Best Pizza in Rome, Italy. Any advise?

[cyboinitaly]

Hello,
Planning to visit Italy and Rome in April 2010 and hubby and I love real italian food and Pizza.
These places look cool but I am not sure. Did you try any of these pizza restaurants? Any suggestion? PLease help:-)
http://italytravelista.com/2009/09/it...
Thanks for your help
Joy

[emglow101]

I loved pizza Remo. I was there three weeks ago. It's nice to go to the neighborhood's to get away from the crowds. Walked in sat down around 8:00 had the pizza napoletana with fiori di zucca on the side and the house red,fabulous.

[uncledunkel]

planning to go to either da Remo or Ivo on a Thursday night. do either take reservations and are they recommended? thx

[vinoroma]

dark uncle, I thought you had all your answers, are you starting again? Remo and Ivo are both recommended and both do not take reservations. You have also already been told there is enough non offal to eat in checchino, but that is their strong point, and is meaningless since none of you is into offal.

[mollypicon]

I just spent a week in Monteverde, the neighborhood just beyond Trastevere. I didn't do any research into restaurants, just walked around in my neighborhood or Trastevere or Testaccio or the Centro Historico and ate pizza pretty much constantly, sometimes four slices a day! I think the pizza in Rome is pretty terrific. All you have to do is wander into a pizza del taglio- they're everywhere- and look at what's on offer. If it looks good and fresh and interesting, and it often does, go for it! I did try Frontoni in Trastevere and Monteverde- excellent small chain. I even had lovely slices with rich marinara sauce and perfect crusts by Termini. You really can't go wrong. Naples has great pizza too, but don't write Rome off. By the way I'm from New York and I know my pizza...

[gjrubino]

Any advice for best pizza at lunch?

[Georgy_aslf]

For lunch you can find numerous pizzerias or bakeries (forno) that sell pizza al taglio (sliced). Pizzarium is on of the most famous.

However, there are places that (as an exception) serve wood oven pizza even for lunch. For example: Montecarlo (classic roman pizza) or Rosso Pomodoro (Napoli style pizza).

[Georgy_aslf]

It is very difficut (and probably - impossible) to say which place serves best pizza in Rome, since there are quite many places that serve decent Roman pizza. My personal favourite is Vincenzo alla Lungaretta (in Trastevere). Pizzas are simply superb. Needless to say, that they are made in an authentic wood burning oven. The crust is fantastic and toppings are always fresh.

The best Naples style pizza I have ever eaten was in Naples, of course - the name of the pizzeria is Di Matteo.

[vincentinparisandrome]

(This is a slightly edited response I posted to a similar thread)>

I have to agree with the posters who find Baffetto (and nearby Montecarlo) overrated. I know they're in every guide book, and yes, I know any number of people who will take the long waits (and abuse from Baffetto, which is all for show, but it's tedious rather than entertaining). But when you finally get the pizza, is it worth the hassle? Not in my book, it's not.

In the same area I would have a pizza at Fiammetta, on Piazza Fiammetta just above piazza Navona. Great neighborhood place that hasn't changed it's menu in 40 years. It's a great place for othe Roman spacialities too, like puntarelle salad and sautéed agretti (in season) or trippa alla romana, long simmered tripe.

My hands down favorite pizza in Rome is at La Vecchia Conca (via Carlo Alberto 26, near Santa Maria Maggiore and Termini station). Wafer-thin, Roman-style crust, with only a handful of light toppings. It may not be the pizza that everyone is looking for, but it hits the spot for me every time. And as it's designed as a primo, you can easily tuck into their excellent pasta (al'astice, with lobster, perhaps) or their mushroom stuffed sea bass for your next course.

Finally, hands down the best pizza al taglio (by the slice) is at Roscioli (at Il forno, the bakery - not their restaurant - via dei Chiavari, 34, a few steps from Campo de' Fiori). Always perfect crust with the right balance between chewy and crisp. But keep in mind they close by 7:30, and will have run out of even basic pizza rossa well before then.

[tupac17616]

Pizzarium and Sforno will not disappoint.

[zerlina]

Maybe not, but Pizzarium does pizza al taglio and Sforno is at the back of beyond. And both do what I would be tempted to call "couture" pizza, with little on the menu that would be familiar to someone accustomed to American pizza.

[ian_pink]

Since so much has been made of Baffetto, I gotta say, it's really not worth it. The wait and the attitude of the staff are a real downer, and the pizza is very, very good Roman pizza that you could get at more than half a dozen other places with no wait and no hassle.

Isn't the real truth about Roman pizza that at a certain level, it's all EXACTLY THE SAME? The differences between pizzas at Montecarlo, Baffetto, L'Orbittoro, Ivo, and Remo are pretty much nil. Just go to whichever is closest and has the shortest wait. They're all very good, but it's not like going to, say, the five great pizzerias in New York, all of which are amazing and each is a little different. And at the risk of starting a war, I'll venture to say (and it's been said before) that pizza really reached its greatest heights in the hands of Italian immigrants in the urban little Italys of the northeastern USA, and American tourists who are true pizza enthusiasts won't be blown away by Roman pizza. But I haven't been Napoli yet. That said...

Best Roman-style Pizzerias IMHO in no particular order
Montecarlo
Baffetto
L'Orbittoro (Marmi)
Ivo
Remo

Best atypical Pizzerias in Rome
Dar Poeta
Bir & Fud

Note: None of this applies to pizza al taglio

Note 2: I haven't been to Baffetto 2, around the corner from the original in the Piazza del Teatro di Pompeo, but when I've walked by it looks like the same food minus the wait/ hassle.

[maestrette]

We ate at Baffetto 2 when we were in Rome at this time last year. Good, but definitely not the best we had. Our favorite was a toss-up between Dar Poeta and Acchiappafantasmi.

[jen kalb]

Adding links for Bir e Fud,Da Ivo,Dar Poeta,Remo,Montecarlo, Acchiappafantasmi,Baffetto,Ai Marmi,and other pizzerie mentioned on this thread

-----
Forno Campo De' Fiori
Piazza Campo de' Fiori, 22, Rome, Lazio 00186, IT

Ivo a Trastevere
Via San Francesco a Ripa 158, Rome 00153, IT

Pizzeria Ai Marmi AKA L'Obitorio AKA Panattoni
Viale di Trastevere 53-55, Rome , IT

Bir e Fud
Via Benedetta 23, Rome, Lazio 00153, IT

Fiametta
Piazza Fiammetta, 8, Rome, Lazio 00186, IT

Dar Poeta
Vicolo Bologna 45-46,, Rome, Lazio 00153, IT

Remo
Piazza di Santa Maria Liberatrice, 44, Rome, Lazio 00153, IT

La Montecarlo
Vicolo Savelli 12/13,, Rome, Lazio , IT

da Baffetto
via del Governo Vecchio, 114, Rome, Lazio , IT

Casa Frontoni
Via S. Francesco a Ripa,128,, Rome, Lazio 00153, IT

Pizzarium
Via della Meloria, 43, Rome, Lazio 00136, IT

Acchiappafantasmi
Via dei Cappellari, 66, Rome, Lazio 00186, IT

Sforno
Via Statilio Ottato, 110, Rome, Lazio , IT

La Vecchia Conca
Via Carlo Alberto 26a, Rome, Lazio 00185, IT

Antico Forno Roscioli
Via dei Chiavari,34, Rome, Lazio 00186, IT

[mbfant]

I finally looked at the list and approve, not least because it doesn’t include Baffetto ;-) and does include Bir & Fud.

[bropaul]

When I wrote my last reply, I could not, for the life of me, remember the name of the other pizzeria I wanted to recommend (evenn though I went there about once a week and was just there again in August. Just came back to though, La Villetta. It's near the Piramide metro stop, not far from Testaccio. Besides pizza, it has a full menu as well. It was just a Mom and Pop place years ago, but it has had a makeover, but is still good. Absolutely the largest fiori di zucca and suppli'. If you are a fan of AS Roma, you'll be right at home. You can also practice your Romanaccio (Roman dialect) on the menu.

http://www.lavillettadal1940.com/ita/...

The only place on your list that I've been to is Roma Sparita. Very reliable and in a beautiful location.

[bropaul]

Somewhat overlooked in Testaccio is Il Cantinone, right on Piazza Testaccio. If you are going to a Roman pizzeria, be sure to try some of the pre-pizza goodies, generally fried - suppli', filetti di baccala, olive ascolane or, in summer, fiori di zucca. This will round out your pizzeria experience.

[masoliveira]

Dar Poeta,Trastevere...Been there last year...Nice pizza,good people.

[T42]

Just returned and had "Superbuffalo" pizza at Dar Poeta. It was great! Busy spot-went by several times and it was always packed with people and line ups to get in. Dinner for two with drinks and salad came to $25 Euro....just can't beat that price!

[mdg]

Thanks for all the recommendations for Dar Poeta, both here and elsewhere. That's where we went for pizza when we were in Rome a couple weeks ago, and it was a revelation. There was a complex wheatiness in the crust that was just amazing and unprecedented in my pizza-eating experience.

The eponymous pizza was particularly outstanding - zucchini, sausage, garlic, and chili. We had seen great-looking zucchini in the Campo de Fiori market earlier that day, and these tasted as fine at those looked.

Highly recommended!

http://www.darpoeta.com/

Michael

[arashall]

We had fabulous pizza at a tiny little place near the Borghese Gallery. And they were open for lunch!
Pizza Magi
Via Salaria N. 70, Roma
phone [phone]

[RomeAddict]

Love da Beffetto IF you get there by 7 so you don't wait in line.
Also love Pizzeria Remo, 44 Piazza Santa Maria Liberatrice, closed Sunday
Best cachio e pepe is at Ditirambo, 1 block from Campo dei Fiore in tiny Piazza della Cancelleria--see if they have their pear/gorgonzola souffle (swoonable).
Armando al Pantheon, 31 salita de' crescenzi, reserve, tiny, Claudio-chef/owner;daughter Fabrizio & husband Mario wait tables.
Enoteca Corsi,lunch only,87 via del Gesu,ask for my beautiful friend,Claudia,her parents own it. closed Sunday.
Le Mani in Pasta, 37 via dei Genovesi, s side Trastevere,reserve,carbonara,gnocchiette w/fava beans,cherry tom,truffles; spag. vernaccia, gorgonzola ice cream in almond pastry.
Trattoria Monti for the Camerucci brothers, Enrico & Daniele & their Momma's tortinos, (cheese flans) & house white Verdicchio + pasta they rec.
Nino, via Borgognona 11 (S Steps area), for their bean soup, ribolita..wonderful.
Osteria del Sostegno, 5 via delle Colonnelle, Marco Mazzoni-owner,saltimbocca,near Pantheon.
Sora Margherita, 30 Piazza delle Cinque Scole, Jewish Ghetto, artichoke guidia,hole-in-the-wall like eating in your Ital. grandmother's kitchen. 12-15:30 M-F
Alla Rampa, cash, behind Amer Express Office to the right of base of Spanish Steps, 12:30-14:30, 19:30-23 T-Sa,closed Sun.,BEST antipasti lunch buffet (1 trip only), spag. vongole, osso bucco, tiramasu
Buon Appetito!

[cyboinitaly]

Wow! Thanks for the amazing list! Thank you so much! Any suggestion for Tivoli gardens?

[mbfant]

Tivoli Gardens are in Copenhagen. There is a town called Tivoli east of Rome. Its main attractions are the Villa of Hadrian and the Villa d'Este, with extensive gardens.

[cyboinitaly]

Thank you so much for the great information. After doing more research, I am finding many recommended pizza places and restaurants that we can't wait to try, including da Baffetto.
Joy

[mselectra]

I'm definitely no expert on eating in Rome, but was there a couple days earlier this summer and we loved Buffetto (or however it's spelled, sorry). My only advice is to order an appetizer -- it took a very very long time for the pizza to arrive, worth the wait, but we were hungry and drinking wine on an empty stomach. ( I'm not complaining about the wait for the pizza, I think we just didn't realize the thing to do was order the fried zucchini flowers or whatever, and that we wouldn't be too full for the pizza then). I do think it was mostly, maybe all, tourists there (was the height of summer tourist season), but many of them seemed to be Italians, just not from Rome. (We had pizza elsewhere at somewhere recommended in our guidebook as a top-five Rome pizza place, and it really wasn't as good).

Since coming back we keep wishing somewhere here in the States would serve Roman style pizza, instead of only Neopolitan ;)

[DaleJ]

My favorite pizza in Rome is a little out of the way, but IMO, worth it. Take the Metro to Piramide and walk a few blocks west on via Marmorata. When you pass the Volpeti store (go in if its open!) turn left into the center of Testaccio. Ask anyone for directions to Pizzaria Remo. Its a local institution. You may have to wait for outside seating. Great fun.

[christinag123]

I must agree wholeheartedly- some of the best pizza I've ever head. Would have had it every night if there weren't so many other amazing wonderful places to eat in rome! Especially in Testaccio!

[SE_ME]

We had pizza at Da Baffetto on our recent trip and thoroughly enjoyed it, that line moves pretty fast. Mostly due to the brusque and efficient service, which we didn't consider rude and awful as previous comments have suggested. Not sure about the alternatives that are listed, didn't try any of those.

[Clove]

Go to Naples for the best best pizza.
Most of the pizza in Rome is for tourists.
Eat the Carciofi alla giudia, Bucatini all'Amatriciana, Saltimboca alla Romana when in Rome.
Going to Rome to eat pizza is like an Italian coming to the US, going to Maine for Fried Chicken.

[jen kalb]

thats an overstatement. Romans are pizza enthusiasts too, and the neighborhoods are full of Romans eating it. The roman style is a bit different from the neapolitan style, with thinner crusts. Also less cheese and toppings than you may be used to. Most pizzerias serve in the evening only and sell individual pies - others sell al taglie, pieces sold by weight. Alother alternativie is the "pizza bianco", really more like a focaccio, sold around town, notably at the Fornos in Campo di Fiori. Great for a snack. So if you want pizza, go for it.
On the other hand, Clove has a point in recommending the truly Roman dining speciaties to have the best characteristic eating experience. there are lots of post on this board recommending restaurants in rome in all price ranges and I hope you look.

[PBSF]

I cannot comment on italytravelista's list of Roman pizzerias, but I definitely agree with jen kalb's post. Roman's are just adamant about their pizza as Neopolitans. To say that pizza in Rome is for tourists is hogwash. Just about every pizzeria I've been to in Rome has more locals than tourists. Search this board and you will find many posts on pizzerias in Rome. Most are in Roman style though there will be a few that serves the thicker Naple style. I wouldn't miss e ating a pizza in Rome as I wouldn't miss eating bucatini all'Amatriciana.

[mbfant]

Hogwash is an understatement.