Staff of Pizzeria Il Pomodoro in downtown Stuttgart prepares food during the lunch rush. The pizzeria offers authentic pastas, pizzas and other Italian dishes and gives a good bang for your buck. (Warren Peace/Stars and Stripes)
Staff of Pizzeria Il Pomodoro in downtown Stuttgart prepares food during the lunch rush. The pizzeria offers authentic pastas, pizzas and other Italian dishes and gives a good bang for your buck. (Warren Peace/Stars and Stripes)
A customer cuts into his pizza topped with ham, arugula and Parmesan cheese at Pizzeria Il Pomodoro in downtown Stuttgart. He described the pizza as "fantabulous." (Warren Peace/Stars and Stripes)
In the evening, outdoor seating is available at Pizzeria Il Pomodoro in downtown Stuttgart and the crowd shifts from business people taking a break to a younger, more casual crowd relaxing after work. (Warren Peace/Stars and Stripes)
Inner-city Stuttgart has more pizzerias than I can count, and many are a Turkish take on pizzas served alongside doener kebabs.
So, I set out to find an authentic pizzeria for lunch and came across Pizzeria Il Pomodoro.
The first thing I noticed upon entering was a large copper pizza oven standing right in front of the main entrance. Then the smell of pasta, tomato sauce and spices wafted toward me as the cook threw spinning dough into the air.
This was the real thing. The interior is clean, the atmosphere relaxing and the staff members all seemed to be related and spoke Italian to one another.
The restaurant is a hit with the locals and draws a pretty good crowd during peak hours. My lunch companion and I took two of the last remaining seats and watched as people waited at the bar for others to leave.
I had a small order of spaghetti Bolognese and a small Hawaiian pizza. My appetite was bigger than my stomach and I would have easily been content with just one dish.
Freshly ground Parmesan cheese accented the delicious spaghetti and was a nice change from what you get at your average American pizzeria. The pizza was covered in ham and pineapple wedges and, while nothing to write home about, was tasty.
My friend had pizza with ham, arugula and Parmesan.
“Fantabulous,” he said. “They didn’t skimp on the toppings. Normally when I order this type of pizza, which is my favorite type, it is either all arugula and little ham or vice versa, but this had heaping piles of both and big chunks of Parmesan on top, instead of the awful American style of heaping piles of powdered Parmesan and little else.”
We shared a small decanter of the house red wine. Both of us, almost simultaneously, commented on the surprising quality upon tasting. It was dry with a hint of spice and earthy tones.
While the food is the best part of the eatery, the bill was a close second. Our check was only 23 euros total.
This isn’t a place I would recommend for a first date, but definitely a great place to get some really good food at really affordable prices.
Location: Wilhelmsplatz 4, Stuttgart, Germany
Directions: From the New Castle in downtown Stuttgart, travel east on B27. Turn right at Olgastrasse, then right again at Katharinenstrasse. Turn right at Wilhelmsplatz, and Pizzeria Il Pomodoro will be on the right.
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, 5:30 p.m. to midnight Saturdays; closed Sundays.
Food: Pizza, pasta dishes and salads, plus some seafood, including mussels, and beef dishes, including T-bone steaks.
Prices: Pizzas and pastas range from 4.50 to 8 euros. There is nothing on the menu more than 17.50 euros.
Clientele: The lunch crowd is mostly middle-age men in suits on their breaks. Evening crowds are a bit more casual and tend to be younger.
English-language menu: No, and none of the staff spoke English during our visit.
Phone: 0711-236-2057
Website: None
