PaninArt — Restaurant in Rome

On our fifth day in Italy yesterday, after numerous amazing and memorable meals, countless hours viewing legendary works of art, we walked into PaninArt hoping to have a nice lunch and possibly to be delighted. We did not expect to witness a master at his craft and consume culinary masterpieces. This is no exaggeration, and I rarely review anything online.

Lorenzo is quintessential Rome, and why I love Italy. Intensely focused on his creations, there is no time for bells and whistles, pandering to customers, and conforming to trends. He is old school. Taking his craft seriously with hand-picked ingredients and concoctions made from scratch, his unique art is displayed everywhere in this seemingly unassuming space: loose scraps of paper with scribbled notes, eclectic collection of rare beer bottles, handwritten chalkboard menus with items you’ve never seen anywhere else. Paninis are named after the great masters of art and music. It’s a shame there is no Lorenzo on the board, as he surely belongs.

We had the Cezanne, the Michelangelo, and the Botticelli, and the whole walk back to our hotel, we debated whose panini was most perfect. We all agreed though that this was our best meal in Italy.

Today, we went back again. Despite our overwhelming urge to try more masterpieces on the menu, we each ordered the same ones and shared. We added the Antiossidante and Antistress smoothies/juice blends, made from fresh ingredients on the spot. They were absolutely delicious and revitalizing.

Tomorrow, we leave Rome to return home. We will have just enough time for one more visit to our newest and best reason for a speedy return to...

This was where I had perhaps the best sandwich of my life. It wasn’t fast, but you could see the owner make the sandwich in the kitchen with care, and he was so kind to our group. He did not speak much English, which should not be surprising since we are in Italy, but fortunately we had a local with our group and this simple sandwich shop was one of my favorite experiences in Rome. Well worth the wait if there is one, get...

The owner here is incredibly hardworking and puts his passion into his sandwiches, and it shows. They’re fresh, delicious and made to order. And they are impossible to beat at their price point. Be prepared for a brief wait, as it’s a one man operation and can get a bit backlogged during a rush, but I promise it is worth the wait. The salads looked great too, I’ll certainly have to try them on...