Gourmet Pizza To Go at CasaManco, Mercato Testaccio

Pizza al taglio gets a bad rap. There’s many a forno out there in Rome that serves day-old, low quality pizza to go that ends up sitting in your stomach and making you regret the moment you let laziness win out over finding decent food options.

CasaManco is one exception to this trend, among a few other prestigious pizza al taglio fornos in Rome. Located in the Testaccio Market in a tiny stand, Paola and Andrea serve up their special pizza 6 days a week all year long and do it so well, it’s well known as one of the best pizzas in Rome.

The secret is their amazingly-light dough that comes from letting it rise for FOUR HUNDRED HOURS in the fridge before baking and the seasonal, fresh produce they use for toppings. While the pizza bianca is outstanding, their creative options are fun and always delicious, no matter how strange the combination seems. Recently they’ve been serving up fennel, balsamic vinegar and orange, while a new favorite of mine is made with soft stracchino cheese, lemon zest, mushroom and peperoncino that’s basically a party in your mouth.

Even if you go the boring route and opt for their delicious margherita or the focaccia with tomatoes, olives and onions, the superb ingredients make it a stand-out pizza for me. The cherry tomatoes are caramelized with brown sugar, while the onions come from Tropea and are always sweet and flavorful. I’ve never had a pizza there that wasn’t anything less than 10/10.

To top it all off, the Manco family is the sweetest family you’ll ever meet, with Paola always taking a moment to check in with you and see how you’re liking her food and Andrea serving up pizza and smiles while always pointing out their latest and greatest creation. Their daughter and her husband also work with them, at least until they launch a CasaManco 2 in Trastevere as is their plan.

All of this to say, if you’re in Rome, don’t settle for sub-par pizza al taglio that leaves you sad and less satisfied than you were going in—take the metro over to Piramide and grab a few slices of pizza to eat while you explore the lovely neighborhood of Testaccio.

CasaManco is a stop on the Devour Rome Testaccio Neighborhood Food and Market tour, where we visit 8 different Roman eateries in Testaccio and explore this area of Rome from a gastronomical perspective.

CasaManco

Mercato Testaccio, Box 22

Via Aldo Manunzio

Monday-Saturday, 9:30-3:00