Papa Gio’s opens second area location; two more on the way

Papa Gio’s Pizzeria and Restaurant has opened a second area location at 7210 Broad River Rd. in Irmo and will open a third location in Cherokee Lakes Plaza at 1965 Augusta Rd. in Lexington on Dec. 16 (in the space formerly occupied by Allstar Pizza).

A fourth area location is also already in the works for downtown Columbia though no specific location has been announced yet.

Papa Gio’s is a family owned and operated pizzeria that originally opened in Orlando, Fla.. Owner Giovanni--an Astoria, N.Y. native--moved to South Carolina and opened the first area Papa Gio’s location in Lexington’s Shoppes at Flight Deck in 2015. The eatery serves New York-style pizza from dough made in house daily and cooked in stone deck ovens.

In addition to other popular Italian foods such as chicken parmesan and lasagna, Papa Gio’s serves up authentic Italian dishes such as chicken saltimbocca, gnocchi and pesce della casa--sauteed prosciutto in garlic oil with fresh plum tomatoes and a white wine sauce.

This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Papa Gio’s opens second area location; two more on the way."