PizzAlCuore

PizzAlCuore is a family-run Italian restaurant on Hauptstrasse in Bubendorf, in the Liestal area of Basel-Landschaft, and alongside its dining room it runs take-away, home delivery and a catering service. The catering page names weddings next to company parties, birthdays and private celebrations, and promises that the restaurant takes care of the whole menu planning. For a couple who wants a relaxed Italian meal rather than a formal banquet, it is a straightforward option, and one of the few caterers whose everyday menu, with prices, is published in full.

The catering offer

The catering page is short and to the point. It opens with a question, "Planen Sie eine Feier oder ein besonderes Event und möchten Ihre Gäste mit köstlichen italienischen Spezialitäten verwöhnen?" (are you planning a celebration or a special event and want to treat your guests to Italian specialties?), and describes a "erstklassigen Catering-Service" that turns the event into a culinary highlight. The key line for a couple is this one: "wir kümmern uns um die gesamte Menüplanung und bereiten alles mit viel Liebe und Leidenschaft zu" (we take care of the whole menu planning and prepare everything with a lot of love and passion). After that, the page asks clients to share their wishes so that the restaurant can put together an individual catering offer, and to phone for details and a personal quote.

The page title calls it a Mediterranean catering service for Liestal and the surrounding area. That is the only statement of where it caters.

The kitchen behind it

The about page describes a family business with "langjährige Erfahrung in der Zubereitung italienischer Spezialitäten" (many years of experience in preparing Italian specialties) that places great value on quality and authenticity. It says the cooks use only the freshest ingredients and prepare the dishes to traditional recipes, and it lists pizzas, pasta, salads and desserts as the core range.

The published menu shows what the kitchen actually cooks, and it is broader than the name suggests:

• Salads and antipasti. Bruschetta, a tomato and onion salad, lamb's lettuce with egg and bacon in season, cherry tomatoes with mozzarella pearls, rocket with Parmesan, a buffalo mozzarella caprese, and garnished salad plates with tuna, grilled vegetables or chicken. The menu says all its dressings are homemade.
• Pizzas. A long list from Margherita to a Quattro Formaggi, a Pizza Bubendorf, a Pizza Swiss Alp with raclette and Bündnerfleisch, and 2 heart-shaped pizzas called I Love Italy and I Love Swiss. There are also focaccias.
• Family XXL pizzas. The menu has a Jumbo section of pizzas 60 cm across, from 48.50 francs for a Margherita. For a casual wedding party or a late-night snack, that is the most practical item on the list.
• Pasta e più. Lasagna with Bolognese or a vegetarian version, an aubergine parmigiana, baked gnocchi, cannelloni with meat or with ricotta and spinach, several penne dishes, and spaghetti or tagliatelle with a choice of sauces: Carbonara, Arrabbiata, Bolognese, Napoli or salmon.
• Meat. Chicken and veal escalopes with mushroom cream sauce or breaded, and chicken or veal piccata with tomato spaghetti. The menu declares veal, beef, chicken and pork as Swiss.
• Desserts. Chocolate mousse, strawberry panna cotta and tiramisu, all homemade according to the menu.

The menu also shows burgers, including a vegetarian burger to a house recipe, and a fryer section. These are restaurant and delivery items, and the catering offer for a wedding would be built from the menu planning described on the catering page rather than from the delivery list. The menu page itself says it caters for a quick snack, a relaxed dinner at home or "ein festliches Menü für eine besondere Gelegenheit" (a festive menu for a special occasion), and the pasta section invites guests to add ingredients to their own taste and to ask. Drinks on the menu run from soft drinks and San Pellegrino to beers such as Feldschlösschen, Quöllfrisch and Birra Moretti; whether drinks are part of a catering offer is not stated.

What the prices say

No catering prices are published, but the restaurant menu gives a sense of the price level. A Pizza Margherita is 16.50 francs, most pasta dishes are 20.50 francs, veal dishes are 31.50 francs and the desserts are 7.50 to 8.50 francs. The menu notes that all prices include VAT. These are restaurant prices. The catering page does not say how a catering quote is built, so they show the price level of the kitchen rather than a wedding budget.

Contact and opening hours

The restaurant is at Hauptstrasse 80, 4416 Bubendorf. Phone is 061 525 50 10 and email pizzalcuorebuben@gmail.com, and there is a contact form. The contact page says the team aims to reply as quickly as possible. The restaurant is closed on Monday; it opens Tuesday from 17:00 to 21:30, Wednesday to Friday from 11:30 to 13:30 and 17:30 to 21:30, Saturday from 17:00 to 22:00 and Sunday from 17:00 to 21:00. Those are the hours to phone in.

What the site leaves open

• Language. The site is in German and does not say whether the team plans events in English or Italian, so ask.
• Service and equipment. The catering page says nothing about waiting staff, tableware, buffet equipment or setup. A couple should ask whether the restaurant delivers food only or also serves.
• Guest numbers. No minimum or maximum is given.
• Venue. The restaurant does not offer its own room for private events on these pages. The catering goes to a venue the couple chooses.
• Dietary needs. The menu marks vegetarian dishes (Vegi), but the site states nothing about allergies or gluten-free cooking.

Who it suits

PizzAlCuore suits couples marrying in or near Liestal and Bubendorf who want a casual, generous Italian meal: pasta bakes, pizza and tiramisu for a garden party, a barn, a family celebration after the civil ceremony, or a late-night snack at a larger wedding. The published menu makes it easy to understand the cooking and the price level before calling.

It is not the right choice for a fine-dining dinner or for a couple who needs a caterer to run the whole service with staff and equipment, at least not without confirming that first. The site is also German only, and the catering page is brief, so most details come from a phone call during opening hours.