The Cicciarella family has led quite an exciting life over the past 50 years. During that time, they have relocated from Sicily to New York and from New York to Houston, opened and managed three Italian restaurants, sold them, retired back to Italy, came out of retirement, returned to Houston and, most recently, opened Giannina’s Pizza and Catering.
The latest venture, Giannina’s, took shape as an Italian restaurant located in the Towne Lake area. According to Francesca Cicciarella, the matriarch of the family, it has already built up a fan base.
The Cicciarellas like to maintain a fast pace, Francesca said.
“There are no slow movers here,” she said.
That fast pace is a necessity when running a business that sees customers returning every week and weekend for more freshly made meals, Francesca said. On any given Friday, Giannina’s cooks—Salvatore, Giovannina and Arcangelo—are busy making anywhere from 85 to 100 pizzas.
Everything at Giannina’s is made fresh and from scratch, something that is becoming increasingly unusual in the restaurant industry, Salvatore said.
“Have you had fresh parmigiana cheese?” Francesca asked. “It’s not the same. What about fresh marinara sauce? Entirely different.”
Hand-made components are at the center of the Cicciarella cooking philosophy. When a pizza is ordered, the Cicciarellas go to work using only made-from-scratch ingredients. Diners can view the preparation from the dining room, which offers a direct view into the kitchen.
The cooking process culminates with the final task of placing the pizza in the wood-fired oven. After just a couple minutes, the pizza is finished and ready to serve, but the smell of newly warmed pizza dough and cheese lingers.
“This is the original way Italians cook,” Salvatore said. “And it’s what makes it different—it’s pure rustica.”
9740 Barker Cypress Road, Cypress
832-467-4992
Hours: Tues.-Thurs. 4-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 4-10 p.m. Sun. 3-8 p.m. Mon. closed.
