Rome Pizza Showdown: Callegari vs Bonci

Pizza margherita with buffalo mozzarella at Sforno.

Spoiler alert! Stefano Callegari destroys Gabiele Bonci every time. And not by a little bit. In a head to head contest between Rome’s pizza heavyweights Callegari mops the floor with Bonci. To be fair, both pizzaioli start out on a level playing field with top-notch ingredients, unique dough recipes, and unconventional toppings. But what Callegari turns out of his fryers and ovens at 00100 and Sforno is just so much better (in both concept and flavor) than anything Bonci does at either Pizzarium or Bir & Fud.

Anchovy and pecorino pizza at Pizzarium.

Some days it seems like everyone swoons over the pizza by the slice at Pizzarium. Vogue (a magazine no one would ever confuse with an art history publication) even called its owner the “Michelangeo of pizza makers”. I assume the journalist was taking Pizzarium’s proximity to the Vatican into consideration when making this hyperbolic statement. I have eaten there eight times this month, and I have yet to be blown away. I have been to the Sistine Chapel over 500 times and I am still impressed every time. So much for the Renaissance master comparison, Vogue.

Pizza by the slice at 00100.

At Pizzarium, the pizza isn’t bad. It is pretty good, actually. But it does not live up to all the hype. The the potato and mozzarella pizza is rarely salted properly, the anchovy and pecorino is fine but not outstanding, ditto for the mortadella and bean paste combo, and the tomato, ‘nduja, and ricotta slice is impossible to eat–probably why it is served with a fork. In fact, many of the slices have to be served with the tiny plastic utensils because whole wheat dough is packed with so many toppings, eating the pizza becomes a logistical nightmare. I have stopped wearing white shirts on days I visit Pizzarium.

Trapizzini alla lingua (with tongue and garlic-parsley sauce) at 00100.

So Bonci’s pizza by the slice place isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But what about his Bir & Fud? My opinion on this place hasn’t changed much since my first visit. This post I wrote last October pretty much sums it up. On my second trip, the pizza was more round, but it was just as disappointing. Don’t even get me started on the service. The fritti were decent, but overall, the critique remains the same: Bir & Fud sux. Bonci’s much praised Pizzarium and Bir & Fud are both overrated (the latter more so than the former) and they both get owned by Callegari’s 00100 and Sforno.

Trapizzini alla coda (with oxtail sauce) at 00100.

Just of Piazza Santa Maria della Liberatrice in Testaccio, 00100 serves pizza by the slice ranging from the traditional (and properly salted) Roman classics like mozzarella with potato and zucchine romanesche with mozzarella. Stefano Callegari offers creative toppings, too, but doesn’t go overboard and never looks like he’s trying too hard. The Greenwich, for example, is topped with Stilton and port reduction, the pizza ai ceci is slathered with mashed chickpeas and rosemary. The number of toppings is kept to a reasonable height and number at 00100, making the slice easier to eat, and permitting the pizzaiolo’s hard work and select ingredients to be enjoyed.

Fiori di zucca (fried zucchini blossoms) at Sforno.

Not everything at 00100 is easy to eat. The trapizzini, triangular envelopes of thick pizza bianca stuffed with various sauces, are disastrously messy. I’m not quite sure how many bits of tongue fell out of my trapizzini alla lingua and onto the floor last week. I stopped counting. And I’ve stained more than one shirt trying to navigate the one stuffed with oxtail sauce. Nevertheless, the taste never disappoints.

Suppli at Sforno.

Across town near Cinecitta’, Callegari’s pizzeria Sforno does some of the planet’s best fritti. The fiori di zucca are fresh and their batter is light to the point of seeming baked. The suppli’, which include novel flavors like porchetta with Frascati wine, and gricia (with pecorino, black pepper and guanciale) are well conceived and tasty.

Cacio e pepe pizza at Sforno.

The pizzas are also very very good. The interesting cacio e pepe is styled after the famous Roman pasta dish. Before cooking, the dough within the pizza rim is covered with ice chips to maintain its moisture. After a few minutes in the oven, the dough is removed and sprinkled with a liberal amount of pecorino romano cheese and black pepper. The first layer of grated cheese unites with the damp dough to create a starchy, almost mashed potato like consistency.

Baguette with spiced meat at Sforno.

For traditionalists, the margherita with buffalo mozzarella is well executed and flavorful. And if that isn’t enough starch and carbs for you, why not try a baguette stuffed with garofolato (beef spiced with cloves in a tomato sauce) or, better yet, trippa alla romana. Like the trapizzini, these towers of saucy goodness are messy, but a good baguette in Rome??!! I’ll let it slide.

Baguette with tripe at Sforno.

Callegari beats Bonci in two out of two matches, coming out on top in both the pizza by the slice as well as pizza/fritti category. 00100 and Sforno may not get all the hype and press of their inferior counterparts, but it’s just as well. It’s hard enough to get a table at Sforno most nights anyway.

00100
Via Giovanni Branca 88

Sforno
Via Statilio Ottato, 110/116