Owner Cetin Ozsoy stands beside La Piazza’s signature wood-fired pizza oven, a beloved fixture he kept after buying and remodeling the Orinda restaurant in June. Ozsoy has upgraded ingredients, refreshed the space and added cocktails to the menu while keeping the Italian favorites that make La Piazza a local staple.
The sign may be the same, but the restaurant has changed.
After Cetin Ozsoy bought La Piazza in June, he closed the restaurant for six weeks for a deep cleaning and remodel – though the iconic wood-fired pizza remains. In addition, even with pretty much the same menu, he has focused on upgrading the ingredients, from the pasta to the tomatoes, to give the food a flavorful boost.
And he also purchased a liquor license, adding cocktails to the beer and wine that was available before.
Ozsoy, as his name suggests, is Turkish, but he felt that quality meals were more important than a particular regional cuisine, so he decided to stick with La Piazza’s Italian menu. (He also contemplated changing the name, but the bureaucratic demands for the process caused him to stick with La Piazza.)
Ozsoy learned the restaurant business in the north of England, in York, where he moved after a career in the Turkish army. When he remarried, his new wife lived and worked in the East Bay, so he came to America – and soon started looking for a restaurant.
When La Piazza became available, he felt that Orinda would be a perfect place for him to develop a restaurant focused on high-quality ingredients.
First, however, he redecorated the interior, though the wood-fired pizza oven remains a focal point. And that oven is also a focal point of the pizza on the menu, as no new such ovens can be built in Contra Costa County. Ozsoy had spent time as a pizza chef in England, and was happy to use his expertise in a kitchen designed for an American favorite.
Next up is a tweak to the menu, which will retain its Italian focus, but Ozsoy continues to polish his vision for La Piazza – and turn it into a destination Italian restaurant in Orinda.
