Montesacro - Pinseria Enoteca

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Pinsa Romana Comes to San Francisco

Montesacro takes its name from a working-class neighborhood in Rome where founder Gianluca Legrottaglie grew up. When he signed the lease on the original SOMA location at 510 Stevenson Street, his goal was straightforward: bring pinsa — a Roman-style flatbread that had never before been introduced to the United States — to San Francisco. The result is a trattoria and wine bar that feels genuinely rooted in Roman tradition without pretending to be anything it isn't.

Gambero Rosso recognized Montesacro with its top rating of 3 slices, the guide's highest distinction for pinsa, a mark of how seriously this kitchen takes a form that most of the world had never encountered before Gianluca opened these doors.

What Makes the Pinsa Different

The dough is the heart of everything here. Montesacro uses a blend of soy, rice, and wheat flours sourced directly from Rome, then allows the dough a long 72-hour cold rise before shaping each piece entirely by hand. The process produces pinsa's signature contrast: a crackling, crisp exterior that gives way to a cloud-like, airy interior — lighter on the stomach than conventional pizza, and noticeably different in texture and flavor.

Beyond pinsa, the menu spans small plates, pasta, paninis, and dessert, all grounded in fresh, seasonal ingredients and the spirit of authentic Italian cuisine. The drinks program — Italian wines, aperitivo, and cocktails — draws on the tradition of the old Lazio fraschette, the rustic taverns where locals gathered over wine poured straight from the barrel, seated at long wooden tables. That same easy conviviality shapes the atmosphere at the SOMA location, which was designed from the outset to feel like a classic trattoria.

A Roman Quarter Transplanted to SOMA

"I couldn't believe pinsa had not yet been brought to the United States," Gianluca has said. That instinct to fill a genuine gap — rather than simply repackage something familiar — is what gives Montesacro its character. The SOMA spot is the original, and it remains the anchor of a small group that now includes locations in Brooklyn and Walnut Creek. Each carries the same menu philosophy, but the San Francisco address is where the story started, and where Gambero Rosso's 3-slice recognition lands.