I’m in Rome for one week only and with pizzerias and snack bars on every corner it’d be impossible to visit them all and find the best through my own research. So, using our good friend Google, I searched ‘best pizza’ in Rome. Although I take reviews with a pinch of salt because firstly, everything is personal taste and secondly, I generally believe that people only make the time to write a review if it’s either really bad or really good but as Pizzarium featured in the majority of recommendation guides, I put it on my ‘must do’ list. Also, Ben and I were walking to the Vatican City anyway, I thought it’d be the perfect opportunity to check it out. However, what I didn’t realise was how hard it’d be to find! Located by Cipro metro, in more of a residential district, you would never expect to find such a well renowned pizzeria there. But sure enough, at the end of a long road, there it was.
From the outside, I wasn’t overly enamoured. I thought it’d have a lot more presence given its reputation, however, the long queue outside the door was the only verification I needed. I’d read that Pizzarium had over 1500 toppings, varying from ox cheek to liquorice and the dough maker behind it is called the pizza magician due to the special way he works the dough. So, when I got inside and saw only 15 options on offer, I was a little disappointed! But, even with only 15 toppings, my decision making process wasn’t any quicker so I ended up asking for the staff’s recommendation. He advised us to get the pork cheek, wild brocolli and orange pizza, which sounded interesting so I gave an enthusiastic nod in return. Pizzarium also offers a range of suppli (rice balls, deep fried in breadcrumbs) so if you’re wanting more than just pizza, there is more than one option.
Roman pizza tends to be made into large rectangles and then cut with scissors or pizza cutters. The slices are usually served by ‘weight’ so it can get pretty expensive and Pizzarium definitely wasn’t an exception. For quite a small bit of pizza, it cost nearly 4 euros. However, it was piled high with toppings and the fact we’d walked miles out of our way to get there, made it almost worth it. Served on a plastic tray, we sat outside on a patch of grass and tasted the pizza. Ben made quite a mess (usually it’s me admittedly) and the toppings went everywhere , he complained that it ‘wasn’t a pizza, more of an open sandwich’. Me, on the other hand, went at it gingerly and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would have appreciated it hotter, and didn’t think much of the orange as it made it overly sweet but I loved the amount of topping you got. The dough was indeed very different to anything I’ve tried before. We agreed it was almost like a puff pastry dough, as it was springy, with lots of air pockets but still maintained that typical Roman ciabatta style pizza taste.
Overall, I’d give the pizza a 7.5 as a) Ben’s right, it’s not really a pizza – it tasted completely different and b) for the value for money, it wasn’t worth it but at least we tried it and now can’t say ‘Ah Pizzarium, I wish we’d gone!’
Recommendation 
If you fancy a walk and a crazy range of toppings, definitely go to Pizzarium. However, unless you love to walk into the unknown, it’s possibly not worth the effort.
Extra Information:
Address: Via della Meloria, 43, 00136 Roma, Italy
Phone: +39 06 3974 5416
NTK: Pizza is weighed by the slice, but you can order as small or big as you like so don’t feel guilty ordering 4 miniature sized pieces! In hindsight, I would have done that!
