Roberto Pizza Romana shines focaccia-based pizza and desserts

• Name + address: Roberto Pizza Romana, 241 Chemin Old Chelsea

• Type of food: Pizza and baked goods

• Meals: $8-$42

• Diet: meat, vegan, vegetarian and gluten free

• Wheelchair accessibility: No

• Licensed: Yes

• Website: www.robertopizzaromana.com

Roberto Pizza Romana is another of those rare pandemic success stories and it also has as its foundation, a story of love found in Rome.

It was one of those warm and sunny days that made for a perfect trip out to Old Chelsea and although I arrived just a few minutes after the noon opening, the place was already hopping both inside and out.

While Roberto’s specializes in sweet and savoury baked items, they do offer a modest selection of salads, soups and occasionally pasta.

They are licensed with a selection of locally brewed beer and there is also a bottle shop on site for those of you seeking something unique in wine.

I did take home a few desserts and their hazelnut and chocolate cream filled donut was a crowning touch to my morning coffee. In fact everything was masterfully constructed making Roberto’s, apart from anything else, a dessert destination.

While I’m not about to quibble about the use of the word pizza, their squares reminded me more of a focaccia. Decades back I learned to really dislike focaccia because I’d never had a good example. That changed and if Roberto’s pizza is a kind of crossover dough, it’s excellent. I particularly enjoyed the crunch of the nutty crust.

A lunch special of two squares, a small deliciously dressed salad and a coffee will set you back $21.95. It’s a reasonable price for the quality but I did find the pizza squares a little too modest. If you do go, the zucchini pizza pictured here is certainly worth trying.

Ottawa and the Gatineau region are beginning to sparkle with talent from across the globe and it’s exciting to see that our corner of the world has sufficient charms to attract some of the best.

• Read more: CTV has the charming origin story of Roberto Pizza Romana here.