Best Pizza Toppings

Although Naples is known as the physical and spiritual home of pizza, Rome has many terrific pizza restaurants.  And having pizza in Rome should be on every visitors to-do list.

Roman pizza is thinner and crispier than Neapolitan pizza.  And you’ll find more pizza toppings in Rome than you will in Naples, where there are really only two kinds of pizza – marinara and margherita.  Most Rome pizza restaurants also serve pasta, salads, and antipasto.

Capricciosa pizza has artichokes, mushrooms, prosciutto, olives, and whatever else the chef feels like adding.  Quattro Stagioni, which means “four seasons,” is divided into quarters, each with different toppings.  Both are well worth trying.

From simple, storefronts with communal tables to charming trattorias with table clothes and terraces, Rome’s pizza restaurants offer something for everyone.

The following is our list of Rome’s best pizza restaurants:

Italian Pizza Oven

-       Close to Piazza Navona, Da Baffetto is the most popular pizzeria in Rome.  You’ll probably have to wait for a table, and then, you’ll likely share it with others.  But once you’re seated, you won’t have to wait long.  And you’ll think the pizza was worth the hassle.  It’s the perfect texture, the toppings are intensely flavorful, and the cheese-to-crust ratio is perfect.  To accommodate all the fans, Da Baffetto opened a second location on Piazza del Teatro di Pompeo.

-       Da Vittorio in Trastevere serves Neapolitan pizza with a thicker, chewier crust.  Lots of pizza toppings are available and you can combine them in dozens of ways.  You can nibble an antipasto while you wait, and enjoy a salad on the side.  Da Vittorio is always packed, but you can reserve a table, which will reduce, but probably not eliminate, your wait time.  Trastevere is hopping at night, so Da Vittorio is a fun place to start or end an evening.

-       Also in Trastevere, Dar Poeta serves traditional Roman pizza, but also offers fancy pizza toppings like Grand Marnier and apples.  Yum.  The yeast-free, slow rising dough is made from a secret recipe and you can order either thin or thick crust.  They make several kinds of bruschetta, which help take the edge off.  And for dessert, order the Nutella and ricotta-stuffed calzone.  Since Dar Poeta doesn’t take reservations, be prepared to wait.

-       Opened in the 1930s, Est Est Est is a family-owned place as noted for the hospitality as the pizza.  I remember years ago when I was in Rome with a cold, one of the guys at the hotel where I was staying convinced them to open before dinner so I could get a bowl of chicken soup.  When I returned several nights later, everyone in the place was singing Arrivederci Roma with the waiters.   Unlike other Roman pizzas, there’s has a thick crust that’s cooked in a pan.  Est Est Est is a fun place with a typical Roman ambience.

-       Those staying near the Termini rail station will find La Gallina Bianca convenient.  They’re open for lunch and dinner, which is rare.  And they have a wood-burning oven, which turns out perfectly crisp pizzas.  There’s a also a nice selection of pastas and traditional trattoria dishes.    You can dine inside or out, and there’s a good selection of wine available too.

-       The success of Da Baffetto encouraged the daughter to open her own pizzeria, La Montecarlo, around the corner from the original location.  Not only do they serve excellent thin-crust pizzas with the usual Italian pizza toppings, they also serve good wine and delicious home-made desserts.  Expect to wait for a table.

-       For the most imaginative pizza toppings in Rome, go to Pizzarium, a carry-out place not far from the Vatican Museums.  The dough used here is left to rise for 72 hours, and the rectangular pizza slices are sold by weight.  Organic vegetable pizza toppings like eggplant, potatoes, and asparagus compete with coppa, pancetta, and sausage.  You’ll have to eat your slice standing up, but you can wash it down with a small-batch beer.  While you’re there, get a loaf of sourdough bread for your breakfast.

Read about the best Italian restaurants in Rome here.

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If you’re like most people, one of your New Year’s resolutions was to take off a few pounds.  And if you’re like us, pizza is one of the foods that makes it so hard to do.

But good pizza toppings don’t have to be high in fat and calories.  In fact, there are plenty of great toppings that are flavorful, satisfying, and diet-friendly.

First, find the right pizza crust.

Cheese and meat pizza toppings certainly add their share of calories, but the crust is where most of the calories are.  An eighth of a Boboli original pizza crust is 140.  So two slices, which isn’t a lot, is nearly 300 calories with nothing on them.  Even dough that you make yourself has almost as many calories.

But there are some alternatives.  A 6-½” pita has about 170 calories, and with the right pizza toppings, that should be enough to fill you up.   A flour tortilla has even fewer calories.   And low-carb tortillas are an even better choice.

Make your pizza sauce sing.

Instead of using pizza or marinara sauce in a jar — some of it is packed with sugar — use crushed canned San Marzano tomatoes.  Or if you have the time, roast fresh plum or cherry tomatoes in the oven at 450 for about twenty minutes or until they burst.  The roasted tomatoes have terrific flavor.  Just add a little salt, some garlic, and fresh herbs, and spread them over whatever base you’re using.

For even more flavor, quarter some shallots and roast them along with the tomatoes.

Less-fattening cheese pizza toppings.

Reduced fat versions of mozzarella and Italian cheese blends can reduce the calories in your pie.  But there are cheese with distinctive flavor and even fewer calories like feta or goat cheese.  Sautéed spinach or arugula are especially good with either one.

Hard, grating cheese like Parmesan and Romano are low in calories.  And fat free or reduced-fat ricotta cheese can be a rich addition.

Take a cue from the Italians — who know quite a bit about pizza — and use cheese sparingly.  The classic Neapolitan pizza has very little cheese, and it’s absolutely delicious.

Lower-fat pizza meats.

Turkey or reduced-fat pepperoni is almost as good as the real thing.  In fact, some people like it better.  And chicken or turkey Italian sausage are great substitutes too.  Turkey bacon isn’t great on pizza.  But real bacon bits add a lot of bang for your calorie buck.  The kind in the zip-lock package is very good.

Italian pizza toppings like prosciutto, capicolla, and lean ham don’t add a lot of calories because a little goes a long way.  Just avoid fatty meat pizza toppings like salami or coppa.

Grilled chicken and shrimp are not traditional pizza toppings, but they’re delicious, healthy, and versatile alternatives.

Vegetable pizza toppings to complete your pie.

When it comes to calories, most vegetables are pretty much free.  And they’re nutritious and delicious.  So pile them on.  Instead of oily pesto, use fresh basil leaves.   And use lots of fresh herbs.

Caramelize onions using fat-free chicken stock instead of butter.  They add a sweet taste that’s a great compliment to salty ingredients.  Mushrooms — from simple button mushrooms to chanterelles — are also sensational toppings for pizza.

Peppers, either roasted or raw, eggplant, artichokes, and olives, pack a lot of punch in a diet-friendly packages.

By making a few simple substitutions and watching your portion size, you can indulge in the occasional pizza without blowing your diet.

Get more pizza topping ideas here.

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