Pianostrada
Paola Colucci has never changed Pianostrada's squash blossom, with fresh buffalo mozzarella, a Cetara anchovy and the petal in tempura, because her customers want it exactly that way.
Why go
Colucci, a chef with a long past in finance, opened Pianostrada in May 2014 as a street-food counter in Trastevere with her daughters Alice and Flaminia Spognetta and her friend Chiara Magliocchetti. Alice cooks, Flaminia runs the dining room and Chiara looks after the welcome. The four moved across the river to Via delle Zoccolette in 2016 and came back to Trastevere on 2 April 2024, at Via della Luce 65. Pianostrada stays the same. It is our home,
they told Viola Parentelli of Puntarella Rossa (Puntarella Rossa, 2024). The new room seats about sixty in three spaces: a portico with the bar, the open kitchen with a counter for twelve, and a glass-roofed winter garden at the back. Annie Replogle of the Infatuation found the decor is just as memorable as the food
(The Infatuation, 2024). Daria Reina, co-founder of the Rome boutique Chez Dede, called herself a regular in October 2024 (The Relisher, 2024).
The focaccia from the first counter still comes in place of bread or filled, with a section of the menu to itself (Puntarella Rossa, 2024). Replogle calls it light and perfectly fluffy focaccia topped with things like stracciatella, anchovies, and tomatoes, or mortadella, pistachio, and honey.
Elizabeth Minchilli, who runs food tours in Rome, ate the squash blossom at the Zoccolette room in 2017: "The zucchini flowers and anchovies were deep fried, but in a tempura batter, to a crispy crunch. They were then layered, alternating with thick slices of mozzarella di buffala" (Elizabeth Minchilli, 2017). The menu changes every few days. Replogle says that if you spot the ultra crispy suckling pig or creamy zucchini-filled pasta alla nerano on the daily specials menu, order them without question
(The Infatuation, 2024).
Manlio Grey of the food blog Braciami Ancora ate at the new room two months after it opened and came away disappointed. He praised the room and the open kitchen, then wrote Lots of concept, not much meat.
He found the spaghetti with clams too salty and the salmon flat, but the real disappointment was the tuna.
His view of the bill: The prices are a starred restaurant's, the service informal, almost an osteria's
(Braciami Ancora, 2024). In June 2024 the focaccia cost 20 euros, pasta 25 to 30 and mains 30 to 42 (Scatti di Gusto, 2024).
Order this / avoid
- Order: the focaccia, for Annie Replogle (2024).2
- Order: the squash blossom, Elizabeth Minchilli's starter at the old Zoccolette room (2017).5
- Order: the suckling pig when it is on the specials, for Replogle (2024).2
- Order: the pasta alla Nerano (with zucchini) when it is on the specials, for Replogle (2024).2
What locals & experts say
- Natalie, An American in Rome (2017, at the Zoccolette room):
The bread (and thus the sandwiches) remain exceptional.
6 - Elizabeth Minchilli (2017, at the Zoccolette room): "My stracciatella (the creamy inside of burrata) was stuffed into a squid ink roll along with anchovies, arugula and truffles. It was a complete mess to eat, with truffled cream running down my chin and over my hands. But it was the best kind of mess, and one that had me licking my fingers."5
Good to know
- Closed: Monday and Tuesday, according to Turismo Roma's listing (2025). Dinner through the week, and lunch at the weekend only.8
- Booking: book online through the restaurant's booking page.
- Price: Turismo Roma gives an average of 65 euros a head without wine (2025).
- Wine: Chiara Magliocchetti keeps a short list with the sommelier Angelo Segna, with classic bottles on one side and small producers and natural wines on the other (Puntarella Rossa, 2024).
- Where: Via della Luce 65, Trastevere.
Verdict
should-visit — Go for the focaccia and Paola Colucci's unchanged squash blossom, and order the suckling pig if the specials list it. One critic in June 2024 found the plates short of the room and the bill.