Northern Rome discovers its gourmet haven: welcome to Casa Malgarini, where the chef has transformed his family home into a welcoming restaurant with a green soul thanks to its own vegetable garden.
Photo by Matteo Lippera
You know when you want to go out to eat and you're torn between treating yourself to a more elegant restaurant or perhaps opting for a more informal trattoria, but one where technique and taste are not lacking? Casa Malgarini could be the answer to this dilemma because it is the perfect blend of these two gastronomic worlds: complex but recognizable dishes in a “homely” atmosphere, in the most positive sense of the term.
We are in Giustiniana, in the north-west of Rome, where the family farmhouse became a restaurant in 2023 thanks to Leonardo Malgarini, chef and owner of the restaurant together with his wife and family. But it all began in 2022, when the Roman chef purchased a plot of land adjacent to the address, destined to become the heart of Casa Malgarini: a 3.5-hectare farm cultivated organically with olive trees, fruit trees, beehives, and a 7,000-square-meter vegetable garden.
The restaurant and cuisine
Deliberately hidden away, Casa Malgarini still looks like a warm and welcoming country farmhouse from the outside. Ringing the intercom opens the gate, behind which a small path leads to the entrance. Here too, there is a doorbell, reinforcing the family atmosphere that characterizes the restaurant. In the warmer months, you can eat at the outdoor tables, surrounded by the same fruit trees that the chef draws on daily. But it is inside that the restaurant reveals itself in its most sincere guise, with warm wood tones, a fireplace, and large windows that immerse diners in the surrounding greenery.
In this setting, Leonardo Malgarini's cuisine definitively connects guests with his philosophy. The farm's produce is a constant feature of the dishes, with vegetables playing a leading role in some recipes, but in truth it is meat—especially game—and sometimes fish that drive the culinary offering.
The dishes
The amuse-bouches are vegetable-based, such as the delicious smoked tomato tartare dressed with basil oil, to be enjoyed in one bite with a playful wooden spoon. The chef is also skilled in baking, and we sample a remarkable tomato brioche in which the vegetable's water characterizes the dough, topped with a tomato, thyme, and oregano caramel.
The green theme continues with Cipolla in gratella, a melt-in-the-mouth, umami-rich version of the herbaceous plant cooked in salt, stuffed with spring onion stew and topped with buffalo blue cheese fondue and onion sauce. Mackerel, teriyaki, and basil is a salty detour from the main course, featuring Japanese influences and a clever use of herbs such as sea fennel, salicornia, and borage, all sourced from the farm.
The third course reveals the chef's passion for meat and intense flavors: Marango tongue cooked yakitori style, vichyssoise (reduced broth) of potatoes and leeks, sweet and sour onion reduction, mustard, and mixed greens. The casoncelli stuffed with rabbit stew and scampi tartare are delicious and well-balanced, enhanced by a sweet note provided by the crudités and shellfish bisque.
Risottos cooked in chicken broth and creamed with French butter, saffron, 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano, and beef stock are timeless classics. A commendable dish, Leonardo Malgarini's signature. For the last savory course, the chef delights in a vibrant Pigeon, spring onions, and figs: both the breast and thigh are cooked to perfection, but it is the sides that are the real surprise, with Torcinello di cuore, celery, and wings and a Fake fig made from heart and livers.
The pre-dessert? With flavors of autumn and the forest, featuring mandarin, chestnuts, and truffles, while the vanilla Bavarian cream with ice cream and strawberry grape carpaccio is the perfect dessert to end the meal on a light note. In addition to the à la carte menu, there are two tasting menus, Dal Principio (7 courses, €75) and a 9-course blind menu for €90, while for a more modest meal, there is the option of choosing two savory courses and one dessert for €60.
Casa Malgarini
Via della Giustiniana, 670b, Roma
Phone 06 8777 2889
