The main room in the speakeasy-style pizzeria downstairs
Is the pizza place in Mayfair that's all over social?
That's the one. Unless you've been living in some kind of self-imposed social media blackout, it would have been nigh on impossible to have avoided seeing some mention of the frenzy surrounding this new pizza pub opening. Admittedly, we may have had something to do with the hypemongering ourselves.
Expectations would already have been high surrounding the move of the Crisp pizza folk from Hammersmith into central London. After all, they were loudly proclaimed to be one of the best pizzas in the city and their arrival in an easier-to-reach venue would have been big news anyway. But of course, they weren't on their own. They had a helping hand in the form of a partnership with the team behind London's other Big Pub - The Devonshire.
Where is their new place?
They've taken over the pub that was The Marlborough Head on North Audley Street, just south of where Selfridges is on Oxford Street. There's been a pub on this spot since the mid-19th century and the current pub dates back to 1892. Your nearest tubes would be Marble Arch or Bond Street.
This is the pub you're looking for. The crowds outside will give it away.
And it's both a pub and a pizza restaurant?
At ground level, it's very much business as usual with the pub serving up great Guinness (thanks to the help supplied by The Devonshire team). But if you head downstairs, you'll find the pizzeria tucked into the basement. They've done a great job here, keeping it all bare brick and tiles, which gives it quite the NYC pizzeria meets speakeasy vibe.
It's a lovely-looking, trad pub upstairs
And here's what the downstairs pizzeria looks like
How do I get a table?
That's a good question and one that's not all that easy to answer. Right now, it'll require a lot of luck and perseverance. They're currently operating on a 50/50 booking vs walk-ins basis. Bookings go in an absolute flash, so just turning up at non-peak hours is probably your best bet over the coming weeks. Arriving at 5.30 on a Tuesday evening, there was just under a two-hour wait time. But we have heard of folks waiting much longer.
On the upside, there is the promise of it getting a lot easier. In due course, the team will start serving pizza upstairs in the pub too, and eventually to outside tables at which point the wait time should drop a fair bit.
What's on the menu?
Your pizza options are split into three - traditional pies (Crisp follows the London meets New Haven style model), grandmas pies (square pizzas which feed between two to three each) and bar pies which are super thin and crispy. There's also a four-cheese calzone on offer and a side of baked pepperoni chips.
What you absolutely must do is order as many of the dips as you can, because they're phenomenal, particularly the garlic dip.
Vecna (£17.50) - the fan favourite from the original Crisp in Hammersmith, this is made with pepperoni, Parmesan, burrata and hot honey and was probably also our own favourite of the three pies we tried.
Crisp W6 Pie (£17.50) - San Marzano tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, Honest Toil extra virgin olive oil and (their description) lashings of Pecorino. That cloud of Pecorino elevates this into heavenly territory.
Tie-dye Pie (£17.50) - Probably the pizza we'd seen most photos of prior to our visit, this adds a spicy tequila sauce to the mix, with fior di latte and a swirl of pesto.
Room for dessert?
At the moment, there are really only three desserts, with more planned for when/if things settle down. Those include a Nutella calzone, of which we hear good things but literally didn't have the room for, along with a fior di latte soft serve (£7.50). This was nice but it could have done with a lot more of the olive oil it was supposed to come with.
The best choice, mainly because it's very easy to share between two is the following:
Tiramisu (£9) - A pretty massive slab of tiramisu is your best bet for dessert.
What's on the drinks list?
Certainly a lot of people here are going to want to try the Guinness, which is almost as good as The Devonshire. But there's also a tightly edited wine list, starting at a very reasonable for Mayfair, starting at £26 for a bottle of South African Chenin or Puglian Sangiovese. Our glass of Fire Gully chardonnay from Margaret River (£13.50) was very good too.
They're serving up very decent pints of Guinness here.
Overall thoughts
Obviously, it was always going to be hard for The Marlborough to live up to the ridiculous levels of hype. But honestly, this is a bloody lovely pub serving up really great pizza. What's not to like? Openings like Crisp/The Marlborough and The Devonshire are singlehandedly transforming the status of pubs in London and we are very much here for it. Go now and be delighted by the bragging rights that getting a table here will bestow on you. Or wait until things calm down, and it'll still be a place for top pizza and good beer in the heart of pricey Mayfair. But either way, do go.
More about Crisp Mayfair at The Marlborough
Where is it? 24 N Audley St, London W1K 6WD
How to book: book online
Find out more: On their website or follow them on Instagram @themarlboroughmayfair
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Crisp Pizza. Prices correct at time of publication.
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