Montesacro Team Launches Gluten-Free Trattoria in the Neighborhood

Gianluca Legrottaglie is a passionate Italian chef who enjoys sipping rich, hot espresso even during uncharacteristically warm spring afternoons. He often expresses his dissatisfaction with the inferior limoncello found in America. With strong beliefs about the ideal texture of pasta dough, he takes pride in having introduced the oval-shaped Roman pizza known as “pinsa” to the United States over a decade ago when he opened the first Montesacro in SoMa.

Given his background, it might surprise some that his newest venture, Clementina, will be entirely gluten-free.

Yes, the Inner Richmond trattoria will serve pasta and pizza, but they will be crafted without gluten, the stretchy protein essential for the beloved elasticity of bread, pasta, and pizza. Legrottaglie and his wife, Viviana Devoto, aim to create a safe dining environment for those with celiac disease, meaning no gluten at all will come through the door. “Our main priority is to ensure that no one feels excluded,” Legrottaglie states.

This decision holds significant personal weight for the restaurateurs, as their youngest daughter Alice was diagnosed with celiac disease, a condition in which the body reacts adversely to gluten, damaging the small intestine. The family has devoted years to perfecting gluten-free renditions of Italian specialties such as squid ink tagliolini and baked mussels, ensuring they deliver an authentic flavor experience. “We have restaurant kids, you know? Their palates are well-honed,” Devoto remarks. To lead the kitchen, they have enlisted Chef Giorgio Brunella, a Ligurian native whose two daughters also have celiac disease.

Rather than merely converting traditional dishes into gluten-free options, the focus is on highlighting items naturally suited to be celiac-safe. Appetizers will feature crudo di mare—marinated seasonal fish served with corn chips—and cozze gratinate al gorgonzola, baked mussels in a creamy gorgonzola sauce served in cast iron. For main courses, patrons can indulge in costoletta alla Milanese, a thin pork chop coated in housemade breadcrumbs and fried in clarified butter, along with crispy saffron-infused risotto served with tantalizing bone marrow.

Nonetheless, Legrottaglie felt it essential to include his renowned pinsa on the menu. “To me, it was crucial to maintain its presence,” he remarks. Achieving this required the development of a proprietary flour blend that achieves the desired chewiness and crispy crust. After numerous trials, they settled on a mix of quinoa and rice flour for the pizza dough, and a combination of corn and rice flours for the fresh pastas. The diverse menu features classic options like margherita pinsa, along with specialty variants such as the Clementina (mozzarella, broccoli rabe, pork sausage), the Alice (tomato, mozzarella, anchovy, and oregano), and the Guilia (mozzarella, potato, lamb sausage, garlic, and rosemary). Pasta selections include pesto lasagna, squid ink tagliolini, risotto, and gnocchi.

The couple’s confidence in this new endeavor comes from the success they experienced when they briefly transformed the Marina location of Montesacro into a gluten-free pop-up named Alice by Montesacro. After deciding to close that restaurant to allow for more family time, they shifted the pop-up to the former location of their trattoria, Bettola. “In our minds, we’re simply putting it on pause,” Legrottaglie says of the original restaurant, suggesting a potential revival in the future. Since closing Bettola in mid-February, the couple has conducted a rapid update of the new space, removing a partition that divided the front and main dining areas, adding a 12-seat bar, and creating custom wooden shelves for the display of retail items such as gluten-free pastas and Italian wines.

Aware of the challenges their daughter faces while dining out, the couple is committed to ensuring food safety. They meticulously sanitized every kitchen item, from the largest appliances to the smallest cutting boards, to prevent any risk of cross-contamination. Furthermore, staff will not be allowed to bring their own food into the restaurant. This dedication aims to make Clementina an inclusive and welcoming environment for guests like Alice. “We learned the hard way, personally, with our daughter,” Legrottaglie reflects. “It was a labor of love.”