The pizza route in Lima: three restaurants you must visit to savor this Italian classic

It began as a plate of food on the go, but today the pizza It is the inevitable companion of our best and worst moments. This piece of Italian dough has witnessed laughter, tears, parties, sleepovers and even weddings. Loved by many, and hated by few, it is her versatility that has allowed her to adapt and become universal.

In Lima, we can find options for all tastes. Being objective, we cannot say that there is a better pizza than another in the city. However, the Lima gastronomic scene never disappoints us. La Rossenda, Papagiani and Rossa Pizza Appassionata prove it, each in their own way. We visited them to find out what sets them apart from other pizzerias.

1. The Rossenda

“We have to take these doughs to Lima,” was what Selic Abramovitz told Milenka Kalafatovich while they were in Cusco trying the sourdough pizzas she used to make. And between wines and laughter, they closed the deal. What they did not know is that after two weeks they were going to start setting up their business in Miraflores. “Milenka thought I was joking, but I had already found us a venue,” says Selic.

“I had to immediately move my life to Lima. I lived in the Sacred Valley with my husband, since he had a lodge. There, I was dedicated to his restaurant because I am a professional chef. However, with the start of the pandemic, my career had stagnated, so I began to dedicate myself to the bakery, in order to continue working”, explains Milenka. And that is how she was born her first sourdough, which at the moment she is only three years old.

That mixture of flour and water became the beginning of what would become La Rossenda, an attractive restaurant completely specialized in sourdough recipes. “In our restaurant, quality is not negotiated, so we always try to get the best ingredients for our pizza and pasta in general,” adds Selic.

Among its most special proposals, we find the pizza with roast strip ragù and arugula, as well as that with pesto and smoked tenderloin. Mainly, they also seek to work with ingredients from our country, as in the case of the Porcón ham and mushroom pizza, whose origin is from Lambayeque, and grows only on the roots of the pine tree. In this way, La Rossenda continues to gain popularity among enthusiasts of new flavors.

Data

• Location: La Rossenda is located at Av. la Paz 679, Miraflores.
• Instagram: @larossenda
• Prices: The roast strip and arugula ragù pizza is S/. 42 soles, the serrano ham and mushrooms from Porcón is S/. 40 soles and the one with pesto and smoked tenderloin is S/. 37 soles.

2.Papagiani

There’s nothing Ugo Plevisani doesn’t know about pizza. Because after many years dedicated to the catering industry, the star dish of his long-awaited Italy has become one of his favorite topics of conversation. After an enriching talk about the history of pizza, Plevisani decides to guide us into the gastronomic universe of his restaurant.

“Papagiani was born in the midst of a pandemic. We had an oven that I intended to use in my other restaurants, which was used to prepare sliced ​​pizzas. However, when riding through Miraflores with my bike, I knew that I had found the perfect place. Well, we had the intention of having a place that works as a place of passage, as happens in Rome, where the pizza ‘al taglio’ is eaten on the way”, says the one who does not need further introductions.

What started as a dream she had with her dad culminated in a cozy restaurant that has endeared itself to the neighborhood. Papagiani –as they used to call him as a child– keeps gastronomic traditions alive; both in his pizzas and pastas, as well as in the famous desserts of his wife Sandra Pierantoni de Plevisani.

“I am sour and she is sweet, always”, says Ugo. This duo, which complements each other on a daily basis, has managed to maintain a restaurant that offers a versatile menu of pizzas that does not escape the classic Margarita, Vegetarian and Boscaiola, but also does not neglect innovation, such as its combinations with truffle which, together with to its exquisite garlic sauce, it becomes the most desirable delicacy to take home.

Data

• Location: Papagiani is located at Av. Reducto 1196, Miraflores.
• Instagram: @papagiani.reducto
• Prices: The kilo for Margarita or Vegetarian pizza is S/. 79 soles, and a kilo of Boscaiola pizza or truffle pizza is S/. 89 soles.

3. Rossa Pizza Appassionata

Rossa Pizza Appassionata, a place as charming as its own name, is the pizzeria sister of Troppo, the well-known pasta restaurant. Its foundation took place due to a single objective and an external factor: to prepare splendid pizzas that escape what is already known, within the pandemic context. “We needed to continue to exist, since Troppo’s repertoire was not suitable for delivery,” says José Luis Saume, the restaurant’s chef.

Because of this, Rossa Pizza Appasionata’s business model used to be focused solely on home delivery. Despite this, thanks to the success that it maintains to this day, it was clear that they had to become a restaurant. “Our thought is always to make a difference, through inputs that are at a high level,” he adds.

Likewise, the restaurant has the advantage of being able to produce its pizzas within a short period of time. Due to the imposing oven that stands in the center of the premises, this dish only needs to be rotated once on its own axis, at a slow but sure cooking speed, which allows it to be served in record time.

At the chef’s choice, the favorites on the menu are the Margarita and the Carbonara, despite the extensive menu that continues to be constantly updated. Their secret is the quality of the dough and the tomato, key ingredients that have also allowed them to grow towards new combinations, such as their innovative ravioli based on pizza flavors, or their fried ‘donuts’ with stracciatella; making the restaurant an unmissable piece in any tour of the best Italian food spaces in Lima.

Data

• Location: Rossa Pizza Appassionata is at Calle Choquehuanca 601, San Isidro.
• Instagram: @rossa.pizza.appassionata
• Prices: Pizza #1 –Margarita– is S/. 35. Pizza #16 –with mushroom sauce and mozzarella– costs S/. 52 and #22 –Carbonara–, is S/.55.