A waitress at Italian hot spot Pomodorino in Weiden in der Oberpfalz, Germany, prepares cacio e pepe tableside on a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on April 19, 2026. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
Diners in Bavaria are used to hearty plates and subdued service, but at one trendy Italian eatery, the pasta comes with a bit of tableside flair.
Pomodorino, nestled in a quiet neighborhood in Weiden in der Oberpfalz, is creating a buzz with hand-tossed brick oven pizza, delicious craft cocktails and sizzling pasta spiraling gracefully tableside atop a block of cold Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
My family went to the restaurant, about 15 miles east of Grafenwoehr, on a Sunday night in April. It wasn’t by chance. We texted and called friends in the area to ask for recommendations, and this restaurant seemed to be high on everyone’s list.
That was reflected in our struggle to find parking on the street and the roughly 15-minute wait for a table. Pomodorino was bursting at the seams.
Once seated, my wife ordered the yuzu lemonade, with blood orange, Japanese citrus, fresh mint, kumquat and soda. One son ordered a maracuja refresher, with passion fruit, mint, lime and soda. I ordered a beer.
The yuzu lemonade, with its heaping helping of fresh mint, was as colorful as it was refreshing on a sunny, spring day at Pomodorino in Weiden. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
Pomodorino’s Giacomo calzone was a cosmic blend of fresh Italian ingredients and crispy, oven-fired dough at Pomodorino in Weiden. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
The drinks were refreshing, nicely balanced with fruit juice and soda — not too sweet, not too acidic, and packed with fresh mint.
The cool thing about Pomodorino is that any pizza on the menu can be made into a calzone, and any pasta entree can be served in a pizza bowl. My family immediately took advantage.
My wife ordered the new Giacomo pizza with tomato sauce, fior di latte mozzarella, salsiccia Italian sausage, red onions, fresh garlic, chili, olive oil and parsley. She asked that it be made into a calzone, which was such a behemoth that it arrived on a block with a small cleaver.
The outside was crisped by semolina and brick oven flames. The vegetables were so fresh that they nearly cracked when bitten, even though they were cooked.
Pomodorino’s cacio and pepe is served piping hot off the wheel, slathered in delicious, melty Parmesan cheese. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
The spaghetti with meat sauce in a pizza bowl, topped with Grana Padano cheese, looked almost too good to eat, and tasted even better, at Pomodorino in Weiden. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
The sauce in the slightly piquant dish was sweet and delicious, and the creamy cheese was the glue that held it all together.
My son ordered the spaghetti with meat sauce in a pizza bowl, topped with Grana Padano cheese. The meat was placed at the bottom of the robust dough bowl, and my son bubbled with excitement as he mixed it together, turning it into an amalgamation of sauce and cheese.
The pasta was cooked al dente and the meat sauce was flavorful. It was the first “clean plate” at the table.
I took our friends’ recommendation and ordered the cacio e pepe with tagliatelle pasta and a rich cheese sauce made on the Parmesan wheel. Everyone in the restaurant marveled as our waitress wheeled out a gargantuan chunk of cheese right to the table.
The caramel-topped cheesecake at Pomodorino in Weiden was the perfect end to a perfect meal. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
Pomodorino has two mottos, “make pizza, not war,” and “pizza is the answer,” which are prominently displayed around the Weiden hot spot. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
In workmanlike fashion, she dumped my steaming pasta on top and manipulated it with tongs until it had melted into the wheel and been dressed in a healthy amount of cheese. She expertly twirled it into a bowl and served it with cracked pepper on top.
I haven’t yet been to Italy, but it was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted, and the performance reminded me of the joys of hibachi at Jack’s Place at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.
The pasta was fresh, the cheese thick, gooey and glorious, bursting with sharp zip. It was heavy, so I shared it with my wife and son and brought some home, though it isn’t as good the next day.
For the final act, we split a small piece of cheesecake drizzled in caramel. It was decadent and creamy, complemented nicely by the sugary crown.
Pomodorino, whose slogan is “make pizza, not war,” earns a standing ovation.
Pomodorino in Weiden may have a nondescript facade but is all the buzz in the Army communities of Grafenwoehr and Vilseck, Germany. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
Pomodorino
Address: Mooslohstrasse 119a, Weiden in der Oberpfalz, Germany
Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. for lunch, and Monday through Sunday, 5-10 p.m. for dinner.
Prices: The Neapolitan pizzas range from 9.50 to 20 euros. The Giacomo was 16 euros; pasta in a pizza bowl costs 18 euros and cacio and pepe was 22 euros. The cheesecake cost 8 euros.
Information: Phone: +49 961 20666011; online: pomodorinoweiden.de
Dining and Cooking