Pizzata Pizzeria Will Be Taking Over La Scala’s Birra in East Passyunk in Late January
On October 13th 2020 partners Davide Lubrano and Vinny Gallagher brought their New York style pizza to Rittenhouse with with the opening of Pizzata Pizzeria. Since then the duo racked up a few accolades as well as expanding to Naples Florida. Now these restauranteurs have their eyes set on South Philly.
In late January, the LaScala’s Birra location at 1700 East Passyunk Street, which will transition into Pizzata Pizzeria & Birreria. The expansion will be a major change for the Pizzata brand, which currently operates as a small pizza shop with only a handful of seats inside and outside of its Rittenhouse operation.
The new location will feature 58 seats in the downstairs dining room, another 14 at the bar, and roughly 78 more seats for outdoor dining. Additionally, there is a kid-friendly upstairs dining room available for private events, pizza parties, themed nights, pizza-making classes, and more. There will also be an expansive menu, featuring more than a dozen starters, a selection of salads, a wide variety of pasta dishes and Italian classics, an assortment of sandwiches (served with French fries), a handful of strombolis, a kid’s menu, and a massive pizza menu featuring naturally leavened 12” and 16” sourdough pies.
“We’ve had this plan in the works for a few months now, and while it’s been a lot of work, we are so excited to have a proper restaurant with so much space to work with, and serve more than a few people at a time, which is very important to us,” said Lubrano, whose brother Ciro has been running the location since 2016, while also having an extensive portfolio running local restaurants including Caffe Aldo Lamberti in New Jersey. “Having family involved helped with the decision and the process, and we’re excited to bring the East Passyunk neighborhood a style and quality of pizza that it has been missing.”
Pizzata Pizzeria & Birreria will feature a full bar with eight beers on tap, another 60 or so in cans and bottles, red, white, and rose wines, and a host of cocktails. The restaurant will be open seven days a week, including from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday, 12 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 12 to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Lubrano and Gallagher renovated and designed LaScala’s interior themselves. Daily catering will also be available.
Happy Hour will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Lubrano is advertising the new restaurant’s happy hour as one that “could be considered the best in Philadelphia,” with a laundry list of items priced at $8, including 12” pizzas; Bang Bang Shrimp; Garlic Parmesan Wings; Truffle Fries; Arancini; Mamma’s Meatballs, Calamari; Cheesesteak Egg Rolls; and more. Happy hour will also see a variety of beverage specials, including blood orange margaritas, wine, beer, and cocktails.
The full menu also includes items such as Broccoli Rabe & Sausage; Mussels in a spicy tomato beer sauce; Melanzane di Parmigiana; Truffle Mac & Cheese; Nonno’s Orecchiette; Lasagna Classica; Rigatoni Vodka; Gnocchi Sorrento; Bolognese; Seafood Linguini; Salmon Livornese; Ahi Tuna; Short Rib; Chicken Parmigiana, and more. Italiano; Eggplant Parm; Meatball Parm; Porchetta; Pollo Parmigiana; Pollo della Casa; and Pizzata Short Rib round out the sandwich section, and salads include Nonna’s Arugula; Signore Caesar; Don Proscuitto; and Ciao Panzanella. There are 10 different red pie and white options, including a ricotta-stuffed crust pizza, and a “Make Your Own Pie” option. The stromboli section includes Veggie; Buffalo Chicken; Cheesesteak; Broccoli Rabe & Sausage; Pepperoni; and a Calzone. Desserts include Tiramisu; Cannoli; Nutella S’mores Calzone; Zeppole; and Affogato al Caffe. To keep quality control of the dough, all pizza and bread dough will be made fresh daily at Pizzata Pizzeria in Rittenhouse and transferred to East Passyunk.
“We are going to be a restaurant for everyone, not just pizza lovers,” said Gallagher. “We’re going to be a place where friends can come in for some drinks and dinner, but we’re also going to be a perfect place for the entire family, where we offer a kid’s menu and themed nights that kids and parents will both love. We love our Rittenhouse location and our customers in that neighborhood, and we always will, but it’s very exciting for us to be able to stretch our legs and create a space this big, where we can showcase more than just pizza and sandwiches.”
