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One of the best things about living in Italy is indulging in the custom of eating fried things before eating pizza. What could be better than golden, breaded, deep fried goodness before digging into a sheet of dough covered with melted cheese? When I am in the center and in need of a cholesterol fix, I head over to Pizzeria Montecarlo on Vicolo Savelli, just off Corso Vittorio. I went there today with my friends James and Marion who had just flown in from New Jersey. I figured it would be the perfect place for a crash course in Roman dining (surly and sexist service, a less than immaculate WC, and ridiculously good fried things.

We started with the fritti misti, fried mozzarella balls, potato croquettes, and suppli’ (fried rice balls) washed down with cold Nastro Azzuro. Already we were off to a respectable start. The pizzas at Montecarlo are of the classic thin crust Roman variety. Though they have gotten smaller over the years (a citywide trend most evident at Alle Carrette in Monti), in a way, I don’t mind. Just as it is comforting to return again and again to this pizzeria and find things basically the same as they were when I arrived in Italy (save for the new tattoos on the servers), so, too, is it comforting to think that with a little less pizza, I can have a few more fritti.

Pizzeria Montecarlo
Vicolo Savelli 13
+39 066861877

Categories: Fried Foods, Pizza, Restaurants, Rome & Lazio