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Piola, a prime happy hour destination in Rosslyn, has served its last wood-fired pizza in the D.C. area.
The colorful and cavernous Italian restaurant, planted at the base of 1550 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, announced its closure this week after 12 years of service.
“It is unfortunate we couldn’t extend our lease beyond 2018,” a representative told Eater via a Facebook message on Wednesday. “Rent was really high and we couldn’t come to terms with the new landlord.”
The franchised operation maintains domestic locations in Florida, Texas, and North Carolina, as well as international businesses across Italy, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Honduras, and Ecuador.
Well known for the free finger foods at the bar during weekday happy hour, Arlington’s Piola also served unlimited plates of gnocchi on the 29th of every month (a company tradition), all-you-can-eat pizza during weekend brunch, and discounted drinks throughout the week.
Its popularity sparked an expansion into D.C., but that location (2208 14th Street NW) closed a year ago after a five-year run.
Piola is the second shutter in a week due to soaring rent issues. Penn Quarter’s 701 Restaurant also couldn’t reach a deal with its landlord when it came time to renew, forcing Knightsbridge Restaurant Group’s longtime fine dining destination to close on New Year’s Eve.
It appears Piola’s presence in the D.C. area is over for now.
“At the moment we are not looking at other locations,” continued the message.
While Rosslyn has seen an influx in dining options as of late, Piola’s location has been hurt by vacated workers due to nearby office renovations. Pan-Asian neighbor Cafe Asia also closed its doors in 2016, declining to renew its lease after operating for more than 15 years in Arlington.
Eater reached out to 1550 Wilson Boulevard’s leasing broker for comment.
