Pizzerias In London
Discussion
Visting London this weekend for the first time in quite a few years. Planning on doing the usual touristy sight seeing and also getting some grub. Anyone have any reccomendations for a decent pizza place? I can't stop thinking about pizzas after visiting Italy earlier this year, and theres no decent pizza places in Leeds.
You can try one of these http://www.madeinitalygroup.co.uk/ now there are several differences of opinions regarding the pizzeria chains though I am a fan of Zizi's over Pizza Express and Prezzo if you find yourself in the centre of town and stuck!
I've heard some very good things about Franco Manca, I haven't been but it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It's a good value place, but they still use simple, but good quality toppings, and best of all, a proper sourdough base, all baked at 500C in a wood fired oven. I'd imagine that's as close as you can get to "real" Italian style pizza.
A couple of potential issues - they only open at lunchtimes and they are in Brixton Market (arguably worth a visit in itself) which might be a bit out of your way. Supposed to be well worth it though.
A couple of potential issues - they only open at lunchtimes and they are in Brixton Market (arguably worth a visit in itself) which might be a bit out of your way. Supposed to be well worth it though.
I ended up doing some more searching online before I went and found that Santa Maria in South Ealing had won the Time Out magazine award for best pizza in London so decided to try that out. Was a fun trip from Canary Wharf to South Ealing.
After the 1hr tube trip and 5 min walk from the station we arrived and managed to get a table. I ordered the classic margherita. The food didn't take long to make and arrived after a few mins.
As you can see, it certainly looked the part. It tasted lovely but my only complaint was that the base was a bit overcooked. I finished it and asked the waitress for another. She looked a tad surprised and asked if I wanted to eat in or takeaway. I timed the pizza chef and it took him just under a minute to make the pizza and around 45 seconds to cook it in the oven
The second pizza had a base that was just right and tasted awesome. One thing I did note was that it tasted a bit salty, seems its down to the cheese they use as I tried a bit of base on its own an that was fine, as was the sauce on its own whereas when I tried a bit of cheese it seemed fairly salty. Not so much that it wasn't edible but still noticeable.
All in all the food was fantastic though and whilst I'm not sure if it was the best pizzeria in London it was the closest I have come to "proper pizza" since visiting Italy. My only problem is theres nowhere decent in Leeds
. I should be in London again in a few months so will try out Franco Manca and see how it compares
After the 1hr tube trip and 5 min walk from the station we arrived and managed to get a table. I ordered the classic margherita. The food didn't take long to make and arrived after a few mins.
As you can see, it certainly looked the part. It tasted lovely but my only complaint was that the base was a bit overcooked. I finished it and asked the waitress for another. She looked a tad surprised and asked if I wanted to eat in or takeaway. I timed the pizza chef and it took him just under a minute to make the pizza and around 45 seconds to cook it in the oven
The second pizza had a base that was just right and tasted awesome. One thing I did note was that it tasted a bit salty, seems its down to the cheese they use as I tried a bit of base on its own an that was fine, as was the sauce on its own whereas when I tried a bit of cheese it seemed fairly salty. Not so much that it wasn't edible but still noticeable.
All in all the food was fantastic though and whilst I'm not sure if it was the best pizzeria in London it was the closest I have come to "proper pizza" since visiting Italy. My only problem is theres nowhere decent in Leeds
. I should be in London again in a few months so will try out Franco Manca and see how it comparesGassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff