Piola plans Las Olas Fort Lauderdale location with signature pasta dishes

Piola is lining up a Las Olas Riverwalk address at 221 SW First Avenue, CU102, bringing a familiar Italian name into one of Fort Lauderdale’s most contested dining strips. The Fort Lauderdale location page already lists the restaurant as coming soon, and FL & CM Food LLC has filed permit applications with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. No opening date had been announced, and the hours on the location page also still read coming soon.

For pasta watchers, Piola’s pitch is more interesting than a standard pizza shop opening. The brand describes the Fort Lauderdale location as serving signature pasta dishes with house-made sauces, alongside fresh gourmet salads and Italian desserts. The dessert lineup on the location page includes tiramisu, Nutella pizza, profiteroles, and panna cotta, a menu mix that signals a restaurant trying to cover the full table, not just the pie course.

That matters because Piola is not a newcomer trying to invent an identity from scratch. The company traces its roots to Italy in the 1980s and has been part of the Miami dining landscape since the 1990s, which gives the Las Olas move the feel of a regional expansion rather than a leap into unfamiliar territory. Its wider menu pages also reinforce that pasta is part of the brand’s backbone, with items such as fettuccine al ragù and panna cotta with house-made berry sauce appearing in other locations.

The operator behind the filing adds another layer of specificity. Florida business records show FL & CM Food LLC was established on September 19, 2024, with 221 SW 1st Avenue in Fort Lauderdale listed as both its principal and mailing address. Frederico Lima is named as manager and registered agent. That kind of paper trail suggests the project has already moved beyond a casual idea and into the build-out stage, even if the door has not opened yet.

Piola also leans on a community-minded image, with support for fundraising for charities and organizations folded into its brand story. In a Fort Lauderdale market already crowded with Italian and Mediterranean options, that mix of house-made sauces, signature pasta, and neighborhood-facing branding is what makes this opening worth watching. On Las Olas, a menu like this has to do more than show up, and Piola is betting that pasta, not just pizza, will give it a place at the table.