The restaurant known for baking great pizza and encouraging healthy lifestyles – yes, the two can co-exist, they say – is back open with shiny new digs in a new location. Tour de Pizza, which had previously operated in the Publix center on 38th Avenue North, has finally reopened, now serving up its fantastic pies next to the Racquet Club of St. Petersburg at 170 47th Avenue Northeast.

The stylish new spot features a sleek bar, a gorgeous courtyard, fireplace, and a combined seating capacity of 150 people. And while it’s the pizza that keeps people coming in, Tour de Pizza also offers garlic knots, cheese bread, wings, salads, subs, calzones and Stromboli. They even have desserts, along with a full bar of beer, wine and cocktails.

Their specialty and build-your-own pizzas are a draw, to be sure, but our favorites are the long list of breakfast pizzas, highlighted by the Honey Pie Breakfast Pizza. It’s a delicious creation topped with scrambled eggs, Italian sausage, bacon, ham, cheddar, mozzarella, spinach, tomato and honey. The restaurant is open from 11 am – 9 pm daily, with online ordering for carryout also available.

Experience the “Pizza Diet” at Tour de Pizza

What makes Tour de Pizza stand out is the wild story of its owner and the restaurant’s dedication to using healthy ingredients and making pizza you can feel good about eating. Matt McClellan founded Tour de Pizza in 2008, and it was then that he invented what he called “the pizza diet.” McClellan has dedicated his life to changing the image of pizza from a junk food to a health food, and in 2009 he went on a 1,300-mile bike ride from Saint Pete to New York City to deliver his message that pizza can be both healthy and delicious.

Eventually, he went on to become a professional body-builder as a 41-year-old father of two on an all-pizza diet. In the years since, his stardom in the pizza world has only grown as he’s gone on to host the world’s largest pizza party and founded the New York City Pizza Marathon.

“At Tour de Pizza you get the chance to experience the same delicious, nutrition that made Matt a champion, a winner, and GQ magazine elite athlete of the world in April of 2016,” the website says. “If you’re pumped for pizza and fitness, Tour De Pizza is the place to be. At Tour De Pizza we pride ourselves on making delicious, healthy food at an affordable price.”

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