"What were your first impressions when you arrived? This is your quintessential Roman neighborhood eatery; small, casual, with a focus on food rather than ambiance. Decor is on the minimalist side, with a handful of tables, wooden chairs, and bottles of red wines lining the walls. What’s the crowd like? Given the location—a little off the tourist track—the crowd is Roman, through and through. They’re here for a mid-week dinner, catching up with family and friends. Groups tend to be small, either couples or groups of four, enjoying an easy, informal night out. What should we be drinking? The five-strong list sticks to the essentials, done well: sparkling water; a few non-alcoholic aperitifs; beer, house wine, coffee, and grappa. Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss. Bonci alumni Sami El Sabawy started up this innovative pizzeria a few years back, to great acclaim. The pizzas are round (not by the slice), but their standout feature is their consistency: paper thin and crispy, thanks to a mix of white 00 pizza flour and wholemeal Molino Mariani flour. The menu starts with fried things and bruschetta. The suppli alla carbonara is a fried ball of pasta carbonara, and well worth a try, as are the fried mozzarella balls. If you can fit it in, the bruschetta with stracciatella cheese and anchovies is not to be missed. The pizza list itself is straightforward and includes “margarita” with a tomato base and mozzarella; “diavola”, with spicy salami; “tonno e cipolla”, with tuna and onions. The potato and sausage option is one of their biggest hits, as is the “quattro formaggi” with four types of cheese including a note-worthy combination of fior di latte mozzarella, brie, gorgonzola and parmesan. Be sure to check out the daily specials, some which come with an extra base on top, sandwich style, and drizzled with olive oil and salt. And how did the front-of-house folks treat you? This place is perennially busy so the staff can be brusque, but if you ask them nicely about the menu they’ll be helpful and give you their personal recommendations. Between them, there’s plenty of laughter and banter, so they seem to be having fun. What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here? This is the perfect place to take your die-hard pizza fan friends. A Rota is good for big families and small kids, too, and you can even go alone like we did - they’ll treat you well." - Maresa Manara
