London’s pizza scene has been enjoying something of a golden age of late
Once dominated by Neapolitan pizzas thanks to the likes of Franco Manca and Pizza Pilgrims, there are now a wealth of regional Italian and US styles to be found in the city, from thick Sicilian squares to crispy NYC slices. Then there are the operators borrowing from both Italian and American traditions and creating their own thing, something that’s been dubbed ‘London-style’, which we’ve covered in-depth here.
Clearly pizza is the thing right now because the rate at which new pizzerias are opening is fast, even by London standards. ACE Pizza and Bad Boy Pizza Society, two experienced operators who have been running residencies, are opening standalone restaurants in Victoria Park Village and Bethnal Green at the end of July and the beginning of August, respectively.
In the space of about a week, three more have come onto the scene. Paulie’s, an NYC-inspired slice shop (from the same team behind Detroit Pizza), has opened on Commercial Road; Lauretta’s, the first brick-and-mortar spot from the 75 Slices crew is opening on Columbia Road on 4th July; and later this summer, Carmela’s, another NYC-style pizzeria, is opening on Upper Street. Sopranos fans may be sensing a theme with the names.


When asked about the city’s pizza scene, Tom Vincent, owner of Vincenzo’s in Bushey said “we might have the best pizza in the world”. Are all these new openings proving him right? Or will the city – or east London at least – quickly reach saturation point?
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