I Love Pizza: Pizzeria and Coffee Bar Fusion in Miami Beach

I Love Pizza fuses together competing loves of college kids everywhere -- pizza and coffee -- but in an upscale, gourmet way. I Love Pizza recently opened in the quiet north beach neighborhood in Miami Beach. At the intersection of 71st street and Collins Avenue, this pizzeria/coffee-bar combo aims to serve beach-goers, tourists, neighborhood locals, and folks who wandered up from South Beach, the best pizza and coffee around.

The decor is contemporary modern with maple countertops, white lacquer accents, red chairs and Italian glass mosaic columns with an exposed brick wall. The outdoor seating is in the adjacent plaza and provides for people watching on busy Collins Avenue.

The pizza here is simple New York-style with fresh, all-natural ingredients. Chef Michael Gilligan, executive chef for the W South Beach, Miami, developed the menu for the New York-style pizzas. The dough is made of organic flour and then topped with a sauce made of garden-fresh tomatoes grown locally in Homestead, Florida. This thin-crust pizza is not overloaded with cheese and toppings. Instead, the simplicity and quality of the toppings speaks loudly over the refined crunchy crust.

The pizzas all have New York-influenced names. The basic "Manhattan" is a traditional Margherita with mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce and fresh basil. The "Hells Kitchen" has gorgonzola cheese, tomato sauce and sweet Italian sausage. The "Empire State" features fontina cheese, goat cheese, tomato sauce and ham. Diners should save room for dessert so they may enjoy the Nutella pizza with chocolate and Nutella spread over a thin crust.

The coffee bar serves Australia's best Colombian coffee brand "Calima Coffee - the richest coffee in the world." Coffee house favorites on the menu include espressos, cappuccinos and cafe con leches. With no Starbucks for miles, this coffee bar fulfills a need for coffee up in north beach.

I Love Pizza also serves salads, drinks, beer and wine. Free delivery (with a minimum purchase) is available as well as online ordering.

Pizza pizzeria miami beach pizza new york style pizza coffee coffee bar gourmet pizza chef michael gilligan michael gilligan north beach pizza north beach coffee