Great find. It is a small place in a strip mall and I have passed it many times without trying it. I gave it a shot tonight for pizza and was very happy with it. My wife had one of their small specialty white pies and I had a small specialty veggie pie. Both were excellent and reminded us of NY pizza: thin crust, good ingredients, tasty toppings. It is our new go to place for pizza. We'll have to try some of their other menu items next time. The interior is small and reminiscent of some of the small NY pizza places. You order at the counter and then take a table. I can't give it a 5 rating until we sample other items, but it has the ability to get there. read more

Pizza Chef is Sbarro! Living in Chicago and wanting a NY style pizza that reminds you of your childhood. The place would be Sbarro pizza. Now living in Sarasota, PIZZA CHEF is the closest thing to SBARRO pizza! Individual slices are reheated. Their whole pizzas are amazing. Let's not forget about garlic knots, at Pizza Chef they're out of this world! If you want to re-live something you craved when growing up with nostalgic moments of flavor. Go to PIZZA CHEF! If you want to give ONE STAR reviews. You haven't eaten Sbarro and shouldn't comment. (Which means you probably like putting tomato paste on bread with cheese, and cooking it in the oven. Hahahaha). I'm saying this because this place should have multiple chains globally and be competing with Sbarro. IT'S THAT GOOD! Check it out, you will understand where I'm coming from! read more

Went in there after pedicure next door, sign leading in "Pizza" sign seemed generic. The woman,hostess, cook was extremely accommodating and nice! I ordered the ziti with meatball for $16 easily enough for 2. She brought it out on a plate with two pieces of toasted bread baked in the pizza oven, IT WAS AMAZING!!! The sauce was sooo smooth with no bitter aftertaste and cheesy ziti cooked to perfection. What a find!! Great Ambiance and she kept checking up and refilling my drink... so good I had to go home and nap but I'll definitely be back! 5 stars!! read more

I've given this pizza spot a few chances, but unfortunately, the experience has been consistently frustrating. On more than one occasion, I've driven out of my way to this location; well before their posted closing time, only to be told they've sold out of PIZZA PIE SLICES (CAN'T THEY MAKE A NEW Pizza PIE?) and are no longer serving. While I can appreciate that running out of food might signal high demand or a busy day, it's not a great business practice to repeatedly turn away paying customers, especially without offering any kind of solution or alternative. This kind of inconsistency in service doesn't just disappoint loyal customers it leaves money on the table. (I REALLY HOPE THE OWNER READS THIS). Today, after making the trip with my family, I walked in ready to place an order; only to be told to WAIT while the employee took an incoming phone call. To my utter disbelief, the slices I intended to purchase were sold over the phone while I was standing RIGHT THERE IN THE SHOP. (come on now, really?) It was incredibly frustrating and felt like a complete disregard for in-person customers. Prioritizing a phone order over someone physically in the store is not just poor service... IT'S UNPROFESSIONAL. This kind of experience makes you think twice about returning, nor ever recommending anyone to them regardless of how good their food may be. CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NOT THEIR PRIORITY AT ALL. The pizza here is good when you can actually get it, but that's proving to be a gamble. I hope management reconsiders how they prepare for the day or communicates more clearly with their patrons. Selling out shouldn't be a regular occurrence, and if it is, it's time to plan better or extend service hours accordingly. Sarasota has no shortage of pizza options...Consistency and customer service are what keep people coming back. --Just a Sarasota Resident Helping Fellow Patrons = ) read more

Pizza Chef - Pizza Shop that refuses to make more pizza $$$ and allows customers to walk out. Completely unprofessional. - Pizza Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Finally found a pizza place that gets it right! This pizza place is in a shopping center and is a hidden gem. Ordered a large take-out with sausage and black olives. All the ratios (cheese, toppings, and crust) were just right! The crust wasn't too thin but it also wasn't thick- NY style. Also their garlic knots were excellent. Highly recommend! read more

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Small place but decent pizza. They had some cheese slices sitting out where you can add toppings,we chose pepperoni, and they throw it in the oven. The flavor was good,very greasy,much like NY pizza. Garlic knots were fine, but nothing special. Paid $20,including tip, for two slices,four garlic knots,and two 20oz bottles of soda. The soda was expired but the staff is super friendly and quick to replace them with fountain drinks. Overall, good place for a quick bite but a bit pricey. read more

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Great food, great service can't ask for more. Love being able to go in and get a fresh slice of cheese pizza. My kids love it!! read more

Pizza Chef - a child eating a slice of pizza - Pizza Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Food is always excellent and the staff is super friendly. We ordered the grilled chicken sub and the ham & cheese sub. Both were hot when I picked up and delicious. Had leftovers for lunch. read more

Only reason why this is getting a lower review score is they are not enforcing socially distanced guidelines. None of the employees are wearing masks or gloves making the food. The employee who was at the front desk and taking orders was very nice, the food was unexpectedly good I've heard from some of my friends it's one of their faves so I gave it a try. Also the prices could be a little better. I would come back, but only if the guidelines were enforced! read more

Very good NY pizza. The meatball sub. Oh boy, it is a lot but you will eat it all!! It is a small quaint little place just like back home. That's Italian Baby. read more

Pizza Chef - Pizza Chef - Pizza Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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An excellent pizza I stopped in for a late lunch. They have pizza by the slice, pizza any way you want, and they also list 8 gourmet pizzas. Listed as a Pizza Chef's favorite, I went with their junior sized Chef's Abbondanza. This personal sized pizza had five different types of meat along with mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black olives, and tomatoes. The bottom crust of this loaded pizza held up exceptionally well. It was an excellent pizza. I know getting that much stuff can hide some of the flavors and that was true, to me the green peppers and black olives stood out the most, but it was a great pizza that I can only eat when I'm not dining with my wife. Pizza Chef is located in the Sarasota Commons shopping area down by HH Greg. read more

Pizza Chef - Chef’s Abbondanza - Pizza Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

First the food is great. I normally get a Greek salad and the 10" pizza with everything for lunch. I sit outside and watch the people go by, except now the covid virus has most people staying home. I'm just glad you are open. read more

We all love this place. The best Pizza in Sarasota Florida . The staff is fabulous. Karen is a sweetie pie. From Felix and Robin at 50 Paramount Apartments read more

Worst slice of pizza I've ever had. Worst Caesar salad too. And service to match the food. I came over on a Monday night around 7pm. Place was almost empty. Waitress was pleasant enough, but I was surprised when she asked me to pay in advance as if it was takeout. She later brought my food, but never asked the customary question, "is everything good? " Nor did she offer water or even another beer. The food she brought was almost too disgusting to eat. The Caesar salad consisted of wilted lettuce and croutons too hard to chew. Dressing on the side was far thicker than mayonnaise. There was a little bit of parmesan cheese at the bottom. The slice was a larger disappointment. It tasted as if it had sat on a warm counter for about 2 days. The cheese was almost unrecognizable as such. The sausage I ordered on top was a small amount in the center of the slice. The crust was paper thin and burned around the edges. There's much better pizza and enormously better salad available at Pizza SRQ or Jet's nearby, or even at Domino's. No reason to frequent such a poor quality establishment. read more

Pizza Chef - Caesar salad - Pizza Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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We called to place an order tonight. We are right on the line of their delivery radius. We received a phone call after ordering and were told that we are outside of the radius. My husband spoke to Justin Tozzo, their employee who became hostile. My husband responded not so nicely and I received a phone call back from Justin stating "you need to watch who you mouth off too, I have you address" the owners did not seem to care. read more

We stopped in here and ordered a large pie with half pepperoni. Nice thin crust and very tasty. I saw that the slices cost $3.50 each so we ordered the pie instead. It was very filling. Didn't see the size of their slices until we were leaving but they are huge so definitely worth the extra money. Owner and staff were all very nice too. Will definitely go again. read more

Over priced, Tried this place for the first time today, ordered a slice of pizza and ordered a Stromboli but got a calzone instead. The slice of pizza was decently sized but way too expensive for $3.50. Just the slice and the Stromboli came up to almost $15. Now the cashier was a young girl possibly the owners daughter with an attitude that matches her age. Couldn't stop texting to save her life and when asked if they have any deals she said "we don't do deals". Should've guessed by the prices of their slices just being $1.50 away from a whole pizza. read more

I thought their pizza was really good. My husband and son thought it was so-so. But, since I'm writing the review and I liked it, I recommend you trying it. Nice thin crust, reasonable pricing, and friendly staff. The garlic bread wasn't good though, the marinara sauce was excellent. read more

The feta-olive-onion-tomato pie (one of their specialties) is everything you could ask for in a strip-mall pizza and then some. The ingredients weren't stunners on their own, but it all came together pretty nicely on a crisp, thin crust that didn't venture into that cracker territory lesser pizzas tend toward. A $15ish 14" pie served three hungry and somewhat anxious adults (I was meeting 'the dad' for the first time!) fine with two slices left over. Garlic rolls were a little on the dry side (they'd been sitting on display but were heated to piping when ordered), but the flavor was great and they had plenty of fresh garlic for a lover of the seasoning like me. Marinara (for dipping) was on the sweet and mild side. For a place with a rather slapdash, homey look and only about two full tables at lunch on a Monday, these guys have it goin' on. The people behind the counter were friendly and seemed to know many of the customers. The woman serving our table and bussing was efficient and quiet. Six kinds of beer (bottled) and soft drinks from the fountain or the fridge. Our fountain drinks weren't refilled, so I don't know if that's included. read more

My husband and I lived on the east coast for most of our lives. I worked in NYC, and my husband grew up eating his mother's home-made Italian, and we've lived in states from Arizona, to Illinois, to New Jersey, and traveled the rest of the US extensively. So when I tell you this is the best tasting, best quality NYC style pizza south of Philly, you can believe it. The mozzarella on the pizza is fresh, and the sauce is a perfect blend of sweet and salty. The crust is oven crisp to perfection. The small antipasto salad is also very fresh, especially the mozzarella and romaine, and big enough for two people. The ambiance is what non-New Yorkers will not be accustomed to. Just a small, family owned business putting out good family style food. If want white glove snobbery, go elsewhere. read more

The pizza's are delicious! Hands down delicious! Our company also orders from them all the time for lunch and their delivery is always on-time. I too ordered a pizza one day after getting my nails done next door, they place was empty, but they had orders flowing in like crazy while I sat there waiting. read more

VERY solid NY style pie. You can't get better pizza in this part of town than Pizza Chef's. A little pricey, but absolutely worth it. Their "Meat lover's" pizza is arguably the best slice I've ever had of its kind. Simply fantastic. read more

Although their pizza was passable (at best), I found their prices to be very high, to the point of being unreasonable. If you want a standard 14" pizza with a few toppings, you're looking at over $20. Let me tell you, you can do far better at that price because their pizza is nothing too spectacular. I found it to be a bit on the dry side and very mediocre. There is pizza equally as good or better, right up the street at a far better price point. I do not recommend. read more

Best PIZZA is Sarasota. Coming from a northerner. I PROMISE YOU! place is a regular pizza sub place. No bells or whistles just straight up quality pizza. They deliver too. read more

Good pizza and fast delivery. We ordered two pies, one mushroom and pepperoni and one with ground sausage and mushrooms. Both were really well topped and the crust was crisp and on the thinner side. We will definitely order from there again. Good prices too! UPDATE!!! Ordered dinner two days ago and I wish we didn't. Mom and daughter ordered eggplant parmigiana and dad and I ordered small/individual pizzas. Yes the eggplant parmigiana was a very large order but if the sauce is SO awful you can't eat it then size doesn't matter!! The sauce had grease pooling on top of it and it was so thick and paste like that it really wasn't edible. What a disappointment!! The side of spaghetti had the same sauce so that was terrible as well. My pizza, mushrooms and cheese was a 4 out of 10. The crust wasn't thin and crispy. Instead it was doughy and under cooked and there wasn't much in the way of mushrooms. My dad had mushrooms and ground beef on his pizza and that was ok. I think we will have to find a new pizza joint to order from. read more

I'm craving their pizza just by writing this review! This is a hidden gem, and I'm sad I'm moving far from them! I love the garlic knots too! read more

Unassuming from the outside but hands down the best pepperoni and sausage pizza I've ever had. We regularly order from them - would highly recommend. read more

My husband and I just discovered this hidden gem. Delicious pizza and subs. Owners are very nice. I would highly recommend this restaurant. We are sorry we didn't find it sooner. read more

Our first time here! Service was great, pizza was awesome!! Busy place with lots of locals, always a good sign!

Went the other day for pizza and wings. Great NY style pizza. Wing were baked and very good. They were too saucy. Next time I will tell them to lay off the sauce. Overall .. quality pizzeria read more

Worst pizza ever!!! Disgusting! VILE! As a bonus, there was a HUMONGOUS cockroach cooked right into the scarce smattering of imitation cheese! The person who left the few positive reviews is obviously the owner or an agent of theirs, and has clearly never even sniffed the air within 100 miles of New York City. The tomato sauce was more akin to dollar-store ketchup, than anything remotely related to Italian. Toppings were old and tasteless. Amazingly, their pizza was simultaneously burnt beyond recognition and stone-cold. I wonder if the pungently scented rude woman working the counter, planned to make a loud 20 minute personal phone call right between the time it was out of the dirty, I'll-kept oven and when she finally released the over-priced, already paid for thoroughly cindered disk to me? Also, thanks for not smiling or making eye contact even once. I'm always happy to see the developmentally challenged find honest work! Keep making terrible food guys! You'll be closed shutter than a hiney in a men's state prison! Oh, and when I came back and asked for a refund, they refused, asked me to leave and threatened to call the police. Classy, blame the victim... read more

I finally decided to try this place after passing it everyday on my way to work. The service was absolutely terrible. The guy behind the counter uttered only one word which was my order total. I got a slice of cheese pizza to go and it tasted like it had been sitting out for days. Just a terrible experience. read more

Best pizza I've had in Sarasota! Always fast with every delivery I've ordered. The white pizza is amazing! Definitely give it a try.

Spent 7 years in NY and I'm Italian so I come with a little credit. This pizza is not very good at all, very disappointed!! The "CHEF" should find a new line of work! Don't waste your time or money. read more

Wow! This place would definitely be in my top 5 for local pizza joints in Sarasota! We placed an order for take out. We had a large half pepperoni half onion and green pepper pizza with a side of four garlic knots. We walked around a few of the shops and within 20 minutes it was done! It smelled fantastic and all the ingredients looked incredibly fresh. The food would definitely get 5 stars. We were pretty displeased with the lady we ordered with as she was very unpleasant and seemed as if we were bothering her the whole time we we're ordering. read more

Interesting reading the reviews, as it's the New Yorkers who love this place. I agree with them. It think it's the best pizza in Sarasota. I just do take out, so I don't know about the table service, but the flavors are excellent. I recommend the Ciao Bella, unless you do not like garlic, which begs the question of why you would eat any Italian food, but I digress. My mother, a completely Midwestern girl, thinks its the best pizza she's ever had. Don't know about that, but coming from the West Coast, I'm happy to find something like this. Much better than the bland crap one usually gets in Sarasota. As to the price, of course Dominos is cheaper. So is cardboard. read more

Pizza had great sauce & cheese. Dough is different than my NJ haunts, but very tasty. Would definitely go here again if wasn't going home.

I recently discovered Pizza Chef, you definitely get your moneys worth, their pizza's are loaded up and are bigger than other places "large" pizza. I don't go anywhere else for lunch! read more

Ordered the veggie pizza...crust was soggy and there was no marinara sauce on it. My family has been ordering from this place since they opened, so I was shocked at how bad it was. Hoping it was just a bad night. read more

Best place to buy pizza in the area. Never had a bad slice. The garlic knots and soup is great too.