L'Elementare
Mirko Rizzo gets a soft, airy dough under a crust that cracks like a cracker.
Why go
Mirko Rizzo makes the pizza and Gambero Rosso puts him among the pizzaioli who brought the Roman round back: the Roman pizza, fragrant and light, is the star of Mirko Rizzo's room in the heart of Trastevere
(Gambero Rosso). The Infatuation puts the same crust in the terms that matter: that perfect balance of soft, airy dough with a crispy, cracker-like crust
(The Infatuation). Holding both at once is the whole problem of the tonda romana.
The bar is the other half. Gambero Rosso counts "more than 25 craft beers", poured off a long counter at the entrance. The Infatuation rates the supplì here among the best of any sit-down pizzeria in the city, and names the one filled with fior di latte and 'nduja.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the marinara doppia. The Infatuation loads it with
super sweet and juicy Pachino tomatoes, fragrant basil, Sicilian oregano, salty anchovies, and a hint of peperoncino
.1 - Avoid: walking into the nearest branch. Four doors trade under this name in Rome and the Infatuation prefers this one.
What locals & experts say
- The Infatuation (Annie Replogle):
Pizzeria L'Elementare sets the benchmark for Roman-style pizza.
1 - Katie Parla: A Rota and L'Elementare
serve reliably delicious thin-crusted Roman-style pizza tonda made with above average ingredients
. She sells paid walking tours in Rome.4
Good to know
- Booking: recommended, on Roma Capitale's own listing.
- Where: Via Benedetta 23, in Trastevere.
- The other doors: three more in Rome, and Gambero Rosso notes a seasonal second site in the green at Parco Appio.
Verdict
should-visit — The Infatuation puts this first for pizza in Rome and says why in cook's terms: soft, airy dough under a crisp, cracker-like crust, which is the balance the Roman round is trying for and usually misses on one side. Gambero Rosso names Mirko Rizzo among the pizzaioli who brought the tonda back and counts more than twenty-five craft taps on the bar, which is a combination this city rarely offers. It stops short of must-visit because no critic has published a verdict and because four doors make the name a small chain.