There’s a new pizza place in town! Kagay-anons will surely be delighted to know that this pizzeria is able to bring something new to the table.
There may be several dining places that offer pizza, but what they serve here is unique and all original. I’m talking about “Pizzarella” at Corrales Street. Taken from the words Pizza and Rela meaning “wheel” or “motorela”, this Pizza business used to target pizza delivery service only. Pizzarella is owned by Mr. Remi “Remz” Portado and his siblings. It all started in Iligan city, due to their family’s deep love for pizza and Remi’s inspiration from his travels and dining at several pizza places in different countries and after trying out various jalapeno cuisines, they decided to get into the pizza business. They first started to create their own pizzas at home and people started coming in to taste their specialty. This went on for about a year and then they started to deliver pizza all over the city through their delivery service.
When the business grew, the Portado siblings decided to open their very own pizza place. Pizzarella’s first branch was opened in Tibanga, Iligan City last 2012 and the second branch “Pizzarella Sentro” also in the same city. It is important to note though that before putting up a pizza business, the family had a pastry and catering service business in the past that targeted schools in Iligan.
Pizzarella is the first food industry business that Remi engaged in with his four other siblings. Aside from having two branches in Iligan, they also have 5 delivery services to make sure they are able to cater the market and reach all their customers. Just this year, Pizzarella opened a pizza-stop stall at Grand Central and their newest branch in Corrales, Cagayan de Oro last May 26, 2017. They’re planning to expand their business and bring it uptown, but that is still a future plan to be realized soon. Pizzarella delivery service will start in July 2017.
Pizzarella Products and Best-sellers
The establishment is focused on their signature pizza products. The best-seller is the “Madcow” pizza. Taken from the term “Madcow disease”, it’s like a disease, easily spreads and is highly contagious. If you love beef so much, this pizza will drive you crazy or mad making you crave it all the time.
Madcow pizza is a bit spicy and contains plenty of cheese, thus creating a very delicious and extraordinary taste leaving you wanting for more. The Madcow chilli sauce used in this pizza was formulated by their family and is one of their best-kept secrets.
Image Source | Facebook: Pizzarella CDO
Aside from Madcow, “Fino” meaning “finest” name taken from “The Godfather” movie is also another one of their best-sellers. This pizza contains all the elements of a good pizza including, beef, cheese, bell peppers and others.
If you take a look at their menu, you will find that they have Primo pizzas like the Fino, Carnosa (Meat Lover), Tacorella, Burgerella, Bora Bora, Aglio and Burro.
They also have a “Clasico Pizzas” section containing Hawaiiano, Pepperoni Italia, Cheezyrella, Quesocino and Green Jardin. If you’re into Deep Dish Pizzas (pizza that looks like a pie), they have the Spinto and Polpa for you. They’re round and 8 inches round. Their pizza sizes are 10” (Small), 12” (Medium) and 14” (Large) and their price ranges are from P259 – 399 for the Primo and Clasico pizzas and P499 for the “Deep Dish” pizzas. As for beverages, they are currently offering soft drinks only but plan to add more soon. Soon, the owners are planning to add more menu items like buffalo wings, mashed potato but not now because they want to focus on their pizza products.
What Makes them Standout from the Rest
Pizzarella wants to be known as “the city’s local pizza”. This is because they are using all local ingredients including their packaging. They support local businesses and patronize their products. One of their main products is their “hot sauce” is being supplied and made especially for them by the Pinakurat brand which is produced locally.
There are 3 factors that make Pizzarella stand out from the rest and they are: taste, dough and ingredients. When it comes to taste, they are really able to capture the sweet taste of Filipinos since they have pizzas that were manufactured to taste as such. Talking about dough, before introducing their pizza to the market, Remi revealed that they tested out the dough in their home for about 15 times to get the perfect formula, taste and thickness.
As for the ingredients, everything was studied, experimented and well-thought out before they came up with the final set of mixtures for their products. Pizzarella is focused on pizza itself and not on other items which is why they chose to sell pizzas only at this time. They want to be known for their pizzas and not their add-on products. Another thing that makes them stand out from the rest is the greeting they give their customers each time they enter which is an Italian greeting, “Buon Giorno!” It gives warmth and it gives customers a welcoming feeling when they visit the establishment.
Design and Ambiance
When you enter the place, it has a warm, homey and mysterious feel to it. The design is Italian-inspired which is why it looks like one of those cafes or pizzerias you’ve seen in Italy in a movie perhaps.
They have an interesting mural on their walls with characters that were actually taken from the Portado family’s favorite movie, “The Godfather”.
About the Owners
The Portado siblings, five of them own Pizzarella. It is a corporation of siblings with different functions in the business. Three of them are HRM graduates. We were able to interview the sibling-owner who is also their Marketing Officer, Mr. Remi Portado.
Remi took up HRM at MSU Marawi and Monster Kitchen culinary classes in Cdo a few years back. When asked why he wanted to engage in the business, he said that he was inspired by people who are in the “Carenderia” business. He admired them for being able to deliver consistency in their products even without proper schooling or culinary background.
According to Remi, he wants to develop and train non-skilled individuals and allow them to work at Pizzarella as long as they are teachable or are willing to learn. In addition, he also wants to help the community by screening habal-habal drivers to help them with Pizzarella’s delivery service. In return, they will be able to earn income from his business.
Current Offerings and Operating Hours
Here are their current offerings or promos:
AMIGOS PIZZA BUNDLE – 3 Plus 1 Pizza (P1,099) has 3 large primo pizzas plus one small pizza and free 1.5 liter coke.
PIZZA PAPA – It’s a Buy One Save One Promo that consists of Any 1-Large Primo Pizza plus 1-Small Hawaiiano pizza.
Their Hours of Operation are:
Monday to Saturday: 10 am – 11 pm
Sunday: 2 – 10 pm
For inquiries and more information, visit their Facebook Page:
Fanpage: Pizzarella Cdo
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