For the longest time I had heard whispers that the pizza I had been enjoying for so long was not indeed, real pizza. That there was something much tastier than the doughy, topping-laden, sauce-drenched pies the delivery places were shipping to my front door. Those same whispers also said… there was no such pizza in Houston… Houston had no authentic pizzerias.
Then came PIOLA. With its blazing hot brick oven, Italian, oddly-numbered menu (seriously, the menu items are in Italian and obscurely numbered), and perfectly crisp pizza crust — Houston’s long-awaited pizzeria had finally arrived. Needless to say… the food at Piola is Molto Bene!
Somewhat hidden on the edge of Midtown, Piola has rocketed to the top of Houston’s pizza scene from its small cafe-sized storefront on the bottom floor of The Mix complex. Come during the day and you’ll find a quiet, just-off-the-sidewalk dining experience. Visit later in the evening and witness this place light up with a vibrant, contemporary dining room and a full service bar — 
if there was ever a place to be seen eating pizza, its Piola.
This MHLer however, was not there to be seen… I was there to EAT! The meal started with a classic Caprese salad, thick slices of fresh, savory buffalo mozzarella stacked atop thick, steak-cut slices of juicy tomato, sprinkled with shreds of aromatic basil. Delicioso!
We then moved on to a plate of amazingly airy gnocchi swimming in a cheesy white cream sauce that was so good I’d slather it on shoe leather and eat it — seriously. The staff raved about the gnocchi (they sell t-shirts about these “pillows of goodness” and i WANT one), so we had to slip it in as part of our appetizer. We definitely will be returning for “All you can eat Gnocchi day” every 29th of the month! Look for a MHL feature on that soon.
And then there was the main event. The “Za”! Served smoking hot from the brick oven near the back of the restaurant, the perfectly crisped pizza dough, oozy-gooey cheese, and fresh toppings made for a mouthwatering combination that was clearly a step above other pizza joints in town. As a group we sampled the Capricciosa — ham, fresh mushrooms and artichokes (my
personal favorite), the Firenze — Italian sausage with porcini mushrooms, Quattro Formagi — four cheeses (’nuff said), and the Diavola — pepperoni.
The pies come as personal, medium-sized pizzas sliced in four huge slices. Because the pizzas are so thin, its easy to find yourself finishing your entire pizza before you know it! And perhaps what may be the most important test for good pizza (at least in this MHLer’s eyes) — does the cheese stretch out ninja-turtle-style when you take a bite? Yes, a resounding YES!
PIOLA, Famosi Per La Pizza. Try out the this pizzeria and you’ll know exactly what that motto means!
[PIOLA — 3201 Louisiana, Houston TX 77006 — Sun – Thurs: 11am to 11pm, Fri – Sat: 11am to Late]
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