9.17.2009

Pizzeria da Baffetto - Rome, Italy

Via del Governo Vecchio, 114
Roma, Italy
Tel. 06.6861617

Some say that Pizzeria da Baffetto is a Roman institution not to be missed! This popular pizzeria is very close by to Piazza Navona, and you can't miss the long line outside even before the restaurant opens. It's only open for dinner (some say only tourists eat pizza for lunch). Baffetto definitely has a family feel, with nostalgic photographs of the father (who was also working) with many celebrities and guests covering the wall, and the resembling son taking orders and delivering the hot pizzas to the tables. The old gentleman sat us at a table with one other person who was a pilot from Spain and frequents Baffetto almost every time he has a stopover in Rome. It was nice to know that even foreigners are regulars here and love the food, despite the rude and abrupt service.
The menu was quite extensive with many choices to choose from. I suggest ordering some appetizers, such as bruschetta, beforehand because only 2 guys operate the wood-fire oven cooking pizzas for the whole restaurant (we waited 30 minutes after ordering to finally eat).

We first ordered the most famous Pizza Baffetto (8 €) with pomodoro (tomato sauce), mozzarella, funghi (mushrooms), sahiccia, uovo (eggs), carciofini (artichokes), cipolla (onions), peperoni (red peppers). Pizzas here are thin and crisp, but the runny yolk made the middle of the pizza a bit soggy after awhile. I never had egg yolk on top of my pizza before...but the flavors were pretty mild and melded very well together. And the delicious tomato was light and sweet.

Next, was the Pizza Bresaola, Rucola e Parmigiano (9 €) which had pomodoro, mozzarella, bresaola (air-cured meat), rucola (arugula), and parmigiano. The flavors in this pizza was more distinct than the Baffetto pizza with more of a bite from the arugula and the saltiness of the bresaola. The thin and light crust stayed quite crispy - just the way I like it! I liked this pizza very much! Very light and delicious!

I would definitely like to come back here one day and line up with the locals, the outnumbering tourists, the soccer players and hopefully run into some celebrities. The pizzas were very tasty and there are many other pizzas to try. Another restaurant, Baffetto 2, also opened in Piazza del Teatro di Pompeo 18 (near Campo dei Fiori).

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