Two Exceptional Pizzerias in Rome
By Adam CoghlanThere was a time, around seven or eight years ago, when I agreed with the old adage that pizza is like sex: that even when it’s bad, it is good. I’ve since matured and in my maturity, I’ve become a little more picky.
My wife, as it happens, “doesn’t like pizza.”
But for me, the problem is not with pizza per se; rather I have become jaded with a certain style. During the course of the last decade, in London (where I live) there has been an obsessive relationship with Neapolitan pizza – beginning with the great pioneers at Santa Maria in Ealing, and continuing out of all proportion through the Franco Manca chain, to L’Antica Pizza da Michele (from Naples itself), Pellone, Bravi Ragazzi, and Pizza Pilgrims, too. We are saturated.
It is only recently that London has begun to properly embrace thinner, crispier NYC-style slices and afford the places doing it best the hype they deserve. Crisp Pizza in Hammersmith, All Kaps in Dalston, and Vincenzo’s in Watford have all won plaudits for taking things in a different direction. But that’s London, a city which is always imitating. I wanted to go to one of the world’s pizza homes.
And so to Rome I went.
And these are the two pizzerias I’m saying are worth your time and your Euros.
Bonci Pizzarium
This is rightly held up as one of the best places in the world to get a slice of pizza. While chef Gabriele Bonci is far from an unknown quantity (he’s amassed more than 400,000 followers on Instagram and appeared on Netflix’s Chef’s Table) his 20-year-old pizzarium on an innocuous residential street just off the north west boundary of the Vatican city retains a certain hidden-gem factor. Rocking up around 11.30, as the queues begin to form, hungry punters act like they’re in-the-know.
There’s of course a certain irony in the fact that what has become Rome’s most famous slice of pizza is not really “Roman” in style. Instead, Bonci crafts pizza al taglio, tray-baked in large rectangular tins, and sold in slices by weight.
The result is pizza worth waiting for, whether that’s at breakfast, lunch or dinner – it is the real deal. Because it’s tray baked, there’s a whole lot of crispy base and crunchy edges, particularly on the corner slices. The crumb itself is pillowy soft and aerated – like perfect ciabatta or a taut focaccia – and retains the perfect amount of chew while also supporting whatever topping you’ve plumped for.
And choices are many: Slices were flying out left, right, and centre topped with mortadella, buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, roasted pumpkin, potato all ways, and more.
We went for a classic tomato slice, another with tomato, chilli flakes and a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley, and a pizza ‘baciata’, where two slices are turned in on each other during the bake, separated by a layer of olive oil, then fashioned as a sandwich. Here it was stuffed with breaded pork and bitter greens. All were immaculate in their own way: texturally exquisite, judiciously seasoned, with high levels of umami and acidity.
Another note: when you come to pay at the counter, you can add some smaller bites to the pizza order. There’s a counter row of freshly made suppli, fried balls of rice (with meat, cheese, tomato sauce, etc.; Roman arancini, you could say) but the standout fried item was a crisp square of deep-fried, breaded lasagne. 10/10. We queued again, just for another round of those.
Via della Meloria, 43, 00136 Roma RM, Italy
Antico Forno Roscioli
In central Rome, the name Roscioli is a sign of quality. Three shops: a salumeria and cucina, caffe pasticceria, and antico forno form a triangle of gastronomic excellence on the southern edge of the city’s historical centre. Coffee and pastries are excellent, so too are the deli goods. But we were here for breakfast, here for pizza.
Like at Bonci, there’s a queue – word’s out about the freshness and quality of the pizza coming out of these ovens. The place itself certainly feels less of a spot known only to those who lurk in obscure pizza forums; which might be as much to do with the location. But don’t be fooled, this pizza and the quality of the baking is #levels.
And boy is it fresh: demand means it’s going in and coming out thin and fast. Five-foot long sheets of pizza, covered in tomato, fresh cheeses, meats, and carbs. Again, we’re just pointing and ordering by the slice before a big knife comes down hard on the pizza sheets. Our slices are weighed before being re-warmed and stuffed onto a tray and into a brown paper bag. Few things are as satisfying as coming away with eight good slices of pizza in a warm bag for breakfast and getting change from €25.
The best? A roasted potato, rosemary and mushroom slice – earthy, savoury and fortifying.
We sat out on the edge of the fontana in Piazza Farnesse to enjoy our pizza, drink our coffee and wonder when we’d eat pizza this good again.
My wife picked up and finished the last slice. “I like pizza in Rome,” she said.
Via dei Chiavari, 34, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Photography by Adam Coghlan.