Al Pompiere

Al Pompiere Review

The entrance on a narrow side street leads you up a charming staircase and into the main dining room of this neighborhood favorite. Its Roman Jewish dishes, such as fried zucchini flowers, battered salt cod, and gnocchi, are all consistently good and served without fanfare on white dishes with a simple border. There are also some nice, historic touches like a beef-and-citron stew that comes from an ancient Roman recipe of Apicius. And if you come across the traditional Roman porchetta (roasted suckling pig) special, make sure to order it before it runs out—it is truly divine. In 2004, there was a terrible fire in a shop below the restaurant, but the kitchen was soon back in business, though the irony here is as thick as the chef's tomato sauce: Al Pompiere means "the fireman."