St James's, Pizza Restaurant Guide

In a prime Mayfair location, this “noisy”, Russian-owned Italian wins acceptable ratings, but divides reporters on the subject of value: fans hail it as “wonderful all-round, with a variety of choice and well-presented dishes” (including “top pizza”), but to sceptics “although the food is decent, it’s majorly overpriced, in particular the wine list”.

“Out-of-this-world pizza” – using seawater in the dough, and whose “toppings are inventive without being bizarre” – again inspires high praise for this “piece of Napoli in London”, “on a busy street that’s a little out of the way”, but “not far from Borough Market”. In the evening it can be “crowded and very noisy”, but staff are “always very welcoming”. As of June 2019, it has a new heart-of-the-West End sibling, in the St James’s Market development.

“So delicious and affordable every time!” – the Elliot brothers’ “speedy and cheerful” small chain put in a stellar performance in the last survey as London’s top pizza multiple, pipping rival Homeslice by tiny decimals. “You can see the dough being made on entering: everything is very fresh, and you get crisp, thin pizzas with quality toppings”.

“So delicious and affordable every time!” – the Elliot brothers’ “speedy and cheerful” small chain put in a stellar performance in the last survey as London’s top pizza multiple, pipping rival Homeslice by tiny decimals. “You can see the dough being made on entering: everything is very fresh, and you get crisp, thin pizzas with quality toppings”.

“Brilliant pizzas” (alongside “typical trattoria dishes”) are served at this Mount Street Italian: “good for quick business lunches” and offering notably “great value in the heart of Mayfair”. It “could do with some investment in decor and ambience” though.

2019 Review: “Pizza isn’t my favourite, but the truffled one here tastes better than it smells… and it smells great!” – this fun pizza stop (nowadays incorporated into the ‘Mews of Mayfair’ empire, to which it’s a neighbour) is worth knowing about for a light, relatively affordable bite, off Bond Street.

The London franchise of the 19th-century Neapolitan pizzeria that featured in the film ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ is a “buzzy, noisy” crowd-pleaser in touristy Baker Street that serves “delicious and massive pizzas”.

2019 Review: “An old treasure given the Nick Jones treatment… welcome back!” – this resurrected Soho landmark gets the thumbs-up from most who have visited after its swish revamp care of the Soho House group, certainly for its “handsome looks” (including the gorgeous bar). Its “initially underwhelming-looking” brasserie menu can “deliver real joy”, even if overall ratings for the cooking are rather more middling.

“There’s always such a buzz at any time” at the original Cecconi’s, “tucked away behind the Royal Academy” – a “bustling” and “sophisticated” all-day Italian brasserie, whose “open, bright, pavement terrace” helps make it a big favourite amongst the St James’s set, be it “for an upmarket business breakfast”, or as “a treat during a day’s shopping in the West End”. When it comes to the cooking, it “can be a bit hit or miss, but is generally good”. Nowadays owned by Soho House, the brand is being rolled out, but its diverse family of spin-offs echo rather than replicate the original. There’s a City outlet in The Ned’s capacious food hall, which like Mayfair is “fun” and “an excellent place to do business” of a less formal kind. Beyond that, the food is “reliable” but pretty “basic at the price”, and the setting can be “the noisiest ever”. A Soho pizza spot carries the name, on which there’s little feedback. New in September 2018, the Shoreditch branch is “a very good addition as a real neighbourhood restaurant”, with a “nice bar”, and a generally “winning formula”, including for brunch.

The best pizza in Europe outside of Italy is, according to a recent Top-50, to be found at this summer 2018 import direct from Napoli – a “huge” space that’s part of a hotel just off Trafalgar Square (but with its own dedicated entrance). 50 Kalò means ‘good dough’ in the local Naples dialect and most reports say it has indeed “captured the essence of good pizza making”: “super light crusts, with amazing charring on the dough, delivering fantastic textures and taste”; and “varied, high quality toppings” too. Some reporters feel that to call it the best in London is hype, but all reports agree this is “simple-but-yummy food that definitely hits the spot”.