[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you know pizza, you’ve heard of Piola. Founded almost 30 years ago in the small Veneto town of Treviso, Piola began to win over customers thanks to a family pizza recipe. Their expansion didn’t stop however at the walls of this medieval town: instead brothers Dante and Stefano Carniato looked West, to the Italian communities of Chicago, San Francisco and the American love of a “slice.”
Today, if you are looking for a traditional pizza in Istanbul or Mexico City, you’ll see the bold red and white letters of the Carniato enterprise. But in the crowded market place that is pizza – from “to go” and to those that don’t cut the grade – Piola has not deviated from its founding food ethos to deliver on freshness and friendly customer service. The Piola menu now reaches beyond the classic thin crust pizza to include pasta and salads. So, when Piola embarked on their first Colombian chapter late 2012, the objective was to introduce locals to their traditional taste and an authentic pizza experience.
Every Tuesday of the week, Piola turns tables at its flagship Parque 93 locale with an all-you-can eat pizza special. Think of it as their take on the Giro d’Italia. Hence, the all-you-can $18,900 pesos feast delivers on 16 specially chosen pizzas from the venues impressive list of 35.
Once you pull up at chair at Piola’s you know you are in it for the long haul, so best, not make it a fast lunch, as the pizzas keep turning up at your table and there are so many choices, that you’ll also probably renounce dinner. On any given Tuesday, Piola does the same with its pasta menu, offering an all-you-can eat selection for $17,900 pesos.
Piola’s Wednesday ‘Giro’ is a great deal as their regular pizzas are priced between $24,000 to $29,000 and you really have to pick and chose which flavour you fancy. On the Wednesday we visited Piola, we were offered slices from their 16 pizza selection and which included the Modena (basil, diced tomatoes and parmesan), a Diavola (peperroni), a Reggio Emilia (Italian sausage), an egg plant Parma, the sautéed mushroom and sausage Firenze, as well as some customized to the regional palate pizzas, which included the basil and cherry tomato Miami and the guacamole ‘Monterrey’. They even have an Osaka with shitake mushrooms and spinach.
Piola is a casual place in an inviting and specious space, where local designers and artists are invited to exhibit their works as part of Piola’s Art Inside initiative. While they have mastered the pasta, panne and pizza, the restaurant also offer a Happy Hour and a Lucky Gnocchi Thursday for those who enjoy these little bundles of steamed potato dough.
So if you far from home, or living just a few blocks from the Parque 93, Piola will make you feel cozy all over with their ‘Benvenuti a casa’ approach to service and quality. And from hosting large groups, to making a good impression on a date, pizza remains a universal food of friendship.
PIOLA. Calle 93 No.11A-11
