Piada Italian Street Food

I love this place especially when i am in a pasta mood or i just want something healthy. If you are new to this place i recommend trying it more than once until you figure out what kind of sauce and meat you like with your food. You can get a bowl or wrap and you can get it stir fried as well. I like mine stir fried when i want all the ingredients mixed together but if i want it more of a salad i just stick with the bowl. I always get double chicken which their chicken is extremely flavorful. I also add their grilled zucchini and mushrooms and their peppers. The next step is figuring out your sauce. My favorite is spicy diablo which by any means it is not spicy. I also recommend the pesto as well. Then i add lettuce which you can choose spinach as well if you like, but i don’t think spinach goes well with the pasta. I also add onions cucumbers artichokes and whatever vegetables you like. It is really flavorful and delicious.

After having a negative experience with Piada, I deleted my Unilocal app and just recently re downloaded it to find a message from the manager apologizing and offering me a gift card. I never complained to the manager, rather they sought me out. I can’t say the same for any other business I’ve left a review for. Since my experience I have been back and have had better service. (Still haven’t gotten the meatball again)

Similar to a chipotle, but instead with pasta. What more else could you ask for? This place is so delicious and the staff are very friendly. Get the diavlo sauce, it’s so great. I would give this place more than 5 stars if I could!

Tried Piada for the first time today and the food was great! I can see why people call it an Italian Chipotle! For anyone who has not ventured into a Chipotle, the way this works is you walk in and then either choose to order a creation off their menu or crate your own. You can do Piadas (a flat bread type sandwhich, a pasta bowl or salad).
My sister and I chose pasta bowls and created our own. We each ordered the regular size because we knew in advance from other reviews you could reheat it well!
Now let me say here that I wish the attendants had been more helpful. We stated quite clearly it was our first time and we were not sure how it worked… She simply stared at me. So I said I thought I wanted to do a pasta bowl and chose the regular size. I had to ask about the meatballs. She did not explain it was one meatball or anything. She just asked if I wanted anything else. I requested mushrooms but it seemed it mostly to be veggies not mushrooms. I then asked could I mix sauces and the new attendant just nodded so I chose the Alfredo and the regular red sauce. i added mozzarella and parmesan cheese and although I requested LIGHT creamy parm sauce the girl was very heavy handed. I tried to prefer the garlic knots and got a flat piece of dough caked in olive oil. It was ok but won’t do again.
My sister got the pasta with a meatball and plain sauce with lots of mozzarella and Parmesan.
The food is what got them the 4 star rating! That and the manager who walked around asking how things were so I shared my story with him and he was genuinely interested and said he’d do better training! We will try here again for sure and next time will be more prepared. I could only eat about half of mine and I am looking forward to my dinner!!!

Great concept, awful execution. Pasta is so easy and this could be such a hit with better options, sauces and pastas. They have 4 signature pasta dishes and will mix those up but if your create your own they dump the ingredients in a bowl and you have to mix it up yourself. I want so badly to like this place because it’s close and its pasta but it’s lacking every time I try it.

Disappointed. Plus, we were waiting in line and the electricity went completely out. I went to A Piada a few years back and it seemed way better then. Feel like it’s gone down hill since the first time I visited.

Like others have said its the Italian version of Chipotle… which means the food is a cheap version of real Italian food. Yeah its fast food so my expectation wasn’t high and I truly wasn’t impressed with the taste or quality of the food. If you want Italian on the go then I guess this is your only option, but go some place else if youre in a rush and get the Italian fix at a restaurant that knows how to make it properly.

We love piada! They have a ton of great options. It’s the Italian chipotle. I always get a piada with pasta & chicken, it’s delicious! My 2 year old loves their calamari and pasta.

Went to this Piada twice within the last week. Both times, the staff was pretty slow and didn’t really seem to care about how fast the line moved or about service. Nobody would really explain the menu– which takes a little figuring out before you know how their «system» works. Nobody explains what the sauces are. They have several to choose from but I didn’t want to sit there and ask what each is. This Piada could be run better. I think it’s probably how it’s managed. Sometimes corporate food is better than local because corporate places will go the extra mile to make sure your experience is consistently good and the same every time you go in. My impression here is that the manager doesn’t really give two poops.
The food isn’t that good. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s not really food. Look up Piadas online. The piada they serve doesn’t even really look like a true piada. One of my visits I had an Italian sausage piada. They rolled it like a burrito. An Italian street piada is closer to a flatbread or panini style grilled sandwich. One of my other visits I had a pasta dish which they put into a pan for some reason. It never went onto any heat or grill. The server mixed the ingredients and then put it into my bowl. Not sure why it even went into a pan.
The only reason I didn’t give this place a 1 star rating is that the food is just barely okay. I’m determined to not ever eat here again but my girlfriend might still drag me here…
Also the photos on this page make it seem like super fresh food. It’s a little inaccurate. It’s «fresh» yes. But it isn’t as fresh as these photos make it seem.

Felt exactly like an Italian version of chipotle. So I went to the line and ordered super quickly, a la soup Nazi style in the typical high pressure Chipotle tradition. The girl making my food was very impressed with how quickly I made decisions without confusion, so my guess is this fast food concept a little bit more laid-​back.
My pasta dish was very good, I combined chicken, cheeses, roasted red peppers and sun-​dried tomatoes. Good concept and fresh ingredients.

While I love Piadas food, especially the Lobster bisque, and recommend their food every chance I get, I must say this visit was disappointing in the customer service area! I understand the need to be quick and efficient, but sliding bowls down, yelling directives to other staff and limited sincere engagement with customers was a first!
Also the bathroom was a filthy mess!
I know it can be better! We need this establishment to remain!

Great and quick food. The spicy tuscan salad was amazing and filling! The berry soda is delicious. It is a little pricey for the service and quantity of food.

Absolutely a 5 star fast food experience. I had been hearing good things about Piada for years, but the idea of «an Italian Chipotle» as it’s often described just didn’t appeal to me for some reason. I decided to finally give it a try today as I was craving italian food but was short on time.
The «piada» is a wrap style sandwich, but you can also choose either salad or pasta bases. They have pre-​crafted options but I did a make your own to see what goodies they had available. The choices were beyond my expectations, including sun-​dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, and crispy pancetta rounds. One of the «protein» options was calamari — when is the last time you’ve seen calamari on a fast food menu? Had to try it!
The result was a spinach salad worthy of a fancy restaurant — fresh, high quality ingredients tossed in the perfect amount of a superb, tangy, creamy parmesan dressing. The calamari mixed in was perfectly cooked with a light, flavorful, crispy breading that was addicting.
I was highly impressed by Piada and think we will soon be seeing Piadas pop up across the U.S. Would love to try a pasta or piada next time, now that I know this place is the real deal.

Amazing Italian for under $ 10!!! Can’t go wrong. Imagine chipotle but Italian!!! Artichoke hearts fire roasted peppers feta red pepper pesto onions poada sticks with pepperoni or cheese Italian teas or peach Bellini’s if your looking for a sweet ice treat during the summer days.

For $ 10, I received enough food to feed myself for at least 3.5 meals. If that’s not a win, I don’t know what is. Their Wednesday $ 5 student discount deal is fantastic. However it only applies to the build your own bowl and not the new menu items, even though they took pity on my hungry, haggard appearance and gave me the deal for the menu items as well. It’s also limited to one bowl per customer, so don’t try to load up… I’m looking at you fellow hungry students!
I love the Chipotle style ordering as other reviewers have mentioned. However, I also love that you can order bowls and piadas that have been expertly crafted for you. I have often fallen through the cracks at «build your own» type restaurants, and appreciate some hand holding when it comes to concocting meals.
Fresh ingredients, fast service, and excellent sauces – this place is fast food done right. Must tries include the meatballs, the spicy red sauce, and their chicken fritte piada (but beware, it’s on the spicy side).
Also, if you’re looking for a deliciously scented place to study, I’ll admit that I have spent a few good hours lounging here with my bowl. It’s not your average chic coffee shop, but it has lights, nice seating, lots of windows, and a seemingly endless supply of noodles – what more could you need?

Quick update. Best time to come to Piada is on Wednesdays. If you have your student ID, you can get any bowl for $ 5!!! That means you can get a large pasta bowl with any meat (pick one only) for $ 5! Portions are huge. I usually get my pasta bowl with the calamari (delicious) and diovano sauce. The only thing I wish they could do better is make it less confusing to order since theres so many bowls being thrown around and then they can’t hear you amongst the loud background noise of the kitchen, the crowd, the music — yeah, ordering can be a hectic thing especially when I ask for a ton of stuff on top meaning I always have to say more more more, and more dressing on the side… but anyways. Can’t complain though since I am getting a whole ton of good food for only $ 5. What a steal!

So being new to the area, this was my first experience. It is a pretty interesting concept for Italian. It is the cafeteria/​Chipotle approach. Order up front, move down the counter to get your additional add ins… The food itself is pretty good and there is a lot of it. They have beer and soda on tap. The food is made fresh in front of you. I don’t think it was that pricy either. The large bowls are big enough to split. I am a big guy and was sharing to make sure it was all eaten.
The inside is a little on the sterile side. I have spent some amount of time in Italy and I was expecting something a little more warm, cozy, family oriented and authentic. It is more German, sharp corner stainless steel feeling. The outside however is nice. Especially this time of the year it is great for friends to gather and hang out.

I’ve been wanting to try this place for awhile. Its Italian Street Food, whatever that is supposed to mean. Let me clarify: Think Chipotle meets Macaroni grille. Its Italian food in a burrito or a salad. You can also order pesto spaghetti. They have lobster bisque soup and canoli chips. You wait in a line and order just like you would at a chipotle. Add a nice little touch: They serve wine and Peroni as well as Italian teas and soda. The girl put iceberg lettuce in a calamari piada instead of romaine. Nobody seemed to notice. Minus half a star. The staff are neatly dressed in aprons. The staff is enormously helpful and attentive. Its fast food casual dining. Clean bright and freshly maintained. I’ll be back.

I’m not that impressed… and I don’t really get the hype. There was an insanely long line for this place on a weekday evening for dinner. We just wanted something delicious but fast… didn’t quite have the time or the energy for a sit-​down restaurant meal that day.
Well, the line moved ridiculously slow. The staff were very courteous in helping put our meal together. I got the stake salad, and the bf got the chicken pasta. My steak salad was totally skimped on greens. It’s a salad, you can’t skimp on greens. The chicken pasta tasted ok, there wasn’t anything particularly wrong with it. But it wasn’t anything I’d rave about or seek out again either.
I guess part of the fascination with this place is just because you can customize your order («chipotle — style»), but really not worth the time or the price. It was over-​priced for what we got. I’d rather go to some restaurant in Little Italy and get a proper meal, or throw together college-​style pasta at home.
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Explanation of my rating system —
5*: Epitome of something, the best I’ve had, would LOVE to go back
4*: Great food and happy to go back regularly, but not the best of the category
3*: Food is fine. I may spontaneously decide to go there based on convenience. But no need to go back either.
2*: If you insist, I guess I’ll come along. I’ll find something to eat. But I wouldn’t have picked it.
1*: No plans to come back. I’ll try to talk companions out of going.

This was really great, and they were terribly kind as well. It’s like Chipotle for italian.
So they have a tortilla of some kind that is filled with noodles, a meat of your choosing (I went with sausage), a sauce (I went with alfredo, but think I’ll go pesto next time), cheeses, veggies, etc.
Italian sodas are available from the fountain, too, and a fried cheese stick appetizer — a large wrapped shell around cheese, flattened, that you could break up and dip. Not your typical cheese stick!
We told them we were first timers and they gave us free dessert, which was a super tasty bag of mini cannoli shells and chocolate chip cannoli filling dipping sauce. We will definitely return.