A Famed Roman Chef Is Opening a Soho Pizzeria This Fall

Stefano Callegari — the Italian chef credited for inventing the wildly popular “pizza sandwich” known as the trapizzino — will open his first NYC pizzeria in Soho this September. La Rossa will serve Roman-style pizza al taglio as well as round pizzas and other Roman dishes.

Located at 267 Lafayette St., near Prince Street, the 32-seat pizzeria will be an homage to the Roman foods Callegari has built his reputation on. His cacio e pepe pizza will be on the menu, along with the “testa rossa” pizza made with Campari-marinated mozzarella.

The NYC Roman pizza scene just keeps on growing. In addition to the Roman-style pizzas that have been popping up all over NYC — like with the recent openings of Mani in Pasta, PQR, and Alla Palla — La Rossa will serve various antipasti, salads, and suppli, fried snacks from Rome. It will also be open for breakfast and have an outdoor dining space.

Callegari’s invention of the trapizzino gave him serious pizza cred. He partnered with restaurateurs Luca Vicenzini and Nick Hatsatouris on the LES restaurant dedicated to the street food, where trapizzini of various fillings go for $6. But La Rossa marks the pizzaiolo’s first restaurant of his own in the city.