Pie to Die For
Art or pizza? Scholars still hotly debate Italy’s most significant contribution to the civilized world, but Rosslyn pizzeria Piola finally provides some compromise. Treating the pizza as a canvas, Piola weaves Italy’s creative traditions together in a menu that features over forty different 12” pizzas, each one a masterpiece meal.
Take Your Pick
Offering all conceivable toppings, Piola is not a pizzeria for the plain, tame cheese lover- though one of our party did order the cheese and reported positive reviews. I ordered the Napoli and delighted in the always winning combination of mozzarella cheese, black pitted olives, fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes. The anchovies also added a little pep, permeating the whole assembly with a salty tang.
All of Piola’s pizzas are set atop a thin, considerate crust that won’t fill you up or upstage its toppings.
Pizza Ambiance
Piola’s high loft, exposed ventilation ceilings house a roaming floor plan with stained glass back bar, original acrylic artwork on the walls, and blown glass lights overhead. The industrial mixes well with the artistic giving Piola the appearance of a work-in-progress pizza cathedral.
Tunes
Music selection kept a firm grip on the nineties, and while I’d expect something a little more bohemian jazz to fit the surroundings, I couldn’t complain. It’s not often you get to hear such end of the century NOW gems like “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and “Ghetto Super Star”, songs that brought me back to my youth when pizza and lots of it was the only thing that really mattered.
Soon to be Two DC Area Locations
For pizza that will feed your eyes and stomach, check out Piola in Rosslyn and be on the lookout for another location opening in DC soon!
1550 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA
Article By: Richard Barry, DC on Heels Editor
Richard is a freelance writer who enjoys building a healthy appetite with long runs around the city. When not logging the miles, he can be spotted training the palate at brunches, happy hours and food trucks.
