Center City Philly’s Pizzata Pizzeria expands to East Passyunk with a neighborhood bar

How did Davide Lubrano and Vinny Gallagher of Center City’s acclaimed Pizzata Pizzeria find their new location on East Passyunk Avenue’s restaurant row?

It was easy. Lubrano’s brother, Ciro, had managed LaScala’s Birra for seven years, on the triangle corner where 12th and Morris Streets cross Passyunk across from Bing Bing Dim Sum, Human Robot, and Barcelona.

With the lease up, and La Scala focusing on larger restaurants, Ciro Lubrano was also at a crossroads, career-wise.

“We’ve been pushing him to come on board with us for years now,” Davide Lubrano said. Ciro also had been lending a hand at Pizzata since its opening in fall 2020 near Fitler Square.

“It was about time that we did our own thing together now,” Gallagher said.

So Ciro is still there. This week, they open Pizzata Pizzeria & Birreria, a much larger and more ambitious location than the original shop, a shoebox at 22nd Street and Rittenhouse Square that is mostly takeout.

The new location, lightened up with old-time photos, has a sports-bar look. It seats 58 in the downstairs dining room, 14 more at the bar, and nearly 80 outside. There also is a family-friendly upstairs dining room.

The menu features more than a dozen starters, salads, pasta dishes, sandwiches, strombolis, and a pizza menu of naturally leavened 12- and 16-inch sourdough pies.

The full bar has eight beers on tap, 60 or so in cans and bottles, and wines and cocktails.

Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Happy hour (4 to 6 p.m. weekdays) includes $8 pricing on such dishes as 12-inch pizzas, garlic Parmesan wings, truffle fries, arancini, meatballs, and cheesesteak egg rolls, plus discounted drinks.