Restaurants & Bars
Aiello's Pizza Celebrates 40th Anniversary
The Pittsburgh institution marked the occasion by selling pizza for 40 cents a slice Thursday.
PITTSBURGH, PA - If Giuseppe “Joe” Aiello was still around, he wouldn’t recognize the pizza place he opened 40 years ago on Thursday.
Aiello passed away in 2013. In 2016, his children who took over the business began an extensive expansion that was just completed several months ago.
Aiello’s celebrated the completion of the reconstruction and the 40th anniversary with a thank you to its customers. Slices of plain pizza were just 40 cents apiece (limit two per customer of course).
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“I think the customers are enjoying it and I know we’re enjoying it,” said Cathy Aiello-Willis, who now runs the operation with her husband, Travis Willis, and her brother, Mike Aiello.
Joe Aiello started the business in 1978 after working down the street at Mineo’s, another revered Squirrel Hill pizza place. The debate over which has the best pie has divided even the closest of families over the years.
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But Jeff Wedner of Squirrel Hill, who was eating a couple of cheap slices while waiting to take home a medium pizza for later, has no doubt as to which is best.
“I’ve been coming back here for many, many years,” he said. “This is definitely my favorite pizza.”
The pie can be enjoyed in much more spacious and inviting accommodations than when Joe Aiello still flipped dough in the window for passersby to see.
Aiello’s took over the Murray Avenue space next door formerly occupied by Zaw’s Asian restaurant and then began a painstakingly slow expansion process.
“The reason for the length of time is that we did not want to close at all,” said Aiello-Willis. “And we didn’t.”
For people who haven’t been there in a while, the ovens, ordering line and soda coolers are in the Zaw’s space. The “old” Aiello’s space is now a seating area in the front, while the rear contains a bar that serves craft beer and a cooler where you can get beer to go.
What would Joe Aiello think if he could see the place today?
“I think he’d be happy with the outcome,” Aiello-Willis said.
The customers seem to be.
“I think they’ve done a great job,” Wedner said. “The place looks fantastic now.”
Photos by Eric Heyl/Patch staff.
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