 |
| Il Pizzaiolo, an authentic taste of Naples in the suburbs of Pittsburgh |
Let's support those who keep our traditions and folkways alive.*Apologies to our friends at Il Pizzaiolo (703 Washington Rd.) in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, for not publishing this sooner, but after an impromptu road trip to the Bourbon Trail in Lexington, Kentucky and subsequent bout with COVID-19, I’m only recently getting back on my feet and working again.
Originally this was going to be part of a larger write-up about the Catholic Identity Conference (CIC) in Pittsburgh, but we decided to make it a separate Compra Sud post to show more photos and focus attention on Pennsylvania's first Neapolitan pizzeria.
Our experience at Il Pizzaiolo was so enjoyable, for the three nights we were in Steel City we didn’t bother trying different restaurants, we just returned to this phenomenal Neapolitan oasis. In fact, we liked it so much we even skipped out on our inclusive dinners at the hotel. It was that good.
Special thanks to executive chef and proprietor Ron Molinaro, chef Anthony, and their crack waitstaff, Casey, Angelina, Noah, Amber, Nicole, Stacey and Angie for their warm hospitality, excellent service and, of course, delicious Neapolitan fare. You were hands down the culinary highlight of our entire trip.
 |
| Executive chef and owner Ron Molinaro with Angelina and chef Anthony |
 |
| Andrew, Angelina and John with the flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies |
 |
| Antipasto Napoli with assorted seasonal vegetables |
 |
| Hot peppers stuffed with sausage, marinara and caciocavallo |
 |
| Sicilian and Neapolitan arancini |
 |
| Marinara pizza |
 |
| Margherita pizza |
 |
| Traditional slow cooked ragu Napoletano with San Marzano tomatoes, onions, red wine, beef braciole, sweet fennel sausage, meatballs and cavatelli pasta |
 |
| Sfogliatelle |
 |
| (Above & below) Some of the Neapolitan themed decor in the lounge area |
 |
| Pulcinella |
 |
| (L) The wood-fired forno napoletano in main dining room. (R) Day two, we enjoyed with our meal some cold Birra Lucana, a tasty pilsner from Potenza |
 |
| Antipasto Napoli |
 |
| Caprese salad with mozzarella di bufala, tomatoes and basil |
 |
| Marinara pizza with anchovies |
 |
Some of the Neapolitan themed decor in the main dining area
|
 |
| Back for more, we began our third meal at Il Pizzaiolo with hot stuffed peppers |
 |
| Margherita pizza |
 |
Farro salad with roasted peppers, cucumber,
tomatoes, onion, arugala and ricotta salata |
 |
Cavatelli rapini with sweet fennel sausage, rapini,
garlic, white wine and Pecorino Romano |
 |
| Vitello Milanese |
Il Pizzaiolo ★★★★★
Pizzeria Verace Napoletana, Dal 1996
703 Washington Rd.
Mt. Lebanon, PA 15229
412-344-4123 | www.ilpizzaiolo.com
* Our recommendations will be unsolicited, and only from our personal experience. No second hand suggestions will be made.
