ristorazione — Toa Baja · Puerto Rico
In Levittown, along the north coast of Puerto Rico, Franco Barbarossa and his wife Gemma have brought Rome with them. Since 2014 their small trattoria (a family-run Italian restaurant) has been a corner of Italy one does not expect to find, and does not forget.
Franco Barbarossa, a Roman chef and gastronome, and Gemma, a pastry chef, arrived from Rome to Puerto Rico in 1993. In 2014 they turned their passion into an authentic trattoria in the Levittown neighborhood: a small, family-run place where every detail speaks to a precise choice — to bring Italian cooking in its most genuine form.
Those who walk in find the atmosphere of a family home: Gemma looks after every table with care, and Franco steps out of the kitchen to make sure everything is to guests' liking. It is no accident that customers describe the place as an Italian grandmother's house. The Qualità Italiana (Italian Quality) 2026 certification officially recognizes its authenticity.
In the kitchen, Franco makes fresh pasta and sauces following traditional Roman recipes, with selected ingredients imported from Italy. Among the house creations, the fiocchi di pera al mascarpone (pear and mascarpone pasta parcels) — a dish signed by the chef — have become a classic. The same ingredients can also be found in the adjoining shop La Placita, where the trattoria extends into a small store.
On the page you will find the full menu, the Italian cooking classes taught by Franco and Gemma, and how to reach the restaurant in Toa Baja.
