Homesickness happens to all of us. Sometimes, it happens when you’re enjoying an otherwise fantastic experience in a new place, and sometimes it happens when you’re in a new home, feeling nostalgic of your home of yesteryears. One of the best ways to beat the melancholy of homesickness is to indulge in it with a certain beloved food — and if you’re from the northeast and feeling homesick for it, a hefty slice of New York-style pizza is just the way to go, with Bubba’s Pizza being just the business to serve it.
Bubba’s Pizza is located in Panama City Beach’s Southfields neighborhood. You will find it right along the main throughway of Black Beach Road in its own stand-alone, one-story tan building with a dedicated parking lot.
This building was recently updated, but the business of Bubba’s Pizza has been around for many years now. The owners, hailing from the Northeast themselves, pride themselves on making and serving the most authentic New York-style pizza in the area. Go here for thin crunchy crusts, freshly grated mozzarella cheese, and dough that has been allowed to ferment a full 24 hours so as to really pack in the flavors. Toppings are sliced and cooked daily and the pepperonis absolutely curl up into the little cups you expect to see in any New York pizzeria.
Like many local pizzerias, Bubba’s Pizza offers quite a great in-person experience. This business utilizes an open kitchen format in which diners can watch pizzas being prepped, tossed, and baked as they relax at their table. Or wait at the extended bar as the kitchen crew gets to boxing up your choice. The dining area itself is small but includes several tables, booths, and bar stools for dinners to choose from. The walls are painted white and red with some local posters and beer advertisements hung throughout. If you dine inside, you can also enjoy a beer or house wine with your meal (while Florida has passed new laws to allow for delivery of alcohol, Bubba’s Pizza as a business has opted out and refused to add alcohol to any pick-up or delivery orders).
When it comes to ordering, pizza certainly reigns supreme. Popular specialty pizzas on the menu of Bubba’s Pizza include:
Matty
The Matty pizza is a great choice for those who like the essentials, but want them extra fresh. This specialty pizza features sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and the meat trifecta of Italian sausage, bacon, and pepperoni.
Salty Sailor
This specialty pizza comes loaded with healthy but certainly salty ingredients. You’ll find salami, black olives, kalamata olives, green olives, artichoke hearts, and fresh feta cheese all topping this thin crust pizza.
You can also, of course, build your own pizza from scratch. Or, if you’re hankering for something other than a pie crust, consider the following non-pizza favorites on the Bubba’s Pizza menu:
Crabby Fries
This is a massive starter item that features seasoned beer-battered French fries that are topped with bacon, mozzarella cheese, and a saucy she-crab bisque.
Philly Cheesesteak
This is a pretty authentically made Philly cheesesteak sandwich served up with grilled onion, peppers, and your choice of American or Provolone cheese on a toasted eight-inch roll. This menu item also comes with several upgrade options. You can double the meat for $4, add any of their listed pizza toppings for $1 each, and add French fries on the side for $3.20.
One important thing to note is that unless you go in or call in an order on a weekday in the buffer months, you should expect a fairly long wait. An hour minimum is usually one’s experience, with peak summer and winter month orderings sometimes taking an average of two hours from order time. Most will find the wait well worth it, but if you’re hungry now, then best to order food elsewhere and choose Bubba’s Pizza when you have more time.
Insider Tip:
-We would recommend not ordering through any third-party delivery service. This includes Grubhub, Doordash, and UberEats. Bubba’s Pizza is a mom-and-pop shop that takes great pride in being an independent business with its own delivery team. Pick-up and delivery orders taken through their phone system are prioritized, and you will receive honest wait times and order expectations.