Ask a resident of Rome about Piazza Venezia, and you’re likely to find yourself deep in conversation about the modern and imposing Vittoriano monument overlooking the square; or perhaps the endless traffic trying to make its way through the clogged roads of the capital.

Speak to the staff at 200 Gradi, however, and you’ll get a slightly different answer. For them, Piazza Venezia signifies two different kinds of top quality ham, mozzarella, tomatoes, and artichoke cream loaded between crusty yet soft bread, freshly baked on the premises. Peruse the menu and you’ll see all the sandwiches at this stylish shop are named in tribute to the piazzas, monuments, and neighborhoods of the most beautiful city in the world.

From among those sandwiches, a favorite of mine is the punchy Campo dei Fiori with spicy salami, smoked cheese, eggplant, rucola and a spattering of Tabasco sauce. If you’re in the mood for something less spicy, try a Bocca della Verità – smoked ham, gorgonzola, radicchio and walnuts. Less fiery, but still equally substantial flavors.

Located just a few steps from the Vatican in Piazza Risorgimento, the philosophy of 200 Gradi is to create gourmet sandwiches made with quality ingredients that display the best Italian flavors, and always at a good price.

On the eve of 200 Gradi’s tenth year anniversary, I am greeted by a whole bunch of staff that quite obviously has a shared passion for this work and, more specifically, for the place they’ve created in their own corner of Rome.

Co-Founder Gianni Mancini tells me how the idea was born from hungry stomachs one evening whilst out in the city. “We always used to get a cornetto or something sweet on the way home, it’s a habit of Roman people. But with time, we wanted something salty, a sandwich, but there were only low level places like food vans, where there wasn’t the care and you didn’t feel welcome.”

In its original concept, 200 Gradi would open just in the evenings to cater for those out taking a stroll or enjoying Rome’s nightlife. After opening, the team concreted the idea of offering a more complete service and found the restaurant becoming a hotspot for both the tourist crowd and the locals who appreciate its street food approach.

These days, street food is easy to find throughout Rome, however 200 Gradi credit themselves as being central to the start of this trend. Tatiana Donninelli, who deals with Marketing and PR, explains what makes this particular pit stop a must visit. “Street food here was born from the culture that Romans really love, because Romans love to eat in the street. In my opinion, we are the only place that exists in Rome where you can spend €5 and have such top products in return.

“We are good at searching for the best ingredients. Italy is full of treasures, but we understood that a lot of people didn’t have this knowledge of Italian food and culture, [and] of what is very good to eat,” Donninelli continues. “So we’ve made a journey around Italy with our sandwiches [with] the ingredients that customers now know are the most important in Italian food.”

“We appreciate the origins of the product. For example, ciauscolo [a spreadable salami] was born from a very small place called Visso, in the Marche region. In time, they made larger and larger production, but we went to look for who makes it in the smallest manner.”

Fond of a road trip, co-founder Mancini likes to visit the suppliers in person when possible. He explains, “The ingredients all have regional provenance; this idea is at the base of the products we use. When producers hear about us and our project, they all want to sell to us and work with us. These places know the value of the work of 200 Gradi.”

Amongst the base of loyal local customers and passing tourists who appreciate the value 200 Gradi, there are a few names you might recognize. Italian president, Matteo Renzi, has been known to dodge in and take away a ‘Barberini’, which consists of ham, tomatoes, mozzarella, and lettuce with a spreading of artichoke cream. Other famous faces include Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and Oasis member Liam Gallagher.

Donninelli is most proud to tell me about the praise from Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck. When choosing a list of his favorite restaurants for the Italian national newspaper Corriere della Sera, he featured this small sandwich shop amongst other top quality spots from all around the globe.

So take a trip to 200 Gradi and you’ll find yourselves in good company. Start with a sandwich from #TheBest5 list for just €5 and you’ll find many reasons to return. First and foremost however, you’ll taste top quality ingredients which showcase the best slow food from independent producers around Italy.

200 Gradi

Piazza Risorgimento, 3

06 3975 4239

http://www.duecentogradi.it