Restaurante “Tre de tutto”

In the heart of Garbatella, STUDIOTAMAT transforms a historic neighbourhood bakery abandoned for years, in the capital’s trendy new postcode.

Tre de tutto, whose name echoes the connection with the Roman tradition, with its three generous full-height custom designed arched windows, overlooks a square full of details and moldings made of modest materials, typical of the Roman Baroque — the style that embellish the social housing typical of the area built in the 1920s. Here, under the arch adjacent to the restaurant, Nanni Moretti zipped through on a Vespa in his movie “Caro Diario” (“Dear Diary”). At the entrance, another tribute to the neighbourhood: “How beautiful Garbatella is!” reads a neon sign, inviting visitors and locals to enter.

Arranged on two levels to accommodate the natural inclination of the ground, Tre de tutto has a ground floor with a triangular layout, and a large central cruciform pillar that divides the spaces. Reserved for breakfasts and aperitifs, with a lounge area dedicated to vinyl records, this room is dominated by a macro-counter covered with only two large slabs.

The walls, above a 1.50 m high majolica cladding, have not been treated, but have a transparent protective layer, and have been otherwise left in their original state, to exhibit the passage of time, featuring holes and traces of old systems, with writings and drawings prior to the renovation. The floor has been replaced by poured concrete finished in transparent resin, for a discreet and minimally invasive result.

“Owners Mirko Tommasi and Daniele Notte propose revisited classics of Roman cuisine, taking inspiration from one of the most authentic neighbourhoods in Rome, in the same way that our goal from the beginning was not to distort the pre-existing space, but to enhance it and at the same time, bond with its clientele. So, we left the rough walls, with the original layers of plaster, to dialogue with the contemporary design of the architectural elements that characterize the space, from the clean-cut counter that dominates the bar, to the exquisitely pop staircase of the restaurant”
— says Matteo Soddu, co-founder of the studio.

The preexisting neutral shades are contrasted by a dynamic palette of colours, studied together with the Color Consultant Sabina Guidotti. The wall cladding in deep blue majolica with contrasting brick-colored joints, fuses with the orange plum and bluette veins of the counter, while the recycled iron chairs in yellow and flesh-pink complement the leather colour of the benches covered with a nautical technical fabric and with the tables, also in recycled iron, equipped with coloured wood tops, rolled ad-hoc with soft decorations.

On the lower floor, which houses two dining rooms, the restaurant’s kitchen, services and the warehouses, light blue walls alternate with walls covered with Grid wallpaper by Texturae. The connection with the upper level is completed by a salmon-colored staircase-tunnel with portholes. An independent entrance, on the other hand, allows access to the restaurant directly from the street, thanks to a single bright yellow ramp, with a highly geometric iron structure, padded with micro-perforated sheet metal panels.

The substantial, yet unpretentious menu offers reinterpreted traditional recipes, along with drinks “made in Garbatella”, like the “Vittorio Emanuele III” (Cognac Courvoisier, Carpano Classico Vermouth, Maraschino and Cherry), which refers to the laying of the first stone of the neighbourhood on February 18th, 1920, the “Polite and courteous” (Ginger beer cortese, mango, citric solution), inspired by the hostess Carlotta, courteous and beautiful, from whom – according to urban legend – the neighbourhood came to take its name.

Rough interiors and welcoming atmospheres designed by STUDIOTAMAT, make Tre de tutto an original hybrid between a refined restaurant and a local bar, which cleverly mixes popular spirit and refined details.