A long-awaited Italian style pizza restaurant has finally opened its doors in Port Coquitlam.
A soft opening for Reggiano's Pizza was announced on social media Wednesday (April 19), located at 3357 Coast Meridian Rd. in the same strip mall as Mr. Pho and Chico Chicken.
This is good news for hand-stretched pizza lovers as the current Kitsilano location is quite popular, according to online reviews.
Owner Reggie Catubay told the Tri-City News he thought the area needed a Neopolitan-style pizza place, noting that his dough is made with Caputo OO flour, which is the choice for chefs in Naples, making pizza crust light and airy.
The restaurant has 20 dine-in seats, and will soon be licensed for beer and wine.
Take-out and delivery are also available at Reggiano's Pizza in Port Coquitlam.
Big pizzas, big slices
Catubay said Reggiano's is known for its large pizzas, 18 inches rather than the typical 16, so pizza-by-the-slice options are larger, as well.
Toppings include vegetarian, meat, and half-and-half with classics such as pepperoni, and margherita.
In fact for each meat pizza, there is a vegetarian or vegan option, said Catubay, noting that more and more people are choosing plant-based pizzas.
"We want to meet their needs" Catubay said.
Earlier this spring, Reggiano's announced that it had installed a custom Italian pizza oven at the PoCo pizza restaurant.
Catubay said it's capable of firing up to 900 degrees fahrenheit, but pizzas are typically cooked at 600° — in about five minutes — to retain that crispy crust with a chewy under-layer.
Among the sides that will be offered are fries, salads, and wings, including vegan wings, with a soft-opening promotion for 20 per cent off for dine-in and take-out.
Third Reggiano's coming soon
Catubay is also planning to open a third Reggiano's location in White Rock, later this year.
However, he's excited about this new restaurant in Port Coquitlam because it is located at the foot of Burke Mountain, a growing neighbourhood in Coquitlam, and along a busy thoroughfare on north side PoCo.
As to why he wants to be in the pizza business, Catubay simply said he loves pizza.
"My friends and I were talking about what kind of business we'd have, that’s what happened — we started a pizzeria."
Pizza is available for take-out or delivery and the hours are as follows:
- Monday-Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Thursday-Sunday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
