Tasty, shabby and trendy!

Piazza San Bernardo, located at the centre of one of Rome’s most fascinating neighbourhoods, is home to an interesting and very popular newcomer to the city’s burgeoning dining scene. Described by Gambero Rosso as a fast-growing business sector, Rome’s new restaurant scene is bustling with creative small-scale eateries offering simple yet exquisitely prepared fare in meticulously designed premises. The Pan Bernardo gourmet restaurant is no exception. A welcoming, cheerful location, it sports a charming retro feel and serves everything from breakfast to lunch, from aperitifs to after-dinner drinks. The restaurant’s special flavours are further enhanced by a unique mood that owes much to the human-centric architecture and interior design vision of Studio GAD, the practice that spearheaded the project. A group of young architects and designers specialising in the furnishing of public premises, the firm describes its work as follows: “We design and furnish spaces where people live, communicate and meet. Each element – from furnishings to lighting, from decorations to details – serves to create a unique space with its own soul, just like each of us.”
Pan Bernardo is located in a converted building that originally had a very different function, that of a car dealership. One standout feature of the location is the two large cross-shaped windows which dominate the street frontage while ensuring visibility and offering a splendid view over the external square. The unique nature of the place is announced from the outside and expectations are not disappointed. Inside, the restaurant has a quiet, friendly atmosphere where every corner is different, combining unique design details with a harmonious and welcoming overall space. Stepping inside, the first thing one notices is a large wood-fronted counter surrounded by elegant cement tiles from Fioranese (Cementine series decorated porcelain stoneware tiles with a sophisticated vintage touch), which is also ideal for serving coffee.
The accessories are all recycled, from a chair purchased at a Rome junk shop to cast iron table bases produced by a local artisan.
The striking and unusual rear wall is covered with blue, white and red chequerboard patterned wallpaper, in front of which stands a row of splendid light blue English-made iron benches.
The hexagonal porcelain floor tiles from the Heritage collection by Fioranese further contribute to the restaurant’s distinctive character, uniting the various elements in a composition that is at once classic and modern.
The cement tiles and wall coverings coordinate effectively with the colour palette of the wallpaper, creating a consistent overall image in line with the bright yet intimate shabby-chic flavour that pervades the entire premises.