Something dawned on me when I was Rome recently. There are two periods in my life: before Loffredo and after.
Loffredo’s Pizzeria, run by Gennaro and Gina, is the garden of Eden. Their Boscaiola (sausage meat; provola afumicata) is the forbidden fruit. It opens your eyes. By the second bite, you are self conscious. You’re awake.
In a way it’s unfair because when you fly home, no pizza will ever be the same. The standard has been set and will rarely be reached or overcome. Moving from the metaphorical to the physical – Loffredo’s is far from the city centre. It’s near the end of the A line (Anagnina) but it is well worth the journey. A small restaurant with maybe 40 seats, you’ll fight to get a place. The queue is always around the block with good reason.
Additionally, this is the only restaurant in the world where the owner comes out to the people queuing round the block with a bowl of zeppoline (I won’t spoil the surprise but these are the best things in the world). Gennaro comes out of the kitchen with hot zeppoline and feeds waiting customers. If that isn’t stellar service I don’t know what is.
Described by Air France as having a “generously bulging crust“, the pizza here is truly a marvel. Traditionally, the best pizzas in the world come from Naples. Specifically they come from four Pizza Houses in Naples: Gino e Sorbillo; Dal Presidente; Da Michele e Starita. I suggest you take the time to go to Naples and sample each one in turn. Gennaro’s Neapolitan pizza is second to none in Rome. I was a patron of this pizzeria during my year in Rome. I would go once a week at least and bring my friends. To this day when I come across anyone going to Rome or indeed in Rome, I send them to Loffredo.
If you’re looking for a warm friendly atmosphere with excellent food at dramatically low cost, go to Loffredo.
My last supper in Rome took place there. June 29th 2017. The end of my erasmus year. I spoke with my friends about where we should go for this momentous occasion. Loffredo got a unanimous vote. I will never forget when Gennaro pulled out his acoustic guitar and played “No Cedric No Cry”. An improvement, in my opinion, on the original 1974 Bob Marley and the Wailers classic. Every meal at Loffredo is a treasured memory. If you take anything away from this blog, let it be to eat here.
You will neither regret, nor forget it.
