When I used to live in Myrtle Beach I supplied the following reviews of a good number of pizza places along the Grand Strand for the MB Golf Talk forum. Yeah I'm a die-hard pizza lover who grew up on NJ/NY style pizza living in Jersey. I haven't lived in Myrtle now for a few years so the list below is possibly outdated since it was made in November 2010. While many may disagree with some of the ratings for pizza places at the bottom of the list, I think the majority will find very good pizza at any of the top five in the rankings. Here's the original link to the site with a copy of the reviews provided beneath:
NY Style Pizza Ratings - Myrtle Beach Golf Talk - MBGT > Forum - Myrtle Beach - Dining and Entertainment
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Disclaimer: Lovers of California style pizza, Gourmet style pizza, Greek style pizza, Chicago style pizza, or the like need not read on. Lovers of true New York style or Neapolitan pizza will be interested in my pizza review below.
One disappointing aspects of moving to Myrtle year-round is the lack of quality pizza places, especially of the New York style. This is quite surprising since there are a lot of transplanted New Yorkers living in the area.
Fortunately there are several places that offer better than chain style pizza, and there are a few that stand out from the pack but you may need to travel a bit to get to them. Here are my top selections by location:
Extreme North Strand: Joey O's (Ocean Isle)
Northern Strand: Ginos (Gator Hole/Walmart Plaza)
Central Strand: Ginos (Forestbrook Rd off 501)
Southern Strand: Anthony's (Surfside)
Extreme Southern Strand: DeRoma's (Pawley's Island)
Below is comparative rating of a number of pizza places. If you know of one that I should try please let me know (but please don't suggest California pizza!). FYI, all my pies are ordered plain with extra sauce, so the quality of the toppings is not taken into account.
Disclaimer: I expect there will be disagreement on the rankings and that's only natural. However I can almost guarantee that if you visit the top rated pizza places on the list you will not leave disappointed.
Ratings on a 0.0 to 10.0 scale as follows:
10.0 = Awesome (just like the best pizza New York/New Jersey has to offer).
5.0 = Average, nothing to write home about but nothing to make you puke.
0.0 = Disgusting (cardboard never tasted so good, eat at your own risk).
9.0 = Anthony's (Surfside, Hwy 17): Great atmosphere, trivia contest Tuesday nights, good place to eat a pizza and watch sports. Anthony's has won the "Best of Myrtle Beach" write-in award for best pizza several times. A positive sign of the quality of the pizza is how successful the business becomes, Anthony's has more customers per night than any other pizza place on the Strand. You won't be disappointed.
9.0 = Joey O's (Ocean Isle/Sunset Beach, Rt 179): Along with Anthony's, Joey O's has been among the best and most consistent pies in the last 6-12 months. Their sauce is very good, I usually ask for extra on my pies. Owner is from New York and has a bunch of NY sports memorabilia on the walls (and has a thick NY accent too).
8.0 = Gino's (Myrtle Beach, Hwy 501 / Fosterbrook Rd): Recently opened in 2008 and shares the same ownership as the Gino's in North Myrtle Beach (see below). The father runs the shop in North Myrtle and the daughter runs this one off 501. I usually ask for extra sauce and cook "crispy" on my pies here as they tend to under-cook and skimp on the sauce. Although not advertised they do make a 12" personal sized pizza too. Gino's pies have a great crust and tasty sauce, a better quality cheese would put them at the top of the list.
8.0 = Gino's (North Myrtle, Walmart/Gator Hole Plaza): Owned by the same people as the Gino's on Rt 501 (see review above), both Gino's use the same ingredients so you can expect a good pie at either location. The one difference is that a 16" pie is the smallest one they make at the North Myrtle Gino's whereas I can order a 12" pie off menu at the 501 Gino's.
8.0 = DeRoma's (Pawleys Island, Hwy 17): Good pizza, had it several times and haven't been disappointed. This pie is quite tasty despite being made in a conveyor-belt style oven. They use top notch Grande Cheese which is the best pizza cheese available, and the sauce is very good too. Only real drawback is it's not the type of place you'd want to sit down and eat dinner. Inside it's a dive ... more like eating at a gas station, and there are only about 3 tables available. So if you're staying at True Blue condos ... take out only! [2013 Edit: DeRoma's moved into a nice new building right next to their old place so forget what was mentioned above. Sit in dining experience is very good now].
7.0 = Barefoot Pub (Barefoot Resort): Located in the driving range at Barefoot this pizza has come a long way since the first pie I had about 3 years ago. New owner changed the menu and now the pizza is quite good. The only issue here is consistency. Some nights I get what could be the best pizza on the Strand, other nights they have a surprise waiting. For example, one night my pie had garlic butter pasted all around the crust (yuk). Another night they intentionally put on extra cheese when I didn't order a topping. Another night I order a pie to go with extra sauce and after waiting about a minute they box up an old pie that's been sitting around under a heat lamp. So you get the idea ... great potential just need better quality control.
7.0 = Tony's (Calabash): Not exactly New York style, actually closer to pan style pizza, but still neopolitan and fairly tasty. Sometimes the pie can be a bit greasy, and they have been inconsistent with how much sauce they put on the pie. This is a very cheesy pizza, so if you like lots of cheese on your pie this may make your stomach happy.
6.0 = Brick Oven Pizza (North Myrtle): Talk about potential, this pie is the most aesthetically looking pizza on the Strand. However I knocked them down a couple notches because of the sauce which tends to have chunks in it (not like smooth sauces elsewhere) and the sauce has a bitter taste to it perhaps because of not enough sugar added. If you're not so picky about the sauce on your pizza then you may very well like Brick Oven. However get there early cause the place gets crowded quickly.
6.0 = Corrado's (Colonial Mall): Pretty good for shopping mall pizza, but only if you get the slices fresh.
6.0 = Chris's (Little River/Longs, Rt 9): Pretty good tasting pie and a nice atmosphere inside, however there is one spice they use in the sauce that doesn't appeal to my senses as it makes the pie taste "hot". Also, sometimes the pie is a touch soggy, but overall the taste is not bad.
6.0 = Pastaria 811 (Litchfield): Great atmosphere inside, the bread that was served before the pizza was outstanding. While the pizza was pretty good I wouldn't rate it near any of the top five on this list. The pie is actually very close to the look of the pizza at the Barefoot Pub (see above). However, this far south I'd rather stop at Anthony's or pick up a pie at DeRomas.
6.0 = Brickhouse Pizza (Conway/Surfside): Nice atmosphere inside, lots of NY memorabilia. The pie is very very thin with not much cheese or sauce on top. As a result it gets cold quick so eat fast. Pizza is tasty but was disappointed considering the owner has ties with top rated Anthony's in Surfside. Brickhouse while being slightly above average is not in the same league as Anthony's.
5.0 = Michaels (Restaurant row): Not bad. Tried it twice, somewhat boring pizza but not bad tasting.
5.0 Christophers (Calabash): Decent pie, similar in spices & sauce to Chris's on Route 9, however they have different ownership and have different crust & cheese. Overall an average pie.
5.0 = New York Pizza (HWY 501): Not to be confused with the cardboard-like New York Pizza in the Dunes Plaza. This New York Pizza place is located off HWY 501 on Waccamaw Road near the Golf Dimensions. The pizza is average.
5.0 = Little River Deli (Rt. 9): Not bad, a little greasy, can't expect a non-pizzeria joint to make a great pie, however there are some in Myrtle Beach that are far worse.
5.0 = Rookies (Little River, near SportsZone): Had the potential to be an above average pie but I thought the sauce was just a bit too spicy/hot for my liking. [2013 edit: Rookies is out of business].
5.0 = Carmine's (Dunes, Arrowhead Rd): Located at the end of Arrowhead Rd past Ocean Annies within the last hotel on that strip. This take-out only pie doesn't have any seating inside so their primary clientele are people staying in their hotel on that strip. The owner is a friend who used to manage Gino's in North Myrtle about 10 years ago. Unfortunately, the ingredients just aren't there this time around to get an above average rating.
5.0 = Sbarra's (Coastal Grand Mall): Not bad considering it's shopping mall pizza, but only if you get the slices fresh. However, Corrado's makes better "mall" pizza.
4.0 = Cappriccio's (Myrtle, 38th ave): Good crust, but they botched the sauce on what otherwise would have been a good NY style pie.
4.0 = Basils (Cherry Grove): Inconsistent. Had a very good pie once but a couple of bad pies other times. Closes for two months each December & January. Gas station like atmosphere.
4.0 = Scatori's (Surfside 544): Pizza looks great to the eye but they don't put any sauce on the darn pie! You may as well order a white pizza. Also, the crust taste like an English muffin!
4.0 = Nicos (Murrels Inlet): Owners from NY, expected better. Pie was a bit greasy and thought the sauce could be better. Note, I've received emails from people who swear by Nicos but have not had the opportunity to give Nicos a second chance.
4.0 = Bellacino's (Kings Hwy Myrtle): Located next to Cane Patch driving range this pizza place makes conveyor-belt style pizza and has the taste to go with it. Not bad if you're hungry but there are far better choices in the area. [2013 edit: Bellacino's is out of business].
3.0 = Doughboys (Surfside): An embarrassing attempt to imitate NY style pizza. They should be forced to take that advertising down!
3.0 = King's Famous Pizza (North Myrtle): Famous for causing indigestion.
2.0 = Bella's (Calabash): Formerly Pizelli's Pizza, was bought out by the new owners and renamed Bellas. I've never had Pizelli's, but I definitely would not recommend Bella's.
2.0 = Papa's (Calabash): Not to be confused with Papa Johns pizza, this locally owned pizza place is located off HWY 179 a couple blocks from HWY 17, in the new shopping plaza on the left. Pizza was really bad here.
1.0 = Pizza Chef (Arcadian): Had a hard time eating through this pie & gave up only after 2 (small) slices on the 12" pie. Took the rest home in a box and placed it in my dumpster. This place is more for lovers of gourmet style pizza rather than traditional NY style.
1.0 = Georgios Pizza (North Myrtle): Awful sour tasting sauce. Pizza cooked in a pan.
1.0 = NY Pizza (Myrtle - Dunes Plaza): Worst of the worst. Cardboard never tasted so good. Don't even use your free coupon!
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