Have you been watching the World Cup? It’s by far my favorite sporting event, but unfortunately, I’ve only been able to catch a few glimpses here and there due to Bitch duties. My team, Argentina, is doing quite well, as is the good ole’ U-S-of-A.

Last week, I found my new spot to watch the World Cup: Piola, a global Italian pizza chain with Brazilian influences. Piola serves up happy hour from 4 to 7 with discounts on drinks and complimentary apps, and is playing all the World Cup games on the downstairs televisions and upstairs projectors.

The restaurant knows its much-needed niche in the ever-expensive Washington dining scene: casual, inexpensive, and reliable. It has two locations in Washington, D.C., owned by a lovely couple, and several in South America and Europe, as well as in the U.S.

We’ve been to Piola for brunch at both locations, which feature bottomless mimosas and endless pizza for less than thirty dollars. The brunch is perfect for families, for the brunch with your friends who have babies, and for groups, whether it’s watching sports, or just hanging with friends who want a good, inexpensive brunch.

The U Street location, located just north of W street, recently opened its patio. As I’m quite fond of pizza, patios, parties, and alliteration, I offered to host an intimate gathering of friends and acquaintances to sip cocktails, sample pizzas, and relax on the wooden patio, covered in appropriate Italian Peroni umbrellas.

Because of its Brazilian influence, Piola makes a delicious caiprinha, which my friend Salman remarked was one of the better he’s sampled. We also knocked back pitchers of sangria.

The group sampled the charcuterie and cheese boards, which included prosciutto, jam, brie, mozzarella, and slices of white bread in baskets. The cheese and prosciutto were great, the bread just alright, and the ham left untouched. (More prosciutto, please!) The beet salad with goat cheese was delish and easy-to-share.

We also had gnocchi, which can be tossed in several different sauces. On the 29th of every month, Piola serves up all-you-can-eat gnocchi for $15. It’s basically a pastaholic’s dream come true.

After cocktails, salads, gnocchi, and several carafes of sangria, we were off to the main event: the pizza. We chowed down on the margarita, which can’t be beat, and a prosciutto and caramelized onion white pizza that was utterly delicious. While the pizza is not artisanal, it’s really delicious. There are about 40 different options on the menu, and you can order personal size or large. Basically, if you love unique pizzas, Piola is your dream come true.

I’ll be back at Piola this week, for pizza and sangria on the patio, perhaps they’ll move the projector outdoors so I can get my Vitamin D and soccer fixes at the same time.

Piola Washington
2208 14 St. N.W.
Washington, D.C.
(202) 986-8729

Piola Arlington
1550 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, Va.