelia in 2015. With that much experience and a New York slice background, I wouldn’t bet against them.  (5465 Pine Island Road, Bokeelia; 239-283-7992; pineislandpizza.com)

Using the app? Click here to cast your vote.

Todd Stern, owner of Detroit Pizza Joint in Cape Coral, displays one of his signature offerings, the garlic shrimp pizza with fresh lemon.
Todd Stern, owner of Detroit Pizza Joint in Cape Coral, displays one of his signature offerings, the garlic shrimp pizza with fresh lemon.

Grandpa’s, Bonita Springs vs. Detroit Pizza Joint, Cape Coral

Grandpa’s is Bonita Springs’ lone representative in the bracket and it deserves to be here. After all, it’s not every day a local place earns a highly respectable 8.7 rating from Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy. There’s a reason this pizza joint has been around for 40-plus years. It’s just that good. (27030 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs; 239-992-7119; grandpaspizzamenu.com)

Pizza lovers didn’t forget about Detroit Pizza Joint when it was closed for five months after sustaining damage from Hurricane Ian. Even with a limited menu, Chef Todd Stern’s classic Detroit-square pizzas have been flying out of its Cape Coral door. Fun fact — those slices are in the shape of a basketball court. That’s gotta be worth a few votes alone. (3812 Skyline Blvd, Cape Coral; 239-347-8111; pizzajointdetroit.com)

Using the app? Click here to cast your vote.

The Chicken Pizza Masala from Nice Guys pays tribute to Indian takeout with tikka-masala sauce, cilantro, garlic and chicken.
The Chicken Pizza Masala from Nice Guys pays tribute to Indian takeout with tikka-masala sauce, cilantro, garlic and chicken.

Nice Guys, Cape Coral vs. Tony’s NY Pizza, Fort Myers

Home to one of my all-time favorite pizzas ("My Cousin Vinny," the pizza, not the flick), Nice Guys seems to keep upping its game. Take its latest creation, the Pagash. It boasts mashed potatoes, dough, cheese — and if you wanna play big, add pickled cabbage. It’s only for a limited time as is your chance to vote for this creative pizza joint. (1404 Cape Coral Parkway E., Cape Coral; 239-549-7542; niceguyspizza.com)

Tony’s NY Pizza has been a star at The Forum since 2019. One look at the melty, lacy cheese cradled by a thin golden crust speckled with semolina and you know you’re in the presence of a winner. Close your eyes, take a bite and you’ll swear you’re in Madison Square Garden for an East Regional game. (3398 Forum Blvd., Fort Myers; 239-931-7991; tonyspizzafortmyers.com)

Using the app? Click here to cast your vote.

Shrimp and bacon on a pizza? It works at Pizza 2000.
Shrimp and bacon on a pizza? It works at Pizza 2000.

Citrola’s vs. Pizza 2000, both Fort Myers

Readers seem to love thin crust and Citrola’s is no exception. It opened on College Parkway in 2011 and soon made its way to Jean Le Boeuf’s list of favorite local pizza joints. It has basically remained there for a decade. It could be the Duke/North Carolina/Gonzaga of pizzatown.  (8841 College Parkway, south Fort Myers; 239-466-1113; citrolasoncollege.com)

The fact that Pizza 2000 has been around since 1994 always makes me smile. The plaza it’s in on Cypress Lake Drive has changed significantly since then, with a Walmart going and HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx and Costco coming in. Pizza 2000 has been there the whole time, dribbling the freshest ingredients onto its picture-perfect pies. (7101 Cypress Lake Drive, south Fort Myers; 239-433-2344; pizza2000fortmyers.com)

Using the app? Click here to cast your vote.

Luciano’s, Cape Coral vs. Saucy Meatball, Gateway

Luciano’s has been quietly serving up and delivering pizzas in Cape Coral since 2017. It’s not the first pizza place to occupy that particular spot along Pine Island Road, but it’s one of the best. Homemade everything, fresh toppings and a handful of specialty pies (don’t sleep on the New York White) could be the reason. (728 SW Pine Island Road, Cape Coral; 239-360-8112; lucianospizzafl.com)

The Saucy Meatball is the only restaurant in this bracket without pizza or pizzeria in its name. But don’t be fooled. Founded by Sal Basile and his son Alex, it certainly has a pizza pedigree. Perhaps you know Sal from Nino’s, Taste of New York or Two Meatballs in the Kitchen? You certainly know his pies, which is why you put this Gateway restaurant in the Sweet 16.  (12401 Commerce Lakes Drive, Gateway; 239-800-7172; saucymeatball.com)

Using the app? Click here to cast your vote.

Joe Calderone, owner of Joe Daddy's Pizza in Cape Coral, displays a Neapolitan pizza pie.
Joe Calderone, owner of Joe Daddy's Pizza in Cape Coral, displays a Neapolitan pizza pie.

Pizzeria Di Biscardi, Fort Myers vs. Joe Daddy’s, Cape Coral

I’m not the only fan of Luigi and Vivian Biscardi, owners of Pizzeria Di Biscardi. You feel like family when you visit their cozy little restaurant tucked in a strip mall off Metro Parkway. With the freshest meats and veggies snug in Luigi’s “gravy” and topped with Vivian's basil bouquet, their pies will warm your heart as much as the Biscardis do. (1254 Metro Parkway, Fort Myers; 239-362-0650; dibiscardi.com)

The Joe in Joe Daddy’s is Joe Calderone and he’s the Billy Nye Science Guy of pizza. Joe used spreadsheets to help calculate the exact amounts of flour/water/salt/sauce and cheese to craft the perfect pie. The result is a crisp, light and airy crust that landed him in the Sweet 16.  (2481 Del Prado Blvd. N., Cape Coral; 239-573-6600; joedaddyspizza.com)

Using the app? Click here to cast your vote.

Fine Folk Pizza in Gateway has won two Caputo Cups, which has been called the Super Bowl for pizza makers
Fine Folk Pizza in Gateway has won two Caputo Cups, which has been called the Super Bowl for pizza makers

Fine Folk, Gateway vs. Pizza Pub, Fort Myers

Specialty pies have made Fine Folk, a two-time Caputo Cup winner, a favorite among local pizza fans since 2015. They have a touch of March Madness themselves, unveiling some sensational specials this month. The Garden State (cashew cheese, spinach veggies), Smokin’ BBQ and Reuben Pie (cheese, pastrami, sauerkraut, pickles, Thousand Island and Rye bread croutons!) all sound like winners to us. (11300 Lindberg Blvd., Fort Myers; 239-313-5155; finefolkpizza.com)

For 30-plus years, Pizza Pub in south Fort Myers has been a hidden gem. Regulars have packed the place for decades, clamoring for more of the pizza with a slight chew to its thin crust and that touch of sweetness in the sauce.  Word is spreading, enough so that they earned a well-deserved spot in the top 16. (7050 Winkler Road, south Fort Myers; 239-489-1414; pizzapubfortmyers.com)

Using the app? Click here to cast your vote.

A half-pepperoni, half-veggie pie from the expanded Downtown House of Pizza in Fort Myers.
A half-pepperoni, half-veggie pie from the expanded Downtown House of Pizza in Fort Myers.

Downtown House of Pizza, Fort Myers vs. Zino Pizzeria, Estero

I’ve been going to Downtown House of Pizza since I was a young(ish) clerk at The News-Press. I’m further away from downtown now, but I’ll go out of my way to grab a slice, fold it, sit back and inhale it. And I’m not alone — they’re the No. 2 seed in our bracket. (1520 Hendry St., Fort Myers; 239-337-3467; downtownhouseofpizza.com)

Zino Pizzeria, the sole representative from Estero, was on the bubble until the final days of voting. A late run kept that bubble from bursting. I recently tried their white pizza with homemade ricotta and cheese, and the crust was fairy-tale magical. This Cinderella belongs at the big dance. (20041 S. Tamiami Trail, No. 18, Estero; 239-948-9466; zinoswfl.com)

Using the app? Click here to cast your vote.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Best pizza bracket: Who makes Lee County's best slices? Vote now