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Piola, A Chain Based in Treviso, Italy in Rosslyn and Cardozo - Both Locations Have Closed


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I noticed that Piola (Pizza) is opening in Rosslyn next to Cafe Asia. I'm sure it's just some international corporate mess (their other U.S. locations are in Miami and New York), but has anyone ever been who can tell me something more?
That should be nominated for one of the most annoying websites. Almost every you click is followed by a pop-up. Simply horrible.
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Use Firefox and turn the pop-up blocking on. I haven't seen one in almost 2 years. Now back to the topic...what is your opinion of the food Eric?
I had it once in the new york location, back when Mary was living in the city. I thought it was tasty as far as chains go. The size of the menu is incredible but it is similar to those restaurants that have caesar salad as an entree and then also list caesar with chicken as an entree. kind of redundant. The crust was crisp, however. I can't recall exactly which pie I had. I have never been to Italy, so I can't tell you what authentic pizza should taste like. But I am a fan of all the usual suspects, 2 amys, matchbox, etc.
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I noticed that Piola (Pizza) is opening in Rosslyn next to Cafe Asia. I'm sure it's just some international corporate mess (their other U.S. locations are in Miami and New York), but has anyone ever been who can tell me something more?
Beau and I walked past the NY location on our way to Hearth a couple of weeks ago and noticed a large sign out front indicating their next restaurant would be in Virginia. They're a bit geographically-impaired, however, since the map pointed to a location next to the Capital building in DC.
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Wondering what to do for dinner last night I remembered this and decided to try it out.

They say they use a wood burning oven and it is the first thing you notice when you enter. The ventilation system must not be working correctly as you can detect the odor of burning wood, not overpowering, but noticeable. The place is brightly decorated and trying to be too hip, but considering where the other outposts are it is not a big surprise.

On to the food. The menu is huge and they offer both the Italian thin crust pizza (way too many different varieties), about 5 Neapolitan style pizzas, pastas, starters, etc.

To start we ordered the Torcello, which for $9.50, you get canned white tuna (which may or may not be from Italy) mixed with white beans served atop flavorful sliced plum tomatoes and topped with chopped scallions. Not only did the dish need salt, but some decent olive oil packed tuna would have been a huge help. We ate this with the flavorless house-baked bread that was brought to the table.

For pizzas we decided on one thin crust, the Como, and one Neapolitan, of which I forgot the name. The Como, $14.95, comes with mozzarella (not fresh as indicated for some pizzas), parma ham, tomato sauce, and porcini mushrooms. I am not a fan of this style of pizza and it was just OK, with the tomato going nicely with the ham, and the measly portion of porcinis. The crust was properly cooked, but lacked any good dough flavor. My pizza, $11.45, was topped with fresh mozzarella, anchovies, tomato sauce, and unfortunately a healthy dose of dried herbs. The cheese was cut way too small to hold up to the cooking process and just about disappeared. Again the crust was cooked well, but lacked any flavor. We declined to try any of there Piola made (there or some corporate warehouse) desserts.

As you can probably tell we will not be back, especially since 2 Amy's and Paradiso are worlds better.

Total for dinner with 2 beers was $49.13 before tip. To quote Rocks, "spending my money so that you don't have to."

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On to the food. The menu is huge and they offer both the Italian thin crust pizza (way too many different varieties), about 5 Neapolitan style pizzas, pastas, starters, etc.
What is the distinction between "Italian thin crust" and "Neapolitan style"? Also, it's not surprising that the food at Piola would be indifferent. Their annoying WEBSITE is all concept and hipness, with hardly any information (that I could discover) about their food. I won't be rushing across the river to this place.
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What is the distinction between "Italian thin crust" and "Neapolitan style"? Also, it's not surprising that the food at Piola would be indifferent. Their annoying WEBSITE is all concept and hipness, with hardly any information (that I could discover) about their food. I won't be rushing across the river to this place.

Italian thin crust is more cracker like without a rim of crust around the pizza. Neapolitan is slightly thicker and there is a rim of 1-2" around the outside, think 2 Amy's.

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Italian thin crust is more cracker like without a rim of crust around the pizza. Neapolitan is slightly thicker and there is a rim of 1-2" around the outside, think 2 Amy's.
Do they serve "Italian thin crust" in Italy? I've eaten pizza in several different parts of Italy, including Naples, and it's pretty much all been as you describe Neapolitan. I blush to reveal that I've never been to 2 Amy's.
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Do they serve "Italian thin crust" in Italy? I've eaten pizza in several different parts of Italy, including Naples, and it's pretty much all been as you describe Neapolitan. I blush to reveal that I've never been to 2 Amy's.

Sure do. I have had it in Rome, places in Tuscany and in Abruzzo.

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Do they serve "Italian thin crust" in Italy? I've eaten pizza in several different parts of Italy, including Naples, and it's pretty much all been as you describe Neapolitan. I blush to reveal that I've never been to 2 Amy's.

Pizza, like everything else in Italy is regional.

If the pizzaualo is from Naples, the pizza will be a little thicker with a distinct rim of crust. The rim will be thicker. The topping will be spread leaving a 1-2" rim. If from Lazio, the crust will be crackery and more burnt on the bottom and the topping will be spread closer to the rim.

Sicilia is famous for foccacia and this is often sold as pizza al taglio all over italy. They are pan crust pizze smeared with topping.

In the Emilia, rolled pizze are common with the topping spread out in bands on a long crust. The width of the band is determined by the length of the crust.

When Pizzauoli move acorss the country, they take their styles with them. Over time the styles take on some of the culture of the region that the individual settles down in. Hence in the Emilia you can get a Sicilian style pizza made with prosciutto where in Sicilia, traditionally they do not make prosciutto, so a traditional pizza would probably use something like a sopressata piccante.

And all of this ignores the Neopolitan idea that Pizza was invented in Napoli for the visit of Queen Margherita and that there are only one real pizze: Margherita (mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil for the flag). But even they recognize that foccacia is a historical antecedent of the Pizze Margarita and eated widely. There are many other recipes of what would only be looked upon as pizza extant. And do you think a baker woould take a newly invented dish, made out of imagination and whole cloth and give it to his Queen? Maybe but probably quite dangerous. I think the dish predated Queen M's visit and grew out of other traditions.

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And all of this ignores the Neopolitan idea that Pizza was invented in Napoli for the visit of Queen Margherita and that there are only one real pizze: Margherita (mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil for the flag).

It was not pizza that was invented, but the combination of ingredients to make the Margherita, basil, fresh mozzarella, and tomato sauce representing the three colors of the Italian flag.

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It was not pizza that was invented, but the combination of ingredients to make the Margherita, basil, fresh mozzarella, and tomato sauce representing the three colors of the Italian flag.

True...click for the history of pizza. Additionally, I've read and heard more often than not that the true Margherita pizza was/is made with tomatoes, i.e. fresh, not tomato sauce.

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Another interesting history of pizza at this link, including the obligatory reference to Apicius :)

Ed Levine reports that the word "pizza" appears in print as early as 997AD, and observes that to this day, pizza in Naples is typically made with tomatoes, chunked or Mouli'd, not tomato sauce.

(maybe this tangent belongs somewhere other than the Piola thread...)

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Another interesting history of pizza at this link, including the obligatory reference to Apicius :)

Ed Levine reports that the word "pizza" appears in print as early as 997AD, and observes that to this day, pizza in Naples is typically made with tomatoes, chunked or Mouli'd, not tomato sauce.

(maybe this tangent belongs somewhere other than the Piola thread...)

Absolutely!

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Milady and I went to Piola for lunch on Labor Day, so I can't talk about the service being indicative of anything as we were the only ones in the place (they were prompt and courteous). I had the carbonara pizza and she had the smoked salmon penne.

First things first, the pizza is pretty good. The crust is thin and crispy right up until it gets towards the center of the pie, at which point it becomes that fabulous floppy grease trap. It's a study in opposites, I know that doesn't appeal to everyone. The sauce is thin, but tasty and the ingredients weren't laid on so thick that you couldn't pick a slice up without it collapsing. Pretty good. The pasta was also tasty, with the salmon kind of sneaking in instead of overwhelming.

However, for the food you get I find the prices to be a little steep and I realize why. The space itself is very modisch, with mismatched furniture in the lounge and textured steel tables. I know this is meant to appeal to the young horny folk who can sometimes overflow from Cafe Asia next door and I know they can charge $10 and up for a small pizza because it's a sit-down dining experience with cloth napkins, but there's that calculated nod of "your internship didn't turn out to be very impressive with the opposite sex; try our pizza and booze."

Meh. I'll go back, but I know I'm not one of the beautiful people. I just eat well and marry better. So there.

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Not a fan. Between the loud music, blinding decor, and mediocre pizza, I won't be returning anytime soon. As a table we ordered four different thin crust pizzas - the four cheese (which included brie), a tomato, mozzarella, and gorgonzola mix, a eggplant, sweet pepper mix, and an anchovies, olive, herbs and more mix. Of the four, I liked the four cheese the best, as the brie was a welcome topping. The second suffered from being too cheesy (and not in a good way) and the eggplant came off as bland. The last pizza was difficult to separate from the taste of the anchovies, but aside from them might have been decent. I did like the crust, but it wasn't anything special. Certainly not comparable to 2 Amys or Pizza Paradiso.

The wine list is surprisingly expensive and quite limited as well. I guess it could be an okay happy hour destination, if you like that sort of scene, but when in Rosslyn, I'll stick to the tried and true like Ray's or Pho 75.

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Hmmm, sounds like the GOG is saying that it is even better than 2 Amy's or Paradiso. Am I the only one a little bit skeptical with that claim? I am in the area enough that I will have to try it out.

The pizza is OK, not the best I've ever had, but pretty decent. The restaurant is a welcome addition to the concrete wasteland that is Rosslyn.

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Two Amy's or Comet this isn't. But for a chain it wasn't too bad. The basic side salad was good, with a nice variety of mixed lettuces. The cherry tomatoes were tasty which was impressive since this was a few weeks ago before there was any real hope for good tomatoes. The bruschetta was fine, although the bread it was on had that great combination of a nice crunch on the outside and a soft, chewy inside.

We had two pizza's and a pasta dish. The pasta was exactly what you would expect from a chain: fine, basic canned tomato sauce with dried pasta that was cook just a bit too long. The basic neapolitan was nothing special but your basic decent pizza. It would have been better if I didn't have Two Amy's to compare it to. I had the Poldo which was tomato sauce, mozzerrella, spinach and egg. Mine was by far the best dish ordered that night. I love having the creamyness of a runny yoke to dip the pizza in. My only complaint is that the crust could have used a couple more minutes in the oven to make it crispier.

Dinner for three including one alcoholic beverage and two sodas plus everything above was $60 including a 20% tip. Not bad when you consider the pasta dish alone filled an always eating 18 year old boy.

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After a few months of not having gone there, and despite every other time I've gone being completely and utterly disappointed, I decided that I'd give Piola at least one more shot, as I've been craving pizza for a while. I headed over there at lunch.

As usual, it's mostly empty. I avoided the appetizers; I've gotten the carpaccio there before and it was very disappointing, and being by myself, most of the other ones would probably be too much.

I was seated promptly and then - nothing. I waited. And waited. I perused the menu thoroughly. And waited.

Literally 10 seconds before I stood up to leave a waitress came by. I managed to put in my order.

I ordered the #46 - tomato sauce, mozzeralla, sausage - and a Diet Coke. I'd forgotten that for $2 you get a can of Diet Coke and a small cup completely full of ice. Fairly quickly after that I got my pizza.

It was fine, I guess, though a bit more blackened around the edges than I'd like. It's nothing great, though. The waitress only grudgingly came back after I was done and more than impatiently waiting for my check.

Given the pretentious atmosphere, service that is not only glacially slow but also seems bored by the whole routine, and "blah" food, I'm regretting having spent close to $20 there just for lunch...maybe this time I'll remember that I don't actually like that place at all.

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My husband and I were looking for somewhere to eat on Christmas evening. Last year, we went to McCormick & Schmick in Arlington which was a big mistake. Long wait for service, for dishes, and what finally came out was burnt. They comped our meal but I didn't want a repeat of that this year. On OpenTable I saw that Piola was open and being a pizza lover from NYC and having meant to try it for a long time, we went.

I thought it was terrific. I am kicking myself for not having tried it earlier. I had the Trento (pizza with mushrooms) and my husband had the ham and pineapple (I made believe I didn't know him). Anyway, both were great. I really like their creamy mozzarella. Service was good. House red was acceptable. It was about half-full which seemed pretty good for Christmas evening.

I went again for New Years Day and it was also good. I am adding it to my rotation. Now that my portfolio took a dive, places like Piola seem a lot more attractive. OK, it isn't Two Amys, but it is right in my neighborhood and you can make a reservation and don't have to wait on a big line to get in.

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I am a disappointed diner. The #211 Bruxelle was supposed to be tomatoes, basil, ricotta and mozzarella, but it came out looking like a Boboli clown. Yes, I did choose a white pizza, which is not always a good choice when eating at a pizza joint for the first time, but it looked sad and tasted sad with its cutesy "whip cream" looking squirts of ricotta cheese, two sprinkles of wilty-basil and <shudder> cold tomatoes. The dough was lifeless and flavorless, which made me feel even sadder for paying $11 for this. Comparing just to chains, Vapiano's was better than this. The only bright spot was the HH promotion of $3 beers and Peroni hit the spot. At least something was redeeming.

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Very mediocre, imho.  I had the spicy hard salami with arugula.  Salami nice and spicy.  They should choose something other than arugula to douse every pizza.  Crust--so non tasty.

Slick looking place though...but not one I'd return to.

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I've been in search of a decent pizza in the general Rosslyn/Courthouse/Clarendon area for awhile now that comes with broccoli as a topping (something about that slightly charred broccoli on the pizza just makes it for me), so finally tried the Brooklyn from Piola last night.  I should have read this thread first.

I've probably tried 50+ broccoli pizzas in my day, and this marks the first time I've ever had a restaurant put frozen broccoli that looked straight out of the little white box from Safeway on a pizza.  I didn't even know what to say when I opened the pizza box when I got it home.  I mean I realize this is totally #firstworldproblems but frozen broccoli?

As a first time Piola customer, I will say that the staff was pleasant, the bar area looked decent, the crust was in the 'ok' range, and the Barbabietola (beets, tomato, orange, goat cheese) appetizer ($10.50) was pleasant enough.  The site they contract with for online ordering was a bit of a challenge to navigate but I appreciated that they had online ordering.

But the frozen broccoli....  man oh man.  That left a mark.

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We just ate at Piola's tonight.  I really like their pizza.

Piola in Rosslyn, discredited as it may be, has saved me on a couple of evenings coming back from travel. When you're taking the Metro back from National Airport, and you just want to wheel your suitcase up the hill and sprawl out at a table on the patio, you can do a lot worse. I know it's not great pizza, but neither is Flippin', zPizza, etc. (I should also add that the *only* thing I've ever had there is pizza and something equivalent to a Peroni).

Wow, I had this *way* too low in the Dining Guide.

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I love their pizza.  I always order a margarita pizza with olives.  I like the pizza crust and I like the mozzarella cheese and the tomato sauce.  Maybe it reminds me a bit of the pizza I had as a kid in Brooklyn.  In the early days, I ordered a mushroom pizza and didn't like it as the mushrooms were not fresh but re-constituted.  Maybe my positive feeling is due to always ordering the same tried and true thing.  My husband orders the Honolulu and he seems to like that a lot.

I am a pizzaholic as pizza is my favorite food.  And maybe I like throwbacks to my childhood pizzas because if someone offered me a Pupatella pizza, Orso pizza, Liberty Tavern pizza, Vapiano pizza, I would pick the Piola pizza.  Don't judge me!!!  And in my book it is way better than zpizza and Joe's Pizza.

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Pizza is personal. Nothing objective about it... I respect those that champion the pizza they love. I'll still take Jet's from Sterling Heights, MI over any of the fancy stuff from here or NY/NJ style pizza, but it's because of what pizza means. No apologies for liking pizza that other people don't!

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I love their pizza.  I always order a margarita pizza with olives.  I like the pizza crust and I like the mozzarella cheese and the tomato sauce.  Maybe it reminds me a bit of the pizza I had as a kid in Brooklyn.  In the early days, I ordered a mushroom pizza and didn't like it as the mushrooms were not fresh but re-constituted.  Maybe my positive feeling is due to always ordering the same tried and true thing.  My husband orders the Honolulu and he seems to like that a lot.

I am a pizzaholic as pizza is my favorite food.  And maybe I like throwbacks to my childhood pizzas because if someone offered me a Pupatella pizza, Orso pizza, Liberty Tavern pizza, Vapiano pizza, I would pick the Piola pizza.  Don't judge me!!!  And in my book it is way better than zpizza and Joe's Pizza.

Well based on the above and the magic combination of words....."...reminds me of   Brooklyn/Pizza"   I'll give it a shot.  I'll go with your suggestion, the margarita with olives.    Most of the time, when I'm in that neighborhood, Rays calls out to me... ;)

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I love their pizza.  I always order a margarita pizza with olives.  I like the pizza crust and I like the mozzarella cheese and the tomato sauce.  Maybe it reminds me a bit of the pizza I had as a kid in Brooklyn.  In the early days, I ordered a mushroom pizza and didn't like it as the mushrooms were not fresh but re-constituted.  Maybe my positive feeling is due to always ordering the same tried and true thing.  My husband orders the Honolulu and he seems to like that a lot.

I am a pizzaholic as pizza is my favorite food.  And maybe I like throwbacks to my childhood pizzas because if someone offered me a Pupatella pizza, Orso pizza, Liberty Tavern pizza, Vapiano pizza, I would pick the Piola pizza.  Don't judge me!!!  And in my book it is way better than zpizza and Joe's Pizza.

Based on the above advice, reinforced by some magical words and phrases, I gave Piola another try:   "Pizza, pizza crust, pizza I had as a kid in Brooklyn, pizzholic, childhood pizzas...."   All magical phrases and words in my book that bring back joyous times with pizza.   :D

But the sage words of Simul Parikh above:  "pizza is personal"   clearly ring true.

Again I was disappointed with Piola.  The crust was reminiscent of the crusts I recall from my youth  (not Brooklyn, but Northern NJ--overall very similar in my experience).   I relished the thin crust.

But the ingredients on top didn't do it for me at all.  I find better.

But whom am I to judge.  Enjoy Piola, Hopsing.  For me, I'd like to mix that crust with ingredients from other establishments.  But clearly a worthwhile experiment for those that relish their pizza.   ;)

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I haven't been to Piola in a while because my husband isn't that crazy about it plus he thinks of pizza as something one does for delivery.  Anyway, I was drawn to the half-price wine bottles for the month of September.  My pizza was as good as ever (margarita with black olives).  My husband had the Honolulu (ham and pineapple) which he said was okay.  I got their $27 Sangiovese bottle for $13.50.  Great deal and it was perfect for pizza.  I'm going to go again in September to take advantage of the deal.  I told my husband to order the tagliatelle bolognese or spaghetti with meatballs next time.

It was great eating outdoors on Sunday except for the constant loud airplane noise.

 

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On 9/6/2016 at 9:14 AM, hopsing said:

I haven't been to Piola in a while because my husband isn't that crazy about it plus he thinks of pizza as something one does for delivery.  Anyway, I was drawn to the half-price wine bottles for the month of September.  My pizza was as good as ever (margarita with black olives).  My husband had the Honolulu (ham and pineapple) which he said was okay.  I got their $27 Sangiovese bottle for $13.50.  Great deal and it was perfect for pizza.  I'm going to go again in September to take advantage of the deal.  I told my husband to order the tagliatelle bolognese or spaghetti with meatballs next time.

It was great eating outdoors on Sunday except for the constant loud airplane noise.

I was at Piola the other night and came up with an idea that would dramatically improve the pizza experience.   First, and in preparation,  order one very large piola pizza for takeout or delivery.    Eat it, give it to the pets, the neighbors, whatever, but most critically SAVE THE BOX.  

Go to WiseGuys.   Get Pizza to go.  When you get back to the car, place the WiseGuys Pizza in the saved Piola Box.   Go to Piola's take a table outside on a nice night.  Order drinks, apps, anything you like.  Tell the server you are going to eat the Piola pizza there at the restaurant rather than at home.  Complement the server.  Tip him/her well.   Eat the WiseGuy pizza.  Have anything else you like from Piola.  It will be a much improved dining experience....(at least pizza wise). 

(In retrospect--that is so wiseguyish, (albeit, pretty high schoolish) so New Yorkerish...I'm sort of proud for coming up with that.) :D

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1 hour ago, DaveO said:

I was at Piola the other night and came up with an idea that would dramatically improve the pizza experience.   First, and in preparation,  order one very large piola pizza for takeout or delivery.    Eat it, give it to the pets, the neighbors, whatever, but most critically SAVE THE BOX.  

Go to WiseGuys.   Get Pizza to go.  When you get back to the car, place the WiseGuys Pizza in the saved Piola Box.   Go to Piola's take a table outside on a nice night.  Order drinks, apps, anything you like.  Tell the server you are going to eat the Piola pizza there at the restaurant rather than at home.  Complement the server.  Tip him/her well.   Eat the WiseGuy pizza.  Have anything else you like from Piola.  It will be a much improved dining experience....(at least pizza wise). 

(In retrospect--that is so wiseguyish, so New Yorkerish...I'm sort of proud for coming up with that.) :D

Ah, what's a little fraud between friends!  I'm sure you're just kidding though.

Anyway, this title should be updated to reflect that they have a location at 14th and Florida.  I've found the pizza to be good, but only the goat cheese and beet salad to be decent otherwise.  Their FREE FOOD happy hours are also somehow catch-free and worth doing.

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Lunch at Rosslyn outpost today was good. I had the carbonara pizza -- eggs, parmesan, bacon -- and it came out as a larger size than the typical single-serving pizzas. Nonetheless, I shocked myself and my lunch companion by downing it all. Despite previous posts, I found the crust to be OK, maybe not great, but it didn't get in the way of the blend of toppings.

I would return and I would order the carbonara again, but I will have to hit the gym quite often thereafter....

 

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I'd be thrilled to have a Piola in Fairfax, since the choices here are abysmal. Sadly, my go-to place for delivery is Domino's. I've tried many others, but they've been awful, inconsistent, or both. 

When I lived in Arlington, Piola was a reliable choice for a reasonably priced delivery pizza.  Yes, Pete's and Pupatella produced superior products, but they didn't deliver. 

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On 7/17/2018 at 5:58 PM, Kibbee Nayee said:

 the forgettable Piola?

I know I am the apologist for Piola here.  Although I haven't been there in a year or so, and their non-pizza dishes are not very good, but I usually order a pizza with Greek olives and that has always been very good!😋

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