CityPlace Doral was packed, so my boyfriend and I left to find food. We originally were thinking about going to Flanigan's, but then we were driving around and I saw this place. I looked up the hours and saw they were open until midnight, and so, the decision was made: Piola it was!
Located in the same shopping center as a Chipotle that I had recently reviewed, we were surprised to see this not only open but buzzing with people. Spacious parking, funky décor, and more options for pizza than I thought possible, my boyfriend and I had quite a conversation as to what to order. We ended up ordering beer and a strawberry caipiroska for drinks, as well as avocado dip, a Rio de Janeiro pizza, and what is so fondly referred to as a fresa y chocolate pizza but really should just be called a Nutella pizza.
I imagine the beer was fine as my boyfriend said nothing about it, but I must say that the strawberry caipiroska which was supposed to be vodka, strawberries, and sugar was more vodka than anything else. Someone else would be happy, but I wasn't as I for once actually wanted something fruity and this drink was simply not fruity enough. Pure vodka overdose. I desperately needed water, and well, we had to ask three times to get water.
That aside, service was honestly on point. The food was brought out quickly, our server, Maria, was very sweet, and heck, we even had a man come from the kitchens named Jason, making sure everything was going well. It was, you know, aside from the water situation.
Piola provides you with complimentary bread, and well, we had that as well as avocado dip with focaccia bread, and goodness gracious, where has this avocado dip been all my life? I would go back to this place for that alone! Yes, I recognize I sound old and I am salivating like a dog, but seriously, that avocado dip is addicting.
In terms of the pizza, I think that there are way too many options, and well, that can be intimidating. That, and admittedly, a lot of these pizzas aren't your traditional pies. I'm certain that there is a Brazilian influence to some of these pies, especially considering that my boyfriend and I ordered a Rio de Janeiro pizza, consisting of pulled chicken breast, catupiry cheese, and a dash of parsley. The pizza wasn't bad; it was fresh and big enough for two, but I do have to say that the catupiry cheese is an acquired taste. I liked it, but my boyfriend didn't, and well, it's a good thing that the placement of the cheese makes it rather easy to remove. They have the cheese all over the pizza in blotches, and well, it looks a bit like cream cheese, so there is that.
We opted to take some of this pizza to go, so that we would have room for dessert. The dessert pizza we ordered was full of strawberries, powdered sugar, and the delicacy known as Nutella. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. We also ended up taking some of this home, and well, that's saying something as we both love Nutella and the dessert was scrumptious. Overall, if in the area, we would definitely return, but with so many pizza choices, we are bound to check out another flavor next time as I am sure there is something that my boyfriend and I can both equally enjoy. read more