Bonci Pizzarium
Gabriele Bonci ferments his tray dough up to 72 hours before it goes in the oven.
Why go
Gabriele Bonci opened two streets off piazzale degli Eroi. He buys the toppings seasonally from producers he picks (Gambero Rosso, Stefano Polacchi, 15 September 2025). In September 2025 the shop took in the space next door and reopened at about 160 square meters, with an eight-meter counter that holds eleven trays at once, a fried section beside it, and an open kitchen. Bonci's line on what he did not change: Pizzarium is the neighborhood bench and we want it to stay that way.
Order this / avoid
- Order: by pointing. Polacchi lists the seasonal builds: roasted and scapece zucchini with burrata, and mortadella with puntarelle; the standing oddities are pizza with polpette al sugo and a slice of scrambled egg and salame. The maritozzo and the tiramisu sit in the refrigerated case at the end.
- Avoid: Monday, when it is shut. Do not plan on sitting down either, since the room is a counter with benches and a shelf facing the street.
What locals & experts say
- Gambero Rosso, the al taglio guide (2025):
On via della Meloria what catches the eye is the unceasing queue of customers in front of Pizzarium's door, the kingdom of the Roman sheet-pan pizza signed by Gabriele Bonci. In Rome this place is a symbol.
1 - The Infatuation (Annie Replogle):
The owner has been key in shaping the local pizza scene here, and has trained many of today's top pizzaioli.
2 - Gambero Rosso (Stefano Polacchi, 2025):
High-hydration dough with fermentations up to 72 hours, a crust thick but airy, seasonal and local toppings chosen from artisans who share his philosophy.
5 - Gabriele Bonci, on the rebuild (Gambero Rosso, 2025):
We offer a more comfortable room without betraying the spirit of the place, which is a pizza eaten on the sidewalk too, in line with a ticket number.
5
Good to know
- Timing: the counter runs through the day. Closed Monday. Katie Parla says the queue thins after the lunch rush.
- Booking: none taken. You queue, you point, you pay by weight.
- Where: Via della Meloria 43, Trionfale, walking distance from the Vatican walls and the Cipro metro.
Verdict
must-visit — A wet dough fermented out to seventy-two hours, baked in trays and sold by weight, from the man the Infatuation credits with training most of the city's current pizzaioli. Gambero Rosso calls the room a symbol of Rome and puts the queue on the record. Jeff has it saved. Pizza al taglio is a Roman format rather than a snack, and this is the counter that made the case for treating it as engineering. Go after the lunch rush.