Testaccio Ristorante
Alviero Pirani, one of the owners, is from the Testaccio neighborhood of Rome, and with the support of partners Carlo and Paolo Bordone, decided to open a restaurant that would recreate the magic of Testaccio—a life well lived, camaraderie, and joy of the freshest foods well celebrated.
Not only would the restaurant reflect their personal sense of style, but also the organic restoration in an industrial warehouse setting makes its own statement. Light bulbs fused with the warmth of natural elements and woods, the raw state of pipes, and the photographic portraits and landscapes of the Roman district, tap into the “can-do” spirit of the neighbors of Testaccio; who for over 2,000 years have always have created masterpieces of what today serves up—everything.
Originally a sprawling warehouse, TESTACCIO Ristorante can easily accommodate over 120 guests on the diverse floors and rooms. The restaurant’s modular spaces are perfect for business lunches, private meetings, group meals and events, late afternoon re-charge brunches before PS1, (or after museums); romantic evenings, delicious family dinners, bar meals and cocktails, late night bites or dessert after entertainment.
With a healthy wine list, and a wide array of rooms and entertaining options, including a fully wired private cellar chef’s table room, TESTACCIO Ristorante is your own Roman kitchen, in the heart of LIC’s downtown art district.
Carlo Bordone
Partner
Since moving to New York’s Queens neighborhood as a child in the mid-80s, Carlo Bordone has evolved from working in the family’s general contracting business, to opening his own construction business, to his present role as a developer/builder for residential and mixed-use projects in Queens. Carlo has been involved in the construction of over 10 restaurants in Manhattan, including Pepolino, a Zagat-rated (24 for food) Italian eatery in Tribeca, at which Carlo was also restaurant partner. Testaccio is the first restaurant for which Carlo is the developer, builder and co-owner.
Paolo Bordone
Partner
Like his brother Carlo, a contractor-turned-restaurant owner, Paolo Bordone spent the past decade helping build some of Manhattan’s most high-profile restaurants, including Megu and Tenjune. In total, Bordone was involved in the construction of over a dozen restaurants throughout the city, using the time to analyze what restaurant concepts and designs were successful, and why. Bordone leveraged his restauranteur insights and became a partner, developing and building LIC’s Testaccio, the neighborhood’s first Roman Italian eatery, and one of only a dozen fine dining restaurants in the New York area that specialize in Roman cuisine.
Alviero Pirani
Partner
A longtime corporate executive based in Rome, and now an entrepreneur with various culinary endeavors, Alviero is the Testaccio restaurant partner with his “ear to the ground” on food trends. Based in Rome, with the classic Italian passion for food and wine, Alviero contributes to the restaurant’s menu every day by distilling the latest culinary trends from Rome and greater Italy, and filtering them to Executive Chef Ivan Beacco. The result is a menu that is utterly contemporary and relevant, showcasing the way Rome’s restaurant patrons eat and drink today, and cooked with many of the exact same ingredients and techniques used in Rome. Alviero’s food philosophy: you can’t be authentic unless you live it, and he lives it every day, consulting on Testaccio’s menu and operations and scouting Rome-based food vendors for many of the restaurant’s signature dishes. Alviero owns and operates Cornetteria Terminal C, a pastry shop, and La Fraschetta da mi zio, an Italian tapas bar, both in Rome; and also opened a chain of ice cream shops with Carpignani, the prominent gelato maker.
