 A typical thermopolium would consist of a small room attached but not accessible to a house with a distinctive masonry counter in the front.An example of this can be seen in Ostia in the House of the Painted Vaults.Embedded in this counter were earthenware jars (called "dolia") used to store dried food like nuts (hot food would have required the dolia to be cleaned out after use, and because they are embedded in the counter, it is believed that they were not used to store hot food, but rather dried food where cleaning wouldn't be necessary).