MELBOURNE | Romo Pizza Bar is a hidden laneway gem in Melbourne’s CBD that I was recently invited to visit. It’s a tiny trattoria with a one page menu of pizza and pasta, along with a few starters and desserts. Everything, where possible, is made in house.
Two childhood friends from Lyon, France opened Romo at the end of 2021. Alex brings a wealth of experience to the kitchen, having trained and worked at Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, before working in Michelin starred restaurants in Hong Kong, and hatted restaurants like Vue de Monde and Syracuse.
This experience, and a love for eating and cooking Italian food, combines to great effect at Romo. Pizzas are Neapolitan-style, with house-made dough made using a strict 48-hour biga fermentation. The result is a light, crispy, airy base. The Prosciutto, with San Marzano tomatoes D.O.P., mozzarella, prosciutto, and gremolata is delicious. For a white sauce pizza, you’ll want to try the Gamberini. This one’s topped with a wonderful garlic cream, mozzarella, prawns, chilli and gremolata.
The pasta at Romo is also well worth your time. The tartufata delivers an umami bomb to your taste buds, and is one of the best pasta dishes I’ve eaten all year. It’s hand cut tagliatelle with an unctuous sauce of black truffle and grana padano. Make sure to grab a serve of garlic bread to mop up any remaining sauce.
For dessert, it’s a traditional tiramisu that hits all of the right notes, and a rotating selection of house made gelato and sorbet. Flavours are twists on classics. Things like spiced chocolate, thyme and almond, and rockmelon.
To drink, it’s a selection local and Italian wines of mostly Italian varietals, along with a small cocktail and beer selection.
Romo Pizza Bar
21 Katherine Place
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Telephone: (03) 8589 6977
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Thu – Fri: 11:30am to 2:30pm; 5:30pm to 9:30pm
Sat, Tue – Wed : 5:30pm to 9:30pm