Pizza
After a lockdown bread delivery service turned into pizza nights, the four Alby’s Pizza founders moved into the world in New York-style pizza, opening a pop-up in Vauxhall in 2022. Two years on and many whopping 22″ pies later, the team has moved north of the river and taken up residence in Finsbury Park bar Someday. As well as a classic Margherita, Alby’s is also slinging pizzas like the Alby’s Hot (with Alby’s marinara, mozzarella, chorizo, sweet peppers, red onion, pickled jalapenos, confit garlic oil and Grana Padano) and the Funghi Town (with Alby’s marinara, mozzarella, garlic & parsley braised mushrooms, confit garlic oil and Grana Moravia), which you can get by the slice or as a whole pie. Don’t forget a pot of Alby’s buffalo hot sauce for the crusts.
RIA'S
Ria’s, run by Ria and David Morgan-Ratcliffe is a Detroit-style pizza and natural wine bar on All Saints Road. It’s a real looker – the gorgeous, light-filled space boasts blue panelled and cornflower yellow walls, cafe curtains, and wine bottles skirting round the shelving. Detroit-style pizza is the star here – the dough is made with regenerative flour and slowly fermented for 72 hours, resulting in a thick and chewy base that’s impressively light .There’s been a real focus on quality ingredients and thought has clearly been put into creating interesting combinations, like the roasted king prawn, salsa macha and parmesan cream pie and the beef merguez sausage, sweet pickled shallots and red chillies pie. The pepperoni & soppressata slice, made with Cobble Lane cured meats, cheddar, hot honey, aged parmesan and fresh oregano is also a winner, especially if you drizzle it with some Frank’s hot butter. Make sure you save room for the smashed spuds with whipped feta and the deep-fried Mars bar with soft serve though.
Currently operating out of the Three Colts Tavern in Bethnal Green, 75 Slices is all about light and crispy, NY-style pizzas. It’s a short and simple menu with marinara, margherita and pepperoni pizzas joined by the likes of the Spicy Roni (tomato sauce, fresh & aged mozzarella, pepperoni, jalapeno and hot honey) and the Black Truffle (black truffle bechamel, fresh & aged mozzarella, roasted mushrooms and parmesan. Load up on house garlic dip for those charred crusts too.
Part of the Dinner for One Hundred fam (there’s the perm place in Telegraph Hill and D4100 Pizza at The Perseverance pub in Bloomsbury), Bar D4100 in Nunhead is slinging the same quality pies you’d find at the other locations and spritzes for under a fiver. Head down, order up a Macgyver (tomato, mozzarella, chorizo, whipped feta, hot honey, crushed fennel seeds) or a Why Not (tomato, mozzarella, basil, pancetta, artichokes, leeks, mushrooms, olives, jalapenos and garlic oil), a lemon & rosemary dip, and whatever slushie is coming out of the machine that week, and enjoy.
Classic cars and pizza are an unlikely pairing but 67 Sourdough in East Finchley is proving that it works. Run by Cam and PJ, who met on a bread course at The Dusty Knuckle and became dough obsessives, 67 Sourdough specialises in light and crispy NY-style sourdough pizzas, with toppings like pepperoni, vinegar red onions, and chilli honey; ‘accident’ vodka-style sauce, artichokes and garlic mushrooms; and nduja, burrata and parmesan (and don’t miss the garlic knots either), which you can tuck into in the dining area that overlooks a range of classic Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, and Jaguars.
There’s been a lot of hype around Vincenzo’s Pizza, a Bushey pizza spot helmed by Tom Vincent, on social media but it’s more than justified. Tom and his team are slinging New York-style pies inspired by the coal oven pizzas found on the East Coast, which are more charred and crispy than their wood-fired cousins. The topping combos are fairly classic – pepperoni, sausage & onions, roast mushrooms & garlic – but the Raging Hog (with aged mozzarella, tomato sauce, Grana Padano, pepperoni, roquito peppers, and chilli honey) gets a lot of love and rightly so. If you’re not local, it’s time to plan a trip to Bushey asap.
ALLEY CATS
Alley Cats is bringing a bit of the Big Apple to London with exposed brick, red and white gingham tablecloths and Italian-American inspired thin crust pizzas. Sicilian Head Chef Francesco Macri makes use of quality Southern Italian ingredients, including San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella from Campania and aged mozzarella from Molise, for his 14-inch pizzas, which come with toppings such as smoked pepperoni, aged mozzarella, tomato sauce, habanero and honey; fennel sausage, tomato sauce, aged mozzarella, pancetta, red onion and pecorino flakes; creamy vodka tomato sauce, aged mozzarella and buffalo mozzarella; and wild mushrooms, aged mozzarella, taleggio, red onion jam and fried sage. If you’ve got an American-sized appetite, you can bookend your pizzas with cheese & garlic bread knots, meatballs in slow-cooked tomato sauce, loaded vanilla soft serve, and tiramisu topped with hazelnuts, salted peanuts and pistachios.
After finding success in Ancoats in Manchester, Rudy’s Pizza, which specialises in Neapolitan-style pies, has expanded beyond its home with additional sites across the north and three pizzerias in London, in Soho, Tottenham Court Road and Shoreditch. The restaurants all sling pizza made with the brand’s signature 24-hour dough, made fresh daily, and topped with the finest ingredients from Naples, which are cooked for around 60 seconds to achieve that soft and airy crust – don’t forget to order a pot of ‘nduja aioli to dip it in. The menu includes classics like the Margherita, Calabrese and Capricciosa, alongside rotating specials like Triple Pepperoni and Guanciale & Pear and a short selection of starters and puds. Add on a couple of spritzes or Italian beers and you’ve got yourself a real pizza party.
DINNER FOR ONE HUNDRED
Founded by pizza chef Jake and London bus tour guide Jacob as a community dinner for one hundred people (hence the name), the pair turned the biz into a regular operation during the pandemic, slinging pizzas in a front garden and then as a pop-up at the Hill Station Cafe in Telegraph Hill. D4100 pizzas went down so well that the Telegraph Hill space is now permanent (they’re also doing pizzas at The Perseverance pub in Bloomsbury), so head down for a Macgyver (tomato, mozzarella, chorizo, whipped feta, hot honey, crushed fennel seeds), a Kevin (tomato, mozzarella, pancetta, leek, basil) or a Gianluca (tomato, mozzarella, basil, mushroom, olive) al fresco.
FOUR CORNERS AT RONDO LA CAVE
After originally landing at the subterranean, low-intervention wine bar as a pop-up, Four Corners is now a permanent fixture of Rondo La Cave. That means you can pair your glass of orange wine with a slice of Vodka Meatball pizza in perpetuity. Four Corners specialises in Detroit-style rectangular pizza, with lots of options al taglio. Highlights from the menu include the Red Top (cheddar, mozzarella, Sicilian oregano, pecorino and tomato, Beef and Onions (smoked entrecote, mozzarella, roasted red onions, white onions, sumac, paprika and pomegranate molasses and Pistachio Pesto & Mortadella (pistachio pesto, mozzarella, mortadella, pistachio and parmesan).
PLANT CLUB
If dietary requirements have you missing out on delish authentic Italian food, Plant Club is a restaurant to get on your list. Thanks to its owners’ Italian gluten-free and veggie backgrounds, Plant Club has crafted a menu of favourites from the cuisine that cater to intolerances while still tasting great – yes, it is possible. Their menu reads like a classic Italian trattoria, with arancini, pasta dishes such as gnocchi cacio e pepe, a range of pizzas with rice flour bases and the likes of tiramisù and gelato to finish. And, of course, there’s a list of organic wines to pair with your organic meal. Cin cin!
After becoming a beloved local spot in Brighton and Hove and establishing street food kitchens in both Shoreditch and Croydon Boxparks, Fatto a Mano has opened a proper brick-and-mortar spot in the capital. Fatto Pizza & Beer has set up shop in the Pancras Square development in King’s Cross – they’ve got a small terrace out front, with the pizza oven and bar dominating the ground floor, and more tables up top. In terms of the pizza, they’re all about proper Neapolitan pizzas made using 24-hour proven dough and ingredients sourced from small suppliers. The crust is soft and pillowy and you’ve got all the classic topping combos, like diavola, salsiccia e friarielli, ham & truffle, and aubergine & smoked ricotta to choose from. Don’t miss the calzoncino fritto either – it’s got a doughnut-like dough that’s filled with salami, mozzarella, ricotta and parmesan, and it’s unlike any regular calzone you’ve had before. Fatto has six craft beers on tap, including their own Fatto Bionda Pilsner brewed by Harbour Brewing Co, plus a couple more in the fridge alongside a handful of wines and cocktails. Service is fast and friendly so you could defo treat yourself to pizza on your lunch break if you work nearby.
FLAT EARTH PIZZAS
After a series of pop-ups and residences across East London, Flat Earth Pizzas has found a permanent home in Bethnal Green, and founders Sarah Brading and Rich Baker have gone right back to where they started as the new restaurant is on the site where they held their very first pop-up. Flat Earth Pizzas is London’s most sustainable pizza joint – they make all elements of the pizza in house, using Wildfarmed and Gilchester’s Organic heritage grain flour for the base and locally sourced ingredients for the toppings, they’ve got wine on tap, and they send zero waste to landfill. They sling veggie and vegan pizzas, including the Hackney Hot with sweet pickled beets, the Kimchi Fiorentina and the Buffalo Mozzarella & Wild Garlic. The restaurant also does brunch (hello skillet baked kimchi shakshuka) and toasties in the daytime with small plates like pickled beetroot & white cabbage achar accompanying the pizzas in the evening.
DUSTY KNUCKLE
They might be famous for slinging some of the most notorious sandwiches known to mankind but Thursday through to Saturday, The Dusty Knuckle on Green Lanes (sister to the Dalston original) switches to an evening menu of pizza and drinkies. Head Chef Clare Payne in charge of the menu knocking up an exciting selection of small sharing plates along with pretty epic pizzas. Having built their own wood-fired pizza oven these could not be delivered to our table fresher, and with toppings like thouse-made nduja & honey and ricotta, fior di latte, potatoes & sweet onion, we are most definitely a fan. Not just a bakery and cafe, Dusty Knuckle are a social enterprise that does some amazing work with ex-offenders, early school-leavers and the long-term unemployed. Respect.
Chef’s Table star Nancy Silverton has brought her LA spot Pizzeria Mozza over to London, taking up residence in the Treehouse Hotel. Nancy’s pizzas are known for their crusts – crispy but soft, light and airy – with toppings like tomato, mozzarella di bufala, olives, anchovies & fried capers; clams, red onion, garlic & pecorino; and speck, pineapple, jalapenos, tomato & mozzarella. Sorry Italians but pineapple on pizza is 100% our vibe. Aside from the pies, the menu also includes shrimp with melon & chilli lime vinaigrette, courgette blossom fritti with ricotta, and salamis and mozzarella.
Looking for the best Neapolitan pizza outside of Napoli? Well we’ve found it. Yep, Cinquecento are slinging them just like Nonna does over in Napoli, using 100% Italian ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes, Fior di latte mozzarella, Sicilian anchovies, San Daniele ham and Calabrian ‘nduja. It also feels like you’re sitting round Nonna’s table in their cosy dining room, featuring plants hanging down from above and framed pictures on the wall. Plus there’s three different locations to choose from, so wherever you are over West, a slice of the good stuff is not too far away.
CRUST BROS
A good crust can make or break a pizza, which is why with a name like Crust Bros we had pretty high expectations. Thankfully they didn’t disappoint. The Waterloo pizza joint is known for its Neopolitan-style pillow-like, chewy crusts – something which we’re big fans of. There are plenty of toppings to choose from, including whole burrata, or you can mix and match and create your own personalised pizza. Located close to the station Crust Bros have an outdoor terrace, making it ideal for those summer spritz and slice dates. Better still, the restaurant also promises to plant a tree for every pizza sold in partnership with Earthly to help combat climate change.
This south London sourdough star began life in Camberwell and became so popular, the team soon added a second site just down the road in Elephant and Castle. Neapolitan is the house style here, beginning with the classic marinara and margherita, and moving on to some more adventurous creations such as mushroom, leek, and gorgonzola as well as our favourite, the Camberwell scotch bonnet nduja which is HOT. Add Italian wines and cocktails and a relaxed, friendly south London vibe and you’ve got yourself a winning pizza joint.