London’s best restaurants for pizza

What kind of pizza is it? Romana-style with Chicago thin crust.

There’s a scene in Saturday Night Fever where John Travolta’s dad tells him: ‘yer mudda’s spaghetti sauce don’t drip. It don’t taste. And it don’t drip’. Well Leyton’s finest don’t drip, but it certainly do taste. Big time. This thin crust, zero-flop pie acts as a canvas for Short Road’s Italian founder Ugo to paint all kinds of crazy flavours. Paying homage to his grandfather Gigi's ‘a bocca o forno’ (on the edge of the oven) technique, they pair the light crispy dough with exciting flavour combos (nduja bechamel) and creative takes on old favourites (marinara with garlic puree and spicy chimichurri). Get it at the William The Fourth in Leyton, and Three Colts in Bethnal Green. 

What should I order? Get the marinara and add burrata and anchovies. It's an extra fiver but well worth it.

What kind of pizza is it? Crispy New York-style with London sass.

Dough Hands is a roving pizza proposition currently in permanent residence at the always lively Spurstowe Arms by London Fields and the Old Nun's Head in south London. The project of chef Hannah Drye, her mega New York-style pies are big and heartily topped behemoths, with brittle (in a good way) crispy crusts and a pleasingly oily array of toppings. If you don't like getting your fingers dirty, then Dough Hands isn't for you – red oil runs down your elbows, ready to stain shirts and shorts with little compassion. You'll let it though. The garlic and herb dip is a must for any leftover crusts.

What should I order? The Jode (tomato, mozzarella, n'duja, hot honey and stracciatella) is a masterpiece. 

What kind of pizza is it? New York-style.

Bad Boy Pizza Society started out as a parody university society before it became a serial award winner with a series of revered pub and market locations. The best one can say about Bad Boy Pizzeria, the group’s first proper pizza joint on Bethnal Green Road, is that all the hype was extremely well-deserved. These 18-inch New York-style pizzas – served both by pie and slice – are masterpieces of the form, from their flashy vodka sauce to the base’s meticulously balanced crisp and in-no-way-scrimping toppings. Racy hot honey and fresh-dill ranch dips, as well as a very drinkable collab lager with Pretty Decent Beer Co, chilled New Theory red wine on tap and cutesy red-tiled, wood-panelled East End pie ’n’ mash shop décor only goes to sweeten the deal.

What should I order? The ‘vodka-roni’ is BBP’s signature and the obvious choice, with piled pepperoni, slathered vodka sauce and delicately weighted cheese. This a pie on which a pizza empire will no doubt be built. If you’ve got spare stomach space, the vodka rigatoni – delightfully sloppy, with creamy, tickling spice – would be well at home in a proper, dedicated pasta place. 

What kind of pizza is it? New York-style with a university education.

Spring Street is the brainchild of Michelin-starred chef Tom Kimble, a man more associated with mise-en-place than mozzarella. Can a career as a top-ranking purveyor of hoity-toity haute cuisine prepare you for the salami-slinging world of 'za? It turns out yes, it can. The pizza at Spring Street - made using dough that ferments for two or three days - is sensational. As light and crispy as London's finest NY-style slices, but with a crust that isn't going to crumble into dust in your mouth. Great variety of colour across the slice too (not just slabs of orange). Someone (Tom) has thought long and hard about flavour balancing and texture. And it shows.

What should I order? Go for the 18-inch pies, as they create a better slice than the smaller ones. 

What kind of pizza is it? A chewy New York/Neapolitan hybrid.

Ace Pizza does a good job of breaking up the undeniable smugness of Victoria Park Village with its uber-casual attitude. Five Points Brewing Co’s Hackney home, the Pembury Tavern, is where Ace started out, and you’ll still find them there as well. Ace Pizza’s stonebaked pies owe their deliciousness to their cold fermented ‘biga’ sourdough starter, which means the dough and base remains crispy at the bottom as well as on the crust. They come as 12 inch individual pizzas, with local specials like the Hackney Hellboy with vegan nduja. Add a chilli-honey drizzle to your pizza or some rightfully addictive crack sauce for crust dipping purposes. 

What should I order? The Double Pep comes with extra, extra pepperoni. How could you refuse such an offer?

What kind of pizza is it? NYC-style square ‘nonna’ pizza.

Coming out of the kitchen at Hackney cocktail bar You Call The Shots following a super succesful residency at Forno bakery, Bing Bong Pizza offer up chunky and pleasingly crust-heavy pies. Want something a whole lot more substantial than the thin-crust alternatives currently doing the rounds? Come and eat here. 

What should I order? The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-tastic April O'Neil special; crown prince squash puree, fennel salami, salsa verde, hot honey and crispy sage. 

What kind of pizza is it? A slightly softer New York slice, with high-quality toppings.

Created by two inveterate pizza snobs (one of whom runs Ugly Dumpling in central London), Carmela’s is a cosy American-Italian-style joint halfway up Upper Street in Islington. Honestly, the place feels more like a grotto than a restaurant. Considering the owners run an Insta account on which they mercilessly critique other pies across London, a lot of pizza chefs presumably wanted to see Carmela’s fall flat on its tiny face. Unfortunately (for the haters,) it’s excellent. This is crispy (but pliable) pizza, that’s satisfying, well-balanced and tasty. Basically, the lads nailed it, didn’t they.

What should I order? All the ingredients are sourced from posh suppliers in the UK and Italy, but our fave is one of the simplest: the vodka-sauce pie with fresh mozzarella and chives. Smoother than Stanley Tucci’s pillow talk.

What kind of pizza is it? Neapolitan, natually.

So, the head chef at Napoli on the Road got voted the literal best chef in the world. No, really. The world! And hey, the pizza really is very good, all light and fluffy crusts and fresh AF tomato sauce and delicious dollops of fior di latte, with some really out-there flavour combos too. The fritti are a must-order: get the frittatina (literally deep-fried cheesy bucatini) and the very good supplì. Add an aperol spritz, or one of the delicious wines on offer that the staff team hand-picked in Napoli. The best pizza in London? Probably not. But a serious contender? Certainly.

What should I order? Simplicity works with pizzas this good; go for the classic margherita. 

What kind of pizza is it? Italian sourdough pizza with crispy bottoms and fluffy crusts.

This sweet little sourdough chain was born in Bologna and now has branches across London; in Kentish Town, Marylebone, Tottenham Court Road, Clapham and Westfield Stratford. Expect all the usual sourdough tricks as well as some more innnovative offerings. Their vegan pie comprises smashed falafel, red onions, black olives, fresh chilli and parsley. Don’t forget to load up on crust dippers; spicy ‘nduja and honey, aioli and garlic butter as well as basil and walnut pesto.

What should I order? The diavola piccante, with spicy salami, and ‘nduja. Vegetarians should opt for a norma, with baked aubergine, basil & walnut pesto, and smoked ricotta

What kind of pizza is it? Slow-fermented biga dough pizzas with epic crusts and dramatic toppings (aka lots of burrata).

After a run of NYC-style sliceries opening in the capital, it’s almost refreshing to see the return of the chunky, doughy pizza. Battersea’s Breadstall – who launched their buzzing Soho flagship on Berwick Street at the start of 2025 – have nailed the old school Neapolitan slice, but given it a fabulously cripsy bottom and floppy, almost naan-like crust. Their whopping 20 inch pies come thickly topped with modern takes on trad options; rocket, burrata and pesto for the veggies, and spicy pepperoni with candied jalapenos, hot honey and yet more burrata for the meat-eaters. Eat-in, or pick up a massive quarter slice from their street-facing collection window. 

What should I order? If you’re hardcore, then go for the off-menu Clanger - a whole pizza, half of it covered in your choice of savory topping, and the rest folded into a sweet Nutella calzone. 

What kind of pizza is it? Light Neapolitan-style pizza.

This rapidly expanding pizza chain does extremely tasty pies. They serve up all the  traditional classics (marinara, marghertia, capricciosa, calabrese etc) as well as regular specials and banging desserts. Don’t forget to order chilli honey and nduja aioli for drizzling and dipping purposes and a potent rum baba for pud. The Shoreditch location joins outposts in Soho and on Tottenham Court Road, as well as others across London.

What should I order? The vegan nduja ortolana, with plant-based nduja, roasted tenderstem broccoli, chestnut mushrooms, and rocket pesto. 

What kind of pizza is it? Deep pan mini pies. A true original in the game we call pizza.

After a stint serving up pies at a brandy distillery in Walthamstow, Little Earthquakes is now in residence in Dalston at the ever-reliable Railway Tavern on St Jude Street. The latest project from chef Neil Rankin, these super cheesy and deliriously delicious deep pan pizza pies are 6 inches wide and come over like a sexy mega-crumpet. They’re topped and filled with seriously hearty stuff; mortadella, punchy jalapeno pesto, salami ragu, taleggio and honey. There’s even a vegan option with roasted aubergine. Catch them from 6-9pm every Tuesday to Friday and 3-9pm on Saturdays.

What should I order? The carbonara-style Taleggio and Guanciale.

What kind of pizza is it? Wood-fired Neapolitan with creative toppings.

Yard Sale pizzas are served fresh from the oven in either 12" or 18" stone-baked sourdough rounds. Toppings range from classic margherita to the crowd-pleasing TSB with tenderstem broccoli, parmesan and pine nuts. They peddle gluten-free bases and fully vegan toppings too. There are 13 branches spread far and wide across London – from Clapton to Tottenham, and with the latest outposts in Hither Green, Tufnell Park and Earlsfield – so you’re never too far from one of their sublime pies. 

What should I order? Check out their latest collab - recent decents include team-ups with Tayyabs, Ottolenghi Test Kitchen and What Willy Cook.

What kind of pizza is it? Vegan and veggie toppings with a wild-grain base. Ethical but outrageously tasty.

Earthy, unrefined and with heritage grain bases, veg-forward toppings and a promise to work with ethical providers and growers; Flat Earth do pizza a little differently. If you want to feel better about stuffing your face, this is the place to do it, with seasonal pizzas that’ll make you feel all good inside, such a vegan cauliflower, butter bean and tahini pizza. Angelic. 

What should I order? Kimchi fiorentina with house-made kimchi, Somerset mozzarella and cheddar, Cacklebean eggs, beetroot crumb and tomato passata. 

What kind of pizza is it? Chunky, deep Detroit pie.

Another one of our prefered alternatives to the dominance of Naples-style pizza is squidgy, cake-like square pie that is Detroit-style pizza. With two locations in London – Spitalfields and Upper Street in Islington – Detroit Pizza cook their creations in steel pans to give it a soft but crunchy and deep crust. Eat it or use it as a pillow - the choice is yours. Their marinara too, is something special. 

What should I order? Go for the house special, the Detroit, made with pepperoni, jalapeño, honey, parsley and parmesan. 

What kind of pizza is it? Chicago deep dish.

If you're looking for deep dish in Soho (or Greenwich or Camden), you've come to the right place. Japes does Chicago-style pizza – and these big sloppy beasts have come to steal your heart. They laugh in the face of a thin, crispy sourdough crust, and instead serve up seriously juicy pies with the most sensational cheese pull in town.

What should I order? We recommended ordering the pizzas ‘London style’, basically a Detroit/Chicago/grandma style mash-up. It was invented in this actual restaurant and is absolutely delicious. 

What kind of pizza is it? Thin, crisp (naturally) New York pizza. Crisp Pizza moved to The Marlborough in Mayfair in October 2025.

Had enough of the ubiquitous, doughy Neapolitan-style pizza that's taken London by storm over the past decade? Then taste the pizza born in backstreet Hammersmith pub, The Chancellors. Thin, stiff and perfectly rendered New York-style slices are cooked up by Carl McCluskey, and are now in residence at this grand, revamped boozer on the corner of North Audley Street and North Row. Keep your eyes open too, for the occasional collab with the likes of pasta supremos Padella. 

What should I order? The tie-dye pie, with spicy tequila sauce and a pesto swirl.

What kind of pizza is it? Neapolitan-style sourdough base.

Sodo may look a little rough around the edges, but it’s really all about the pizza at this cheery branch of the mini-chain. Margheritas never have a lot to hide behind and our version was superb: thin, crisp, delicious and impressively topped. Look out for ‘The Wicker Man’ (with ’nduja, mascarpone and pepperoni). Gluten-free options come on a base fashioned from butterbeans. There are branches in Hoxton, Bethnal Green, Deptford and Walthamstow. 

What should I order? The ‘Jon Bon Chovy’, with tomato, mozzarella, anchovies and capers

What kind of pizza is it? Detroit-style.

Detroit-style pizza is on the up in London – but which of the capital’s pizzerias will perfect it first? Ria’s in Notting Hill stylishly flicks its hat in the ring. Detroiter pizzas have a rep for being weighty on both the scales and the stomach – instead Ria’s are delicate and scrupulous, each bite meticulously measured to sink just the right amount, to crunch at exactly the right depth. The toppings are equally weighted, dollops of mozz, sweet caramelised onions and tangy lemon basil sauce all sitting atop airy crispness. Motor City flawlessly refined in the heart of west London.

What should I order? Roasted king prawn pizza with slow cooked marinara sauce, a parmesan crust, salsa macha marinated king prawns, and gorgonzola cream drizzle.

What kind of pizza is it? New York-ish but with high quality toppings.

Hidden away on a fairly non-descript (yet charming) street in Marylebone, Florencio opened to immediate acclaim in 2023. The pizza-y brainchild of chef Diego Jacquet, this place slings pies that have a little bit of everything (without coming across as gimmick-y or OTT). Think the laudably stiff base of a NY-style pizza, using the 48-hour fermented dough of the best Neopolitans, and finally high-quality beautifully prepared ingredients redolent of Jacquet’s Argentinian heritage. It’s got a blistering 20-second oven-to-table pace, too. Don’t sleep on Florencio: these are as tasty as they come.

What should I order? El Cuartito: tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy salami, grilled peppers and chives. And don’t skip the chef’s famous (and delightful) banana split ice cream for the dessert.