Peppo al Cosimato, the friendly Trastevere restaurant specialising in pizza and affordable seafood, has doubled the fun in Rome with the launch of Peppo a Cinecittà.
The formula is similar to the hugely popular Trastevere branch – pizza e pesce povero – and the arrival of Peppo a Cinecittà expands the offering to one of Rome’s most fast growing neighbourhoods.
Did you know that sustainable, cheap fish is a staple of Roman cuisine? Now you do! The sea isn’t that far away and with ample lakes and rivers around the city, traditional Roman dishes – just as with offal – display mastery in the use of pesce povera – literally, poor fish – often smaller but flavourful species which work layered with the right vegetables and spices.
You will often find elements of this in loads of Roman restaurants – perhaps marinated anchovies as a starter, or that wonderful winter trattoria dish of skate soup (brodo di arzilla) with Roman broccoli (look out for this on Fridays – simply incredible).
Peppo a Cinecittà, like Peppo al Cosimato, combines a range of affordable fish dishes, as well as firing up a pizza oven to provide excellent, deep-crust Neapolitan-style pizzas, home-baked bread and fried goodies.
From plain pizzas brushed with olive oil and a sprinkling of rosemary to the signature Peppo topping-laden and pillowy slides, the dough is always fragrant and soft with a pleasant crisp exterior, yielding to a nice, soft tear. Expect an impressive range of juicy toppings as well as all the classics.
You’ll love the selection of fritti – including fried rice balls and potato croquettes – at reasonable prices. These comprise a wonderful suppli combining squid and squid ink.
One of the nicest things about Peppo a Cinecittà, like Peppo al Cosimato, is the easy, informal style of dining. It’s a nice idea to order different kinds of pizzas to share and for those that aren’t in the pizza mood, the pasta is incredible.
At Peppo a Cinecittà I particularly liked the spaghetti with tellini shells plus we also tried some hearty egg pasta dishes. Finally, the mixed fried fish was light, crisp and extremely fresh.
Overall, once again, with Peppo a Cinecittà just as at Peppo al Cosimato my impressions were really good of this charming restaurant, which combines keen prices with an original concept.
Highly recommended!
Testaccina was a guest of Peppo a Cinecittà
Peppo a Cinecittà |Via Statilio Ottato, 110 – 00173 Rome | Tel 0039 065812048 | Closed Mondays
Peppo al Cosimato | Via Natale del Grande, 9 | 00153 Rome | Tel 0039 065812048 | Closed Mondays
