Cory S.
Yelp
There are so many restaurants in the Phoenix area with more opening up every day. I enjoy reading Phoenix Magazine to learn about restaurants that are new or that are considered the "Best of the Valley." I was in Glendale bringing an out-of-town colleague out for dinner, and after recalling the "2018 Best of the Valley" winner for Best Pizza as La Piazza al Forno, I thought it was a worthwhile risk to bring him there to show off our local restaurants. La Piazza al Forno has also won numerous Phoenix New Times awards for Best Pizza over the years.
First, even before going into the restaurant, I have to say that I love the area. There's something special and charming about Historic Glendale. From a nice, quiet evening or weekend at restaurants and walking around the square to enjoying one of the many festivals and special events, the area has a lot of personality. In fact, speaking of personalities, Guy Fieri even stopped by the restaurant as a part of his Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives back in 2008.
We lucked out with a very short wait. Plus, while there is parking along the street, we also lucked out with a space right next to the restaurant. The service was fair and we were checked on a few times, and while the food was delivered without too long of a wait, it did take a while to get our server's attention to get the bill at the end of the meal. Most of the spaces in the restaurant were inside a small space, though amazingly, many tables and guests were able to fit.
The highlight of the experience was certainly the food! We both started the meal with house salads with mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, and shaved parmesan. We then each ordered our own personal pizza. I ordered the Italian Stallion (Meat Pie) with San Marzano tomatoes D.O.P. house made mozzarella, Schreiners sausage, pepperoni, prosciutto di Parma (Cotto), and sopressata. My guest ordered the Salvatore with San Marzano tomatoes D.O.P., house made mozzarella, E.V.O.O., and Prosciutto di Parma (crudo). Both of us were pleased with our pizzas (not too thin and not too thick), and I know we would both consider a return to La Piazza al Forno in the future. Yum!!