As the Red Queen said in Through the Looking Glass, “it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.”
It’s a phrase which certainly holds true in the hospitality industry, where restaurants that don’t constantly raise their game are rapidly overtaken over by new competitors.
Roath’s Roma’Eat is one business that certainly can’t be accused of standing still as they’ve continually evolved in the five years since they first opened a tiny ten seat unit on Albany Road.
For a start, in 2023, they relocated to a nicer and larger restaurant space around the corner on Wellfield Road.
Secondly, their pizza offering has gradually changed in response to consumer preferences. Initially, they only offered their superb rectangular Roman style pizza by the slice. They’ve since gone on to introduce classic round pizzas and whole trays of their Roman style pizza.
In late 2024 they also got on board the Detroit pizza hype train.
Known for their lacy caramelised cheese edges, thick and airy rectangular crusts, and the unusual application of the tomato sauce on top of the cheese, it’s a style that can be a doughy mess when placed in the wrong hands.
However, Roma’Eats’ Matteo Pellico’s hands are pretty much as safe as it gets when it comes to Cardiff pizza making. So, it’s no surprise that their Detroit pizzas have proved to be very popular.
So much so that when I visited on a Tuesday night, both the tables next to me had ordered them. And Roma’Eat have even launched their own street food business, Frico, which focuses on the style.
Anticipating that my Roman style pizza was going to be a beast, I passed on their rather delicious sounding small plates.
To drink, a large glass of organic Primitivo rose (£6.50) was packed with red berries. It was just the ticket for a summer’s evening.
My Meatball Queen Supreme (£18) looked like it had been created by Michaelangelo himself, the sculptor that is, not the mutant turtle.
With its soft, light and airy crumb, fruity tomato sauce (untraditionally, located underneath the cheese), plump and tender meatballs, generous ooze of melted mozzarella, flurry of savoury parmesan, and the top notes of fresh basil and oregano, it was dangerously easy to eat.
The kicker, however, was the crisp frilly edge of caramelised cheese, which added another level of umami to proceedings.
I could quite happily have polished the lot off by myself if I hadn’t reminded myself that I needed to take a slice home for Mrs G.
On another occasion, I ordered a Pepperoni Lord (£17) to takeaway, and it travelled very well on its eight-minute journey home.
This was a much more decadent proposition with the crisp and fatty pepperoni harmonising with a good drizzle of sweet and spicy hot honey. It was another excellent pizza, but I think the Meatball Queen Supreme edged it for me.
Considering Roma’Eat’s pedigree, it’s no surprise how good their Detroit style pizzas are. Who knows what this business will be doing by the time 2030 comes around? Perhaps they’ll be serving New Haven style pizzas made with precision fermented cheese and lab grown meat from humanity’s last outpost in Neo-Cardiff.
The Details:
Address - Roma'Eat, Unit 6 The Globe Centre, Wellfield Rd, Cardiff CF24 3PE
Web - https://www.romeatpizza.co.uk/
Telephone - 029 2048 8111
