People come to us for the pizza. I understand that, it is the reason we opened.
But when I think of the food from Rome, where my family is from, pizza is not the first thing that comes to mind. I think of artichokes braised slowly in olive oil. Of an oxtail ragù that has simmered all day. Of a tiramisu my grandmother would have nodded at in approval.
Rome is so much more than pizza. And while the pizza is the heart of what we do, the rest of the menu tells the full story of where we come from. Let me take you through it.
It Starts With Antipasti, the Roman Way
A real Roman meal never begins with the main course. It begins with antipasti, the small plates that wake up the appetite and slow the pace down.
Our carciofi alla romana is as Roman as it gets. Artichokes braised tender with parsley, mint and good olive oil. It is a dish you find on every traditional table in Rome, and one of the ones I am most proud of.
If you are up for something more classically Roman, try our coda alla vaccinara, a slow-cooked oxtail ragù with celery, tomato and a hint of dark chocolate. It is an old Roman recipe, and exactly the kind of food that never makes it onto most pizzeria menus. If you prefer something fresher, we have vitello tonnato and a caprese with creamy stracciatella.
If there are a few of you, take the whole antipasti selection to the table. That is how we would do it at home.
The Pasta Soul, Reborn on the Pizza
Here I have to be honest with you. We do not make pasta in the traditional sense.
But Roman cooking rests on four great pasta classics, and we have not dropped them. We have reimagined them. The four pillars of Roman cooking, cacio e pepe, gricia, amatriciana and carbonara, live on through our pizzas, with exactly the same ingredients that make them Roman.
Our Cacio e Pepe pizza is built on three kinds of pecorino romano at different ages and three kinds of pepper, just like the pasta. Gricia adds crispy pork cheek on top. Amatriciana has tomato, crispy guanciale and pecorino, and Carbonara comes with a pecorino fondue, egg cream, pork cheek and black pepper. These are the same flavors Romans have eaten for generations, just on our crispy base.
If you want to understand why guanciale and pecorino matter so much in this kitchen, we have written about the Italian ingredients guanciale, pecorino and ‘nduja. And if you want to know what makes the base itself so special, you can read about what makes Roman pizza unique.
The Whole Meal, Not Just One Dish
Roman cuisine is not about a single plate. It is about a sequence.
That is why we have our set menu, where you get the whole antipasti selection, your favorite pizza and a dessert. It is the easiest way to eat the way we would ourselves, soft at the start, build up, land quietly. And if you want to do it properly, Danilo can add four glasses of wine, chosen for your exact dishes.
It is the full experience of an Italian restaurant in Copenhagen, not just a quick meal.
Dolci, the Soft Landing
No Roman dinner ends without something sweet.
Our tiramisu is homemade, and it is as creamy and simple as it should be. We also have a crostata visciole e ricotta, a classic Roman tart with sour cherries and ricotta that you rarely find outside Italy. For those who want something lighter, there is crème brûlée with basil or a fruit sorbet.
Add an espresso or a limoncello, and you have finished the meal exactly as we would in Rome.
The Wine Ties It All Together
All of this deserves the right glass beside it.
Danilo has hand-picked over 1,000 natural wines for our Italian wine bar in Copenhagen, and he loves finding the glass that lifts the exact dish in front of you. A full-bodied red for the amatriciana, something fresh and mineral for the artichokes. If you want to dig into it, we have a guide on which wine pairs with Roman pizza, and most of the principles hold for the whole menu.
How We Do It at MaMeMi
We are proud of our pizza. We make authentic Italian pizza in the Roman style, and it is the reason people find us.
But if you come only for the pizza, you miss half of Rome. The antipasti, the Roman classics, the dolci, that is the full story of where we come from. So next time you sit at our table, order a little more than the pizza. Start with the artichokes. Finish with the tiramisu. Let us show you the whole Roman kitchen.
Book a table, and come hungry.
See you on Vesterbro.
Francesco
MaMeMi is a Roman pizzeria and Italian wine bar on Vesterbro in Copenhagen, and the first with Roman-style pizza in the city. We serve authentic Roman-style pizza, real Roman antipasti and homemade dolci, alongside over 1,000 natural wines hand-picked by our sommelier Danilo. Book a table or walk in. Open Wednesday to Sunday. Mysundegade 28, 1668 Copenhagen, two minutes from Enghave Plads metro.
