Pizza Margherita

When I had lunch with my friend Sarah in London, she told me that if I wanted to taste the best pizza in Rome I needed to go to Baffeto’s. Given that Sarah grew up in Rome, I took her word for it and on my second night there decided it was time to sample Baffeto’s pizza. As Sarah mentioned, it’s a small place and people line up for it (locals and visitors alike). When I told the owner that I was looking for a table for one he exclaimed ‘mi amici!’ gave me a great big hug, took my hand and told me to follow him. Next thing I knew I was sat at a table for 4, along with an Italian couple. When in Rome….

This is one busy pizza joint. And I now know why. The food, along with the service is fantastic. I kept my order simple – a salad, pizza margherita, and some white wine. I’ll let the photos do the talking…

Insalata mista

And while I ate what was a very tasty salad I watched many a pizza be prepped, cooked and then sent off to its table.

One of the two people prepping pizzas essentially spends all his time rolling dough.

The other man adds the sauce….

…adds the toppings…

..and pops them into the oven. When ready, he lets people know orders are up. He’s a very busy man, and honestly sounded like he belonged in a Godfather movie – raspy voice, might be missing a vocal cord or two.

I have no idea how many pizzas they make in one evening, but the lineup of orders looked like this most of the evening.

That’s quite a stash of orders to be fulfilled, and each slip corresponds to a table so there’s no telling how many pizzas are on each piece of paper.

Yes, it’s a wood oven. I even saw the pizza guy put in more wood.

I’m not sure how I found room for dessert, but I did. Besides, sorbetto al limone isn’t particularly filling!

It’s even served in a hollowed out lemon. Pretty and delicious.

It is a very good thing that there is a lot to see in Rome and a lot of walking to be done, or else I’d be hard pressed to do anything but sit in Baffeto’s and eat pizza all day long.

When in Rome….go to Baffeto’s! Grazie mille Baffeto, grazie mille.

PS: yes, I know…my first blog about Rome is about a pizza joint – but it’s not just any pizza joint! And in fairness, everything else about Rome is a little overwhelming – it’s beauty, the Coliseum, the Vatican, etc. I’m still sorting through all that, so stay tuned, more to come.