The famous painted food counter of Pompeii's Regio V Thermopolium is only part of the story. Between late 2023 and May 2024, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii completed the excavation of Room 2 and partly removed the volcanic deposits in Room 1 in Insula 3, as part of extraordinary maintenance around the Thermopolium.
The goal was practical as well as scientific: to stabilize and reprofile the excavation front, while documenting rooms that had remained only partly explored behind and above the shop.
Where the work took place
The area belongs to Insula 3 of Regio V, between the Vicolo dei Balconi and a perpendicular street oriented southwest to northeast.
The building complex had at least two levels, with commercial activity at ground level and residential spaces on the upper floor. That vertical arrangement is central to understanding Rooms 1 and 2: they were not an isolated shop, but service and living spaces connected to the Thermopolium facing the Vicolo dei Balconi.
Room 2 measures about 6.28 by 4.53 meters and develops on two levels. Archaeologists describe it as two upper spaces, designated 2.1 and 2.2, and a single lower space, 2.3.
A service room with kitchen and latrine
The lower room, 2.3, had the character of a service area. It contained a masonry latrine and structures probably associated with a kitchen.
The room was still in use at the time of the eruption in A.D. 79, but it showed signs of wear, hasty repairs, and structural stabilization of the raised floor above. Some restructuring may have followed the earthquakes of the 60s A.D., an interpretation presented by the official report as probable rather than certain.
That picture of a working building kept in use despite damage matters for visitors: Pompeii in 79 was not frozen at a moment of perfection, but was a lived-in city with patched walls, reinforced floors, and adapted rooms.
What was found
The technical report documents finds, decorative elements, and conservation work in detail. Objects from Room 2 included amphorae, mortars, pans, a bronze cauldron, votive objects, a glass-paste pinecone, and a faience situla probably of Alexandrian origin.
The precise function of some containers and cult-related objects in Room 2.3 remains interpretive. Rather than assigning each piece a fixed use, the excavation record preserves the mixture typical of a service space: cooking equipment, storage vessels, and votive items kept close together.
Human and animal remains were also associated with the eruption phase, including bones of a small dog. The interpretation of some remains was complicated by tunnels dug clandestinely in ancient or modern times, which disturbed the stratigraphy.
The painted counter and Pompeian fast food
The Regio V Thermopolium is known for its decorated counter, with a Nereid on a hippocamp and images of animals probably connected with the foods sold.
The wider investigations have improved understanding of Pompeian thermopolia, places where hot food and drink were served and kept in large dolia set into the counter. Food remains found in the dolia included traces compatible with preparations based on fish, pork, snails, and wine.
Residue and faunal analyses may further clarify which foods and drinks were actually sold. For now, the evidence significantly expands knowledge of diet and daily life, linking the bright imagery of the counter to stored ingredients and cooking vessels found behind it.
What to look for
For readers following the site, two details help make sense of the complex:
First, look beyond the counter. The shop front was the public face; Rooms 1 and 2 show the back-of-house world of storage, food preparation, sanitation, and upper-floor dwelling that made the business work.
Second, notice the layers of repair. Cracked surfaces, summary fixes, and reinforcement of the upper level are not minor defects. They are evidence of continued occupation and maintenance after seismic damage, before the final eruption.
Visitors should check current access information with the Archaeological Park of Pompeii before planning a visit. The official announcement about the Thermopolium opening to the public dates to 2021 and does not establish present visiting hours or accessibility.