Endlessly customisable pizzas and top cocktails make Zia Lucia a winner.
Pizza is serious business. In fact, I’d argue that even the title ‘Mayor of London’ falls second in importance to ‘best pizza in London’. So when my dear colleague Georgie proclaimed Zia Lucia to be “the best pizza in all of London“, I knew that only by getting my hands on a sliceful of the restaurant’s finest could I confirm the veracity of this audacious statement. Luckily, the opening of Zia Lucia’s new Aldgate branch provided just the opportunity, so along I popped for a visit…
As with many great Italian restaurants, Zia Lucia was inspired by a grand dame of Italian cooking: in this case, founder Gianluca’s Auntie Lucia, who’s something of a local hero back in her Rome neighbourhood. Her London namesake has now spread to four pizzerias; in addition to Aldgate, you’ll find them in Islington, Hammersmith, and BoxPark Wembley, a tasty empire beloved by punters and food critics alike.
See also: 250 of the very best restaurants in London.
A major part of Zia Lucia’s success lies in their dedication to a tactic so often employed by Premier League football teams; just as Liverpool and Manchester City favour playing out from the back, Zia Lucia put together a winning strategy by building from the base. Yep, I’m talking about that dough, that dough which ferments for 48 hours before baking in order to fluff, crisp, and char to perfection.
There are four doughs on offer – traditional, gluten free, wholemeal, and vegetable charcoal – and whilst you can’t really go wrong with any, the bewitchingly witchy black charcoal base is the winner in our eyes. Not just for its supposed digestive gas-absorbing capacities, but for the way it so lovingly carried the flavours of our pizza of choice, the Arianna. A heady hit of mozzarella, fresh sausage, goat’s cheese, pecorino, and truffle honey could become too sweet in the wrong hands, but it’s absolutely pitch perfect on a charcoal base.
Zia Lucia’s whole menu is stuffed with classics, from the enticing Spicy Burrata pizza to the veg-heavy Green Vegana. Coincidentally continuing the football references, I’d suggest for the Andrea Pirlo – mozzarella, gorgonzola, apple, truffle, and olive sauce – for an particularly intriguing slice. In fact, with four doughs and sixteen varieties of pizza on offer, I make that 64 potential combinations – and that’s before you start adding your own extra toppings. A truly epic Zia Lucia challenge could be made out of eating your way through all of them, couldn’t it?
A big range of small plates (three different versions of burrata, no less!) and starters including bruschetta with nduja, roasted vegetables, and focaccia will start the meal off on the right foot – and whilst we sadly couldn’t find room for a dessert, the homemade tiramisú is reportedly excellent. Wine, beer, and cocktails all feature on the drinks menu, but there’s absolutely no overlooking a £7 Negroni that can hold its own against some of the best in town.
In fact, going toe-to-toe with the best in town is something Zia Lucia does pretty well, because the pizza really is divine. You know, I think our Georgie could be on to something here…
Find them in Aldgate, Hammersmith, Islington, and BoxPark Wembley – locations and opening hours available here.
Featured image: @zialuciapizza