Piper and Tony Mangieri opened a modest takeout Italian restaurant 13 years ago in Circle C Ranch. However, in the years since, Mangieri’s Pizza Café has grown to become a local dine-in option—equipped with a full bar and indoor and outdoor seating—with delivery and pickup available. They've even opened a second location in the Lakeway area. 

Piper said the couple’s passion has always been on the quality of their food. Mangieri’s serves pizzas, pastas, salads, calzones, hot sandwiches and appetizers.

Ingredients are organic and locally sourced when they can be, and the menu includes gluten-free pastas and dough and options that cater to vegetarians and vegans, she said.

“We’ve always cared about quality, but clean food is more accessible now [than when we started],” Piper said. “It costs us more, but we really want to provide a quality product to people.”

Piper said a recent addition to the menu is Olivia’s Alfredo—a take on the classic Italian dish using penne pasta in homemade Alfredo sauce with peas, bacon, caramelized onions and mushrooms. Another newer selection is the Wild Boar—a pepperoni pizza with jalapenos, mushrooms, mozzarella and parmigiano-reggiano. Piper said all pizzas are made from scratch and made-to-order.

“Hopefully we stand out because of our topping selection,” she said. “We’re flexible. We let customers put whatever they want on their pizza.”

In an industry that has in recent years greatly embraced technologies that minimize customer contact, Piper said Mangieri’s staff makes sure they keep up with customers and grow with the community.

“Maybe we’re backwards a little,” she said. “We like the feeling of having our regular customers come in and feel like family.”

Piper said in lieu of traditional advertising, Mangieri’s tries to be an active member of the community, hosting school spirit nights and sponsoring local teams and clubs.

“I really try to say yes to those opportunities as much as I can because the community is the reason we’re here,” she said. “This community is amazing, and we’ve had so many community members in our staff. We’re a place people can have their first job or where veterans can come. We’re passionate about that.”