Chef/owner Anthony Petralia was suspicious when he received word last month that his pizzeria, Tralia, in Sarasota, Florida, had earned recognition from the Michelin Guide.
Specifically, Tralia was named a Michelin Guide Selected restaurant in the 2026 Michelin Guide Florida—essentially Michelin’s list of recommended eateries for the state. It’s now the first Sarasota pizzeria to make the list.
“I had no idea,” Petralia told a local TV station. “They messaged us on Instagram, and I sent it to my [GM], and I was like, ‘Is this real? Is it a scam?’ I didn’t know what to think.”
“I was kind of thrown by it,” he added. “And it’s been incredible.”
Tralia started out as a sourdough pizza pop-up running just one day a week in a commissary kitchen during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers had to pre-order the pies online for takeout only. As its popularity grew, Petralia added more pickup days and started doing weekly pop-ups at local bars and breweries. He opened his brick-and-mortar store in January 2023.
Petralia bakes two styles: a Detroit-style pan pizza and an artisanal round hybrid boasting a puffier Neapolitan-style cornicione with a New York-style crisp. Pies range in price between $17 and $25.
Michelin-recommended restaurants are places that inspectors believe are worth including in the Guide, even though they do not receive a star, Bib Gourmand, Green Star or other special award.
Michelin says its inspectors use five universal criteria when assessing restaurants:
- Quality of ingredients
- Mastery of flavor and cooking techniques
- Harmony of flavors
- The chef’s personality expressed through the cuisine
- Consistency across the menu, over time and between visits
Michelin also emphasizes that inspectors dine anonymously, pay for their meals, and make decisions as a team rather than following one person’s whim.
Here’s what the Michelin Guide’s listing for Tralia says:
“Find one of the city’s best pizzas buried in an assuming strip center. The team uses a sourdough base for two very different results: Artisan round is crispy and crackly, while Detroit square has the rise of a layer cake and the fluffiness and lightness of a cloud. Both eat as well as they look; the MVP featuring marinara and dueling vodka and pesto sauces is a winner. Though the menu offers a number of apps and sandwiches, a satisfying Caesar salad blanketed in Parmesan and black garlic breadcrumbs is all you need before diving into the main event.”
For his part, Petralia said simply getting recognized by Michelin is “a huge accomplishment.”
“It’s definitely been an emotional day. It’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of sacrifice to get here, [and] a lot of grinding.”
