Piola

A hidden gem in Rosslyn! Piola is fantastic: from the food and drinks to the service and atmosphere.

I decided to organize a little post-work happy hour for my team and thought sticking close by (our office is based in Rosslyn) would be a good start fostering those connections with fellow co-workers.

The seven of us walked right into the restaurant around 5:30 and were seated at a nice big wooden table. It was a great size for our original group number and comfortably sat the other two who arrived later. Our waitress, one of probably three that assisted our group, was kind and very informative about the happy hour specials. Each of us started out with drinks; sangria, wine, or beer, and were served our drinks promptly in addition to a glass of water each (bonus!). We decided to order two pizzas to share between all of us: the Piola (#118, fresh Italian style mozzarella topped with sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil) and the Rio de Janeiro (#108, oven baked pulled chicken breast, catupiry cheese (a creamy cheese) and a dash of parsley). Let me tell you, if you are stumped on what pizza to choose when you look at the menu, you're "thinking" correctly. Piola offers 61 different varieties of thin-crust, creative gourmet pizzas. Their innovative list of pizzas include both unusual toppings and combination in addition to the traditional, mainstream varieties; all fresh, light, and delicious.

I had researched happy hour specifics about Piola prior to coming and their chain's website had mentioned free hors d'oeuvres during happy hour. I thought maybe something small and simple but I was mistaken. The waiters walked around asking if we would like to sample all of the following: Gnocchi Pompei (#565, homemade with tomato sauce and fresh basil), the Rossa pizza (#8, topped with diced tomatoes and fresh basil), the Diavola pizza (#9, cheese pizza with spicy salami), Bruschetta (#351, homemade bread sliced and baked to a perfect crust and topped with fresh tomatoes, basil and olive oil), and Caprese Bites (#368, mozzarella, sliced grape tomatoes, and a olives topped with fresh basil, all in one convenient bite). Did I mention all these tastings were free and they dropped off PLATES of some of the above besides just walking around. Incredible!

Couldn't have asked for a better place to enjoy a post-work summer happy hour in Rosslyn. Besides the great atmosphere, friendly service, and delicious food & drink, the prices are super reasonable, especially during happy hour! If you're in the area, you've got to check Piola out!

Pizza, a comfort food for me, is treated with great care at this Arlington hangout. I recently enjoyed several pizzas with some friends on rainy summer afternoon/ evening: New York style, thin crusts, with an appealing sauce, mushroom, pepperoni and margherita. The mushroom pizza was the best of the trio:  rich flavors, nicely sauced, with the earthy mushroom flavors shining through the cheese. This delightful pie was closely followed in appeal by a spicy pepperoni with an assertive  bite, not the kind of pizza topping one generally associates with a Washington pizza joint. The margherita was the tamest of the bunch, slivers of basil lying atop pie. Of the three pizzas, the mushroom made the strongest case for me that a meatless evening was perfectly acceptable.

Service was a bit on the slow side but then again, we weren't in much of a hurry, lingering for long moments, catching up and swapping stories.  Check out the happy hours starting really early in the afternoons:  the pricing on the pizzas is intended to encourage orders.

I arrived with a male friend around 9 PM to a mostly empty interior dining area.  For some reason, the hostess sat us in a dark corner booth behind a divider, hiding the outside view and everything else.  We were given water and bread (two pieces).  We asked for butter for the bread, but they said that they did not provide butter.  We mixed some olive oil and balsamic vinegar together on a small plate and dipped the bread in that.

I looked through the long list of pizzas and decided on one, but I was told that they were out of the cheese that goes on it.  I instead chose a salad with grilled chicken on top.  My friend got a chicken dish.  My $2 diet coke came in the form of a can with a glass of ice.  My friend's $4.50 lemonade was excellent (according to him) but did not include refills.

The meals arrived in a timely fashion and the portion sizes were good.  My salad veggies and cheese were good, but the chicken was dry and hard to chew.  The dressing lacked flavor.  My friend enjoyed his chicken dish, which came with small potatoes and greens.

It wasn't all that fun sitting in the dark corner of the empty dining area, but there was outdoor seating if we wanted to (it was too hot and humid at the time).  The place is trendy and looks nice, but the little annoyances put a damper on the experience.  Plus, $4.50 for a non-refillable lemonade?  Were the lemons from the garden of Eden?

We did not have alcohol, although they have a special on Mondays where bottles of wine are 50% off.