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Breaking news
The branch where the story started has now closed, but is now replaced by a larger Richmond outlet as the flagship.
Harden's says
What a backstory! Jazz musician, Tim Thornton, lost his income in the pandemic and, with the help of his wife, sold pizza to bring in cash. Being in West London, it was (naturally!) from a special, low GI mix for the bases, alongside some upscale toppings (Stichelton blue cheese, crispy cured pig cheek, etc). And now he’s opened his own pizza caff: it’s on the site, opposite King Street W6’s Tesco Metro, that was formerly Piate (RIP), a cheery small Greek: itself, a victim of the pandemic. So, something lost, something gained on this site.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“The base is soft, fluffy, chewy, flavoursome… but also all-round crispy and charred to just the right amount! Very impressive, right up there with the best of them!” – Tim Thornton has “nailed a simple and good thing, so often done very very badly”, creating “pizza with a sourdough difference that’s really well presented, different, and with unusual toppings”: “first class”. His initial Hammersmith base inspires most feedback, but will close in late 2025 (hence no listing) to be replaced by a new Richmond HQ, alongside the existing Barnes and Putney satellites.
Summary
“The slow-rise sourdough bases are like nothing ever tasted before” – this “small and friendly” three-year-old Hammersmith independent now has spinoffs in Barnes and Putney, and serves “unusual and unusually good pizza”. Founder Tim Thornton is a jazz bassist whose lockdown project – baking pizzas to raise funds for the NHS – took over his life. “I went all the way to Naples and had what was supposed to be ‘the best pizza in town’, and I’m not sure it was any better than at Base Face!”
Summary
“A true find” – jazz bassist Tim Thornton’s lockdown pizza project-gone-permanent goes from strength to strength, serving “top sourdough pizzas” at his original pizzeria on King Street in Hammersmith and a more recent addition across the river in Barnes. “Lovely staff and a great atmosphere” add to the package.
Summary
Jazz music’s loss was Hammersmith pizza-lovers’ gain: professional bass-player Tim Thornton lost his living when live music was silenced under lockdown, so he turned to making “really delicious” pizzas. Now he has a “fantastic little pizza restaurant” on King Street that is “busy and full of locals” (“the best pizzas we’ve eaten in years – a real find!”).
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Base Face Pizza?
Restaurant details
Base Face Pizza Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Lovely sourdough bases, very good ingredients, and friendly staff. Tasty as. I've also picked up a takeaway from the branch in Barnes while out on a long river walk - they've nailed a simple and good thing, so often done very very badly. "
Prices
 Drinks |
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|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £20.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
 Extras |
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|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
Opening hours
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