It's an okay Italian place -- if you're looking for something unique and hip, with good Italian food then this is the place to go! But if you're looking for something truly authentic and something mindblowing, maybe this isn't the place to go so much. I've only been here twice, and I've gotten the pasta and pizza both times I've been here. OVerall, the food and the service were both good, but nothing spectacular. It's in midtown right next to Jinya. There is plenty of seating, both indoors and outdoors with some interesting bright color choices. I think there is so much on the menu that it can overwhelm you, so I just always stick with simple and classic whenever I come by here. Overall, it's not my first choice in Italian palce, but it will satisfy an Italian craving for a decent price! read more

Piola - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

The fiancé and I stopped in for lunch today after hitting up the National Museum of funeral History. Had a Piola pizza (added chicken) and gnocchi legnano. Gnocchi was good, but needs more seasoning or flavor of some sort. Pizza was good as well, wish basil was chopped smaller. It was plenty to split between the two of us. I had the kiwi caiprioska, which was too sweet and too pulpy for me. Didn't really care for it. Service was good as well. We would be back but not in a big hurry read more

HELLO BEAUTIFUL. I sorry there won't be any pictures. Taking some was the absolutely an afterthought but it won't be long before I order from this place again! Absolutely stunning food presentation even after it being delivered. I ordered the Chicken Parmesan, Garlic Knots, and T H E B E S T tiramisu in Houston, I'd put money on it! The portions were enough for 2 meals easy, including the tiramisu. Everything far exceeded my expectations! Piola, WELL DONE read more

Love Piola! What can I say? I've eaten here so many times they are like family for me, haha. At the bar you get free appetizers during happy hour and the best drinks are the: -Lime Caiparinhas (Brazilian Cachaca, so good!) & Lime Caipiroskas (with vodka) -Pisco Sour -They have Lady's Night on Thursdays - $3 glass of wine for ANY wine *not sure if that's still going on Non-Alco Bevvies: - Fresh Pineapple and mint juice - Fresh Swiss Lemonade (freshly cut and blended in front of you @ the bar for your glass only!) -Guarana, from a can but a hard to find Brazilian drink! Favorite Appetizers: -Valle Dei Templi (the Bufala cheese is amazing with proscuitto) make sure you have plenty of people to share this with because its huge! -Caprese salad is good but the valle dei templi is next level. Favorite Salads: -Lollo with chicken -Garibaldi Favorite Pizzas: All the pizzas come with a thinner crust except for a handful but you can always ask for the thicker crust on any of the pizzas. - SPICY: The Houston (has avocado and jalapeno) & The Diavola (for spicy salami and thicker crust) - Margherita or the Regina Margherita, Miami Beach - MEAT & CHEESE:Piola, Quattro Formaggi, Moderna, Pompei, carne & compagnia, brooklyn, Honolulu, San Daniele, (all good) -Not a fan of the: venezia, mantova, ragusa, napoli, tonno & cipolla, braccio di ferro, or the rio de janeiro. But try if you're feeling adventurous. Pasta: You can't really go wrong here. All of the pastas are amazing - it just depends on what you are in the mood for! Except for the lasagna rina, I never much enjoyed it. For the Carne & Altre, I never really enjoyed these either but again, try if you're feeling adventurous. Desert: Hands down the Profiteroles is best followed by the Tiramisu and the Panna Cotta. Also their Gnocchi Night!! All you can eat Gnocchi and you get to try all the various sauces they regularly have and some special ones that only come out once a month. You have to make reservations on that day because they fill up quick. read more

Every time I come here for spaghetti I'm never disappointed. I really love the sauce the use on their pastas! The lasagna is out of this world!! It's thick and beautifully layered in delicious flavors! I always get this soda in a can called Guarana! I love it! It tasted like a light bubble gum soft drink!! They have private parking upstairs. This place also has an outside patio. It's right around the corner from Dolce Delights and right next to Jinya. The pizzas here at delicious it's light and flavorful. It's European style pizza so it's hand tossed thin crust. The gnocchi is so fresh and soft. It's pretty casual in here so no need to dress up like you're going to a ball. They have a wine list as well as liqueur. It's a cute spot to bring your date. It's not to loud but just enough back ground noise and music to bring your date! read more

Pizza was great! I had delivered the veggie pizza and spicy salami pizza. Both were excellent!

Friendly staff quick and efficient. Food was fast and very tasty. Went on a Sunday so it was more relaxed but still quite busy. read more

Piola - Simple yet flavorful. Gnocchi Legnano and the Fusilli Bianco Verde - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

Fast, inexpensive American-Italian food. The pizza and pasta were excellent, and large portions for the price. There are almost 20 pizzas to choose from! Great place for budget-friendly carb loading before a night out! They have a variety of Italian beers and tasty $5 house wines. The service was fast and friendly. We went on a Friday at 7pm and there was no wait. read more

This place was a bit of a challenge for me. We went here on a double date with another couple, and we were excited about the rave reviews for the pizza. Both couples decided to split a salad and pizza between them, and we opted for the caesar salad (2) and brooklyn pizza (4). We started out with a carafe of the house pinot grigio and for $24, I thought this was a solid deal. It wasn't my favorite wine, but for the price I was good with it. The Italian wine list is a bit short, but the prices weren't crazy (although I'm not sure about their value). The caesar salad looked good, it just didn't taste very good. The dressing was really uninspired, and it desperately needed some level of pepper (and I don't tend to need pepper on everything). The croutons were also whatever, and I was just pretty unimpressed with this dish. The Brookyln pizza really did steal the show. I loved the crust and the sauce, but I must admit, I was very confused about the oven pulled chicken. I see other people really like it, so take this for what it's worth, but I don't think roasted chicken should be on a pizza now. Grilled chicken, sure, but to me it was just kind of a weird flavor combination. Otherwise though, this pizza was some of the best pizza we've had in Houston. Atmosphere - this really solidified the 3 for me. The place is pretty small, and everyone is crammed. We were against the window, and our friends got hit by the other table when they were leaving. We couldn't even back up, because we were literally up against the window and there was no room. We also watched another couple request to be moved, because they were so squished. Also, the chairs were really not comfortable, like noticeably so. I definitely think their pizza is worth trying, and I wouldn't be adverse to coming back, but they need to step up their salad game pronto. read more

Piola - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Centrally located, with the best thin crust pizza! We stumbled upon this place on a weekend, when we just wanted a bite for dinner without having to deal with a wait. The atmosphere is low key, modern, and clean. Their menu has basically every single pizza you can imagine, with a variety of pasta and salad options as well. The pizzas are thin-crust, and baked to perfection. Right up our alley. We got the Salvador pizza and the Carne & Compagnia pizzas, which were both delicious. The Catupiry cheese gives the Salvador pizza a good kick of flavor. We also ordered the Caesar salad to share-- don't be fooled by the small size on the menu, as the portion size is huge. Friendly service, clean interior. My only complaint: limited parking (as with most places in Midtown). I can see us becoming regulars! read more

Hands down best pizza! The ingredients are fresh and delicious. My favorite go to restaurant for pizza whenever I am in the mood.

Went to Piola's for lunch today. They have a great lunch menu, but I went for the Gnocchi Pompei and a cappuccino! Yum!! Will be back soon :) So awesome :) read more

4.5 stars. Once again, I have discovered another amazing place thanks to Yelp! I made reservations for a party of 8 on a Thursday night and we had no problems getting seated. The table was already set up for us even with a few of us showing up 15 minutes prior to our time. Unlike some restaurants I've been to, you can also sit at the table and wait for the rest of your party even if the majority or not all of them have arrived yet. The pizza with Catupiry cheese, artichoke hearts, and hearts of palm was phenomenal. None of us with the exception of one had ever heard of or tried that kind of cheese. It's a very smooth cheese that is a cross between mascarpone and cream cheese. My friends loved it so much that they ordered that cheese on the side and mixed it with their own dishes! I don't normally like pizza crust (or pizza for that matter), but Piola's was the perfect combination of chewiness and flavor. For $14.50, the pizza was on the pricey side but I still had two large slices remaining and happily gobbled that up for breakfast the next morning. Pizza, the breakfast of champions! I also sampled my friend's rich gnocchi dish that consisted of a sauce of brie, mozzarella, gorgonzola, cream, and grana padano. The gnocchi is freshly-made in house but was a tad too heavy for my tastes. He killed his entire meal but will probably order the lighter option of tomato sauce with fresh basil next time. The experience here was excellent with some minor snafus - 1) My friend wanted the beef carpaccio but got a beef salad with overcooked beef. The waiter quickly fixed that problem and let us keep the salad. 2) The bartender was really off that night and made everything incredibly strong. Even my friend who showed up to dinner drunk thought his drink was too strong! We were all glad that we tried Piola instead of trying our favorite Italian pizza place of Dolce Vita. Now we have some choices to make the next time we're in the mood for Italian. read more

Piola - Catupiry cheese pizza with artichoke and hearts of palm - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

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After 2 visits in 2 weeks, I'm in luuuuuuurve with this little place. Visit numero uno: Happy Hour with the girls Arrived on a weekday around 6 on a rainy afternoon. The place was fairly empty. We sat at the bar for the 'free food' happy hour. (highly recommend) ... sampled the brushetta, pizzas, various dips & gnocchi. HOLYOMGHELL ...the gnocchi. We ordered off the happy hour menu ... which I found out later changes daily because when I went back for the champagne cocktail I had, it had changed. The cocktails were girly - numerous flavours of bellinis, etc. We ended with wine. Very decent wine selection. Visit numero dos: dinner with friends The pizza menu is not for those with trouble making decisions. Goat cheese, salmon ... various fruit, cheese and meat variations seperated into traditional and non-traditional. The pizzas are somewhere between personal size or split with someone depending on your appetite [and if you're on Weight Watchers or not]. Now for the HOLYOMGHELL moment #2: the dessert cream puffs filled with ice cream and drizzled with chocolate. AND the lemon ice cream and vodka concoction. Let me be clear: YOU MUST HAVE THE VODKA & LEMON ICE CREAM thinger. As in, stop what you are doing right now and go have it. And then maybe have a 2nd. Other awesomeness: fast service, pizza's are out in less 10-15 min, reasonably priced, adorable decor. read more

Piola - Cream puffs! - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

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About-average Italian food that benefits from being in a cool part of town, Piola is not nearly as good as Giacomo's, or Damien's, etc. Piola is the kind of place that makes you start to do the back-of-the-envelope math on how much of each dollar is spent on atmosphere and ambience and how much is spent on cooking and ingredients. There's enough vegetarian pizza, pasta, and salad: Piola covers those bases well enough. I was catching up with a friend who is leaving Houston soon, and he suggested Piola. I ordered the caprese and the vegetarian lasagna (actual menu name is much harder to pronounce). I believe the vegetarian lasagna was #527 or something: Yes, this is the kind of Italian restaurant with more options than your hole-in-the-wall Chinese sweet spot, or at least lists its menu in teh same way. I appreciate that they look out for my inability to read Italian (sound all the vowels out, and use an accent has been the median advice). No, there are not #527 options, but there are many. The free bread was okay. The tomatoes in the caprese were not very good. They weren't rotten or anything, but they just tasted very plain. The basil wasn't very incorporated. The cheese was wonderful, but I think I'm partial to cheese. The vegetarian lasagna reminded me of an Asian restaurant yet again: it tried to do to much. I think there were like 6 or 7 vegetables slammed in there, making each bite taste very "Happy Family"-esque (those quintessential Chinese dishes that manage to utilize every ingredient in the restaurant... like five meats, eight vegetables, stir fried and served with a side of fried rice) or burrito-ish. I should note that I spent a bit of the meal fighting off small flies (about the size of fruit flies) that were buzzing around inside near my bread. While doing so, I took a look around at the other diners enjoying their evening: mostly people laughing over drinks, or groups of girls getting dinner together. That's got to be worth at least half a star on someone's rubric, just not mine. read more

Piola - Caprese - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

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holy pizza, Batman! wow wow wow! BEST pizza I've had in Houston- hands down. EAT IT. Put it in your mouth! NOW just do it! Burrata cheese is my guilty pleasure. Get that pizza for SURE. Simple, understated ingredients that work extremely well together. Very pleasant and knowledgeable wait staff. All around great place. Now if only they weren't located right below my gym......hahaha, I predict I will stop in after working out way more than I should. read more

Piola - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I came here for lunch one day and ended up drinking so many glasses of mimosas. I came here for lunch and I got the pasta and meat sauce(I think this would be so much better if the pasta used was spaghetti but alas it wasn't) and my coworker got the spaghetti and meat balls. They were both good, lots of flavor. I also got one pizza, don't remember what I got but it had eggs on it? It was okay. Nothing special. This is your run of the mill Italian place. Nothing special but it does the job. I would recommend it. Plus there is a parking garage for you to park in. read more

I went to Piola on a Friday night without a reservation and the hostess was still able to get us a table for two. We sat outside and it was such a pleasant experience. I ordered the Pizza Diavola and it was incredible! It was so fresh and tasted exactly like the pizza I ate in Italy! It was the perfect balance of cheese, tomato sauce, and spicy peperoni. This will be my go-to place when I'm missing Italy! read more

Piola - Pizza Diavola - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place was great! I love the modern atmosphere. The pizza was amazing (I got the Pompeii Pizza). The Tiramisu was to die for. The staff were very friendly and attentive. I would recommend this place to anyone for an inexpensive meal. P.S. They have great water? I know it's a weird thing to say, but it was delicious. read more

Piola - The ambiance of Piola. - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Take out. The gnocchi and the spaghetti ala crudaiola is delicious. The cannolis taste like they're from a true Italian bakery!

Second time coming here. Both time has been for the Gnocchis night. Both time were not that good. I think this restaurant is overrated and nothing special. The environment it's pretty nice and we'll located in the city, staff it's very friendly but it's just the way that they serve the gnocchis. The give you the first serve and once you finished you have to eat like 10 min for the next one. So easily it tasks like 1 hours just to be able to try all the flavor. To me it's not worth it.they should improve the quality of food a little. read more

Mmm...pizza that reminds me of Rome! I came here with a group on a Thurs evening. Note, if you want the happy hour deal, you need to sit at the bar. We ordered some bruschetta and lipari. I only had the bruschetta...it was good, but as someone else mentioned in their review, a gnat was hovering around the plate. Kind of a turn off, but it was still good. But, the most important part of the meal, the pizza, was stellar. I had miami beach (~$14)...arugula and cherry tomato wedges. It's such a thin crust that it can get limp, but dang, I don't mind. The fresh ingredients meld together to create something simply delicious. One pizza is more than ample (meaning, I couldn't finish mine and I eat a lot). I also sampled the rio de janeiro pizza, and while the catupiry cheese was creamy and interesting, the chicken was kind of dry and detracted from it. With seven people, we had an automatic gratuity added to our bill. We had some issues trying to figure out how to split the check appropriately, and they ended up having to void and redo our separate checks. At no point did they seem aggravated about it...they were nothing short of helpful. Overall, I was very pleased with the way the service was run. On an unrelated note, I love the lights on the trees out front. Not only does it help identify the restaurant, but it's cute. read more

So last Friday after a night around the town, my companion and I were looking for pizza. Ok, mostly it was the aforementioned companion who wanted pizza since I prefer food stuffs that come in fajita form after midnight. My first stop was at a certain late night (or Late Nite) pizza place and they were closed! Seeing how it was an emergency and my phone's GPS was failing me terribly, I called up my old buddy (who has a somewhat negative review of here also to do with the time of operation) and he mentioned Piola and after that, I finally found this place near the 24 hour fitness. Good news everyone! They have a parking garage! I even ran into a couple of fellow U of H Cougars in the parking area in a giant cougar red Hummer, but I digress. Anyhoo, everybody inside was super nice. We got the basil pizza (I have no clue what the actual name was) and if that wasn't enough carbs, a certain someone recommended the potato dough pasta which after letting it sit, was actually very tasty. Our waitress (pretty short haired girl) was very attentive and wonderful and overall if I ever have a craving for late night pizza, I will come here again. read more

Piola was one of the first restaurants I ventured to when I moved to Houston back in 2013. Believe it or not, my favorite item at Piola is not the pizza. or any of the pasta dishes.. Its the Lollo salad! Its become my favorite salad. Its fresh arugula, with HUGE pieces of grana padano cheese, and a tangy Italian dressing. They serve with a wedge of lemon, which add a nice kick. I know it sounds crazy but its so delicious. The pizza is also great. I always go with the margherita with extra basil. They are usually very quick with their pizzas. You can get wheat crust for an up charge. I have never had any of the pasta, but plan to try the gnocchi - I've heard good things about it. If you have room for dessert, go for the Profiteroles.. Vanilla ice cream sandwiched between cream puffs and topped with hot chocolate/fudge sauce! I've had the tiramisu as well but wasn't very impressed. It didn't have much flavor. The service is usually good, no matter when I come, in lunch or dinner. My last visit was a bit different but I wont sacrifice a star because that definitely wasn't the norm. There is free parking in the garage adjacent to the restaurant. read more

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The Capiroskas and Caipirinhas are the best.. Bartenders here are the best.. They have small bites while you drink at the bar. read more

Piola - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I was visiting during the college moves this past weekend and picked this place based on the great reviews from Yelp. The place looked hip, it was clean and great service. Now to the food. We ordered the Pollo Alla Parmigianno. I was looking forward to this but was highly disappointed. The chicken was a very thin piece of chicken and it was overly fried. We tried cutting a piece and it just wouldn't budge. It was inedible. The spaghetti served with it lacked flavor. Margharetta pizza - it missed the mark, it was just a plain cheese pizza with basil thrown in the middle for a pretty presentation. Where was the mozzarella cheese and the tomatoes? Fussili with cream sauce with chicken and brocolli - I didn't taste this but from the look of the entree, I couldn't spot the 'chicken'. Lastly, I ordered the Caesar salad and was very pleased with it. I explained to the manager on duty about my complaints on the chicken parm and he offered another dish and promptly removed it from our bill. read more

Very good pizza in its own right. I haven't had anything else on their menu, but I hear good things about the non-pizza items such as pastas and salads. The atmosphere is ok in my opinion, but not amazing. Great location, but there's something about it I can't put my finger on. Every time I've come it seems, I don't know... forgotten...? Otherwise, a good place to try since they bake the pizzas in a huge oven in the back in plain sight. read more

We visited Piola Midtown during our vacation to Houston. I ordered the calzone, and my spouse ordered a Caesar salad. We also ordered cheesy bread as an appetizer. The bread and calzone were delicious. We were seated right away on a Thursday night. Our server was friendly, but the restaurant appeared short staffed on servers. In fact, I think he might have been the only one for the restaurant. There appeared to be food runners and a manager that were assisting. Overall, we enjoyed the food and our server. read more

Piola - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The pizza This is way too expensive for the size and thinnest or it. It barely had any toppings on. I'm from Brazil and was so excited to try the chicken with catupiry cheese pizza but was disappointed. The price-quality radio I don't care paying a little more for something that's worth but this pizza wasn't. Price is too high for the quality. Not enough toppings, way too thin and the catupiry cheese that I was looking for was only located as 5 big drops on the pizza. Which means you take 5 bites of nothing but cheese. Not returning. Buying my own stuff to make it at home. $17 + gas wasted! Zo read more

Piola - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

They have so many types of pizza! The dough is a bit thicker than what I like but it's still very crispy and fluffy with some of the powderyness still on it which makes it feel very fresh. Which it is because you can see them making it if you eat inside. Overall good pizza and nice hangout spot especially on Wednesday's since they have half off wine bottles. read more

I've been here probably a dozen or more times now, and I can safely say that it's a VERY consistent restaurant. I love it! The staff has been ON POINT 100% of the time. Super friendly, quick, and mistake free. The brick oven pizzas are delicious, especially the Copenhagen (brie & smoked salmon) and anything with prosciutto. The drinks from the bar have been nothing short of good, as well. My favorite was some kind of lemon GELATO shot with cream of vodka or something... so good! We had a round on the house for my 23rd birthday! Everything is exceptionally clean, neat, and easy (except picking what you want from the vast menu)! Parking is the best in midtown as there's a free 3 story garage, street parking, and a big lot to choose from. The owners are there every day at ron of house, so yo know you're being taken care of!!! 5 stars for this fine establishment. ---- To address some of what I've read from other Yelpers: 1. These are NOT your typical pizza hut dough grease bombs. They are traditional thin crusted pizzas. Don't give a low rating because you only like doughy greasy pizza but went to a pizzeria that only serves traditional thin crust. It's stupid to penalize a a lemonade stand for not having orange juice. 2. If your pizza is burnt, just tell your server! This has only happened ONCE to me or my groups (and I'm talking 15 people at a time) and it was immediately taken back and remade before it even touched down on the table, no problems whatsoever. read more

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This is my go to when I want a pizza now. The crust is thin but not crunchy which is good because a lot of thin crust feels like your eating a cookie. The pizza tastes great and so far has not disappointed. Definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for a new pizza spot. Just a tip if your really hungry it will take an entire pizza to fill you up. read more

My co-worker told me about this place so we came here for happy hour. The wine was $5 a glass which is pretty decent. I order the house red wine. It was so good! The pizza is delicious. You can't go wrong with good wine and good pizza. The atmosphere is very laid back and relaxing. I love the location, midtown. It's really close to the rail line, which is my transportation to work. I would definitely recommend this place for a happy hour or date night outing. The wait staff was very attentive and gave us great suggestions regarding the food choices. I will be returning soon to try the desert! Bianca read more

I was in Houston on business. My co-workers and I were looking for a sea food restaurant that was located next door to Piola. Thank god that the sea food restaurant was closed that night due to private event. We decided to eat at Piola. What a great find! If you're ever in Houston you need to visit this place. We were greeted with a smile and seated right away, our hostess was friendly and suggested items on the menu. Great service! Items I tried and highly recommend MARGHERITA Pizza (added olives/mushrooms), CEVICHE MANCORA (one of the best I have ever had) and GNOCCHI POMPEI (made just right). read more

Piola - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This review is based on HH! This is where it's at!! I appreciate a well priced HH and a healthy pour! read more

Piola - That's what I call a pour! - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

Deeply disappointed in Piola Midtown management. I placed an order over the phone and paid at the same time and even added a generous gratuity. The employee didn't provide a total , but we placed frequent to go orders so I did not ask to check. The employee misheard "side" for "five" orders of an item, and when we returned home we saw the error. The manager was cold and would not correct, except for a free dessert next time we go. The Piola on Voss is much more warm and accommodating, and understands the value in customer service. Lesson learned. read more

Wow, one of the best pizza's we've ever had and we have had pizza all over the country. Definitely our go to pizza place.

Piola is decent. Just not a fan of thin crust. The much hyped 'Regina Margarita' pizza did not meet my expectations. read more

Piola - Rio pizza - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas

Piola is located right next to 24 Hour Fitness in Midtown where I work out so got some take out for a post workout meal yesterday. While I didn't dine in, I really liked their bright decorations inside i.e. multi-colored lamps hanging from the ceilings. I have lived in Venice so I'm a big fan of authentic pizza and it was nice to see they have spritz (grenadine with aperol- an Italian liquor which is popular with college students in Italy). I got the Piola pizza which comes with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. They only have 1 size of pizza and it was $14 so a bit pricey for pizza which is why I have to knock off a star. But this is a pizza chain that started in Italy and has now spread across the world and the pizza is Italian-style. I'll be back again to try their pasta. read more

We.were in the neighborhood and stopped in for a quick drink. We walked in were seated quickly at the bar. Its a modern feel thats very welcoming. We ordered the a laprice and bruchetta. Came out quickly and fresh. Will stop in if we are in the neighborhood again. read more

Piola - Pizza Near Me - Houston, Texas