London remains the place to be in the UK for this country's and indeed Europe's (outside of Italy, of course) best pizzas. From traditional Neapolitan to crispy new Haven-style pizzas as well as the recent trend for deep dishes, here's where to find London's best.
Vasiniko
Covent Garden & Trafalgar Square
This Neapolitan-style pizzeria started in Covent Garden, quickly becoming hugely popular (as well as a big hit on social). The name refers to "basil" in Neapolitan dialect, so there's plenty of attention paid to one of the most important herbs in Neapolitan pizzas. All the classics are available, along with a few specials like the Nerano (courgette base, fior di latte cheese, fried courgette threads, cheese fondue, Parma ham, basil, EVO oil) and they also have a "crunchy pizza" section for their pan-baked pizzas.
Breadstall
Soho & Battersea
Breadstall made its name as an actual stall, operating from Battersea. They've slowly expanded their footprint over the years, recently opening a full-on pizzeria in the middle of Soho. For them, it's all about pizza slices, making it one of very few pizzas-by-the-slice operations in the middle of town. The pizzas change regularly, so it's always worth popping by to see what's on that day. The New York-style vodka sauce remains one of their best, so you should definitely order that if it's on. As well as options for sitting inside, you order from the hatch on the street, so it's extremely handy for grab-and-go if you're wandering around Soho.
Crisp Pizza
Hammersmith - The Chancellors, 25 Crisp Rd, London W6 9RL
Crisp Pizza continues to be one of the hottest pizzerias in town, with a popularity that never seems to die down. It comes from chef (and pub owner) Carl McCluskey and their pizzas have been called the best in London by many a pizza lover. There can be hellishly long queues at the weekends (pizzas are only available Thursday - Sunday) but if you're organised you can book a table ahead of time. If you do manage to get a coveted table, you'll find pizzas like their N'Duja pie (San Marzano, Mozzarella, Buffalo Mozzarella, Parm, Calabrian Nduja) among others.
Lenny's Apizza
Finsbury Park - 160 Seven Sisters Rd, London N7 7PT
Set up by Max Lewis, Lenny's is all about New Haven-style pizza, one of the few pizzerias in London to specialise in that area. For that authentic style, the pizzas are left in the oven longer to produce a charred (yet also chewy) crust with a big focus on more tomato and less cheese. Lenny's, based inside the Bedford Tavern near Finsbury Park, has been a huge hit since it opened and has managed to attract the odd actual New Haven chef in. The tomato-heavy Tomato Pie is one of the signatures, along with the pepperoni pie. Expect regular specials too, like Handsome Dan's Potato Pie, which adds potatoes and rosemary to the mix.
Dough Hands
Hackney & Nunhead
Dough Hands comes from pizza chef Hannah Drye, who has been working on creating her own personal style of pizza, with the aim to have a crisp crust "so delicious that people actually want to eat the crusts". The pizzas are made with regenerative flour from Shipton Mill and Wildfarmed and you'll find options like the Jode, a nduja and hot honey number with lots of stracciatella and a sprinkle of basil. Look out for recurring specials like the Goozee, which features a spiral strip of chipotle chilli jam.
Detroit Pizza
Islington & City of London
In recent years, deep pan pizzas have been making a comeback in London, something we're very much on board with, and to hell with the carbs. Leading the charge has been Detroit Pizza, where the pizzas are all cooked in square deep-dish blue steel pans, as proper Detroit-style pizzas should be. More traditional pizzas include the titular Detroit, featuring pepperoni, jalapeño, honey, parsley, and parmesan, but we have a strong preference for the Bacon Double Cheeseburger ourselves (minced beef, bacon, onions, pickles, sesame, American cheese, burger sauce). And if you have room after all that, make sure to try their deep-fried lasagne, because who could resist that?
Ace Pizza
Hackney (Victoria Park coming soon)
Ace Pizza by Rachel Jones (originally behind Capish?) has built up quite the reputation as a residency in the Pembury Tavern in Hackney and, at the time of writing, she's also getting ready to open a standalone pizzeria in Victoria Park. She's created her own take on pizza called "The London Style" which is designed to have the chew and char of Neapolitan dough with the structure and foldability of a New York slice. On the menu, you'll find offerings like Honey Pie (fior di latte, spicy salami, fennel seeds, guindilla chillies, and chilli honey) and the Vodka Marg (vodka sauce, housemade pesto, gran moravia, with optional pepperoni).
World Famous Gordo's
London Fields, Peckham
Coming from an ex-Yard Sale GM, this quickly became a favourite at its original Dalston location. But, after some issues with naming rights, they moved to Netil Market, renamed themselves and have become bigger than ever. At their shack it's all about pizza by the slice, including the NY Slice (mozzarella, tomato, parmesan and a sesame crust) and Pepperoni with Everything (featuring scamaroza cheese, pepperoni and more). Recently, they've added a second location in Peckham's Brick Brewery.
Florencio
Marylebone - 14 Seymour Pl, London W1H 7NF
Florencio comes from chef Diego Jaquet, best known for his longstanding Argentinian restaurant Zoilo (also in Marylebone). Here, the pizzas are inspired by his travels around the world including time spent in Patagonia, his life in Argentina and his experiences cooking in NYC. He uses a special (and secret, of course) blend of flours in the 48-hour fermented dough used for their own takes on classic pizzas. So you'll find the Fugezza (mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, onions, oregano & spicy honey) alongside a Stracciatella 2.0 (San Marzano sauce, fior di Latte, stracciatella, mortadella & caramelised pistachio pesto).
Alley Cats Pizza
Marylebone & Chelsea
Initially arriving slightly out of nowhere, who could have predicted that an NYC-style pizza place from the same group that currently runs Angus Steakhouse would become a big thing? But Alley Cats continues to be a huge hit in both Marylebone and its newer Chelsea location. There are classic (and huge) pizzas available alongside a few of their own creations like the Vodka with creamy tomato sauce, aged mozzarella and buffalo mozzarella. Look out for regular collabs too.
Yard Sale
Various locations across London
The opening party of Yard Sale's original Clapton location went down in history for including a secret gig by Macaulay Culkin's band. Since then, Yard Sale have only gotten bigger, making a particular name for themselves with interesting collaborations with everyone from singers to big restaurants. With the exception of the margherita, the toppings are very East London, none more so than the TSB - that's tender stem broccoli, parmesan, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil.
Lardo
Hackney - 197-201 Richmond Rd, London E8 3NJ
Originally not strictly a pizzeria and more of an Italian (by way of Hackney) neighbourhood restaurant, the emphasis is now on Lardo’s pizza section. In addition to the classics served up by former Bistrotheque manager Eliza Flanagan and partner Hugh Thorn, pizzas include regularly changing seasonal specials, with decent pizzas including the Alla Norma (fried aubergine, basil, ricotta salata) or the eponymous Lardo (tenderstem broccoli, ricotta salata & chilli).
50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo
St James - 7 Northumberland Ave, Westminster, London WC2N 5BY
One of Naples' top pizza restaurants, Pizzeria 50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo's London spot saw them creating as close to that Neapolitan experience as possible. It's all about the dough - 50 Kalo refers to "good dough" - and the menu features a much larger selection of pizzas than other Neapolitan imports. The Evening Standard's David Ellis called their offering "London’s best pizza." Big talk indeed.
L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele
Marylebone & Soho
London went completely nuts at the arrival of what was dubbed Naples’ (and by that the world’s) best pizza. After some dispute over the use of the name, L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele is now housed in Baker Street and Soho. When they started, they only did two pizzas, a Margherita and a Marinara (which they do very well) but they've now expanded with a lot more options - including a fried pizza with pressed pork and salami.
Made of Dough
Peckham, Crystal Palace
Coming up the street food route like so many others, Made of Dough’s first bricks-and-mortar spot was in Peckham, with their Palazzo bar in Crystal Palace following later. They’ve stayed true to their roots, roping in local butchers Flock & Heard for the sausage on their Merguez pizza. They use a lean dough recipe with a 60-hour fermentation process. The mozzarella is driven fresh from Campania twice a week and the parmesan is aged for over 30 months. Look out for their Cheeseburger Pizza with a Flock & Herd beef patty, bread & butter pickles & kimchi mayo on a margherita.
Santa Maria
Ealing, Chelsea, Islington, Paddington, Kew and Fitzrovia
Named after St Mary's Road in Ealing, the site of their first pizzeria, owners Angelo and Pasquale used their Neapolitan heritage and expertise in running pizzerias all over London to open their own in 2010, bringing in master Pizza chefs Lucio Miano Petta and Emanuele Tagliarina to complete the dream team. Long held to be one of London's very best pizzerias, they have held onto that crown even as they've expanded across town. The ‘Santa Bufalina’, which is just tomatoes and D.O.C mozzarella, is one to beat.
Vicoli di Napoli Pizzeria
125 Stoke Newington Church St, Stoke Newington, London N16 0UH
This was the original L'Antica in London before some legal shenanigans, but although it's had a name change, it remains an excellent pizzeria. Expect traditional Neapolitan pizzas with the classic Margherita and Marinara at the heart of the menu joined by Via dei Gerolomini - Prosciutto e funghi (Fior di Latte, Grana Padano DOP, basil, cured ham, mushrooms, extra virgin olive oil).
Voodoo Ray's
Dalston, Peckham
It's all about the slice at Voodoo Ray's. Opening in Dalston back in 2012, their huge 22-inch pizzas are served by the slice, NYC style. The style may be American, but the ingredients are all Italian - they use both Buffalo and fior di latte mozzarellas, Caputo flour and San Marzano tomatoes for the topping.
Voodoo Ray's photo by Bite Twice
Zia Lucia
Various locations across London
Founders Claudio and Gianluca named their first Holloway Road pizzeria after Gianluca's aunt. Their pizza dough is 48 hours slow-fermented and baked in a wood-fired oven. But probably their key point of difference are the four types of dough available including the Insta-friendly vegetable charcoal (which they delicately explain has "digestive gas-absorbing capacities"), wholemeal, gluten-free and traditional. They've now expanded to 10 locations across all parts of town.
And there's more...
- Doctor Dough (Brentford) - Now residents at The Brewery Tap, these are excellent NYC-style pizzas available whole or by the slice.
- Vincenzo (Bushey) - An old-school pizzeria in a tiny room that does New-York inspired pizzas which the founder originally cooked in their own back garden.
- Napoli on the Road (Chiswick and Richmond) - Named after the Piaggio van from which they first made their pizzas, this focused on "high-crust" pizzas and has regularly won international competitions
- Japes (Soho, Greenwich, Camden) - Their deep-dish "London-style" pizza brings in influences of Chicago, Detroit and Sicily.
- 081 Pizza (Peckham and Shoreditch) - Naples-inspired pizza (with a founder who was born there) that's made it onto Europe's best pizza (outside Italy) list.
- Ria’s (Notting Hill) - Ria's combines Detroit-style deep-dish pizzas with a natural wine list.
- Little Earthquakes (Dalston) - Chef Neil Rankin has teamed up with From the Ashes for this deep dish affair in The Railway Tavern
- Crust Bros (Waterloo) - Their Neopolitan pizza is highly rated, and they feature 30 ingredients so you can properly personalise your pizzas.
- Flat Earth Pizza (Hackney) features plant-based pizzas
- Purezza (Camden) - Also on the plant-based front, Purezza started in Brighton before making a splash in Camden
- Sacro Cuore (Kensal Green) is highly recommended.
- Berbere Pizza (Clapham & Kentish Town) - All their pizzas are made with organic ingredients.
- Sud Italia has excellent pizza, popping up at Spitalfields Market, Chiswick and more.
- Oi Vita (Stoke Newington) - Oi Vita hail from Italy and their chef is the second generation in a pizza-making family from Naples, while their 24-hour fermented dough has an emphasis on lightness.
- Manifesto (Wandsworth) - The particular "manifesto" here is all about using the best possible Italian ingredients in pizzas like the "Hot Lips" (Tomato sauce, fiordilatte mozzarella, spicy salame, 'nduja, fresh
chillies) - O-Ver (London Bridge, St James) - O-ver's key feature is that the pizza dough is infused with real purified seawater.
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