Trapizzino: Rome’s Best Cheap Eats

Trapizzino pizza sandwich

A few moons ago, there was a little shop in Testaccio that I would call a hole-in-the-wall and mean that in the nicest possible way. 00100 closed but was soon reborn as Trapizzino – named for what was already their signature sandwich.

The new Trapizzino shop did away with the pizza al taglio that had previously been available, but this was simply to make room for more trapizzini. A trapizzino is a pizza-sandwich hybrid that you need to try to believe, and it just so happens to be some of the best street food in Rome.

woman standing at the counter of trapizzino in Rome

“Trapizzino” is a play on the words pizza + tramezzino.

Found in coffee bars across the country, I detest tramezzini.  They are sad sandwiches made with cheap white bread smothered in mayonnaise.

But subtract the stale white bread and mayo, and substitute in pizza bianca?

Sign. Me. Up.

handwritten daily menu at Trapizzino rome

Trapizzino serves up a rotating, seasonal list of sandwiches for just €4.

But calling them sandwiches is a huge undersell. It is pizza.

It is pizza that is crispy and stuffed with deliciousness.

Rome Trapizzino

The pizza bianca is sliced down the middle, almost pita style.  Then, you pick your filling and your very own pizza pocket gets loaded with warm, slowed cooked goodness.

I love the classic meatball (polpetta) with plenty of sauce (sugo).

polpetta trapizzino

The tasty bite can work as a snack if you have a large appetite and planning to walk it off, but you can also turn the trapizzino into a meal by adding a supplì on the side.

supplì trapizzino

There are always large, classic supplì available (€2), but I usually go for the daily special of different flavors.  This time around it was cime di rapa, a kind of broccoli but you might also find cacio e pepe (dreamy) or even one with Ethiopian-inspired spices.

hand holding trapizzino sandwich filled with vegetables

The trapizzini are based on traditional Roman recipes which tend to be meat-heavy. However, there are always vegetarian options as well. The eggplant parmesan (parmigiana di melanzane) is always available, but if they have the zucchine alla scapece with creamy straciatella (the cheese used to make the filling for burrata), then get it!

 

birra del borgo

However, no supplì/trapizzino meal would be complete with a beer from Birra del Borgo.

Italian unfiltered beer

Unfiltered, unpasteurized and bottled on-site from a small tap. Trapizzino in Testaccio has expanded and now has an entire adjacent storefront that is dedicated to beer and wine. The Trastevere Trapizzino location is half wine bar, half pizza place. 

trapizzino testaccio

The Testaccio location is dangerously close to my house, so I will probably see you there.

The shop has some seating, but most people gather around stools outside the door. As I mentioned, few years ago, they also bought the neighboring storefront to add more tables. You still need to order from the main shop, but you can then walk next door with your food and buy a drink (or not).

The Ponte Milvio location also has outdoor seating, and there is a newer galley-like location in Trastevere (Piazza Trilussa, 46) that is half wine bar, half Trapizzino shop, with a few measly tables.

These delicious bites are best eaten immediately, so don’t worry about trying to take it to go. You can, and should, eat it quickly.

Trapizzino

Testaccio: Via Giovanni Branca, 88
Ponte Milvio: Piazzale Ponte Milvio, 13
Trastevere: Piazza Trilussa, 46

Testaccio hours: Closed Monday. Open Tuesday – Sunday from 12 pm to 1 am.
Ponte Milvio hours: Open Monday to Thursday from 11 am to 1 am; Friday 11 am to 3 am; Saturday 12 pm to 3 am; Sunday 12 pm to 1 am.

Official website

3 thoughts on “Trapizzino: Rome’s Best Cheap Eats

  1. Pingback: Explore Rome: January 2016 Events – An American in Rome

  2. Paulinho Do Santos says:

    Hi, I was in Rome just before xmas. We were near termini at http://www.fourseasonshostelrome.com and went by metro on the friday to Testaccio area to club ACAB which was great afterwards we were really hungry wih we could have found this place, even though we left the club at 3 but had we known would have gone before entering. look delicious. Will be surre to check out your site for next visit to Rome and pass the word to fellow Brasileiro’s 🙂

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