Travelers flying through Pittsburgh International Airport can now get a slice of local flavor, quite literally, with the recent opening of Mineo's Pizza House in the airport's main food court. The family-owned pizzeria, a Pittsburgh staple since 1958, has launched its newest outpost next to Marathon Diner, enriching the airport's dining options with its well-loved hand-tossed pizzas, hoagies, salads, and appetizers. "Sense of place is important at the airport, and for decades, Mineo's has been part of the Pittsburgh community and a local favorite," Bryan Dietz, PIT senior vice president of air service and commercial development, conveyed to WPXI.
The celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony that happened at the food court was not just an opening, but a moment of collective pride and nostalgia for the Mineo family. The recent addition marks another milestone in the eatery's growth, which began as a single pizza shop in Squirrel Hill. "We're now here. We're ready to sell all of these pizzas. As you all know, we have a UPS program at our Squirrel Hill location. We've been shipping pizzas since the 90s," Giovanni Mineo III, grandson of the founder and adorned with the same name, informed in a statement to WTAE.
The addition of Mineo's at the airport is part of a concerted effort to offer an authentic Pittsburgh experience to travelers. With the airport recently undergoing terminal redevelopment, the focus was heavy on creating a sense of place. "When this new terminal opened, and we did this terminal redevelopment, we had a focus on sense of place -- that when you landed here in Pittsburgh, you knew you were in someplace unique. And there's an iconic brand that we're excited to welcome here today, which is Mineo's, that brings pieces of Pittsburgh here to the airport," Bryan Dietz added, as per WTAE.
