The Place New on the block along Jiak Chuan Road is Anto Pizza E Aperitivi, a newly opened Italian restaurant in the Keong Saik enclave for pizzas and aperitivi. Anto took over the space of the now-defunct Lime House, and it is a dining concept by cousins Giancarlo Mancino and Antonio Brancato. Both Giancarlo and Antonio are from the small town of Pignola, Italy, where Antonio is a master pizzaiolo himself, while Giancarlo is a renowned bartender and founder of GiancarloBAR Ltd. in Hong Kong. 

The interior of Anto Pizza E Aperitivi is a charming shophouse with a mix of bar seats where you can enjoy the best view of Chef Antonio making pizza right in front of you, or you can opt for the regular and cosy table setting which suit small or large groups.

There is also a back-alley vibe dining area which can be quite charming on a cooler day to fully immerse in the unique shophouse dining ambience in Singapore.   

The Food One of the main highlights at Anto other than the pizzas is the tradition of the aperitivo in Italy where people enjoy small bites over a refreshing spritz or a sbagliato. Therefore, you can expect a comprehensive beverage list for spirits such as Negronis (S$25) or Sbagliati (S$25). 

Pizza is without a doubt the main show here, freshly prepared ala minute and a wood-fired oven. In case you are wondering, the pizza dough is fermented for 24 hours.  

For a start, I had the Bruschette, starting from the Classic (S$16) with oven baked tomatoes, garlic olive oil and basil. Expect a crispy bread texture and fresh flavours of the tomatoes.  

The other bruschette I had was the Cetara (S$20) which contains lemon zest butter, Cetara anchovies and caper flower. This is much more savoury as compared to the Classic bruschette, and the lemon zest butter is sinfully good.   

Next up, I had a pizza baked in a pan literally. From the Pizze In Teglia (Italian for baking tray) section of the menu, the Rocco (S$24) is a delicious crust of mainly just Mozzarella cheese and potatoes, along with rosemary.

It is a dish fondly held by Chef Antonio as it is a flavour his late uncle used to prepare for him, and I like the simplicity of the ingredients here, yet delivering on the flavours.  

On to the main pizza, the Rustica (S$38) is one of the signatures and it is a combination of tomato sauce, salsiccia fresca, smoked Scamorza cheese and Radicchio & Rosemary, baked ala minute in the wood-fired oven. The pizza dough here is quite chewy and it packs a whole load of flavours.  

For dessert, there are a few options but if you want the full-blown pizza experience, go for the Margherita Dolce Fried (S$22) where the dough is deep-fried to give it that crisp and airy texture. The topping reminds me of Christmas already, a mix of tomato jam, soya cream and mint reduction.  

Rants For wine lovers, the wine list is not that exhaustive as compared to other Italian restaurants, with the focus on aperitivo.

Will I Return Again? A great addition to the Keong Saik district, head to Anto Pizza E Aperitivi for a casual Italian night out. Diverse range of pizza selections, along with good drinks to go along. We can’t say no.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Anto Pizza E Aperitivi 
2 Jiak Chuan Road 
Singapore 089260 
Tel: +65 9689 6869 

Opening Hours 
Monday to Saturday: 12pm to 3:30pm; 6pm to 11pm 
Closed on Sunday 

Ranted by The Ranter