Restaurant in Rome, Italy
Reliable late-night scrocchiarella in Trastevere.
L'Elementare is a Rome-based pizza chain specialising in Roman <em>scrocchiarella</em> — thin, crispy, and cut in rectangular slabs. Ranked 28th on the 50 Top World Artisan Pizza Chains 2025 list and awarded 'One to Watch 2025,' it is one of the more credentialed casual options in Trastevere. Easy to book, unpretentious, and well-suited to late-night eating.
Yes — and it is one of the more reliable answers to the question of where to eat well after 10 PM in Trastevere. L'Elementare is a Roman pizza chain built around the scrocchiarella style: thin, crispy, and cooked to a snap rather than a chew. It ranked 28th on the 50 Leading World Artisan Pizza Chains 2025 list and picked up the "One to Watch 2025 – Casa Julia Award," two signals that put it ahead of most casual pizza stops in the city. For explorers who want something genuinely Roman rather than tourist-facing, it is worth your time.
The chain leans into simplicity: an atmosphere that is deliberately unfussy, ingredients described as high quality, and a format that does not ask much of you. Via Benedetta in Trastevere is a good address for late arrivals — the neighbourhood stays active well past dinner hour, and L'Elementare fits the rhythm. If you have been eating your way through Rome's more formal rooms , places like Il Pagliaccio or Enoteca La Torre , this is the opposite end of the dial, and that is the point.
The scrocchiarella format is specific to Rome and is worth understanding before you arrive. It is not Neapolitan , there is no char-kissed crust or leoparding, no pillowy cornicione. The Roman style is flatter, crispier, and cut in rectangular slabs. L'Elementare has built its reputation on executing this well, at scale, without the quality drop that usually comes with a chain operation. The 50 Leading Pizza ranking is a meaningful credential here: it is a list that tracks artisan technique specifically, so inclusion at rank 28 globally is not a courtesy mention.
Aroma that greets you is worth flagging for the right reasons: high-temperature baking, good olive oil, and the kind of dry, wheaty warmth that Roman bakeries have been producing for centuries. This is not the rich, fermented-dough smell of a long-proofed Neapolitan base , it is lighter and drier, which tells you something useful about what you are about to eat.
L'Elementare works well as a late-night option after an early dinner elsewhere, or as a no-pressure main stop if you want something unpretentious and Roman on a night when you are not looking for a long sit. Trastevere on a weekend evening runs late by nature, so timing is flexible. The format is casual enough that you can arrive without a fixed plan. For context on how the neighbourhood fits your broader Roman itinerary, the full Rome restaurants guide is a useful starting point, alongside the Rome bars guide if you are planning a longer evening.
If your trip already includes a Michelin-level dinner , at La Pergola or Acquolina, for instance , L'Elementare is a smart counterpoint. It gives you something genuinely local and technically credentialed without the spend or the booking logistics. For travellers who have been eating across Italy and want to track regional style differences, comparing this to Neapolitan-style pizza elsewhere makes for a useful benchmark. The gap between Roman and Neapolitan pizza is as real as the gap between, say, Osteria Francescana and a Modena trattoria , different ambitions, different techniques, both worth understanding on their own terms.
L'Elementare does not belong in the same conversation as destination restaurants like Uliassi or Reale. But it does not need to be. It is doing something more specific: delivering a well-executed, regionally honest product at a format that suits Rome's late-night rhythms. For that job, it delivers.
Quick reference: Trastevere location (Via Benedetta, 23), casual atmosphere, Roman scrocchiarella-style pizza, ranked 28th globally in artisan pizza chains 2025, booking difficulty is easy.
Go in knowing this is Roman-style pizza, not Neapolitan. The scrocchiarella is thin and crispy , served in rectangular cuts, not rounds. It ranked 28th in the 50 Leading World Artisan Pizza Chains 2025, so the quality standard is genuine. Trastevere is the neighbourhood; Via Benedetta is a central street, easy to walk to from most of the centre. Keep expectations calibrated to a well-run casual pizza spot, not a destination restaurant, and you will leave satisfied.
Not in the conventional sense. If you want a special-occasion dinner in Rome, Il Pagliaccio or Enoteca La Torre are better answers. L'Elementare is the right call if your occasion is specifically about eating something Roman and unpretentious , a birthday group that wants a relaxed night, or a last-evening meal before flying home. Its award credentials mean you are not compromising on quality, just on formality.
Yes. A casual pizza chain in Trastevere is well-suited to solo eating , no awkward table minimums, no pressure to linger, and the format is quick enough that you can be in and out in under an hour if you want. It is a practical choice for solo travellers doing a longer Rome itinerary who want a light, low-effort meal. Check the Rome bars guide if you want to continue the evening nearby.
The venue database does not include confirmed details on dietary accommodations. The scrocchiarella format is typically vegetarian-friendly in its base form, but for specific needs , gluten-free, vegan, allergen-related , contact the venue directly before arriving. No phone or website is listed in our current data, so checking on arrival or via a third-party booking platform is the most reliable approach for now.
For a similar casual, quality-driven pizza experience in Rome, the field is competitive. Roscioli and Pizzarium (the latter from Gabriele Bonci) are the most-cited alternatives for Roman-style pizza at a high technical level. For a step up in formality and spend without leaving the pizza category, Seu Pizza Illuminati in Trastevere is worth comparing. If you want to shift into broader Roman dining, the full Rome restaurants guide covers the range from casual to Michelin-level.
Booking difficulty is rated easy. This is a chain with multiple locations and a casual format , you are unlikely to be locked out without a reservation. That said, Trastevere on a Friday or Saturday evening moves fast, so arriving early or calling ahead on peak nights is sensible. Walk-ins are generally viable at off-peak hours.
Specific seating configuration details are not confirmed in our current data. Roman pizza chains of this style typically offer counter or bar-adjacent seating as a standard option , it suits the format. If a counter seat matters to you, ask when you arrive. The casual atmosphere makes informal seating the norm rather than the exception.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'Elementare | Easy | — | |
| Il Pagliaccio | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Enoteca La Torre | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Idylio by Apreda | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| La Palta | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| Zia | €€€ | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Go in expecting a no-frills Roman pizza stop, not a sit-down dining event. The format is deliberately simple: thin, crispy scrocchiarella-style pizza made with quality ingredients in a relaxed atmosphere. It ranked 28th in the 50 Top World Artisan Pizza Chains 2025, so the product has independent backing. Order a few different slices or pies to get a read on the style before committing to a larger order.
Not in the traditional sense. The atmosphere is unfussy by design, which makes it a poor fit for anniversaries or celebratory dinners that call for tableside service and a wine list. For a special occasion in Rome, La Pergola or Acquolina is the more appropriate call. L'Elementare earns its place as a smart counterpoint stop on a food-focused trip, not as the headline event.
Yes. A casual, counter-friendly pizza format suits solo diners well — you are not navigating a multi-course tasting menu or a table minimum. The Trastevere location at Via Benedetta, 23 means you are already in a walkable, active neighbourhood where eating alone draws no attention. It is a practical, low-pressure option if you want something good without the overhead of a full restaurant booking.
Specific dietary accommodation details are not confirmed in available venue data. Roman-style pizza is inherently wheat-based and typically includes dairy, so gluten-free or vegan guests should check the venue's official channels before visiting. The chain's focus on high-quality ingredients suggests some flexibility, but do not assume options without checking.
For a step up in formality and chef-driven cuisine, Zia in Trastevere is the natural next option. If you want serious fine dining rather than casual pizza, Idylio by Apreda or Il Pagliaccio both operate at a different register entirely. Within the pizza category specifically, comparing L'Elementare against other Roman scrocchiarella specialists is the more useful frame than comparing it to restaurants with full menus.
Booking specifics are not confirmed in available venue data. As a chain format with a casual positioning, same-day or walk-in availability may be more feasible here than at Rome's full-service restaurants. Trastevere gets busy on weekend evenings, so arriving early or checking for a reservation option online is worth doing regardless.
Bar seating specifics are not documented in available venue data. Given the chain's deliberately unfussy, informal setup, counter or standing options would fit the format, but this is not confirmed. For certainty, reach out to the Via Benedetta, 23 location directly before planning your visit around that preference.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
