Roman-Style Pies Hit Eataly With New Pizzeria and Wine Bar

New York City’s Roman-style pizza craze continues with Alla Pala, a Roman pizza and wine bar inside the original Eataly in Flatiron. The pizzeria, open today off a 23rd Street entrance at the market at 200 Fifth Ave., sells the doughy, rectangular pies by the slice alongside Italian wines.

Nine pies are on offer each day, varying from lunch to dinner and using produce pulled from the market — with options such as the fiori di zucca with yellow and green summer squash, zucchini blossoms, cherry tomatoes, sea salt, and thyme or the capricciosa with Rovagnati prosciutto cotto, mozzarella, tomato, mushrooms, artichokes, olives, and basil. Slice prices run from $4.90 for a margherita to $9.20 for a pie with 14-month aged prosciutto, stracciatella, cherry tomatoes, and arugula.

Roman-style pizza is known for its airy, yeasty dough and rectangular shape that’s often sold “al taglio” or “by the cut.” It has recently had a bit of a resurgence thanks to Roman chef Gabriele Bonci. At Alla Pala, the dough recipe comes from Fulvio Marino, a third-generation miller who mixes farina 00, buratto, and whole wheat flours from Italy to bake in an electric oven.

This style of pizza has been on the rise lately in NYC, with the openings of PQR on the Upper East Side and Mani in Pasta in the East Village, as well as across the country with famed Bonci in Chicago.

Mario Batali, who has been accused of dozens of instances of sexual misconduct, is still a minority investor in Eataly USA, though he stepped away from any operations in December 2017. He is divesting from his restaurants, and at Eataly, “a process to compel the divestiture” has started, according to spokesman Chris Giglio. Meanwhile, all of his products and books have been removed from shelves.

Alla Pala is open daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

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