Known for New York-style pizza, Jacksonville restaurant abruptly closes 2 locations

Teresa Stepzinski, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
Updated ·2 min read
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Biggie's Pizza at 4160 Southside Blvd. in the Gates of Tinseltown shopping center appears to have closed. Employees at neighboring businesses say the restaurant closed for the New Year's holiday and hasn't reopened.
Biggie's Pizza at 4160 Southside Blvd. in the Gates of Tinseltown shopping center appears to have closed. Employees at neighboring businesses say the restaurant closed for the New Year's holiday and hasn't reopened.

A Jacksonville-area restaurant that earned national recognition for its giant slices of New York-style pizza has abruptly closed two of its five locations.

Biggie's Pizza shut its doors at 880 State Road A1A, Suite 8, in Ponte Vedra Pointe shopping center in Ponte Vedra Beach, and at 4160 Southside Blvd. in the Gates of Tinseltown shopping center in Jacksonville.

Pizzeria owners couldn't be reached for comment immediately. It's unknown whether the restaurants are relocating or have closed permanently.

Remaining open are Biggie's Pizza locations at 1053 Park St. in Jacksonville's Five Points business district, 311 Third St. N., Unit 101, in Jacksonville Beach, and 13423 Beach Blvd. at Beach and Hodges boulevards in the Intracoastal West area.

The pizzeria closures are the most recent in the new year. After more than 21 years, Woody’s Bar-B-Q closed its Ponte Vedra Beach restaurant. Open just over a year, Mr. Potato Spread's first franchise location on Philips Highway also has closed.

Pizza at Biggie's Pizza in the restaurant's Five Points location in Jacksonville.
Pizza at Biggie's Pizza in the restaurant's Five Points location in Jacksonville.

The Ponte Vedra restaurant is listed as "closed," according to Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation records. A real estate flyer lists the pizzeria space as available for lease.

At the Southside location, employees at neighboring businesses told the Times-Union that the pizzeria closed for the New Year's holiday and never reopened.

The pizzeria door was locked. Dust on the tables and chairs could be seen through the front windows. Multiple calls Monday to the restaurant went to a recorded message saying "your call cannot be completed as the called party is temporarily unavailable."

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Biggie's Pizza opened in April 2016 in Jacksonville Beach. A second location, in the former Kostas Pizza Italian location Five Points, opened in December 2019.

In February 2022, Biggie's Pizza in Jacksonville Beach was listed among the "all-time" Top 100 Places for Pizza in the U.S., according to Yelp, which publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses.

A year ago, Biggie's Pizza expanded to add a car detailing service. Company officials couldn't be reached for comment immediately.

Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Biggie's Pizza closes 2 Jacksonville-area restaurants