On a housesitting trip to Jacksonville, food was needed. After searching and searching, Bala's caught my attention. I walked in and instantly I was greeted. She was patient and very helpful as well. I ordered a bacon and mushroom pizza. My go to pizza. The places is simple: ovens, slice station, and the prep counter. Exactly what's needed for a pizza place. The mural on the wall listed the 5 boroughs and had the Brooklyn Bridge, as well as the Statue of Liberty. I mean, New York is there. The pizza came out fast and I got back. Here's the thing: Florida is notorious for having lackluster pizza. There's no ways around it. The pizza was cooked perfectly, thin, and a thicker crust. Perfect for folding. The sauce: not too loose and not too thin. Good amount for pizza, regardless of location. Flavor wise, not bad. Cheese and toppings had the right amount so it could incorporate into every bite. Now going back to my statement on Florida pizza. It's better than other Floridian pizzas I've had. It scratched the itch and I definitely enjoyed it. They'll get my business when I come back to Jacksonville! read more

This is absolutely remarkable pizza! I love it and everything is so fresh and made it so delicious and the best staff ever awesome service and i love the staff so kind sweet and kind very polite and patient and remarkable and amazing and incredible and it is so clean and sanitary and absolutely amazing definitely coming back to this place and OBESSED! Definitely take a chance and order a pizza it is yummy fresh and they are fantastic and fast delivery! Happy school year everyone! read more

The guy who makes the pizza is so rude and the pizza was burnt . Never again it sucks

These folks are awesome, food is great, fast pulling and grab take-out. Very friendly staff and if they say 15 min, they are on time

The pizza was very good when it opened until recently. I do t know if the cooked changed or what happened. The pizza is always dry and over cooked. It should not smell burnt when you open the box. Very little cheese was like eating none at all. It's very sad and I gave them three chances to see if it was a fluke.....it wasn't. I don't know what happened, but I won't be going g back. read more

The girl at the counter was pleasant. What's nice they have a soda dispenser vs bottles and cans. The ficus is pizza, simple menu and prices are affordable . You can buy by the slice. Tasty and the crust is thin and can fold line NY pizza should fold . read more

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Excellent pizza Great ingredients Very good service Try it they're across from the new big Publix read more

We were staying in St Augustine for a few days and needed a quick meal for takeout. Our pizza from Bala's was just the thing. It was a little distance from where we were staying, but it was worth it. Not your average pizzeria with innovative pizzas like the triple threat, which was a pizza, calzone, garlic knot combination pizza. A great way to try all they have to offer. read more

Favorite pizza place in St. John's. Finally real NY style pizza in NE Florida. This place is the best!

Driving from Tampa on a rainy Friday afternoon in late June to cat-sit for the weekend, we were starving when we arrived at our son's townhouse and hubs was craving a calzone. After I fed the cat, we dove into Yelp to find nearby take-out options. The reviews for Bala's swayed us so we headed there, although I did wait in the car with Gilligan (our pup). Hubs' craving resulted in him ordering two separate calzones. They were HUGE! And once I realized Bala's sells pizza by the slice, I told him to also get a slice of their cheese pizza for us to sample. OH MY GOODNESS. That was a glorious slice of 'za. It was so amazing that we returned the following evening for a whole pie. And I was delighted to find that pizza exactly as delicious again. Our son told us later that Bala's is their regular go-to for pizza. Great minds think alike! Service was friendly and certainly efficient for Friday & Saturday nights. While our calzones were fantastic, I'm going back for the pizza. read more

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Bala's has changed my mind on pizza in Jax. I know - it's cliche to say the pizza here just isn't the same as NYC. A common complaint. However, Bala's comes pretty dang close! I ordered the meatball parmigiana pizza online and it said about 30 mins to be ready. I was there in 25 and they were ready for me! The pizza smelled delicious all the way home and it was still piping hot when I got it home and on my plate. First of all - the crust. Probably the closest you'll find to NY style crust here in Jax as far as I've tasted. The sauce - perfection. It tasted fresh and perfectly flavored. The meatballs - I'd like to know where they get them. I would buy just the meatballs alone to put in some sauce or just eat as an appetizer (or realistically a whole meal). The ricotta cheese was also fresh tasting and delish. The restaurant itself is in a cute little shopping center by my house. It is small with just a couple tables - typical pizza joint kind of place. The people are fantastic. Super nice. Might grab a couple slices and eat in for lunch in the near future. Definitely looking forward to trying their other pies - and interested in the Triple Threat. Seems like that would be a good party pizza. read more

Bala's Pizza - Meatball parmigiana pizza. - Pizza Near Me - St. Johns, Florida

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Excellent pizza. Ordered for pickup twice and correct both times. Hot and tasty. Telephone exchange when ordering very polite. Easy access in/out along Racetrack Rd. No photos - ate it all quickly. read more

We made our first visit here to this wonderful pizza place yesterday. The pizza and the service was outstanding as we will continue to be customers. read more

This is my favorite pizza place whenever I need pizza. I always order delivery from this place. Their pizza is like no other. I can definitely recommend going here as it's my favorite pizza place. read more

What a great find!! I didn't even know this place was here and now I am Hooked!! Warm and courteous staff. Lots to choose from on the menu. Ice cold AC. We got an antipasto salad and the triple threat. Both were delicious and perfect!! read more

Bala's Pizza - Triple Threat - Pizza Near Me - St. Johns, Florida

Awesome pizza. Great service. Also has slices to be heated up as well. We will be back read more

Bala's Pizza - Great pizza - Pizza Near Me - St. Johns, Florida

The Pizza is above average for sure. The do however participate in an automatic 20% tip for takeout. Basically when the cashier hands you the pizza she's is trying to get about 5 bucks for that. I thought that was border line unethical and didn't appreciate the attempt. read more

Pretty good! Got the grandma pizza - I thought I was getting a pie and not a Sicilian, but it was good! Got the other half with artichokes, mushrooms, onion, and spinach. Everything was sooooo fresh and tasty. Got the Caesar salad which was also good. read more

Bala's Pizza is the real deal! On our hunt for the best NY style pizza in Jax - Bala's shows up big. We called in our order for a large Bronx Bomber and a side Greek salad. After a short trek back from St. John's, we got to enjoy our delicious dinner. The Greek salad was a perfect appetizer. They loaded this salad with feta crumbles, Kalamata olives and pepperoncini - all so yummy. The Bronx Bomber was phenomenal! I loved the combination of pepperoni cups and the rosa pink sauce. The pesto was my absolute favorite! So many flavors that worked so perfectly together. It would be hard not to get this exact pizza next time. Bala's has the best NY style pizza I've had in the Jacksonville area. If you are thinking about giving them a try, do it now and you won't regret it! read more

Bala's Pizza - Greek Salad - Pizza Near Me - St. Johns, Florida

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Finally find a great NY Style pizza joint (in addition to Carmines)! The type of pizza that has a crunch to it when you bite into it. So far my son and I have tried a cheese pizza with hot honey, a beef with buffalo sauce stromboli, cheese knots, and cannoli for dessert. Two cannoli's for $5.99 is a bargain! So far everything has tasted great and looking forward to trying the other stuff on the menu. Easy to use website for online ordering and friendly staff. I'll be going twice a week. read more

I am always looking for a good pizza place when I move to a new area. This place is on race track road near the new Winn Dixie shopping center. It is in a different strip shopping center on the opposite side of the road. The restaurant is predominantly a take out pizza shop, but they do have 3 tables for in person dining. The takeout business is very busy, but I was the only one eating there during the hour I was there. Service is friendly and relatively quick. The menu is extensive for a pizza place. They have 28 gourmet pies ranging in price from 23 to 26 dollars. You can also create your own pie. They also sell chicken wings, meatballs, garlic knots, salads, subs, calzones and dessert. I opted for the NYC Deluxe. It had pepperoni, sausage, beef, green peppers, mushrooms, and onion. The slices are very big. It was a good pizza. read more

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What can I say, shear awesomeness! I have tried many items on the menu, and none have disappointed me thus far. Pies are well cooked, and toppings are fresh. The dough is as close as you get to NY as I have had here in town. Prices are reasonable for me based on the portion of your meals. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a small business style pizza place any day. The shop is always clean and the decor is great. The service is excellent and the owners are very nice. Thanks for your business. It's a little something reminiscent of NYC. read more

Another 5 star day. As always. Got another Parma Rosa per daughter's request and we ate it at a nearby park. Absolutely delicious! These newer pics about about a hr old so the pizza does have more flop- however no flop when you get it fresh! read more

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A decent pizza option in the area. It always seems busy when we pickup. Grandma's pizza is obviously a favorite of many.

Bala's Pizza after thoughts: if I'm craving pizza pie on way home... Bala's is my "Go To!!!" It's minutes away from my front door. The place is always clean & tables either occupied or cleaned & inviting. Service is very pleasant/inviting, quick & my slice selections are heated & boxed less than 10 minutes. Selected Florentine & Cheese pies. Florentine is fresh tasting & mix ricotta and spinach is delightful. Cheese pie though simple is the correct amount of cheese & sauce. The crust is the most important & here it's very acceptable indeed. I know NYC Pizza very well & though I may not go there often as I would love, having Bala's Pizza so close by is comforting thing. A MUST TRY!!! of 5 (4 of 5). read more

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This is our new favorite pizza place. We probably have 10 options within 5 miles - possibly more - but we try to keep it to local and this is our current go-to. The crust is perfection - both NY style and grandma - sauce is tasty and tangy, and all around just great pizza. We pass quite a few places to get here but it's so worth it. The fact that they serve slices is an added bonus. read more

Bala's Pizza - Deluxe minus bell peppers replaced with extra mushrooms. - Pizza Near Me - St. Johns, Florida

I love pizza, especially a good mom and pop pizza place, and I have to say this one did it for me. Definitely hands down one of the best pizzas in Jax! The place it located in a small little plaza. The outside reminds me of Itaky for some reason, it looks really cute. I was amazingly surprised at how spacious the place looked when I first walked in. I love the simplicity of the decor of this place. Very clean, tidy, and easy to read. The staff is super nice and sweet. From talking to her, I found out that this place opened up 8 months ago. I can't believe I have missed out on this place for 8 months! Their food is freaking delicious! I got the supreme sliced pizza, the mama (like a margherita pizza), garlic knots, and a coke to go. Man oh man, what can I say, truly chefs kiss. The supreme was so packed with flavors. From the crunch of the veggies to the wonderful taste of the sausages, it blended in so well. And for the mama, truly delicious! The garlic knots, mummy mummy mhmm, just perfect! I usually do not eat the crusts on pizzas, but this place got me eating it all, including the crust. Now that says something about their pizza. Truly one of the best pizza place in town and I highly recommend you give this place a try. I will definitely come back to this place again and order pizza from them! read more

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The pizza was delicious and cooked perfectly. I highly recommend the tiramisu! We will definitely be ordering again.

Absolutely love their pizza. We get the florentine and Margherita and love them both. They complement each other really well. We had been looking for a good pizza place with pizza indicative of what we have had in Italy and this is it!!! Our new go to pizza place. read more

First time here and was very impressed! For starters the pizzas are HUGE and worth every penny!! The hot honey on the Hellboy was so freaking yummy! The staff was great they gave us complimentary garlic knots that were delicious! Overall it was a great meal! read more

Bala's Pizza - Half Goodfellas and Half Hellboy - Pizza Near Me - St. Johns, Florida

When I saw the triple threat at Bala's on social media, I knew I had to try it. Why? Because I love pizza, I love garlic knots, and I love calzones. Three things that I love in one dish? Hell yeah! Ordering was easy, I placed an order via their website. The triple threat is a tad expensive (IMO), but it did feed three people, so essentially I suppose it's like you're purchasing all three dishes at one time. We had about a forty minute wait time, which was fine, once we placed our order. To say I was excited about this was a bit of an understatement. That being said, once we picked up the triple threat, we couldn't wait to get it home. When I say it smelled the whole car up with Italian goodness, I'm not joking. You could smell the cheese, the tomato sauce, and garlic. When I opened up the box it was as if angels were singing. Just joking, they weren't....but maybe they were....I digress. I jumped at the chance to get a few smaller slices of pizza, a garlic knot, and a piece of the calzone. The pizza was good, just the right amount of sauce to cheese ratio. The garlic knot was doughy, garlicky, and delicious. The star of the show was the calzone. Seriously. Cheese: Good, dough: good, meatballs: good, what's there not to like? If you're looking for something not only IG worthy, but delicious, check out Bala's Pizza. I think the next time, to avoid having to share, I'm ordering a whole calzone for myself. Pros: -The ability to order one dish that is a combination of three different meals? That's def a selling point -Delicious pizza, calzone, and garlic knots -Can order takeout -They serve pizza by the slice Cons: -I had to share this meal Tips: At least once you need to order the triple threat. It's pretty beautiful, delicious, and def something I haven't seen before. read more

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Too good! Small family owned and operated restaurant and it shows! They put care into their food and make sure everything is up to par! We have been here plenty of times and gotten to go orders and each time it's consistent and delicious! The Bomber knots are always a must! So much flavor! And then we love strombolis so we got some of these as well! Staff at the register are always very friendly and pleasant! We can't wait for the one on Silverleaf to open since it s a bit closer for us! read more

First off, when they ask if you want a fork and knife. Say yes. The pizza is fall off the bone fresh as soon as you get it. The good fella was packed with fresh toppings and full of flavor. Highly recommend. The hellboy though was a treat. I've never thought to put honey on a pizza but, it worked. Really well. Just based on these two pizzas I'm sure everything here is going to hit. Good job Bala's read more

Bala's Pizza - My amazing girlfriend. Ft a gourmet pizza: Half Good Fella/Half Hellboy. - Pizza Near Me - St. Johns, Florida

Authentic pizza made with love. This shop had a fresh touch to their pizza. I thoroughly enjoyed the Buffalo chicken pizza and give it a solid 5/5!!! I think I could eat that pizza every day. They also had several other selections such as meat lovers, margarita, regular cheese, and more! Maybe next time I will try a calzone or even a yummy desert. The only downside I thought was the sauce could benefit from a little more flavor, but that won't stop me from coming back again. I also loved the artwork that gave the perfect touch of the New York vibe. It was super cute and welcoming just like the employees. Can't wait to return soon! read more

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I liked the Bronx Bomber (though it did have a ton of grease getting the center soggy by the time I got it home). Grandma pizza is good too (got the all the meets version). Small place so primarily it's a carry-out. read more

OMG!!!! I never leave reviews, but this place def deserves the credit. The pizza was soo good, crust was just the right amount of crispiness, with the right amount of pizza sauce and flavor! Def worth the 35 min trip from JAX! read more

Bala's Pizza - New York Style Pizza! - Pizza Near Me - St. Johns, Florida

Amazing pizza! The dough is delicious it make a beautiful crust. You can tell that the sauce is homemade and the they don't skim on the toppings. Definitely the best pizza in the area. read more

We went there this past Thursday for the first time. Forgot to take pics. Ordered slices. The meat lovers was really good. Had sliced sausage on it. The cheese slice was great. The meatball parm slice was out of this world. Next time will get the meatball parm with sliced sausage on it. The Grandma pizza was really good. We had the cannoli was really great. Not overly sweet. Was just right. Will go back there again and again. The should have their Silver Leaf location opening soon. Great job!!! read more

Omgosh! This is it for me! I have found a pizza that is very good. Perfect crust, and just the right amount of sauce. We picked it up and it was still piping hot. Great job Bala's! read more

I work at the eye clinic a couple of businesses over and let me tell you; Whether I have a good day or a bad one, I can count on delicious pizza to turn my day around. The pizza is delicious, fresh, and affordable. I love the staff and they are always kind and professional when I come in. Come on by and check them out! read more

Bala's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - St. Johns, Florida