I decided to stop into my local Piada location after seeing a Facebook event intended to celebrate…read morethe launch of their new Innovation Kitchen menu. Being that I would be in the area on this day, and the fact that I cannot resist a good giveaway, I decided to stop up for lunch to take part.
Piada Italian Street Food is a fast-casual chain featuring pastas, wraps, salads, bowls, and more. They have locations in 6 states, including 4 in the greater Pittsburgh region. This specific location opened in the fall of 2021, servicing the South Hills area.
This exact location is on N Highland Road, just off of the main Washington Road. It sits in a corner storefront within Normal Centre II, along with several other stores and businesses. The shopping complex has a private parking lot, and is accessible via both Washington Road and N Highland Road. I am not certain if this is located in Bethel Park or Upper St. Clair officially, as it sits right near the border. It is also just up the road from the South Hills Village Mall, for a point of reference.
Navigating to here is relatively simple. There is naturally a lot of traffic all around, given the high concentration of stores and restaurants in this area. However, the shopping complex has a taller road sign that lists out each business, so you will see a sign for Piada from the road.
The parking lot was a little busy, given that my visit was around 11:00 AM on a weekday. However, I was able to get a spot very close to the Piada entrance. I have never visited this complex and not been able to find a parking spot, though you might have to park a little further away than you desire at peak times.
When I went inside, there were a few other customers already there, but it was nothing overwhelming. I was greeted upon entering, and enjoyed the balloons and other decorations they had put up for their new menu launch celebration. It was very clean and neat inside overall.
I took a few minutes to look over the new menu that was debuting this day. It did not seem too different from what I remembered having in the past, but I did notice that all prices were $10 for the Pastas, Piadas, and Salads. This appealed to me from the start, as at these places when items are al a carte, your entree can add up quickly. Having a set price of $10 is very appealing, and makes me want to come back here more frequently.
After deciding on my order, I made my way into the line and up to the ordering counter. It is a similar style to Chipotle, where there is a bar and your meals are built in front of you with the various ingredients as you make your way down the line. For hot items, they cook those and then bring them back up to the line.
For my meal on this visit, I ended up choosing the Avocado Chop Salad. This comes in a huge bowl filled with fresh vegetables and mix-ins. It could definitely be enough for two meals. I took it home with me to have later, but I very much enjoyed it when I got to eat. I am a sucker for a gigantic, fresh, colorful salad, and this was just that. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of it, but you will have to take my word on this one!
The service this day was quick and friendly! There were a lot of staff members there, presumably for the menu launch/event, but they were all on top of it and made sure everyone was taken care of. I appreciate their efforts and quality of service.
Definitely thought the value was there for my visit this time. Not that this was not a good value before, but being that the entrees are now $10, it is worth it that much more to come here. It would be hard to beat the value at this price, given the quality and freshness of the ingredients. I would recommend stopping here based on the value alone.
Another value-add is the rewards program. You can access this on their app or through the website. There are different tier levels based on points earned, and you can trade in your points for different foods, drinks, and money off of your order. They also send some random rewards sometimes, such as a $5 off coupon. It is worth signing up if you find yourself coming here even somewhat regularly.
After checking out, we got the chance to spin the prize wheel for a shot at several different items - a speaker, free Piada entrees for a year, a cooler, Steeler tickets, and other prizes as well. I ended up getting a couple coupons for free entrees, which I will for sure be back to use. As I said, I always love a giveaway and appreciate restaurants like this giving back to their customer base every now and then.
Had a positive and fun experience at Piada for the launch of their Innovation Kitchen menu! I am glad I stumbled across this event on my Facebook and was able to make it out. My food was tasty, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, I thought the value was awesome, and then the giveaways were a cherry on top. I recommend giving any Piada location a try if you find yourself near one, but especially this one in the South Hills!