At last a new-to-us place in Roma that was worthy of the trip. Thanks to a fellow blogger, John Henderson of Dog-Eared Passport, we found 72 Ore. It’s quite a trek from our house, involving bus, Metro and a short walk. We only undertake such a journey when the pizza is worthy. John seems reliable. He agreed with me that La Pratolina and Da Remo serve some of the best pizza in Roma, but his Number 1 spot is 72 Ore.

Bright light, big windows, no romance at 72 Ore.

Few restaurants in Roma — or Italy for that matter — have online reservations. I love that 72 Ore does. I made a reservation for opening time, 20:00, and we arrived about 10 minutes early thanks to a particularly efficient bus ride. Although there were no customers there, and through the large windows we could see only empty tables, they turned away a couple arriving ahead of us: fully committed tonight, no walk-ins. So grateful I had made a reservation! We stranieri were seated even before opening, but at 20:00 the place started to fill. By 20:30 there were few empty chairs.

As tables fill in the noise level escalates. There was one group of 16!

72 hours (ore) is the amount of time they allow the dough to rise. This place is all about the crust. Even the best ingredients cannot save a bad crust. Fortunately 72 Ore has great ingredients to go on the crust, an adequate wine list, nice fritti. Oddly it is not cooked in a wood-fired oven, but the flavors are great. It will require a second visit to assess consistency, and at this point 72 Ore will not knock Dar Poeta, La Pratolina, nor Da Remo out of 1st, 2nd or 3rd place, but it is a contender for #4.

72 Ore is only open 4 hours each day, 20:00-24:00 and 6 days a week. Nice business model. Only a 10-12 minute walk from the Metro, which while crowded with rush hour riders on the way there, was eerily quiet on our ride home about 21:30.

Mandatory suppli, oozey cheese but probably not housemade.

RIc had the Pizza Boscaiola with sausage and mushrooms, a “white” pizza.

My choice, Pizza Casareccia with sausage and porcini.

Every clock is set at 7 & 2. Get it?

We are beyond the crowds…. The Metro was almost empty on the way home.

Empty Metro station is kind of eerie.

Pizza Quality: 3 Outstanding ingredients, an especially good crust and some creative toppings. Nice fritti, but I think they are frozen, not house made. More research required. 

Service: 3 Very accommodating and welcoming. I give high praise for a user-friendly online reservation system. Bravo!

Ambiance: 2   Bright. light, and modern with lots of noise.  No outdoor seating.

Total Points: 8

Returnability:  One of  the Best! It’s not La Pratolina, Dar POeta nor Da Remo, but it is good enough to put in a high returnability category. Go (reasonably) out-of-your-way to eat here if you have time. Ride the Metro and take a short walk.