Ah, pizza. You’ve helped us through a lot. Hangovers, break ups, everyday carb-cravings. Is there nothing you can’t cure? Thankfully, London is properly spoilt when it comes to slices (or entire pies, we’ll never judge), and so we’ve taken on the daunting task of rounding up the best spots in the city. And, with today being National Pizza Day, why not grab a slice? Not that you ever need an excuse for a slice, right? So, without further ado, here are our favourite pizza places in London!
1. All Kaps Pizza, Dalston
Is it the exclusivity that makes this pizza so delicious? It’s only available one day a week, after all. But to dismiss it as pure hype is to do this place a grave disservice. Popping up at Papo’s Bagels every Sunday from 4-8PM, All Kaps is London’s most exciting new pizza venture. Grab a slice, prop it on the paper plate, stuff it down your throat. Rinse and repeat. Thank us later.
📍 73-75 Shacklewell Lane, London E8 2EB. Nearest station is Dalston Kingsland.
2. Detroit Pizza, Spitalfields
Sometimes you just want something with heft behind it. And when the craving for big ol slabs of pizza pie arrive, it’s not deep dish you should be looking for, but Detroit Pizza’s Detroit-style pies. Baked in authentic ‘blue steel’ pans, Detroit Pizza’s wares are almost akin to a pizza-topped focaccia, for the sheer air-y doughiness – but 100x better. Think rich sauce, crispy cheesy crust, and incredible toppings. Don’t get greedy when you order, one regular pie can easily feed two people – minimum!
📍 75 Commercial St, E1 6BD. Nearest stations are Aldgate East and Liverpool Street.
3. Bad Boy Pizza Society, multiple locations
What started as a “parody University society, aiming to get discount pizza for all the crew” has evolved into three separate but connected venues all serving up unique styles of pie. At Bad Boy Pizza Society’s Vinegar Yard branch they serve up ‘Neo-Neapolitan Za’, while you can grab New-York style pizza by the slice from their Seven Dials Market location. Hit up the National Theatre and you’ll even find them slinging square Detroit-style-esque pies. Need more cred? Their Pepperoni Alla Vodka Sicilian Pie scooped up the ‘National Pizza of the Year‘ award at the National Pizza Awards 2022.
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
4. Zia Lucia, multiple locations
We’ve got a bold claim for one of our top 5 entries from our Executive Editor Georgie: “Okay, I’m just going to say it: Zia Lucia has the best pizza in all of London.” Cat amongst the pigeons, right? All of Zia Lucia’s doughs – traditional, wholemeal, gluten free or a witchy vegetable charcoal – are fermented for 48 hours and baked inside hand-crafted wood-fired ovens, and you can really taste the special treatment. Try the ‘Arianna Sbagliata’ with mozzarella, gorgonzola, fresh sausage, honey, and truffle oil, and Georgie promises you’ll be dreaming about it forever.
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
5. Sodo Pizza, multiple locations
Sodo love a witty pizza name as much as the next person – see the ‘Jon Bon Chovy’ for more evidence of this – but they also pride themselves on producing a dough that is light on the stomach, thanks to a 48-hour fermentation and baking at 450 degrees. They’ve even got brunch at some of their locations, so you can stay all day…
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
6. Well Kneaded, Earlsfield & Peckham Levels
If pizza is the thing you truly knead right now, check out this excellent spot. They originally started life in street food markets with their travelling pizza wagon, Wendy the Wagon. Now, they’re a social enterprise who provide employment and skills training for vulnerable young people. Pizzas are cracking, too! Keep your eyes peeled for their latest venue in Peckham Levels, set to open February 11.
📍 Well Kneaded Earlsfield, 414 Garratt Lane, SW18 4HW. Nearest station is Earlsfield.
7. Homeslice, multiple locations
This almighty pizza joint allows you to buy pizza by the slice but, also, you can get a whomping great 20-inch pizza for as little as £24. Their flavours are incredibly diverse – for example, air-dried wagyu beef with truffle crème fraîche, and even fish and chips on a pie! – so you’re bound to want to mix and match. Their branch in Neal’s Yard is especially cute, but they have a load of restaurants across London.
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
8. Crust Bros, multiple locations
Crust Bros is, as the name suggests, all about that perfect crust. Their dough is left to rise for up to 48 hours before being cooked in the 500 degree wood-fired oven for just 60 seconds. Topped with ingredients that have been handpicked from Italy, the result is a delizioso pizza Straight Outta Naples.
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
9. Yard Sale Pizza, multiple locations
Yard Sale has achieved cult status in London, having started out serving stone baked pizzas in one of the founders’ back gardens. That original service has since turned into a whole host of pizza shops across London. Head to any pub in East London and you’re sure to find a flier from them on the table!
Everything’s delicious, but we’d especially recommend the ‘TSB’ with tender stem broccoli, parmesan, pine nuts and garlic. Their regular collaborations are especially worth keeping an eye out for, with the pizzeria collaborating with the likes of Romesh Ranganathan, Amelia Dimoldenberg of Chicken Shop fame, and more. Yard Sale also delivered free pizza to NHS staff during the pandemic. As if they weren’t perfect already!
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
10. Theo’s, Camberwell & Elephant & Castle
A South London gem (honestly, come at us rest of London, we’ve got pizza FOR DAYS SON!), Theo’s more than lives up to the hype. Grab yourself a Negroni, settle in, and whatever pizza you get, add ricotta to it. Sheer, unbridled food joy awaits you.
📍 Camberwell, 2 Grove Lane, SE5 8SY. Nearest station is Denmark Hill.
📍 Elephant & Castle, 17-18 Elephant and Castle, SE1 6TH. Nearest station is Elephant & Castle.
11. Four Corners @ Rondo La Cave, Holborn
Another Detroit-style pizza entry because anyone in London sleeping on this style is truly missing out. Four Corners have made their super successful pop-up at Rondo La Cave a permanent fixture. Hefty slices of pizza and plenty of natural wine to boot – that’s pretty much our idea of heaven.
📍 The Hoxton, Holborn, 199-206 High Holborn, WC1V 7BD. Nearest station is Holborn.
12. Circolo Popolare, Soho
This bougie restaurant in Fitzrovia is an excellent choice, particularly for those intrigued by one of their specialities: truffle pizza – a mainstay of their mi=onthly changing menu. Circolo Popolare are part of the Big Mamma Group, and their interiors – as well as their pizzas – are truly spectacular. Don’t miss their latest opening, either, Jacuzzi.
📍 40-41 Rathbone Place, W1T 1HX. Nearest station is Tottenham Court Road.
13. Pizza Pilgrims, everywhere
We’re only half-joking: Pizza Pilgrims are literally everywhere in London these days. What started as a six-week pilgrimage to Italy to learn about all things pizza has since grown into one of the capital’s best-loved chains – and crucially, remains an excellent spot for a slice. Keep an eye out for their ever-changing, and ever-delicious, specials.
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
14. Four Hundred Rabbits, multiple locations
North Londoners may not be au fait with 400 Rabbits – and to those North Londoners, we say this: you are seriously missing out. First of all, the restaurant is named after the 400 Rabbit Gods of Aztec folklore, which is just fucking cool. Second, they love their craft beer as much as they love their pizzas, so you can bet the drinks are top-notch. And third, they’ve got easily some of the best vegan pizzas in town.
Try ‘The Clean One’ (tomato, courgette, piquillo peppers, pine nuts, and salsa verde) for plant-powered perfection. They also do a pool-side brunch at their Herne Hill lido location! Alternatively, make sure to take advantage of their lunchtime deal, which nets you a margherita for just £5 between 12-5PM from Monday to Friday.
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
15. Voodoo Ray’s, Dalston & Peckham
Gigantic 22-inch NYC-inspired pizzas virtually guaranteed Voodoo Ray’s place on our list, and a scroll through their Instagram is enough to get anyone drooling. They’re also perfectly situated for late night slices after a night on the town. Delicious, convenient, and hefty – what more could you ask for?
📍 Dalston, 95 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB. Nearest station is Dalston Kingsland.
📍 Peckham, 285 Rye Lane, SE15 4UA. Nearest station is Peckham Rye.
16. Fatto a Mano, King’s Cross
With an already stellar reputation in Brighton and Hove, it was only a matter of time until Fatto a Mano brought their delicious pies to London. And what an addition to the capital it is: fast and friendly service and supremely affordable pizzas. We’re loving it!
📍 Unit 1, 3 Pancras Square, N1C 4AG. Nearest station is King’s Cross St. Pancras.
17. One Two Many, somewhere…
We’ve got four words for you. Pizza. From. A. Boat. Or a barge. But a barge is just a type of boat, right? Anyway, One Two Many might be the hardest pizzeria on this list to find, because they’re simply rarely in the same spot twice. Currently closed until the summer starts swinging around again, we expect they’ll make their return sometime in April. Keep an eye on their socials to find out when they’re back for delicious pizza and pints from “Le Bargé”.
📍 Somewhere on the river in London…
18. Joe Public, Clapham
The slices at Joe Public are ginormous, the entire 20-inch pizza even more so. We recommend the native mushroom, crispy shallots, truffle oil, parmesan, and cream chive base for a treat. And definitely head down for a ‘power hour’ of bottomless pizza for £15 between 7-10PM.
📍 4 The Pavement, SW4 0HY. Nearest stations are Clapham High Srreet and Clapham North.
19. Mamma Dough, multiple locations
Our next South London institution is properly keen on locally sourced ingredients (with small batch, local coffee, and craft beer brewed just 5 miles away) and it shows in their delicious sourdough pizzas. Mamma Dough’s ‘Beatrice’ comes recommended, but those who love a challenge can tackle ‘The Devil’. They also do Two-For-One Margherita Mondays so take a mate, or three!
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
20. L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, Marylebone and Soho
The original Naples restaurant is famous for having “the world’s best pizza” (seen or read Eat, Pray, Love? Yeah, it’s That Pizza Restaurant), so understandably Londoners were pretty excited when it opened here. Queues for the much-hyped margherita have died down a little since then, but it remains a must-visit.
📍 Soho, 44 Old Compton Street, W1D 4TY. Nearest stations are Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road.
📍 Marylebone, 199 Baker Street, NW1 6UY. Nearest station is Baker Street.
21. O’Ver, Borough and St James’
The secret to O’Ver’s lighty and fluffy crusts is a left-field one: purified seawater (don’t worry, it’s sourced from the purest waters of the Mediterranean rather than anywhere around London). Authentic ingredients from Italian producers do the rest, and the wood-fired oven adds the final touch.
📍 Borough, 44-46 Southwark Street, SE1 1UN. Nearest station is London Bridge.
📍 St James’, unit 2, 1 Norris Street, St. James’s, SW1Y 4RJ. Nearest station is Piccadilly Circus.
22. Manifesto, Clapham
An unassuming spot tucked away in Clapham Junction, Manifesto gambles that sourcing the very best ingredients will result in the very best pizzas. Having eaten here before, we can tell you it’s a gamble that pays off handsomely. When you inevitably fall in love with their pizza, you can even order ready-to-bake pizzas from them to cook at home!
📍 148 Northcote Road, SW11 6RD, London. Nearest stations are Clapham Junction or Clapham South.
23. 50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo, Trafalgar Square
Another pizza joint that’s become wildly popular in Naples and expanded into London, 50 Kalò is the restaurant of acclaimed doughmeister Ciro Salvo. A massive pizza menu means you’re spoilt for choice, but when in doubt, head straight for the true test of a pizzaiolo’s talents: the margherita.
📍 7 Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5BY. Nearest stations are Charing Cross and Embankment.
24. Berberè, Clapham & Kentish Town
Self-described simply as “friendly people serving delicious pizza in lovely places” – who can resist such a charming introduction? Berberè serves up pizza that takes inspiration from ancient bread-making techniques when making their doughs. Their ‘living sourdough’ pizzas are light and soft with noisily crunchy exteriors.
📍 Clapham, 67 Venn Street, SW4 0BD. Nearest station is Clapham Common.
📍 Kentish Town, 300 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2TG. Nearest station is Kentish Town.
25. Franco Manca, multiple locations
Ok, we know it’s cool to scoff at chain restaurants, but give a Londoner the chance to grab a bite at Franco Manca, and you’ll rarely find the offer turned down. It’s one of those London-centric chains that has kept the same winning formula despite rapid expansion. If you’re dead set on authenticity, head to their original Brixton Market location to see where it all began.
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
26. Lost Souls Pizza, Camden
Previously known as ‘Lost Boys Pizza’, this pizzeria styles themselves as “The World’s ONLY Vampire Pizzeria”. At this oxymoronically friendly pizzeria you can expect a killer 80s soundtrack, a vampire-themed cocktail menu, and some seriously spooky black dough pizzas. We’d recommend the ‘Pops Goes To Pizza’, topped with sausage, broccoli and parmesan, and don’t forget to dip that charcoal dough into their spicy green pineapple relish dip (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it). Don’t skip the cocktails either – anyone for a Necroni? Head there on Wednesday for 2-4-1 pizzas using the passphrase – it changes weekly and you can find it on their Instagram.
📍 245 Eversholt Street, NW1 1BA. Nearest station is Mornington Crescent.
27. Pizza East, Shoreditch
Produce-led pizza, quality wines, and banging cocktails means Pizza East has the big three covered at their California inspired pizzeria. They also serve up a full Saturday brunch if you’re somehow, inexplicably, not in the mood for pizza.
📍 56A Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ. Nearest station is Shoreditch High Street.
28. Santa Maria, multiple locations
Originally named for its location on St. Mary’s Road in Ealing, Santa Maria’s prestige comes from the fact that the owners, ingredients, and wood fired oven have all come over from Italy, giving their pies an authentic Neapolitan taste. They promise that their Neapolitan is “exactly the same as the pizza you can eat on the streets of Naples”. Fun fact: their Brentford location is actually found inside a luxury car dealership!
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
29. Street Pizza, multiple locations
Did you know Gordon Ramsay had a pizza restaurant? Thankfully there’s not an idiot sandwich in sight here, but you will find bottomless pizza and bottomless ice cream. Who can argue with that?
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
30. Pizza Union, multiple locations
Pizza Union is the perfect place to go if you’re craving pizza, but you’re a little strapped for cash. A proper, human-sized margarita comes in at under £5, but if we were you, we’d opt for the ‘Calabria’ for a modest £6.95, topped with mozzarella, mascarpone, nduja spicy sausage, and rocket. It’s proper good pizza for proper cheap prices, and they also do a cracking gluten free pizza.
📍 Find your nearest location at their website.
So, there you have it: a nifty little list of what we at Secret London reckon are the best pizza spots in London. Anyone else hungry, now? Well, at least you know where to go!
Also published on Medium.