When a group of people who were in the same class at St. Pius X High School years ago decided to hold a mini-reunion in November, it didn’t take long to figure out where they wanted to meet. They chose Enoteca Mozza Restaurant at Centropolis in Laval, a place everyone calls “Mozza.”
“It’s a nice place to go in the winter time,” said Joey Mennitto, a 43-year-old who was among the group. “When you walk in, the place has glass on three sides. The inside is homey. All the pizza is cooked with wood burning ovens so it feels like you’re in front of a fireplace.”
When the group got there, they met a bunch of people from another class in the same high school holding a similar get-together. That’s because Mozza tends to attract people ranging from thirty-something to forty-something who are looking for a modern, yet comfortable place to have a good meal without paying too much. Mennitto finds himself meeting friends there every month or two.
“I usually have pizza and the prosciutto with arugula salad on top of it,” he says. For dessert, he recommends the calzone with Nutella inside. Since Mozza heats most of its desserts in the brick wood oven, the apple crumble and chocolate chip with ice cream are both good too.
Mennitto says that the restaurant side is often packed with families with young kids, but there are also 20 or so tables on the bar side for people who want a quieter space. “The older crowd still enjoys going out, but now they bring the whole family,” he says. “It’s not pretentious. It’s the type of place that you’d bring your mother for a fancy meal. It’s modern but still comfortable. It’s affordable, not expensive.”
Mennitto likes the fact that Mozza is convenient to get to with no issue for parking and that service is quick. “Typically, I go on a Sunday or a Thursday evening. On Sunday evenings, it’s full of families, friends and their kids celebrating some event. You always see balloons with someone turning 40 or 50.”
If you go:
Enoteca Mozza is located at 505 Promenade du Centropolis, Laval, QC H7T 0A3. Their phone number is (450) 973-3400 and their email is laval@restaurantmozza.com. They are open from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, until 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 4 until midnight on Saturdays and 4 until 10 p.m. Sundays. The same company also has a location in DDO. Check out their menu at www.restaurantmozza.com. Lots of gluten free options are available.
Note: This story appeared on page 2 of The Surburban on January 2.