London’s best restaurants for pizza

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? A chewy New York/Neapolitan hybrid.

Five Points Brewing Co’s Hackney home, the Pembury Tavern, is also where you'll find some seriously good pizza. 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" individual pizzas, with local specials like the Hackney Hellboy with vegan nduja. Add a chilli-honey drizzle to your pizza for an extra £1.50 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? Thin, crisp (naturally) New York pizza.

Had enough of the ubiquitous, doughy Neapolitan-style pizza that's taken London by storm over the past decade? Then get yourself to backstreet Hammersmith pub, The Chancellors. Here you'll find thin, stiff and perfectly rendered New York-style slices. Cooked up by Carl McCluskey inside his grandma's boozer, these pizzas are worth the mission. Keep your eyes open too, for the occasional collab with the likes of pasta supremos Padella. 

What should I order? The picante, with spicy tequila sauce and a pesto swirl.

What kind of pizza is it? Deep pan mini pies. A true original pizza.

After a stint serving up pies at a brandy distillery in Walthamstow, Little Earthquakes is now in residence in Dalston. 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? 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? 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? Charred and chewy New Haven-style.

Sloppy Neapolitan pizza is so last year. You know it as well as we do. In its wake, there’s a lot of crispy ones going around instead. But the newest pizza to take London by storm? That’s Lenny’s Apizza, a New Haven-style, 14-inch whopper of a pie served up at the incredibly normal football pub that is the Bedford Tavern in Finsbury Park. Some toppings are great, some need a little more finesse - the sausage was intensely fennelly in the best way, but could use something spicy and pickled, while the potato needed a strong cheese and possibly something meaty. But the base? Oh, the base: she’s perfect. Crispy and chewy with a proper, loud bite. Charred at the crust, delightfully salty and a little oily, all 14 inches of Lenny’s offering is bang on. For the ultimate test, lift your slice, give it a little wiggle, and see it stay perfectly straight.

What should I order? Stick to the classics and bag a pepperoni pie. Or the famous Lenny - a half-cheese, half cheese-and-tomato pie.

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? 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? 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? 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? Traditional Neapolitan pizza.

Santa Maria has nailed the trifecta of peerless pizza: fresh ingredients, traditional methods, spectacular sourdough. The margherita at this Fitzrovia branch of the revered restaurant was practically perfect. Finding nowhere in London to match the pizza of their upbringing, Angelo Ambrosio and Pasquale Chionchio first set about recreating a slice of Naples in Ealing. There are also branches in Paddington, Kew, Ealing, Fulham and Islington as well as this Fitzrovia joint.

What should I order? Santa Bufalina, with big dollops of buffalo mozzarella.

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.

What kind of pizza is it? Neapolitan.

Come to this neighbourhood Neapolitan pizza joint in Peckham for the house pizza — the 081 — an expertly pimped margherita, with a paper-thin base and thick, airy crust, topped with a generous helping of pillowy discs of juicy DOP mozzarella di bufala. If you frequent London’s many pizza spots, you’ll know by now that the crust dip is having a moment. 081’s pesto dip is a special one, sweet, tangy and herby. 

What should I order? The parmigiana pizza is made with silky aubergine that's so brilliantly smokey you might mistake it for meat. 

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? Neapolitan, of course. 

Bright blue colours set the tone in this Stokey pizzeria where the pizzas are gigantic and properly luscious. Vicoli di Napoli means ‘alleys of Naples’, which is where some say pizza was born – and the sisters who run this spot are doing a sterling job of keeping it alive and kicking. Mariana and margheritas are the house specials, but veer into the calzone section of the menu and you won’t be mad about it. Wash it down with some aperitivo. There’s even a Nutella pizza for pud – but we recommend the tasty tiramisu. 

What should I order? Prosciutto e funghi.

What kind of pizza is it? Various Italian 48-hour slow fermented dough pizzas.

Opened by Highbury locals Claudio Vescovo and Gianluca d’Angelo, Zia Lucia serves up an old-fashioned Italian family feast in a contemporary setting. Various 48-hour fermented doughs give the menu its USP: there’s a deliciously nutty wholemeal option, an impressive-looking vegetable charcoal one and even a gluten-free crust. Toppings are new classics (’nduja, aubergine, broccoli etc) and there’s also a vegan version involving butternut-squash cream. There are further branches across the capital, including Boxpark Wembley, Hammersmith, Stoke Newington, Balham and Chelsea.

What should I order? All the toppings are great, so experiement with the bases. Try the super-goth charcoal. 

What kind of pizza is it? Thin and wood-fired.

This small chain’s original restaurant in Neal’s Yard dishes out pizzas fresh from a wood-fired oven – and boy, are they big ’uns. Thankfully, most of these thin-crusted beauties are available by the slice – although you can order a whole 20-incher, enough to feed you and two of your pals. They’ll even let you have more than one choice from the topping selections if you ask nicely. Homeslice has other branches in Marylebone and the City, too.

What should I order? Mushroom, ricotta, pumpkin seeds, chilli and soy truffle glaze.