It was a sad day when Pizzaiolo Italian Cafe, located on Southeast Sixth Street in Fort Lauderdale, closed its doors. Forced to go in search of a new location by a building demolition, the restaurant had plans to reopen in a new home very quickly, but as tends to happen in the restaurant industry, life intervenes.
“We hoped to be open sooner,” co-owner Natalia Alarcon told What Now on Thursday, describing that all-too-familiar process of permitting and other difficulties.
But all the same, there’s no question that the new space is an upgrade.
“The main difference is that it’s going to be much bigger,” Alarcon said. “We’re going to have indoor and outdoor seating for about seventy people.”
In the new space, a block closer to the courthouse at 550 S Andrews Ave., the restaurant will reopen under a new name: Darios Fort Lauderdale, named after co-owner Dario, Alarcon’s husband and the face of the restaurant.
The menu will also be getting an update with the rebrand to Darios Fort Lauderdale. The new location will feature a wood-burning pizza oven, so you can expect more of the brand’s popular pizzas; and you can also expect to find more on the restaurant’s breakfast menu, especially health-conscious ones. Pizzaiolo offered breakfast selections were largely limited to croissants and other pastries. At Darios, you can expect to find avocado toast, açai bowls and more. The menu will also branch out from Italian cuisine, featuring dishes from Alarcon’s native Colombia, including a variety of arepas.
No opening date has been projected for Darios Fort Lauderdale yet, but we expect it to open before the year is out.
