What does pizzeria mean?
A pizzeria is a restaurant or shop that specializes in pizza, usually preparing pizzas in the style associated with Italy, although modern pizzerias may also offer other varieties. The word is common in both British and American English and is often used for small neighbourhood establishments, takeaway shops, and larger family restaurants. In everyday speech, “pizza place” and, particularly in American English, “pizza parlor” are natural alternatives. A pizzeria is distinguished from a pizzaiolo, which is a person who makes pizza, rather than the establishment where it is sold. The term is useful because it identifies not merely a restaurant but a business centred on a particular food speciality, while also suggesting a more focused and recognizably Italian dining or takeaway experience.
nounA restaurant or shop that specializes in making and selling pizza. The word is especially associated with Italian-style pizza, though pizzerias may serve other kinds of pizza as well.
- A restaurant or shop that specializes in making and selling pizza.
"They ordered a takeaway from the neighborhood pizzeria after the concert."
"The pizzeria on the corner bakes its pizza in a wood-fired oven."
"Our class visited an Italian pizzeria for a pizza-making demonstration."
The standard plural adds -s; “pizzerias” is the usual form in modern English.
"The city has several pizzerias along the main road."
From Italian, pizzeria literally points to a place devoted to pizza: its name makes the restaurant's speciality clear from the outset.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pizzeria come from?
The word comes from Italian, in which pizzeria denotes a place where pizza is made or sold. It is associated with the larger family of Italian terms formed around pizza, including pizzaiolo, the Italian word for a pizza maker, and pizzicato, which originally referred to a style of playing a stringed instrument by plucking the strings. The English borrowing became established as a general term for a pizzeria and was later used for establishments serving pizza outside Italy.
How pizzeria is actually used
The word is standard in both British and American English. In American English, “pizza parlor” is a common alternative; the term can also refer informally to a small takeaway or delivery shop.
Easily confused with pizzeria
A pizzeria is a place where pizza is made and sold, whereas a pizzaiolo is a person, traditionally a pizza maker.