New lunch spot Piazza Pelino opens in Short North

AJ Hymiller
Thu, 07 Dec 2023 03:25:57 +0000
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Located at 722 N. High St. in the Short North Arts District, Piazza Pelino is a new sandwich shop that prioritizes Italian flavors. Credit: AJ Hymiller | Lantern Reporter

A new sandwich shop is bringing a taste of Italy to the Short North Arts District.

Piazza Pelino opened Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 722 N. High St., offering Columbus locals a new focacceria and gelateria in the Short North Arts District. Co-owner Christina Pelino said the impetus to open Piazza Pelino came from her family’s personal history.

“This experience was inspired by my husband’s great-grandmother, who made bread every day until she was 98 years old,” Pelino said. “There are very limited options for lunch in the Short North and we felt that having the option for a quick lunch that doesn’t sacrifice on quality of ingredients or taste would fill the void.”

Pelino said visiting Italy with her husband to source authentic ingredients for their local sister business, Pelino’s Pasta, helped push the idea for a shop along.

“Along the way, we have discovered many things that we wanted to bring back to Columbus like individual sandwich items and artisans that we’ve met,” Pelino said.

Vinny Pelino, co-owner of Piazza Pelino and husband to Christina, said the shop’s design stands out from other restaurants in the Short North area.

“The interior is bright and colorful, and hovering above the navy walls are rows of brightly colored umbrellas,” Vinny Pelino said. “This has special meaning because it reminds us of a beautiful piazza in Catalina, Sicily, that we loved.”

Construction on the shop began two months ago, but the duo’s vision for an Italian sandwich shop is nearly one year old, Vinny Pelino said.

“Between myself, my wife and my brothers Angelo and Dominic, we were able to do all of the opening work ourselves,” Vinny Pelino said. “It is truly so amazing to be able to share a piece of our travels with Columbus.

Christina Pelino said the eatery’s most notable distinction from other local restaurants is its carefully chosen ingredients.

“Everything that we do is sourced with care, even our house-made focaccia bread that we make from scratch and bake fresh all day long with imported Italian flour,” Christina Pelino said. “You’ll see a lot of abbreviations such as DOP, which is a certification that’s given by the Italian government to certify an authentic product.”

Since opening its doors on Wednesday, Piazza Pelino has experienced a sufficiently steady stream of business, Vinny Pelino said; in fact, he said a fan-favorite sandwich has already emerged.

“The biggest seller has been our Della Casa, or our house sandwich,” Vinny Pelino said. “This yummy item features Prosciutto di Parma DOP, creamy stracciatella cheese and housemade basil and garlic pesto Genovese.”

Christina Pelino said the sandwich shop’s main goal is to stay true to her familial heritage.

“We want the Pelino name to be synonymous with authentic Italian food,” Christina Pelino said. “We’ll always continue to strive to bring people the highest quality products and introduce our guests to many exciting Italian goods.”

Piazza Pelino is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. More information, including an up-to-date menu, can be found on the shop’s website.