An SF Critical Hit Is Now Dishing Out Roman Flatbread in Williamsburg

A hit San Francisco wine bar specializing in the Roman flatbread known as pinsa has made its way to New York City this week.

Dubbed Montesacro Pinseria Romana, the critically acclaimed California-bred pinsa shop is now open in Williamsburg at 432 Union Ave., where the menu’s star carb is accompanied by traditional Roman cuisine. Pasta, cheese plates, and classic meats like porchetta are all on deck.

Montesacro’s popular pinsas are made from a combination of soy, rice, and wheat imported directly from Rome, and the dish technically falls under a category separate from pizza. However, it’s topped similarly to pizza. Options include one with mozzarella, broccolini, spicy pork sausage, and stracciatella; and another topped with artichokes, mushrooms, olives, and prosciutto.

Owner Gianluca Legrottaglie has teamed up with the team at Williamsburg Italian restaurant Aurora for the opening; he used to work there before taking his career to San Francisco. Though pinsa is the focus at Montesacro, Aurora’s executive chef Riccardo Buitoni is behind a larger menu of Roman dishes, including raw asparagus with fava beans, cacio e pepe, and a grilled lamb shoulder. And a list of organic wine was created by general manager and partner Emanuele Tibaldo.

Julia Spiess [Official Photo]

For now, the restaurant is open for dinner only, though brunch and lunch are in the works.

The space, which is where DuMont once stood, has an open kitchen and a garden room equipped with a retractable glass ceiling that’ll stay open during the warmer months.

It’s another win for Roman cuisine in NYC, which has seen a spur of new restaurants in recent years from street food-inspired trapizzino counters to traditional trattorias. And the new addition comes with a well-regarded past: Legrottaglie opened Montesacro in San Francisco four years ago, creating a hit restaurant in an area that lacks standout fare. The Rome native gained recognition from Rome-based food critic Katie Parla for his pinsas and also nabbed a positive review from the San Francisco Chronicle’s sister site SF Gate.

Montesacro is now open in Brooklyn from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Lunch and brunch service is in the works.

Dinner menu:

Wine:

Brunch menu, arrive later:

Lunch menu, arriving later: