Tiny but mighty, The Pizza Spot might be Fort Lauderdale’s best kept secret | Let’s Go, South Florida

Watch Let’s Go, South Florida: This week’s video visits The Pizza Spot in Fort Lauderdale. The off-the-beaten path pizza joint has become a by-word-of-mouth destination since opening in late 2020. What’s their secret?

You might be religious about your favorite pizza destination, but once you try The Pizza Spot in the Riverside Park neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, conversion is possible.

“We’re doing the real thing,” said owner and head pizza maker Wade Beecher.

He and his longtime significant other, Sharice Richardson, moved to South Florida from Connecticut, where New Haven style reigns supreme and good pizza isn’t the exception. That might explain their determination to build a commercial grade wood-fire oven inside a 450-square-foot kitchen space.

That’s part of the charm at The Pizza Spot, which the couple opened in December 2020. The eatery looks like a small home — with windows for ordering — in the Riverside Park neighborhood between Broward and Davie boulevards and Southwest 15th and 9th avenues. The outdoor covered patio space offers an unassuming place to sit down under some shade with a pizza and a beer.

Beecher has been making pizza since he was a kid, but is also trained in French and Italian cooking. Richardson is also a chef with experience in fine dining. Together they don’t just make a mouth-watering pie, but a pizza experience South Florida has been hungry for.

“Each pizza I like to season myself. A little salt, a little pepper, always fresh garlic, a little oregano … every pizza gets its touch. I don’t put it in the sauce, I put it on the pie,” said Beecher, who offers some of his dough secrets on this week’s episode of Let’s Go, South Florida.

Popular pies include the tomato basil pesto and veggie delight. The meatballs steeped in a house-made tomato sauce are also a top-selling item. They also make fresh panuzzo, an Italian street food made with garlic bread and cheese.

The couple is also, literally, bringing us a taste of Connecticut, shipping in an undisclosed amount of water from the state to cook with. The cheese they use is also a popular choice in Connecticut.

“We use Grande cheese. It’s the best cheese out there for pizza. If you go to Connecticut all the restaurants, all the food trucks use Grande cheese…And what happens the next day when you heat it up, it gets that [cheese] stretch,” Beecher said.

Pizza Spot at 601 SW 12th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. They close at 9:45 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Sunday hours are noon to 9 p.m. Closed on Mondays.

Pizza Spot at 601 SW 12th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. They close at 9:45 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Sunday hours are noon to 9 p.m. Closed on Mondays.