Today Pizzarium, Gabriele Bonci’s famed pizza al taglio joint, had its grand reopening on Via della Meloria in Rome. The shop, which has been closed for the last month, has undergone complete remodeling.
The pizzeria was gutted and rebuilt, bringing some improvements and couple of drawbacks. First off, the good stuff: The interior is still tight, and indeed lost 15cm of depth, which was donated to the kitchen space. However, the tiny storefront has more elbow room than the previous shop. The till is still on the left when you walk in, but the area displaying the pizzas has been moved to the back wall. About a quarter of the pizza area is dedicated to a bread display. A word to the wise: buy some. Bonci’s bread is made with the same long fermentation process approach, natural yeasts, and high quality flour that he uses for his pizzas. Personally, I think Bonci should be more celebrated for his bread than his pizza, and anyone who walks out of Pizzarium without a loaf of bread should be categorized as clinically insane. So what if you’re full? Just do it.
Now for the drawbacks: There is only one fridge (for now) and therefore the beverage selection is limited. Where did all that great beer go? Bonci is still trying to figure out where to put them. Small fridges on the floor by the till have been proposed. Possibly worse news is that the measurements for the ledges where people will be able to lean their trays was messed up, so for now, clients must eat standing up at an uncomfortable IKEA bookcase or snag a bench outside. When installed the sidebars, which will trim the opposing walls on the left and on the right, will be handy, unless the place is packed. At peak times be prepared to wait for a bench outside if you want a reasonably comfortable place to sit.
Back to the good news: the kitchen is completely new and Bonci will be using that extra 15cm of space to bake excellent breads and pizza by the slice for his faithful clientele. Expect the same quality ingredients and excellent dough that made make Pizzarium one of Rome’s premier pizzerias.
Pizzarium is located at Via della Meloria (near the corner of Via Cipro).
Open Mon-Saturday
06-39745416
Tweets that mention Pizzarium Reopens Today in Rome -- Topsy.com
February 8th, 2011 at 8:28 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by katieparla and Judy, Tavole Romane. Tavole Romane said: RT @katieparla: What to expect from the new #Pizzarium – http://t.co/Kjh2zyx [...]
Pizzarium – a taglio…con lievito madre e farine macinate a pietra *Aggiornamento* « Tavole Romane
March 9th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
[...] le saracinesche per diverse settimane, praticamente un mese fa (era l’8 febbraio e Katie Parla puntalmente ne parlava) Pizzarium ha riaperto i battenti con somma gioia di tutti gli [...]
Tyler
June 24th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
I was just there last night — I ate so much pizza I literally thought I was going to have to be rolled back to my apartment. Still have the burnt roof of mouth feeling too. Something about the pizza here makes me keep going back even when my wallet begs me not to (a few slices of 40 euro/kg pizza will do that to you). Bonci is some kind of dough whisperer – it almost freak’s me out how addicting the pizza is here …
Budget Dining in Rome, Revised | Parla Food
September 16th, 2011 at 1:28 am
[...] Pizzarium: Rome’s best pizza by the slice isn’t always cheap—I once spent €40 on lunch. Woops!—you can eat here for €5 or less. Just let the person serving you know that you don’t want to spend a lot, give an amount, and they will work with you. [...]
mynameishenry
October 27th, 2011 at 11:19 am
Katie, one of the reasons I visited the Pizzarium this weekend was the confidence I felt having read reviews and articles that were so positive, this one included. I can be excused the insane tag for not leaving with a loaf of bread – I think it would have given me a lift – but my experience was truly, madly, deeply disappointing. Did I go on the wrong day? I’ll never know. How many visits would I have to make to get to where so many others have with this place? Rhetoric aside, it was poor. http://www.pizzagalactica.com/2011/10/boncis-pizzarium-a-sad-disappointment-in-rome/
Bonci’s Pizzarium: A sad disappointment in rome : Pizza Galactica
October 27th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
[...] The excellent Katie Parla – http://www.parlafood.com/pizzarium-reopens-today-in-rome/ [...]
Katie
October 27th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
@Tyler i know what you mean. the other day i dropped €33 on pizza and a beer. la qualita’ si paga:)
@mynameishenry i just read your post. damn. sounds like a bad day for sure. i have to say, i love pizzarium, though i know the place has off days. it seems no one else is so in love with bonci they refuse to acknowledge when toppings are terrible combos or the dough is off once in a while. i must say that i am quite surprised that baffetto 2 was such a hit. the place is fine, but if that was your best pizza experience in Rome I BEG you to come back and try tonda, la gatta mangiona, sforno, la fucina and (if you can stomach it) pizzarium!
mynameishenry
October 27th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Kaite, thanks for your reply.
Yes, strong stuff I know. I think you can tell that I arrived there on a positive and I was eager to have my expectations confirmed. Ah well, there will be a next time so I will, if I can squeeze it in, get back to Pizzarium.
Baffetto2? Not the best but I admire simple, unadorned places and they delivered. I did get round to a few others – 2.5 days is just not enough and my health would have suffered – so will write about these soon. I will admit, I only took the one piece of advice, the rest I left to chance and instinct (as well as where I happened to be when hungry). Rome has left me with powerful desire to return and, when I do, I will head for the places you mention in the order you describe – my guess is that the first on the list is the best? And next time I’ll leave with bread. Love your writing, thanks. Henry
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October 30th, 2012 at 11:16 am
[...] skin. But I dived into carbonara at Roscioli, mouth-watering slices of pizza al taglio from Piazzarium, and not one but two visits to Millennium Gelato where their ‘mousse’ style gelato [...]