LA’s Newest Italian Restaurant Is a Charming Ode to Rome

The latest project from the 35-year-old Toscana Restaurant Group is a charming ode to Roman cuisine called All Roads. Opening Friday, July 26, at 145 South Barrington Avenue in Brentwood, All Roads serves traditional Roman pinsas in a wine bar setting with an attached bottle shop.

Toscana Restaurant Group’s collection of Italian restaurants includes Toscana and Bar Toscana in Brentwood, Beverly Hill’s Nerano, and S.Y. Kitchen and Nella Kitchen & Bar in the Santa Ynez Valley; Mike and Kathie Gordon founded the group in 1989. The name All Roads is a nod to the saying that “all roads lead to Rome,” which reflects in a menu centered around eight Roman flatbreads (pinsas) topped with a variety of ingredients. The Amatriciana brings together San Marzano tomatoes with guanciale, basil, and shallots, while the Mortadella includes pistachios, burrata, salsa verde, and silky, fat-studded cold cuts. The Bianca comes through for vegetarians with three kinds of cheeses, including fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano, and Challerhocker, along with caramelized onions and black pepper.

The pinsa dough made of rice, soy, and wheat flours is fermented for several days, yielding a crispy crust with a lighter interior. “Roman pinsa is the fun uncle of Roman pizza,” says Marco Longinotti, the chef de cuisine of Nella Kitchen and Bar in Los Olivos, who is overseeing the restaurant group’s pinsa production. “There’s never a boring bite with its light, crunchy crust followed by focaccia-style juicy inside.”

While the pinsas are served all day, the three panini on the menu are only available until 5 p.m. Each one is constructed from the same principle dough as the pinsas along with fillings like porchetta and grilled zucchini. Other Roman hits on the menu include suppli (deep-fried risotto balls), carciofi alla giudia (fried baby artichokes), and maritozzi for dessert (whipped cream-filled sweet buns). Longinotti and executive chef-partner Luca Crestanelli shaped the menu; executive chef Justino Quirino will manage the kitchens at All Roads and Bar Toscana.

Sommelier, wine director, and partner Roberto Facciolla curated the restaurant’s nearly all-Italian wine list. Aside from wine, Italian soft drinks from Paoletti and beers from August Notions, a proprietary line of Italian-style lagers and ales custom brewed for All Roads by SLO Brewing Co., will also be available.

The restaurant’s 1,900 square-foot space, which includes seating for approximately 50 diners, was designed by Candice Goodwin for Ralph Gentile Architects. It features a mural of a flying donkey by artist Marco Lamberti and a warm color palette echoing Rome’s ancient frescoes and historic architecture.

Toscana Restaurant Group is opening its seventh restaurant, Stica, in Santa Ynez later this year.

All Roads is located at 145 S. Barrington Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90049, and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.