The already-legendary pizzerias of downtown may be getting a run for their money this summer.
The house-made mozzarella and Neapolitan brick-oven-prepared dough of Glendale’s La Piazza Al Forno, famous for an appearance on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” will be hitting downtown on May 1 and will be located in Cartel Coffee Lab‘s previous location near First and Washington streets.
Owner and home-taught pizza-maker Justin Piazza will open the new restaurant under the name La Piazza Locale, which will have a specialty of Napoletana pizza, appetizers and specials.
“My thing was always pizzas … I wanted to stretch out a little bit,” Piazza said of the vibe for La Piazza Locale. “It’ll be a cool place to hang out, for sure.”
Piazza said that La Piazza Al Forno, which translates to ‘Piazza’s Oven,’ has been owned and operated by the Piazza family for five years, and Piazza credits his father for his motivation to continue to create the “true” pizza.
“My dad was pretty much my inspiration to do it,” Piazza said. “He helped me learn how to make pizzas when I was a kid and I took the next step further.”
Piazza, who is originally from New York and New Jersey, said he wanted to open a location that reminded him of the comfort of home and to contribute to the growing boutique restaurant scene in downtown.
“(Locale) is also right in the middle of downtown,” Piazza said. “A lot of cool things are going on in Phoenix and I just wanted to be a part of it.”
For nursing major Emilee Lee, price, atmosphere and cleanliness are the key aspects she looks for when scoping out a new restaurant downtown.
“I want it to be pretty inexpensive, but I don’t mind spending a decent amount of money if the quality is there,” Lee said.
Business major Alex Jimenez said he finds eating downtown a hassle because most businesses require a parking permit and he has received two tickets for parking at a restaurant for too long without a permit.
“It’s extremely hard for me to find a pizza place,” Jimenez said. “But, you know, they have these … Google Maps and everything so if I have my phone I can look up a place.”
Locale’s “pizza so good it’s certified” takes the meaning of the word “pizza” back to its roots with Naples-imported, handmade brick ovens, San Marzano tomatoes and one of the only Verace Pizza Napoletana certifications in the state.
Piazza said that once the second location is open, he will consider adding discounts for students and local businesses among other specials.
The restaurant may have a soft opening with invited business groups and ASU faculty, Piazza said.
Contact the reporter at leslie.philp@asu.edu
