Each week, Tommy-Maurice is going to a different restaurant in Asunción. This week, he has been to La Pizza Nostra, an establishment located in the dynamic Barrio Tacumbu.
For those who do not know me well, I like Italian cuisine, which passes mostly by pastas and pizzas. I would be willing to walk a lot and even take public transportation — which I am not a big fan of — to get a taste of Italy. I found this restaurant last year by looking on Google Maps, and I definitely had to go. The restaurant’s theme is the Italian organized crime, which we know by the name mafia, with pictures on the wall of Al Capone or Lucky Luciano, to name a few. You can also see movie posters like the Godfathers or Goodfellas. For those who like this universe, like me, it is a mandatory food stop. I could not go there until this week and regret not going there sooner.
La Pizza Nostra indeed offers pizza, but it also offers calzone, empanadas, and some desserts. There is a large option of beers and drinks to accompany your dinner. What is funny and interesting is that they incorporated the theme into the daily menu. For example, the pizza’s names are based on real criminals, fictional criminals, or the hierarchy of a familia. You can then have a Lucky Luciano pizza with mushrooms and pepperoni, a Freddo pizza with catupiry cheese, or a Capo di Tutti Capi pizza with basilic and black olives. There is no pasta regularly but it might be included as part of the daily menu they also offer. The daily offering is more Paraguayan, often containing vorí vorí, milanesa, or polenta. There is a large option of beers and drinks to accompany your dinner. You can also get it delivered to your home if you live close to the location. It does not deliver in every neighbourhood of the city. I chose a pizza named Consigliere in honour of a right-hand man in the Italian organized crime. It is composed of mozzarella, ham, slightly spicy peppers, and green olives. I liked how the cheese melted in my mouth; it was super tasty, and I also enjoyed what the peppers were bringing in terms of flavour — a good combination of ingredients.
As for the price, it cost me 45K Guaraníes for a personal-size pizza and the cola, which is good. I would have paid around 65K Guaraníes in Canada for the same size and flavour. It is not the priciest item as I took a small pizza instead of a large one. The bigger pizzas are in the 60 to 90K Guaraníes range, excluding drinks or desserts. This restaurant is the smallest I have been to so far, but it still has places for 40 to 50 people, with a dozen tables. I have been there during dinner time as it is not open at lunchtime, and most clients I have seen were getting pizzas on the go and not staying at the establishment. The location is spotless, well-maintained, and beautiful. No official parking lot exists, but other commerce with proper parking spots are around. Being on the most important avenue in this part of Asunción, it is very convenient for people to use public transportation or taxis.
La Pizza Nostra is open all week from 6 PM to 11:55 PM. It is located on the hyper-busy Avenida Colón (#001014), the street connecting the two Costanera, at the corner of Calle Sicilia. It is very interesting and funny that the Italian establishment is located on a street named after a man born in Italy at the corner of a street named after an Italian region. The restaurant owners could not have done better, as it is the non-official Italian neighbourhood of the capital.
If you want to eat in a typical Italian, Italian-American restaurant, La Pizza Nostra is the place for you!
Look next week for another article about a restaurant in Asunción!
