The start of a new year is often seen as an opportunity for change and new beginnings. One of those new beginnings recently came to Île-des-Chênes in a tasty way. In January, Pete and Faye Klippenstein opened Pietro’s Pizza at 597 Meadowlark Boulevard, Unit 8.
You may have heard of Pietro’s before. The Klippensteins originally opened the pizzeria in Landmark, later moving it to St. Anne’s before bringing it to Île-des-Chênes. This family business, run by Pete and Faye alongside their son and daughter-in-law, Ian and Julie, specializes in thin-crust pizza.
Pietro’s offers 12 specialty pizzas ranging from pepperoni and mushroom (Pietro’s Classic) and ham and pineapple (Pietro’s Paradise) to the fully loaded Pietro’s Ultimate Plus (pepperoni, ham, beef, Italian sausage, bacon, onion, mushroom, and green pepper) and the more exotic Pietro’s Pollo Loco (chicken, BBQ sauce, pineapple, and red peppers).
And what would a pizza menu be if you couldn’t have the option of making your own? Pietro’s has that, too.
Friday nights have been pizza night at my place for years. Homemade pizzas are great, but they aren’t always convenient because there often isn’t time to make the crust, or I’m out of toppings. Frozen pizzas are more convenient, but they’re inevitably unsatisfying. The crust leaves a lot to be desired, and the toppings usually aren’t the greatest.
Enter Pietro’s.
I had the Pietro’s Paradise with added mushrooms, and my friends had the Pietro’s Pollo Party (chicken, bacon, and ranch sauce). The crust is thin and crispy, but not so thin that it doesn’t have substance. It strikes a balance between crispy and chewy. And it most definitely is not greasy. The bottom of the box was still dry after the next day’s leftovers were finished.
There are plenty of fresh toppings, covering the pizza edge to edge. Every bite was filled with meat, pineapple, and cheese, with just the right amount of sauce. I hadn’t eaten much all day in anticipation of trying a new pizza. It didn’t take long before I was full, leaving plenty of leftovers for the next couple of days.
Pizza is easy to come by. Great pizza, and the friendly local staff you find at Pietro’s, is not.
Their pizzas come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. They’re open Saturday and Monday 3:00–9:00 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. We ordered our pizza on a Saturday at 6:00 and our wait time was 25 minutes. If you have to wait a few extra minutes while you’re there, they have a few chairs and counter stools for their patrons.
Pietro’s is convenient for a quick pick-up dinner on a weekend, or on your way home from work.
