La Vita è Un Mozzico — Restaurant in Rome

I saw a 4.8 rating and thought my two companions and I should try this place since it was close and we needed a quick lunch. There were two men at the counter; one apparently spoke English but wasn't handling our order. Ordered pancetta, pesto and mozzarella on one and mortadella and mozzarella on the other. Overall good, but we weren't familiar with the ingredients. Pancetta at this place was as fat-lined as our experiences with it in the States, and so one of my companions couldn't eat it without picking through it. It was good pork, the pesto lovely, the bread truly delicious. The catch is: we didn't realize that the panini were as large as they are. We are not big appetites, so one would have been sufficient for us and we would have been able to keep the price below €10. No need. Better labeling for panino ingredients would have been appreciated. We were terrible customers in that we didn't know what to order and spent twice as long deciding on anything because three people were debating what to put into two sandwiches. I appreciate their patience, but a well-placed suggestion of a popular combination would likely have expedited the entire process considerably.

So sandwich good, and if you have experience with the place and local ingredients you would be able to manage the price better than we did. As for service, okay considering what they were dealing with but we could have used more communication.

Why am I putting my rating as it is then? Because they have great bones and did a good job, but the 4.8 rating did not fit my experience. A 4.5 max...

Stopped here because we were in the area looking for paninis and saw the high rating--feel so lucky we got to try this gem! Like at a deli counter, you take a number and wait for them to call your number to be served. (It is a popular place with a small counter so this is a great system ) What others have said about the owners/operators being handsome and friendly is 100% correct--they were very warm and gave good recommendations. They serve guests one at a time and give you their full attention. I was a little overwhelmed because there was no menu board, but I watched them guide other patrons to order something that they would like. My husband got prosciutto with mozzarella and pesto. I got porchetta with red onions. Both were awesome. Warm, salty, satisfying! The focaccia was crispy in the edges and soft in the center. You can take your panini to eat in the Piazza, but we were so hungry we happily ate just outside. Just delicious! We didn't realize that Bobby Flay ate here also, but he knows a thing or...

Truly incredible and extremely affordable sandwiches made on fresh focaccia bread. The line is generally a little long, so be prepared to take a number and wait in queue. Trust me, these sandwiches are worth the wait. During my trip to Rome, this was the best place for a quick and affordable take-away sandwich.

I ordered a Pancetta sandwich on fresh focaccia bread with fresh mozzarella, olives, tomato, and pesto. My girlfriend had a mortadella sandwich with fresh mozzarella, pesto, and olives. Both sandwiches were warmed up and served fresh. These sandwiches are amazing in their simplicity - as they rely on the freshness of their ingredients rather than complexity. This is a true taste of Italy and I only wish that I lived in the area so that I could stop here every day for lunch. On top of all of this, these large sandwiches were only about 10 euro each - considering the freshness and flavor, I'd say that's a fantastic deal....