Piola is ready at 2208 14th Street NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Nabil Ashi, Piola’s owner. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Luis Gomez. Catch his photos at One Photograph A Day. Follow him on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos.
Piola has been in the works since May 2012. Finally this Monday it is happening: It will be open starting at 5 pm for dinner.
Piola had its soft opening during the weekend. Nabil Ashi, the owner of the 14th Street location, was there to greet friends and family as they were treated to Piola’s extensive menu of pizzas and Italian dishes.
Ashi says the menu will be very similar to the one found in their other locations: authentic Italian cuisine, pastas and an extensive list of pizzas served in a casual space. Piola will also serve wine and beer.
Piola’s space was design by Michiels Architecture & Partners and the Piola “in house design team” working closely together on the final product. We had a chance to talk to Maeva Michiels, senior architect of the firm, who told us that the design is based on the translation of “piola” in the ancient Italian dialect to “gathering place.” Our mission was to create an environment that becomes part of the local community in a dynamic way. The design of Piola is warm, friendly and inviting. With an emphasis on green architecture and recycled materials, the design of Piola is a mix of modern gestures such as openness, fluidity of spaces and abundant natural light combined with noble materials such as recycled wood and recycled brick. She was also in charge of the space at Table on 9th Street.
The international Italian food chain Piola, known for its pizza, is opening its second location in the area having one already in Arlington. At 2208 14th Street NW Piola is the latest opening in the corridor following Etto, Taqueria Nacional, BakeHouse, B too, Ghibellina and Black Whiskey.
Piola: Great pizza and Italian dishes. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.
From Luis Gomez. Catch his photos at One Photograph A Day. Follow him on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos.
Piola is coming to 2208 14th Street NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
It has been a long waiting for Piola Pizza to open. Owner Nabil Ashi called it is a “work in progress” the last time we spoke to him, in January.
Piola, an international Italian food chain known for its pizza, has been setting up and working on its new location at 2208 14th Street NW since last year.
The facade of the building got new signs a couple of weeks ago and there is work going on inside with decoration, furniture and the kitchen. We spoke to Ashi last week to follow up on the opening of the restaurant:
“It Is not official yet but I believe we will be ready to open during the first week of May. We are now going over the decoration and organizing all our supplies, cleaning, etc. We are also in the process of hiring the management staff .”
The menu will be very similar to the ones found in their other locations: authentic Italian cuisine, pastas and an extensive list of pizzas served in a casual space. Piola will also serve wine and beer.
Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.
Piola is getting ready to open on 14th Street NW, north of W Street. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Luis Gomez. Catch his photos at One Photograph A Day. Follow him on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos.
Piola is bringing pizza to 14th Street. Borderstan spoke to owner Nabil Ashi, about the 2208 14th Street NW location.
“It has been a work in progress,” Ashi says. “(We’re) still waiting to have gas into the building. We have finally got water and power which took us a really long time.”
The location has been through renovation since last year. The new Piola location, according to Ashi, is going through the final touches while waiting for gas. Its facade was recently painted. There is no specific opening date yet, but Piola should be open by the end of February.
The menu will be very similar to the ones found in their other locations: authentic Italian cuisine, pastas and an extensive list of pizzas served in a casual space. Piola will also serve wine and beer.
Piola is one of the numerous new Italian restaurants coming to 14th Street. The chain has locations not only in the United States, but also in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Honduras, Chile and Turkey. Some of you might have already been to a Piola, since they have a location just right across the Key Street Bridge in Arlington on Wilson Boulevard.
Piola hopes to open by mid-June on 14th Street NW, north of W Street. (Luis Gomez)
From Luis Gomez. Catch his photos on Picplz and at One Photograph A Day. Follow him on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos.
The international Italian food chain Piola, know for its pizza, is opening at 2208 14th Street NW. The owner of the 14th street location, Nabil Ashi, says he hopes to open by mid-June; the restaurants are franchised. The menu will be very similar to the ones found in their other locations: authentic Italian cuisine, pastas and an extensive list of pizzas served in a casual space. Piola will also serve wine and beer.
The chain has locations not only in the United States, but also in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Honduras, Chile and Turkey. Some of you might have already been to a Piola, since they have a location just right across the Key Street Bridge in Arlington on Wilson Boulevard.
Piola is coming to the neighborhood after looking around the area for more than two years. For Ashi, the idea of bringing Piola to 14th Street NW came after having to wait over an hour for a table at another restaurant.
“The area is very trendy and happening, and we think Piola fits the environment very well. Most restaurants on 14th street are always full… with many young professionals living in the area and not enough restaurants to feed them all,” said Achi. “14th Street NW is where all the nice-good looking people want to go these days.” (Achi added a smiley face to his email on that last quote.)
However, there is another new pizzeria opening on 14th Street NW, south of T Street: Edan McQauid will be opening his new place at 1832 14th Street NW.
Related Posts
Like reading Borderstan’s Food & Drink stories? Get an RSS Feed for the F&E Section, or an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories.
A Circulator Bus on 14th Street NW: Greater Greater Washington is testing a new web-based application, Transit Near Me. (Luis Gomez on Borderstan Flickr pool)
From Mike Kohn. Got some news for Mike that he might have missed? Email him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter @mike_kohn.
Transit Near Me
Ever feel exceptionally confused on how to get from place to place? Sometimes the bus is great, but if you don’t really know where you’re going, the system can be a little overwhelming. Enter the folks from Greater Greater Washington. They’re testing a new web-based application called Transit Near Me and are inviting you to try it out for free.
Piola On Its Way
We don’t have a date yet, but U Street Girl, who celebrated her third blogiversary (congrats!) recently, pointed out that some key physical features have been added to the planned location at 14th Street and Florida Avenue NW, including a window and a door. The pizza place should be a nice addition to the burgeoning 14th Street NW and U Street NW corridors.
Winter Restaurant Week Dates Announced
Regardless of how you feel about it, if you want to do anything at all to celebrate the next Restaurant Week, you might want to book early since many places are taken quickly. From January 9 to 15, you’ll be able to enjoy some $20.12 lunches and $35.12 dinners at some of the best restaurants around town. We’ve got some tips on how to make the most of past iterations of the event, in case you’re looking for some early inspiration.
DC Bars Movin’ On Up
It’s not just the restaurant scene that’s been making a bigger splash lately. Food & Wine magazine has named a couple of District area bars in the top 50 list. DCist has the scoop on The Passenger in Mount Vernon Square and PX in Alexandria. I’m sure there’s more to come.
