la piazza al forno

this is a small italianrestaurantis historic glendale that serves up the best pizza in the metro phoenix area. the pizza is certified by the italian government and uses the correct formula for an authentic neapolitan pizza. they handmade the cheese here and use certified tomatoes. thisrestauranthas been featured on diners drive inns and dives but don't hold that against them because the pizza is really great! i've been here a bunch of times and posted many of the photos up there. this time we started with a tasty eggplant appetizer special. the eggplant was very thin and cooked nicely it was stuffed with cheese and had a delicious tasty sauce on it.. my husband enjoyed a tasty pizza and i had a really big calzone. the calzone was stuffed with cheeses, and i added spinach and calabrian peppers for a little kick. had the delicious cheesecake for dessert. the cheesecake might be the best cheesecake that you can find anywhere in the valley. service is always great.

always busy but always good.. i've been to thisrestaurantenough times to call myself a fan. the food is delicious, the atmosphere is nice, the wait staff is accommodating and pleasant to be around, and it's located in one of the best shopping areas known to natives of glendale. my personal favorite out of everything on the menu is the italian stallion. if you like meat and you like pizza, this is certainly something you cannot pass up. a friend of mine is italian and swears by this pizza. as far as i've experienced, all of their pizzas are wonderful. some pasta dishes lack in the flavor you'd expect after having a pizza there, so it's best to just get the pizza. the salads are wonderful too, this is coming from a notorious salad hater. the only downside to thisrestaurantis that it is often busy. i suggest going around 2-3 in the afternoon, between the busy hours. essentially, if you love to eat pizza, especially good pizza, you need to visit la piazza al forno.

best of 2008 is worst of 2012. i went with friends to la piazza al forno because of all the reviews indicating it was the best of the best. however, after having the worst pizza and zeppolis ever, i noticed all the reviews that are good are from 2008. the prices were over the top for terrible food. if i judged italian food by what was served there i would never have italian food again. the zeppolis were pieces of deep fried bread rolls and the pizza was a piece of thin tasteless cardboard with an ounce of cheese and oil on it. therestaurantenvironment is dirty, drab, and uninviting. perhaps there is a new owner since 2008. i would never recommend this place to anyone!

terrible service. the service at thisrestaurantis so poor that no matter how good the food tasted, you'll leave with a bad taste in your mouth.

not a good experience. we went to therestaurantlast eve. (march 16, 2010) arrived about 6:00 and were seated fairly soon after.
my husband and i ordered the ravioli (same thing for both). it arrived rather timely with no bread which is supposed to be included. we asked for bread and the
waitress said she would get it for us. after several trips out from the kitchen --no bread. we asked again and got a basket of stale, small pieces of bread. we told her this was unacceptable and she said that they were making more bread. it never came--we finished our meal and asked to speak to the manager. rachel came over and knew of the problem and said that since they were unusually busy for a tues. night they ran out of bread!!!!!
why wasn't this told to us originally? i hate lying. just be truthful from the start and offter to compensate with another drink, etc. they better not rest on their laurels of the guy fieri ddd fame and shape up.

good food, but getting too popular. its sad really. to often arestaurantwill start up and build a clientele and they start to get very popular. soon this popularity creates an ego and this ego leads to poor business choices.

la piazza has great food. its small and cozy and the staff is family and very friendly. sadly, they have so much business that they don't mind offending and turning away customers.

i wanted to make a reservation for my birthday. the reservation was to be for 15 people. i called and was told that the do not take reservations for any size. they offer call ahead seating but therestaurantis so small that i doubt they could ever fit a party of 15 people without a set time. i did not want my friends and family waiting and waiting for half therestaurantto clear out before they would be seated.

i am glad that the are busy enough to turn away a $200+ group, but now i feel that if they do not want my business, that i will not go back even when it is just me.

motto bene. this is one of the best family owned restaurants that i have tried. it's located in historic downtown glendale and it reminds me of arestaurantthat you would find in new york or new jersey and the food is just as good.

i feel lucky to have found this place the dinners are suberb, i had rigatoni with peppers & sausage it was magnificent. i have also tried the pizza and there is none better in arizona. give this place a try, you will not be disappointed.

incredible food, great price. the az rep got this one right! while the decor may not be that of a 5-star, stuffy restaurant, the wait staff treated us with great respect and were very personable. when i requested a suggestion, the family matriarch (grandchild was in a highchair towards the back), took the time to understand our tables' likes and dislikes before making a recommendation.

her suggestions were right-on! we started with the amazing stuffed shrimp and garlic bread. all seasoned perfectly where you could taste the food, not a bunch of salt and spices. we then followed it up with a combination of pizza and the family specialty (i have never seen it in another restaurant), the chicken pesto lasagna. we actually ordered two pizzas, both diverse from the other, and each incredible in its own manner. i loved the italian stallion (meat pizza), while my wife enjoyed to perfect blend of cheeses and garlic, olive oil and basil on the white pizza.

while the beer and wine list was not extensive, the options complimented the menu very well. and by dessert time, our heads were spinning. once again, grandma made a few recommendation for our table, and after her previous success, we cashed in again! the cheesecake was simple yet elegant and wonderful, while the cannolli's where exactly what i expected and more (again, i preferred the standard while a friend of ours absolutely loved the chocolate version).

bottom line, the food at this familyrestaurantbeats anything that scottsdale can offer without the snobbery. meanwhile, the price was the most reasonable i have experienced in some time. we will go out of our way to eat at la piazza al forno. well done!