Post-Round Pizza: 3 Staff Picks from Up & Down the Strand

By Jim Maggio

It might be my New York bias at work here, but I’m gonna say it anyway:

If you have to eat it with a knife and fork, it’s not pizza.

Spare me the deep-dish jive, Chicago. That’s a fine Italian dish, for sure – but if it needs utensils, it’s not part of this discussion.

Here, we’re talking thin-crust pizza, the kind you can grab with your hands. Fold it up, take a big, honkin’ bite from wherever you’re sitting or standing, and savor the flavor without making a complete mess of yourself.

So, for that matter, pizza with weird fruit toppings has no place in this debate, either.

In 14 years living in Myrtle Beach I’ve tried plenty of local pizza joints – some really good, some not so much for this delicate Irish-Italian palate. In that time I’ve settled on three favorites, one in each part of the Grand Strand. One of these will give you a great post-round option from wherever you’re teeing it up on your next trip, especially if you just want a really good cheese pizza without any added frills.

So here goes:

North Strand – At the beach end of Sea Mountain Highway is an unassuming little building across from Boulineau’s IGA, Basil’s Pizza, whose thin-crust pizza might be the best I’ve ever had along the Grand Strand. Just the right crispiness with their crust, a good proportion of cheese to sauce, and the flavor pops – even without all the extra toppings.

Central Strand – Lots of options in and around the Myrtle Beach city limits, but there’s a new kid on the block in nearby Carolina Forest that has quickly become a family favorite. Scotto’s Pizzeria, in the former Costas Pizza space at the Food Lion shopping center on River Oaks Drive in Carolina Forest, is drawing raves from scores of Google reviewers in a very short amount of time in business. Welcome to the neighborhood, Scotto’s, and keep dishing out those awesome cheese pies.

South Strand – Landolfi’s Pizza, Panini and Pastries in Pawleys Island is a “triple crown” winner here for dishing out delectable treats of each of these varieties . We’ll stick to the pizza for this piece, and Landolfi’s thin-crust pies are wood-fired and straight-up delicious. They’re on Ocean Highway across from the Lowes Foods shopping center, so whether you’re finishing up a round at Caledonia, True Blue, Heritage Club, Pawleys Plantation or Founders Club at Pawleys Island, this place is quite conveniently located for your group’s post-round fix.