Healthy Living Restaurant Review: Piola

This past weekend, after a long week of exams, papers, and problem sets, my friend and I really just wanted to de-stress with some good food. We were both really in the mood for pizza, but we wanted something fresh and light, not doughy and greasy like most pizza joints. We did a bit of online research and stumbled upon what may now be my favorite pizza place in Houston: Piola. This cute, trendy restaurant is downtown on Louisiana St., about a 10 minute drive from Rice, and they have over 40 varieties of authentic Italian pizza: thin crust, thick crust, no sauce, you name it!

The menu has a really wide variety of offerings, from pizza to pasta to salads to carpaccios. My friend and I did not want to play around; we were here for the pizza. They have a lot of the classic toppings that you would find in any pizzeria on the streets in Italy (prosciutto, porcini mushrooms, basil, ricotta, etc), but they also have some interesting pizzas with a South American flare. We decided to go for the thin crust varieties to cut down on the carbs (you can opt for whole wheat too). I got the Rio De Janeiro, which came with baked chicken and this life-changing Brazilian cheese called catupiry. My friend got the Italian, which was fresh arugula, tomatoes, and ricotta beautifully arranged to look like an Italian flag. And oh my goodness, were these pizzas delicious. They tasted like they came right out of Italy! The portions are huge, so we had plenty to take home with us for lunch the next day. All of the prices are really reasonable, as most pizzas range from $9 to $15 in price (but it's really like two servings--more bang for your buck).

If you and your friends are sick of the same old Domino's and Papa Johns routine, I strongly recommend giving Piola a try!