La Gallina Bianca

Rome, Italy (The Joy of Food) — La Gallina Bianca is Italian for ‘The White Hen’ and the restaurant’s logo — you guessed it, a white hen — is stamped on everything except the actual food. You’ll spend lunch surrounded by chicken stuff including egg-shaped menus, oval business cards, and pastel table cloths pilfered from the neighborhood Easter egg hunt. What any of this has to do with pizza, I’ll never know.

The pizza is Neapolitan-inspired despite the Rome-area location, but ultimately it features a thicker base than what you would find about two hours south in Naples. 

First-rate in its own right, this pizza delivers a bigger, bubblier, more rustic cornicione (crust), one speckled by the wood-fired oven and chewy, yet crisp and sturdy enough to main rigidity while you eat, and with enough developed yeasty flavor to be scented like only pizza in Italy can be.

The margherita gets topped with a solid layer of stretchy buffalo mozzarella and not the torn-apart, blob-like pieces you’d see on a traditional Neapolitan pie. Chopped tomatoes get used for the sauce which, combined with the heftier cheese, give the pizza a less fluid foundation and look. Those who don’t appreciate a ‘wet’ Neapolitan pizza will like this version with the thicker base and the less liquidy nature of the toppings.

Of course, any Roman restaurant lives or dies by its pastas, and the fettuccine alla Bolognese and the carbonara con melanzane e zucchine (eggplant and zucchini) are bathed in sweet, smoky sauces rich with grilled vegetables and meats. Traditional cacio e pepe, which in these parts might be more popular than knickknacks of the pope, is also available.

This is an old-school kind of place bustling with locals who pop in for a quick bite and a glass of vino for lunch. It is not touristy and exists simply to get the job done; you’ll be in and out in 30 minutes. Tables are communal so get ready to make friends. Last time I visited, we sat near an entire pack of priests from one of the local parishes and learned lots about holy water. While here, you won’t be able to hear yourself think, or each other, but the special patchwork of Rome will be on full display. 

You’ll find La Gallina Bianca just off Via Cavour near the main train station (Termini) in an area known as Esquilino, a ghetto part of Rome that’s overrun with outright bad dining options and even more ‘questionable’ people. Dozens of hotels nearby are convenient for travel to and from the city, but most visitors arrive unaware of the gritty location issues; you don’t expect anything about Rome to suck, but if there’s one thing, it’s this part of it. I’d recommend eating here, but staying near it is not a good idea.

Written by Joy

Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.

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