Pianostrada Laboratorio

So, I came here on a Saturday night after attending (and pigging out at) a food fest by the soccer stadium. Don’t look at me that way! I was still working off the trauma of being terrorized in Florence. I’m an emotional eater. Lucky for me, I have chef friends in Rome who know where to go and when. So even though we were full, the night was young and we wanted to go to where the people were. So, we came to PL — and we saw all the people.
Much like many places in Rome, PL is small (or, maybe Americans are just large. It could be a combo). You get in where you fit in. Again, lucky for me I was with a regular who was in the industry. After my buddy sweet talked one of the ladies, magically, two chairs appeared alongside the wall. I don’t recall seeing many tables. People posted up on the periphery of the restaurant and ordered wonderful things to eat — either from a menu or from looking up to see what was written on the wall. I believe a mother-​daughter combo of some sort is in charge of the goodness. If not a mother-​daughter combo, it’s definitely an all female affair. If that sort of thing gets your motor running, there you go. The placed was packed — ass to elbows from the door to the back of the build out. PL is popular and there’s a reason for that.
Despite being full, it’s rude to go to a restaurant (especially one run by a friend) and not pig out. That meant that fourth meal was in full effect. Don’t worry; I’m an American. I’m well-​versed in the fourth meal. Starting off with white wine (watching our figures, natch) we settled in to a ragu (atop spaghetti), foccacia, prosciutto, and one of the biggest (and most decadent) burgers I’ve ever had. I was in physical pain by the time I huffed and puffed to get to the end of my meal. I was also falling asleep (remember I’d just escaped from Florence and had only enjoyed a quick nap in 36+ hours). But the food was so good, the company was great and I didn’t want to miss a second of the scene I found myself in. Plus, you know, bottleS of wine.* By the time we were done, had talked shop and kiss kissed two of the proprietors, we were back on the streets of Trastevere to see what other foolishness the cool kids were up to.
Have I mentioned that I really like Rome?
*How many times must I tell you: when in Rome…

The ravioli here will make you weep with ecstasy. Foccacia is a highlight — light & airy bread with crispy bottom and delicious toppings like gorgonzola, pear, pine nuts and cinnamon or buffalo mozzarella, zucchini blossoms, anchovies and arugula. Superb! The kitchen appears to be larger than the sitting area for very eager diners. You can get order meat dishes, vegetarian, fish — this place is amazing! Be warned, opens for dinner at 7:30, and no seats available by 7:31!!!

LOVED the food and just one thing; it’s definitely more expensive than almost all other places in this area. That been said, would I recommend this? YASSSS!
This is perfect for a quick breakfast or lunch, as it’s a tiny tiny bar and seating is limited. You can drop yourself at the bar, probably squeezing in between two others, but no worries — it’s designed that way. Therefore, great place to go to by yourself. They have a few high tables and seating for 2– /​4-​people, but prepare yourself to eat elbow-​to-​elbow.
Food is fan-​tas-​tic. They have SUCH an extensive menu! And it doesn’t matter what you get; all focacce is amazing (they make it themselves), pasta is great, for dessert: go for the panna cotta. Yes, it’s definitely not cheap, but it’s absolutely NOT unreasonable. Food. Is. Homemade. And. Awesome.

A ver, que sí, que lo recomiendo totalmente y es un sitio al que he venido varias veces porque me quedo extasiado con los sabores de las hamburguesas que sirven, desde la de flor de calabaza, la pane mare… yo qué sé, mil maravillas que salen de esa cocina regentada por una madre, su hija y una amiga de las dos. Han acertado con todo –o prácticamente todo– porque es cierto que el local es pequeñito y que si te quedas en la barra sales con un poquiloo de olor y que tira a carete, pero, es que para mi la comida merece la pierna. Sí, es street food con un toque de postureo y un muy buen laboratorio de sabores detrás. Lo recomiendo sí, si, si.

A fantastic meal and wonderfully executed concept. Worth finding and waiting for a seat.

Al principio pensaba darle cinco estrellas a este lugar, pero después de pensarlo mucho, he decidido que no. No soy tan necio como para creer que la street food tenga que ser necesariamente barata, pero sí creo que las condiciones en las que te comes algo pueden terminar modificando con mucho tu experiencia.
Llegamos a Pianostrada antes de que abrieran y menos mal, porque el sitio es bien popular. Es muy chulo por dentro, con madera y cristal, y el menú del día en pequeños papeles puestos en la zona de la cocina. Nos sentamos en la barra, pedimos agua de beber y varias cosas para compartir: dos tipos diferentes de focaccias y dos tipos diferentes de paninis.
La verdad es que todo estaba exquisito, la focaccia de jamón de parma estaba deliciosa, pero la de la flor del calabacín estaba todavía mejor. Los dos paninis estaban deliciosos, y la verdad es que las combinaciones eran de lo más sugerente. ¡Me encantó!
El problema viene con dos cosas de las que nos dimos cuenta posteriormente: las condiciones de la cocina abierta y el precio. No me malinterpretéis, la cocina estaba más que impoluta, no tenía ni una mota de grasa. Sin embargo, al estar abierta al público, te llevas cualquier olor de lo que estén cocinando en la ropa. No sé si es que el extractor no es suficientemente potente o qué, pero desde luego que el olor se pega. Y cuando te das cuenta de que has pagado algo más de 50 € por dos focaccias y dos paninis para compartir entre tres, te percatas de que está muy bueno y los ingredientes son espectaculares, pero que, como todo, este negocio no se puede llevar los cinco estrellones.

Good but way too expensive. We paid 17 euros for a dish of ravioli a in a plastic plate! The tiramisu was also in a plastic container and was 6.5 €. The place is small and cosy and you seat on high chairs.

Waited a long time for a seat. As a solo diner, I kept getting bumped by larger groups. Given that it’s really bar seating, this is a very unfriendly seating policy. Finally I complained and they decided to ask two people newly seated if they would give up their seat for me. Didn’t make me feel very good that they unseated two people. A fair seating policy should have allowed me to sit first as I was there first (its not like I was taking a table of 4). Based on their seating policy, I would never be seated unless a single showed up or unless I was the only person waiting. Not very likely. So I walked out. Maybe I will be brave and try again. This is a place that should cater to solo diners not make them feel they would only get seated if there was nobody in line. Came back, welcomed, food great. Still need to sort out seating criteria.

My husband and I could literally see the entrance to this place from our apartment and totally ignored it the whole week until our next-​to-​last day when we finally realized there was always a line outside when it opened at lunchtime. OMG, I am SO glad that we fixed that mistake and decided to go! This place is an amazing gem tucked away on a quiet corner in the heart of Trastevere. We liked it so much that we went back again the next day to make it our final meal in Rome.
First of all, you have to get a foccacia — No. Matter. What. It’s worth it. Just do it.
We stuck to sandwiches while there, but they do have other items on the menu. All of the ingredients are incredibly fresh, down to the bread that they make daily. The two standouts of the 4 we tried were the Pane Mare and the Pane Alici del Cantabria. The Pane Prosciutto Mangalitza was also super yummy as well. We tried their E Poi salad and their special tiramisu — both good, but the sandwiches and bread are really the stars at this place. Great wine and beer selection as well to bring the whole meal together.

Wow, so happy to discover this fun wine bar. We are staying in the Pantheon neighborhood and have had bad luck with food. The Trastevere area is so fun and the restaurants are better.
We had two focaccia treats last night, the prosciutto and fig was my favorite. The nice ladies working there recommended the good wines we had. Really nice spot, hopefully will get back there this week.

Es lo mejor que he experimentado en el Trastevere a la hora de comer.
El concepto está genial, un local pequeño con unas mesitas altas en una lado y en el de enfrente una barra corrida con vistas a la acristalada cocina. En todo momento ves como están preparando los platos y los ingredientes que están utilizando.
El negocio es familiar, la madre (buenísima en muchos aspectos :), su hija (idem) y la amiga (iem de idem). Trabajan además superbien coordinadas.
En el lado derecho arriba tienes todas las combinaciones posibles para comer, y se agradece mucho que en todos los platos te especifican los ingredientes que lo componen (todos).
Me sorprendió muchísimo el pan negro que utilizan que parece que lleva tinta de calamar.
Obviamente todos los productos son frescos y de muy buena calidad. No se si me gustó mucho que el plato fuera plástico (es quizá la única pega que podría ponerle). De precio está bien, quizá tirando a un poco más a caro (pero no comes cartón con tomate), el precio medio oscila en torno a los 10 –13 euros más la bebida. Acompañando nos trajeron con cono de papel con patatas fritas caseras mientras esperábamos a las burguers.

The best place to eat in Trastevere hands down.
This small and packed panini shop is the freshest, most delicious food around. Not to mention run by some of the toughest girls in the business. The small shop is decked out in feminist quotes and the women behind the counter demand your respect.
You must try their focaccia on top of getting a panini. After trying many of the panini, the pane mare is my favorite by far. The fish is perfectly light, and the bread is the most amazing consistency. A must!

The best meal and one of my best memory in Italy. In this small and cosy place, you can watch cooks prepare your food with great ingredients. The owner was kind enough to traduce and explain the giant menu and what our different options were. We let her surprise us and were delighted by the result: delicious wine, succulent sandwiches and appetizers, amazing dessert… I wish I could give 6 stars! My advice: come a little bit early if you don’t want to wait as it’s really small and seat at the bar to watch what is a great live cooking show.

Looking for something different? If you can get in then give this a try. Food is fresh and in unusual combinations. Not the most comfortable place but really worth it. No reservations and tiny so expect to wait.

Toujours pendant notre séjour à Rome, nous avons testé ce restaurant… grâce à Unilocal :)
C’est une excellente adresse pour manger sur le pouce d’excellents focacce (focacia au singulier, pain épais, à la mie légère et souple surmonté de divers ingrédients). Hummm que de saveurs dans un plat si simple: mozzarella, tomate séchée, fleur de courgette, gorgonzola, roquette (divine en goût).
J’ai également tenté un «pane» au thon citronné, sandwich qui était également très bon!
L’intérieur est exigu, les places peu nombreuses, et l’originalité est que vous voyez 4 cuisinier (e)s préparer tout ça devant vous :-)
Prix: €€

I should have written this in Sept. 2014 when I was there but a pal asked me for a couple places to go for food so this is my one contribution for Roma. This restaurant is small inside with limited seating but the women who cook here create the best stuff I tasted in Rome. I noticed it from the outside with all the fresh herbs growing in the planters outside… that was my first clue. Anyway, they marry a lot of flavors well in the concoctions they come up with.

I was so sad; closed on Monday… that was my last day in Rome…

Newly opened May 2014. A dynamic young all female staff of bakers, chefs, and cooks striving to provide excellent fresh breads and deserts. Focus is on sandwiches (many less conventional by Roman standards) but also features one of two main courses. Mostly a quick service and take away restaurant. Great locals hangout with a contemporary vibe… A refreshing feel in Roman restaurants which are often conservative and predictable (even while remaining frequently excellent). Brava!