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True Neapolitan Pizza
True Neapolitan Pizza
The latest Soho site is snug yet stylishly furnished, building on everything that made the Notting Hill original a hit, with exciting new slices and a low-lit wine cave. Paulie’s brings the Lower East Side spirit to Spitalfields, serving big, wide and hot 70s-style NYC pizzas by the slice as grandma-style squares or as 14” or 18” whole pies. Fresh Hot Pizza has stormed into the kitchen at the newly revived Haggerston pub The Fox, following a trail of sold-out pop-ups across east London. At the helm is James Fox, whose skills were honed at new-wave favourites Crisp Pizza, Dough Hands and Ria’s.
THE SLICE
If you prefer a thin-crust over a sloppy Neapolitan, you’ve come to the right place. Ria’s ferments its dough for up to 72 hours, which gives it a deeper flavour and a deliciously chewy crust. Deep-dish pizza is filling but the pies at Ria’s never feel too much. Our favourite flavours were the House Pie and the Soho Chilli Crisp. The first had a red sauce base and a devilishly delicious combination of ricotta, basil and lemon drizzle. The latter was laden with ’nduja, Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli oil, pickled shallots, spring onions and aged parmesan – tongue-tingling and tangy.
PERKS & OFFERS
Vegans can indulge in ‘Ooh Mami’, the creamy truffle bechamel providing the perfect base for a smattering of portobello mushrooms, cashew ricotta, caramelised onions, oregano oil, porcini salt and fresh parsley. Crust dippers include the enticing truffle aioli and a lip-smacking, fittingly named ‘crack sauce’. And, as the pub is a Five Points Brewery pub, plenty of beer is available to pair with your pizza, including a Five Points favourite the JUPA, a juicy and fruity pale ale with bold, citrus flavours. Pickled pink onion is the magic ingredient though, providing a gloriously tangy flavour to cut through the creamy garlic sauce.
The Shrooms Bianca – topped with fior di latte, roasted oyster and chestnut mushrooms, dolcelatte, caramelised onions and parmesan – will convert shroom sceptics for its tangy, umami-rich profile. On our visit we relished the 20-inch Stracci & Peppers special, bursting at the seams with tomato, garlic, capers, olives, pecorino, roasted peppers, chillies, stracciatella and anchovies. Which pizza to order at Little Earthquakes?
Dough Hands is currently doing a permanent kitchen residency at Hackney-based The Spurstowe Arms. Download the ASK Perks rewards app and create a new account. It’s your way of making the most out of every visit to your local ASK. This summer, the government has reduced the VAT on kids’ activities and we’re passing the savings directly on to YOU. Your local ASK is a place where you can celebrate moments that are part of your everyday and moments you’ll treasure forever, from catch-ups to triumphs, milestones and emotional reunions.
- Paulie’s brings the Lower East Side spirit to Spitalfields, serving big, wide and hot 70s-style NYC pizzas by the slice as grandma-style squares or as 14” or 18” whole pies.
- This historic Hackney boozer is the home of Ace Pizza, a fun-loving pizza brand famed for its slow risen, picture-perfect Neapolitan pizzas which are stone baked for longer to achieve a crispier crust.
- Famed for his inventive take on pizza, the ever-changing seasonal menu features exciting flavour combinations like roasted pumpkin, rosemary and blue cheese, alongside the classics, like margherita.
- On visiting, we were blown away by the lighter than air, chewy base and quality toppings, as well as the friendly service which took us outside our pizza comfort zones.
- For drinks, the extensive list covers craft beers and cask ales, house cocktails, wine and non-alcoholic beers.
On visiting, we were blown away by the lighter than air, chewy base and quality toppings, as well as the friendly service which took us outside our pizza comfort zones. Slice Circle comes from co-founders Angus Whitfield, who honed his craft at Dough Hands, and Methun Chelvan, previously at Bad Boy Pizza Society. The pizza pros have taken the reins from Dough Hands with a new permanent residency at the iconic The Old Nun’s Head pub. This means south-east London denizens can still enjoy stellar pizza at their beloved local. Four Legs founder Ed McIlroy (of The Plimsoll and Tollington’s) has teamed up with Philadelphian pizza chef Joe Beddia to launch Bar Etna, a lively bar-cum-pizzeria already drawing crowds in Stoke Newington.
Catch World Famous Gordos slinging NY slices seven days a week from a shed at Netil Market. Around the corner from London Fields, we suggest ordering a couple of slices with an ice-cold wood fired pizza Pabst beer, then taking them to the park to enjoy alfresco. Celebrating life’s great moments, the Italian way. Introducing our limited-edition summer specials to the line up. We top this with the finest ingredients from Italy and let you fully customise, so you can have your pizza exactly the way you love it. It means zero compromise on ingredients, correct proving, pinning and baking by properly trained pizzaioli.
AVPN is our north star when it comes to quality and we never veer away from it. Soft, light and fluffy pizza with an airy and raised cornicione crust. We washed down our pizzas with a cold beer – we opted for a pint of Lucky Saint lager and a Lazer Crush by Beavertown, a razor-sharp alcohol-free IPA. Check out more of our London food guides, including the best restaurants in Kings Cross, best restaurants in Chelsea, best restaurants in Brixton and best restaurants in Paddington.
The dough is fermented for a minimum of 48 hours to ensure a light yet crisp crust. Try the fried breadcrumb mozzarella sticks finished with 22-month parmesan, or round off your meal with smooth vanilla soft-serve, sour cherry and pistachio. The drinks list is carefully chosen, including cocktails, wines and beers; notable choices are the mezcal margarita with a hint of chilli and a zesty Italian orange wine. Dough Hands has garnered a cult following due to its crisp dough and feather-light crust, made possible by baking its pizzas low and slow at 350 degrees. Led by pizzaiolo Hannah Drye, this trendy pizza joint is co-pioneering the emerging London pizza, a style which mashes up various influences including a New York inspired thin crust and light base. Cult favourite Dough Hands is stepping into the XL slice game with a new residency at late-night venue All My Friends in Hackney Wick, following its departure from The Old Nun’s Head in south London.
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