Grandioso, a new dive bar and pizza concept from longtime Valley restaurateur Justin Piazza, has already sold out of pizza within a few hours on each of its first two nights since soft-opening on the southwest corner of Grand Avenue and McKinley Street in Phoenix's Historic Grand Avenue Arts District. The spot is currently running limited hours while the kitchen finds its rhythm, with a full grand opening set for October 2.
The soft opening and early sellouts were first reported by mouth by southwest, which noted Piazza brings nearly 18 years of devoted Glendale regulars to the new venture. That loyal following traces back to La Piazza Al Forno, the Glendale pizzeria Piazza founded in 2007 with his father, Dennis, and his former wife, building a reputation for wood-fired pies over nearly two decades before departing the restaurant in late 2023, according to Phoenix New Times. That flagship location ultimately closed at the end of its lease in July 2025.
A Decade of Highs and Setbacks Around the Valley
Piazza's path back to downtown Phoenix has not been a straight line. He previously ran sister pizzerias in downtown Phoenix, called La Piazza PHX, and in Avondale, called La Piazza Romana, both of which were forced to close in 2020 under pandemic-related financial pressure, the outlet reports. Those closures left Piazza focused solely on his Glendale location until his 2023 departure.
His downtown Phoenix history goes back even further and comes with its own quirky footnote. The original location opened in 2013 as La Piazza Locale, but Piazza was forced to rebrand it to La Piazza PHX in September 2014 after the national chain Chipotle threatened trademark litigation over its partnership with Pizzeria Locale, according to a 2014 Phoenix New Times report. Piazza reportedly accepted a $10,000 settlement to complete the name change rather than fight it in court.
Before landing back in the Valley to launch Grandioso, Piazza expanded out of state, opening a pizzeria called What Up, Dough? in Burbank, California, per Phoenix New Times. He has described Grandioso as representing his life's work.
From VPN Certification to a Broader Regional Pizza Program
Piazza's culinary credentials run deep. His original Glendale spot earned certification from Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, an Italian trade group that enforces strict Naples traditional standards requiring specific Italian flour, San Marzano tomatoes, and precise wood-fired oven temperatures — a distinction that made it one of only three pizzerias in Arizona to hold it at the time, Phoenix New Times reported. Piazza has also appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives four times.
Grandioso takes a different approach than that Neapolitan-focused pedigree, pivoting toward a broader regional pizza program that spans New York, Roman, Detroit, and tavern-style pies, per mouth by southwest and Phoenix New Times. The menu includes New York pizza, Roman taglio pizza, Detroit pan pizza, and tavern-style thin-crust pizza, giving the kitchen a wider range to work with as it ramps up.
A Lowrider Bar Top Meets Wood-Fired Pizza
The space itself leans into a neighborhood dive-bar identity as much as its food program. Grandioso pairs its multi-style pizza offerings with a custom lowrider-style bar top featuring custom paintwork, interior and exterior murals, a pool table, and a jukebox, according to a blog post from Rami Haddad. The concept is designed to merge casual bar culture with more serious pizza craftsmanship.
City records back up the bar side of that equation. The Phoenix City Council approved a Series 12 Restaurant spirituous liquor license, Application 398461, for Grandioso at 1229 Grand Avenue on July 1, 2026, according to City of Phoenix records, which note the location had not previously been licensed for liquor sales. The application was processed under Council District 7.
Piazza's ties to the West Valley go beyond pizza. In 2010, he donated half of La Piazza Al Forno's profits to the family of Bradley Jones, a Glendale police officer killed in the line of duty, a benefit organized in collaboration with other West Valley small businesses, according to PMQ Pizza.
Limited Hours for Now, With Grand Opening Set for October
While the kitchen finds its footing, Grandioso is running a limited schedule: 4 to 10 p.m. today and Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The official grand opening is scheduled for October 2, per mouth by southwest, though it remains to be seen whether Piazza will expand the menu or add late-night hours once the kitchen is fully staffed.
Grandioso's arrival adds another anchor to a corridor already in flux. The Historic Grand Avenue Arts District has seen notable turnover in 2026, including the July arrival of Hawaiian counter Shaka Dogs and the 2025 opening of Latin eatery Malegría Cafe, alongside the June 2026 closing of the 8-year-old gallery space Aftermarket, as Hoodline has reported.
The opening also lands amid major infrastructure work along the broader Grand Avenue corridor. The Arizona Department of Transportation launched an 11-mile pavement rehabilitation project on US 60/Grand Avenue in May 2026, ahead of a $140 million Grand-35 overpass project slated for 2027 on a corridor that carries roughly 50,000 vehicles daily through West Phoenix, according to Hoodline's prior coverage of the corridor.
