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Imagine if Subway had a baby with Nando's, and that baby made really delicious pizza. Meet MOD. Already massive in America (like, 200 restaurants massive), MOD might actually achieve the impossible and make eating pizza even more fun.
Here’s how it works at their first London branch. You queue up at the counter, pick between three sizes – mini (£4.87), mod (£6.87) and mega (£10.87) – and then you make all your filthy pizza dreams come true at once by adding unlimited toppings. Unlimited. Toppings. There are 38 on offer. So you could technically add 38 toppings to your pizza. For no extra charge. Plus – here’s the Nando’s part – there’s a soda fountain, with unlimited refills. Are you having fun yet?
Don’t go overboard though, because this slice is too nice to smother. Stone-baked in an 800°C oven for just three minutes, MOD is fast pizza but not as you know it: super thin, super classy and boasting a wonderfully crunchy crust. Of the pre-designed ‘Top 10’ menu, the best of all (unexpectedly) was the vegetarian one, called Tristan: drizzled with quality pesto, and topped with soft mushrooms and strong asiago cheese, it was a perfect mix of garlicky funk and clean, crisp crunch.
Also excellent was the meaty, fennel-infused Mad Dog and the blue cheese, chicken and hot sauce Calexico – basically hot wings, but on a pizza. It’s this kind of inventiveness that puts MOD in a different class of fast food. That, and the kind of counter service that makes Subway look like a shitshow. In fact, apart from the price point, the only chain-y thing about MOD is the décor: spread across three floors off Leicester Square, the place has zero atmosphere. Do yourself a favour and go for a takeaway. But then again, there’s unlimited soda! A win-win situation.