Il Pizzaiolo

About

Authentic Italian Cuisine, Professional Service, & Hospitality

Story

When Il Pizzaiolo opened in 1996, Ronald Molinaro had a vision to provide the Pittsburgh area with authentic Neapolitan style pizza, using only the best ingredients available. Since the doors opened, he has been using artisan techniques, premium ingredients, and provided customers with a hospitable experience and the most authentic Southern Italian Cuisine Pittsburgh has to offer.

The Pizza. Ron is extremely proud to bring a “Pizzeria Verace Napoletana” (PVN) to Pittsburgh. True Neapolitan pizza is about 12 inches in diameter. They are meant to be eaten by one person and only come in this size. The dough is comprised of only four ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast. We use Caputo Pizza flour, which is one of the best in the world, filtered water, and salt from Mt. Vesuvius. The dough is made in a mixer which mimics the act of an artisan hand-kneading dough. It is perfectly leavened then ready to be made into your pizza.

The toppings are simple: San Marzano tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil (EVO), and fresh cow or buffalo’s milk. Our sauce is simply San Marzano tomatoes; we do not add any herbs or spices to the sauce simply because one does not need to, the tomatoes are the star of the show. Fresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella will then be added as well as a drizzle of EVO. PVN and the American perspective of pizza are different; while American tastes are more conformed to cheese covering the entire pizza, with PVN, the mozzarella compliments the sauce which is why one will traditionally see more red than white.

The texture. The oven is hand-crafted, wood fired oven. This isn’t a traditional brick oven that will produce a crispy crust. Our pizzas are baked in PVN oven at 1000 degrees for 90 seconds to produce an authentic Neapolitan culinary experience. The crust will be soft and pliable with slight spotting.

Today, Il Pizzaiolo is a hybrid: offering the very best Neapolitan Pizza and Italian Cuisine. Almost everything on our menu is made from scratch in-house whereas the other items are imported directly from the best. Our mozzarella di bufala (buffalo mozzarella) is imported from Naples, Italy and our hard pastas come from a boutique pasta producer in Gragnano (outside of Naples) by the name of Pasta Faella, which is one of the best in the world. We also offer fresh, daily made pastas including: gnocchi, ravioli, cavatelli, pappardelle, hand-rolled fusilli, as well as many others. We offer traditional, authentic Neapolitan street food like arancini (fried rice balls), potato crocquettes, and polpette di melanze (fried eggplant balls) unlike anywhere else in the city.

Il Pizzaiolo also has its own Enoteca, an intimate wine bar setting that offers a wide selection of Italian wines, cocktails and digestivi. Our wine list is comprised of various wines from different regions of Italy. We also are proud to be one of the only establishments in the United States to carry a line of Italian hand-crafted beers. During the summer months, one can dine on the beautiful, rustic outdoor private patio surrounded by romantic outdoor lighting, fountains and floral arrangements.

Buon Appetito and we hope to serve you soon!