According to the best pizza organization, Rossa Pizza Apassionatta in San Isidro was nominated on the list of the 100 best pizzas in the world; the award was presented on September 30th in Milano the only one in Lima to reach this recognition, and one of the 11 from Latin America.
We visited this pizza joint to taste the new offerings on its menu. Located in the heart of the San Isidro District, Rossa was born as a pandemic business. Once the local government allowed food businesses to work again, Rossa was created as Troppo’s dark kitchen for pizzas. A year later, it opened its place with a pizza-focused menu.
The Unique Classics
After three years, some plates have become favorites of all patrons, like the pizza donuts, created using the same pizza dough, cut into a donut shape and deep fried, then offered in two savory versions, pomodoro, and stracciatella with the house tomato soup and fresh stracciatella cheese, or the Caccio e Peppe, with a creamy, peppery sauce and lots of cheese on top. As for the Pizzas, the #1 (a Margherita style) and the #16 (mushroom sauce, mozzarella, prosciutto, and white truffle oil) are unmovable on the menu but always left options for new flavor combinations. The draft negroni is a must from the bar, an exclusive blend of the house produced in large quantities and slightly carbonated to allow an aromatic and refreshing cocktail.
Recent Options
To start, we went for the polenta sticks, deep-fried polenta slices covered with cheese and a hint of white truffle oil, it was a great start to share, and we dipped it over their marsala alioli for a sweet-savory experience; also came the Arancini Carbonara, creamy carbonara sauce inside with a crunchy outside with cheese and bacon on top.
In three years open, the menu has evolved, offering now options that include plates of pasta, from which we tried the Paccheri alla vodka, a creamy tomato-vodka sauced pasta with two kinds of peppers, the local ají limo, a very aromatic and brightly colored used primarily for cebiche, and pepperoncino, an Italian classic both adds the perfect combination of flavor and heat without being too intrusive; also the Mac&Cheese Caccio e Peppe, the macaroni is placed on vertically over the pepper cream and are grated so the pasta has a crunchy cheesy top and a creamy peppery inside; they also offer the house lasagna or the Spaghetti with a spicy ‘nduja ragú, all kinds of pasta are made in-house by the team of sister restaurant Troppo.
We also tried their Polpette, which is meatballs of ribeye and pork shoulder in a tomato sauce with ricotta and basil. This great blend of meats provides a bite with texture and moistness.
As for the pizzas, it is easy to know which ones are the oldest from the menu, and they have been numbered since day one, going from #1 to #45. However, they are not all on the menu; we went this time for #24, a white pizza with cream and mozzarella base fresh stracciatella, pesto, and roasted tomato cherries, and #45 with the spicy ‘Nduja ragu with smoked provolone cheese and roasted garlic.
The dessert options include new takes on traditional Italian desserts like their Tiramisú, including a salted caramel sauce, or the new Pistachio Pizza-Donut, the same savory dough covered in pure pistachio creme and caramelized pistachios.
Rossa Pizza Apasionatta is a great place for a quick pizza lunch, a night experience with low light, Italian food, great cocktails, or, why not, a Sunday lunch with the family. It has earned international recognition among pizza lovers and makers worldwide.
About Best Pizza
The Best Pizza is an annual ranking of top Pizza Chefs worldwide, created through a rigorous voting process. The selection begins with a list of 140 Pizza Chefs: 70 chosen by voters from the previous year and 70 selected by 60 industry professionals, including food journalists, critics, bloggers, and photographers. This panel, carefully balanced by gender and nationality, represents the global pizzeria scene across all continents. The voting process includes active participation from Pizza Chefs and the selected professionals, who determine the Top 100 list and the winners of seven new Special Awards.
Voting occurs through a secure online platform, where participants can select up to 10 chefs from a drop-down list and assign points. Special Awards are determined by voting for two chefs, with the first choice receiving 100 points and the second 50 points. Chefs cannot vote for themselves, and all votes are securely verified. Although anyone can nominate a chef by submitting a recommendation, there are no strict criteria for nominees, and nominations do not guarantee inclusion in the voting shortlist.
