John Willoughby
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
Through permits, construction and hard work, the opening of a new restaurant has been confirmed and the talk around town is true. Lee resident, Henry Mendoza, is preparing to open the doors of La Piazza Bella Italian Restaurant.
Over the past couple of months, crews have worked diligently to prepare the building which will be home to Madison's newest restaurant. Rumors flew around town with speculation, but as soon as the building's roof was painted in Italy's colors of red, white and green, speculation had come to an end.
Originally set to be located in Lake City, Mendoza states that he decided to open his restaurant in Madison because of the city's lack of many eateries. "I don't want to just come here and offer a pizza place," said Mendoza. "I want to do something fancy and something that you can enjoy. We're going to bring a full menu of Italian."
The building, which sits at the corner of Lawson Drive and Highway 90, in Madison, served as a Kentucky Fried Chicken, years before it moved to the now-vacant building in front of Madison Ace Hardware. For a brief time after the KFC fast-food restaurant moved out of the building, a Mexican restaurant opened and has since closed. The building was then bought by Mendoza in June of 2019.
La Piazza Bella will offer a variety of delicious options on the menu, from breakfast to dinner, with a menu full of homemade soup, chicken, pastas, seafood and the traditional Italian cuisines, all made by an experienced 22-year chef. Additionally, Mendoza adds that La Piazza Bella will offer pizza, crafted by a pizzaiolo with 12 years of experience.
The restaurant will welcome hungry customers on Monday, Nov. 25, just before Thanksgiving. Doors will open at 10 a.m. La Piazza Bella Italian Restaurant is located at 683 U.S. Hwy. 90, in Madison.