Pizza for all

Photos by Kathy Tran

Picasso’s Pizza is one of the few restaurants in Lake Highlands that has lived past its teenage years.

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The restaurant is approaching its 30th birthday, although it’s relocated from its original home on Audelia Road to Skillman Street. Owner Andrew Albert started as an employee when it opened in 1990. He moonlighted as a pizza delivery guy between cross-country tours with the hair band Sahara Rain.                         

When he was ready to settle down, he bought Picasso’s in 1993. Now Albert is spearheading Picasso’s first makeover, one that he hopes appeals to regulars and new customers alike.  He and his wife became caretakers for their parents three years ago, so he’s less involved in the restaurant’s day-to-day operations. The quality of Picasso’s service declined, Albert says, but he’s determined to remain a neighborhood staple.                                              

   

 “I’m a perfectionist by nature,” he says. “If 99 people are happy and one person is unhappy, I’m absolutely thinking about the one.”                                                                                                       

This iteration of Picasso’s features an updated menu and new staff as well as renovations to the interior. Regulars may be relieved to know the pizza recipe remains the same, but Picasso’s has increased the quality of the ingredients. The free-range chicken is a millennial’s dream, Albert says, and the staff tested dozens of mozzarella cheeses. 

“We’ve tried to grind down on the details and say, ‘Can we make this better?’ and if so, ‘How?’” Albert says.  

The menu is being condensed to four pages, but there will be plenty of new pastas, gourmet pizzas, desserts and healthy options, such as grilled artichoke hearts. 

“Every section of the menu is getting an upgrade of some kind,” Albert says.

The changes are being rolled out in phases, and customers can taste test some of the new offerings. Albert says to expect an entirely new menu by the end of this summer. 

DID YOU KNOW? Picasso’s original Audelia Road location once housed the Pizza Factory and, later, Silvio’s. 

Picasso’s Pizza 

7215 Skillman St., Suite 300

Hours:  11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sat. – Thurs.

11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday

Picassospizza.com