Gregorio, a Vibrant All-Day Bistrot in the San Pietro District of Rome

Just a few months after the opening of Casa Vidaschi, a restaurant with an all-day format in the Monteverde district of Rome, Simone Pellegrino, who co-owns it, opened another one of its kind in the San Pietro district of the capital. While Casa Vidaschi has a warm and charming floral atmosphere, Gregorio – Venite in Pace (which means Come in Peace) decidedly has its own personality as well. It’s a dynamic place of gastronomy where the proposals are refreshed with innovation and the fundamentals of quality. “I wanted to live in a unique moment of the day, according to the taste and desire of the client, an entertaining and lively place, in forms and colors,” comments Simone Pellegrino, owner of Gregorio. 

Its name was inspired by Pope Gregorio VII, the 157th pope of the Catholic church which is also the name of the main avenue nearby. Thus, its second name, Venite in Pace (Come in Peace), gives a true sense of its name for Gregorio is a space to unwind and refresh your taste buds with the genuine flavors waiting in the kitchen throughout the day. It is a multifaceted restaurant with a vivid design, furnishings and architectural elements with characterized with originality, all tailor-made by Pro.Don Costruzioni of Carlo Proietti, a project of Studio GAD. "I chose to rely once again on architect Nicodemo Albanese, because his passion and the professionalism of his team were the guarantee that I would have a splendid result, like what already happened for Casa Vidaschi," explains Simone Pellegrino.

The main dining room is dominated by a long counter that surrounds the entire area of the open kitchen, from the laboratory, cocktail bar, butcher's area and pizza zone. Outdoors, a garden area with tables and umbrellas completes the cozy atmosphere of the restaurant. Tones of pastel rosemary green, yellow ochre and white which refer to the colors of the papal coat of arms, are mixed with the wooden fixtures from the floor to tables and chairs. The table setting is composed of unique and original ceramic works of artisan ceramicist Puparieddu of Puglia.

Overseeing the restaurant is Restaurant Manager Edoardo Bernardini who, being also a sommelier, takes care of the set up of the wine list with references from every region of Italy, and some chosen labels from France and Spain to accompany the proposals in the menu and pizzeria.

Pizza by Luca Pezzetta

Pizza is one of Gregorio's featured specialties. This aspect of the kitchen is handled by Luca Pezzetta, a prominent young Italian pizza chef and baker who has had a number of awards throughout his remarkable pizza making journey up until he opened and co-owned Pizzeria Clementina in the town of Fiumicino. He plays a fundamental role at Gregorio's pizza side by training the restaurant's pizza staff and contributing his ideas to the menu. His trained staff takes care of all the elements in attaining perfectly-made pizzas throughout the day, with different formats and types.

From the opening in the morning, you can already find naturally leavened hot pizzetta (small pizza) with different toppings from simple tomatoes to cured meats. There is the pan-baked pizza that is made with sourdough, left to rest for twenty-four hours and subjected to double cooking: steamed, to block the perfect rising point, then conventional oven to complete cooking. Then there is the padellino pizza (€14) which is focaccia made from mother yeast and a mixture of stone-ground flours, seeds, and toasted barley. It is high in protein, has very good digestibility and low in gluten content. It goes through double cooking which is first steamed in a small pan and then in a conventional oven. It comes in two versions: stuffed or topped with toppings.

And finally, the classic Roman round pizza (€10 to €20) made with modern bread making techniques, a mature dough prepared with stone-ground flour, the usage of biga to complete the leavening, and the final rolling out with the rolling pin according to tradition to attain a thin and crunchy pizza. The menu is rich, from classic to tasty variations such as Marinara Gregorio (tomato, capers, olives, oregano, anchovies and fermented black garlic) or Fraschetta (homemade porchetta, Provola cheese, curly celery and fennel mayonnaise). 

The Gastronomic Proposals

The gastronomic proposals at Gregorio cover a full-day format, starting from 7 in the morning with freshly-baked homemade leavened products, components of American breakfast such as omelettes, salmon, brioche and toasts. The entries continue towards a daytime aperitif or light lunch (€12 to €16), such as mixed platters of cured meat, cheese, mixed vegetables, a rich selection of salads and burgers. The kitchen, which opens from 11 AM, is directed by Chef Alessandro Tomasso and assisted by sous chef Valerio Abbondanzieri. The cuisine is traditional Italian with interesting revisitations.

The menu opens with raw and cooked appetizers (€8 to €18), including beef tartare and fish carpaccio, panzanella and swordfish dressed with prosciutto of Parma. A selection of tasty fried proposals (€3 to €12) breaded with cereals and dry bread shouldn't be missed. It continues with first courses of pasta and risotto (€13 to €18) of Roman classics to original innovative recipes such as: fusillone with peeled tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella from the coast and basil pesto; or potato gnocchi with mussels, clams and red and yellow datterini tomatoes; and tonarello pasta with squid ink mixture creamed with prawn bisque and topped with prawn tartare. The choices of second course (€16 to €30) is varied, from the tasty "Sakura Yoza", a Danish meat cut matured for 30 days, to the beef fillet with red wine reduction, the de-boned chicken leg cooked at low temperature, and the crunchy octopus. The desserts (€7 to €9) are traditional like the tiramisù, creme brulée with passion fruit or some with a different touch like the sweet supplí made with salty peanut Bavarian cream with caramel and breaded with cornflakes. 

Cocktails, which starts at 18:00, is one aspect of Gregorio that keeps the restaurant alive. They have a rich and economical formula like the Aperi Gregorio (€15) that is comprised of a tapas dish + drink, or a selection of tapas ((€5 to €12) like vegetable tempura, shredded fried chicken strips and bao bread with beer meatballs. The drink list is the result of the excellent work of Bar Manager Jacopo Salvati, which includes IBA classics and a rich variety of signatures to be discovered.

Gregorio

Address: Via della Cava Aurelia 169, 00165 Rome, Italy
Tel: +39 3490602640
Website: www.gregoriorestaurant.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gregoriorestaurantroma
Opening times: Open daily from 7 AM to 1 AM except Mondays