Cipolla Rossa is my go-to for a Friday night wind-down — take a pie home or stay and eat it right at Hawthorne with a glass of beer or wine. Order the O.G. Pep at the wood-fired oven set up outside Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe in St. Pete’s Grand Central District, then wander inside for an extensive selection of beer and wine while it bakes.
What started in 2023 as a pop-up working the festival and food-truck-rally circuit around Tampa Bay has grown into one of St. Pete’s most talked-about slices, and it’s still a family operation through and through. Owner Josh Anson trained at the Culinary Institute of America, and the level of care carries all the way through the dough: scratch sourdough, organic flour, natural yeast, wood-fired until the edges blister for the perfect balance between soft dough and crispy well-done edge.
As many times as I’ve gone, the O.G. Pep is the one I always land on — classic pepperoni, cupped and crisped at the edges, with just enough spice in the sauce to harmonize the palate with salt, fat and acid. To take it one step further, finish it with a drizzle of Momma Rossa’s Hot Honey, Parmesan and red pepper flakes or order a side of vodka sauce for dipping.
Pro tip: It makes for the perfect rainy date night in — order a pizza, have a drink while you wait and take a bottle of wine or a few beers home for a cozy night in with your significant other. Cheers!
Cipolla Rossa
2927 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL | (727) 922-0016
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