Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I am here to tell you about a Roman-style pizza not available in Coronado. We have our fair share of places to buy pizza on the island; I count ten. Did I miss one? Of the traditional Italian styles of pizza, Coronado has a few, Napoletana and Tonda Romana.
You can find both styles in Coronado’s own ‘Little Italy’ on the 1000 block of C Ave (our Little Italy consisting of Nado Gelato, Garage Buona Forchetta, and Nado Republic).
Buona Forchetta crafts Napoletana-style pizzas, and Nado Republic, a Roman-style pizza called Tonda Romana. If you have yet to go to Nado Republic for their pizza, it is a significant departure from the rest as the crust is crispy and cracker-like.
Pizza al Taglio, another Roman pizza style, is unavailable on the island. Technically, Buona Forchetta puts a few pieces of this style in their deli case. However, the selection pales compared to their North Park store, Gelati & Peccati. What is this style of pizza?
Pizza al Taglio means “pizza by the cut.” This pizza cooks in a large rectangular pan before it gets cut into squares or long strips.
The pieces are heated up when ordered, and other things are often added, like arugula or a drizzle of balsamic or olive oil.
In Rome, they cut the pizza with scissors and weigh them to determine the price. At Gelati & Peccati (G & P), the pizza is pre-cut.
The counter at G & P has board after board of pizzas on display, a sea of gorgeous toppings from which to choose. The presentation allows the customer to see what they are ordering and also enables them to mix and match rather than commit to a whole pizza.
The visual aids should make the decision more accessible, but they don’t; they make it ten times harder. Do I get a few different pieces; If so, which ones; maybe just one piece and some Gelato? The name implied it, but yes, Gelati & Peccati has gelato, too; good luck deciding.
After scanning the case, I went with the Melone and the Ricotta E Mortadella. The Melon was topped with cantaloupe, balsamic reduction, prosciutto Crudo, and buffalo mozzarella. The Ricotta E Mortadella features mortadella ham, ricotta cheese, and pistachio nuts.
If my description of this little shop has not piqued your interest, then you have to watch Chef’s Table: Pizza, episode two, Gabriele Bonci. This episode explains how Rome’s esteemed pizzaiolo Gabriele Bonci and his restaurant Pizzarium in Rome took this style of pizza to a new level. This man whom Vogue Magazine’s food critic called the ”Michael Angelo” of pizza now has a location in Chicago apply named Bonci.
Now that you have to have this pizza and you know where to find it, I have to warn you that parking is an issue all over North Park. It was terrible before, but the new bike lanes have worsened the situation. I usually suck it up and pay for parking. Hess Brewing company down the street has parking for the price of a beer and paid parking across the street. The other option is the large parking structure on 30th street. If you go this route, you can hit Bottle Craft and Venissimo while heading back to your car.
The website for Gelati & Peccati is currently being updated. They no longer have a food truck in the Target parking lot in South Park and the hours of operation are as follows.
Mon-Thur 4pm-10pm
Fri- Sat 11am-1am
Sun 11am-9pm
I hope the Pizza al Taglio at Gelati & Peccati makes your list of fun things to try. I recently picked up a few different pizzas, returned home, and re-watched the Bonci episode; it was a real indulgence. Buon appetitio!
