Piazza's Pizza is a family affair

By Dennis Robaugh
Southland Savvy

When I bit into my Piazza's meatball sandwich, lathered in red sauce, smothered in cheese, I tasted a memory.

Piazza's sauce reminds me of my grandmother's tomato sauce. A first-generation Italian-American who cooked with a timeworn set of pots and pans, Christmas Eve dinner was a much-anticipated event in my youth. Meatballs and pasta sauce loomed as large in our minds as the dancing visions of mythical Christmas sugar plums.

And so, if I wasn't already hooked on Piazza's for the pizza, the red sauce sealed my infatuation.

From their little Mokena strip-mall storefront, Piazza's has been serving up Italian specialties for less than a year. An unlikely neighbor to a yoga center and a nail spa, Piazza's is the kind of place that would seem more at home in an old red-brick storefront on a South Side neighborhood corner. In Mokena, they do business on busy LaGrange Road.

But large family portraits hang from the walls, dominating the decor of the small shop. Here, family and food are intertwined. The Piazzas have been in business since 1976, and in the pizzeria game since 1985. And it's always been a family affair.

Every other occasion I've had to stop by and pick up a pie, there've been Piazzas hanging around, eating dinner. Once, I even came across a Piazza family birthday party.

But back to the food. That big meatball sandwich was meaty and saucy, a meal all by itself. And throw out your low-carb diets. The beer nuggets, little fried dough coated with parmesan cheese, are a tasty treat you can't avoid. (The owner likes to sprinkle a little sugar on them, too.)

The pan pizza here comes in hefty slices. One slice weighs as much as two or three of those tasteless Pizza Hut imitations, and offers four times the taste.

And Piazza's knows how to save you a buck. Sign up for the Internet specials, and you'll get e-mails touting half-price pizza nights and other specials. Sign up on their web site.

Hungry for something other than pizza or pasta? Their chicken parmigiana sandwich offers a hefty breaded chicken breast, layered with sauce and cheese. This is a satisfying meal unto itself.

And the perch dinner, featuring four tasty filets and a side of fries, is delectable Lenten goodness. On a recent visit, fellow diners ogled our perch and wished they had ordered the same. The breaded isn't too crunchy, nor is it overbreaded, and the plentiful portion doesn't come to your table dripping in frying oil.

Piazza's Pizza
4 out of 4 stars
19608 N. LaGrange Road
Mokena
(708) 479-9400

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You can reach Dennis at dennis@southlandsavvy.com