🔒 Insiders only: Great local spots to celebrate National Pizza Day

The cheese.

The toppings.

The sauce.

The crust.

What is there not to like about pizza? Other than the hefty number of calories it comes with. But who cares about that? It’s pizza! We’re pretty sure Bruce Hamilton would eat it at every meal.

RELATED: Here’s where Jacksonville voted as the Jax Best pizza

News4JAX is celebrating National Pizza Day and we want to share with you where we think the best pizza around Jacksonville can be found.

Here’s our list:

🍕 Bruce Hamilton: Christy and I love Biggie’s Pizza. Love it because it’s like real New York-style neighborhood pizza. Big slices. If you go into their pizza shop, there’s a big case filled with 20 different pies. Everything from cheese to unique combos like the Hawaiian Luau. You can buy by the slice. So, if you want a cheese and a meat lovers, you are good to go. If everyone’s on board with just cheese, no problem. If you want to ruin it with vegetables and make it healthy, they’ll do that too. But why???? (J/K)

🍕 Jennifer Waugh: DaVinci’s Pizza in Atlantic Beach. Delicious pizzas and I love to support a local business.

🍕 Richard Nunn: Moon River. Joseph’s. Pizza Bella. Family owned. Support local!

🍕 Melanie Lawson: We get pizza every Friday at our house. It’s pizza and movie night. I typically order Papa John’s pizza and my choice is, drum roll please, thin crust, chicken, mushroom and tomato pizza. I’m not even sure it’s the best but it’s the most nostalgic. In my first TV market, my roommates and I would always order that pizza, and after all these years, it’s still my top pick. Biggie’s Pizza locally is probably my favorite, but it’s just not close to my house!

🍕 Vic Micolucci: For those who grew up in Jacksonville, they will know this. Nero’s will always have a special part in my heart. (It’s gone now.) Today, this Italian’s go-to is Pizzalley’s in St. Augustine. Maybe it’s nostalgic, or the person out front with the free samples, but that’s my spot. What type do I like? Hit me with it. Meat lovers. All the cheeses (goat cheese is 🔥). Fresh veggies. Extra marinara to dip it in.

🍕 Kent Justice: Pizza Time of St. Augustine is the go-to for the Justice League (that’s what Kent calls his family 😆). You’ll almost always have a line to wait in – but it moves quickly. Cash-only, so it’s a throwback. And Dominic is the owner. He’s legit because he’s from Sicily and lived in New York City. The biggest deal with food is how it tastes, right? Ottimo cibo! (Great food in Italian) Pie by-the-slice, or get the whole thing. My recommendation is try a couple slices of different kinds. I’ve enjoyed the Portofino, Brooklyn Special, and Chicken Cacciatore pizzas.

🍕 Mary Baer: I have to say my favorite pizza in town is Mellow Mushroom’s Holy Shiitake Pie! I love to say it, lol, and I’m crazy about mushrooms! If I could make my own pizza, I would smother it in truffle oil! V Pizza is next, their Vegetariana. But I can’t tell you how many hundreds of Domino’s ham and pineapple pizzas I have consumed through my ears in TV! I used to eat a whole pizza when I produced the late newscasts when I was in Oregon! Ah, to be young again!

🍕 John Gaughan: Margherita Pizza by me! (FYI — John used to run a pizza joint back in Maryland)

🍕 Joy Purdy: Mellow Mushroom on Fleming Island because the crust is the best and the cheese is stringy. You can order your own personal pizza and put your favorite topping on it. Also, we’ve gotten to know some of the people who work at Mellow - they are nice.

🍕 Tarik Minor: My favorite pizza is thin crust with extra sauce, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms and diced tomatoes. I was a huge fan of Pizza Hut’s thin and crispy, but now I really like Papa Murphy’s pizza, which you buy and cook at home (or freeze for later). I’m also a huge advocate of making my own pizza with the crust, sauce and cheese from Publix. I like to butter the edges of the crust and add garlic seasonings and experiment with the toppings to crispy, crunchy pizza perfection.

🍕 Brianna Andrews: My favorite pizza is Biggie’s Pizza. I love the NY style slices and themed restaurant. It’s my slice of New York in Jacksonville.

🍕 Mark Collins: Spinach Pie at Tony’s Pizza.

🍕 Jenese Harris: My favorite local pizza is Biggie’s. Pepperoni by the slice. It’s perfect. I’m full off one slice. It reminds me of New York, one of my favorite cities (Along with Jacksonville, of course 😉). It’s perfect!

🍕 Scott Johnson: Your Pie in Fleming Island. The family loves the pizza then ice cream in the same spot. Always great family fun. My favorite is pepperoni. Very simple when it comes to pizza.

🍕 Cole Pepper: I love to design my own. At Moon River Pizza in Murray Hill, my favorite is sausage, green peppers, onions and garlic. If I’m feeling carnivorous, I’ll add sliced meatballs.

🍕 Jamal St. Cyr: Biggie’s Pizza is the best in town. I’m a bit of a pizza addict and Biggie’s checks all the boxes for me. It’s a New York-style slice perfect for folding. Pepperoni is the best way to do it.

🍕 Justin Barney: Moon Dog in Julington Creek. The Moon Dog Meateor.

⛔ Tom Wills: We thought the man was perfect. But Tom gave up pizza a few years ago to eat a little healthier. Tom wants everyone to know he’ll make up for it on our National Hamburger and Wings Days lists.