Soho, Pizza Restaurant Guide

“Much better than the long-established, tired pizza chains!” – the Elliot brothers’ growing group is the most-mentioned of London’s more artisanal pizza multiples in our annual diners’ poll, inspiring joy with their “authentic Neapolitan preparation, with quality ingredients” and featuring “yummy crusts and interesting flavour combinations”. And you get “consistent quality irrespective of the branch visited” too, even if conditions can be “a little cramped and chaotic”.

“Much better than the long-established, tired pizza chains!” – the Elliot brothers’ growing group is the most-mentioned of London’s more artisanal pizza multiples in our annual diners’ poll, inspiring joy with their “authentic Neapolitan preparation, with quality ingredients” and featuring “yummy crusts and interesting flavour combinations”. And you get “consistent quality irrespective of the branch visited” too, even if conditions can be “a little cramped and chaotic”.

“Excellent value and decent pizzas” using ingredients imported from Naples win a solid thumbs up – if not quite full-on raves – from fans of this Mancunian import, on the Soho site recently vacated by Wahaca (which nowadays is expanding countrywide). A Birmingham branch is in the pipeline, and more locations around the capital are on the wishlist.

“Simple Italian dishes”, with everything freshly made in the kitchen, are on the menu at this ten-year-old independent in Soho, whose standout culinary feature is the range of house-made vermouths in the bar. Praise is pretty muted, though – and “the room really lacks something despite good service”.

“Much better than the long-established, tired pizza chains!” – the Elliot brothers’ growing group is the most-mentioned of London’s more artisanal pizza multiples in our annual diners’ poll, inspiring joy with their “authentic Neapolitan preparation, with quality ingredients” and featuring “yummy crusts and interesting flavour combinations”. And you get “consistent quality irrespective of the branch visited” too, even if conditions can be “a little cramped and chaotic”.

The “outstanding pizzas” – “huge, delicious and authentically Neapolitan” – win top marks for the two London outposts of a Naples original dating back 150 years, which featured in Elizabeth Gilbert’s global bestseller ‘Eat Pray Love’. The toppings are “mostly traditional”, with some “interesting combinations and extras”. Don’t be misled by the “plain exterior, which makes it look like all the cheap restaurants and snack places along Baker Street” – this branch and its Soho sibling are “very good indeed”.

“The original location is by far the best” – “almost Continental in feel, and opposite the back entrance of the Royal Academy in Burlington Arcade”: “a regular haunt” for Mayfair types where “a seat at the bar is the best possible place in the world”. “Always buzzy and with exceptional Bellinis, it’s best for breakfast or brunch”. On the downside, “the high prices of the food reflect the area and locale”. Its simpler spin-offs (most notably pizza joints in Soho and Shoreditch) capture a fragment of this “fun and upmarket” style.