Chertsey, Pizza Restaurant Guide

It may feel “like eating in a small caff”, but this outpost of Naples in suburban Ealing serves “simply the best pizza”. It’s “run family-style, so service is friendly” – and the high quality of the fare means “they can be busy”. Founded in 2014, it has a second branch in Hanwell.

“Top-class pizza at the new outlet by Kew Gardens” (on the site of Hawthorn, RIP) wins a particular thumbs-up this year for this “properly Neapolitan” chain (“down to the shrine to Diego Maradona on the wall” in TW9). It was well-rated this year, if not as stratospherically as days gone by, supporting those who feel: “I don’t seem as keen on this place as everyone else, but it’s fresh and friendly and local”. The group started in Ealing over 15 years ago and – as well as its Kew launch – also added a Paddington branch in 2025 to join those in Fitzrovia, Fulham and Islington.

“No flowery, fine-dining pretensions: just a warm, dog-friendly place with a short, but always interesting, menu” – such are the recommendations for this brilliantly run 1830s pub on the edge of Wimbledon Common, which does a roaring year-round trade, and makes particularly good use of its front terrace and lawn in the summer. Casks of guest beers and ciders are on display behind the bar (long-serving landlord Andrew Ford is a real ale enthusiast). Top Menu Tip – “the pies are worth the 20-minute wait!”

This modern Italian in Wimbledon Village wins consistent – if consistently middling – ratings and is, say fans, the “ideal local”, with home-made pasta and thin-crust pizza topping the bill.

2022 Review: A “lovely local” near Turnham Green, this “family-owned Italian” is “tiny but with terrific food and atmosphere”. There’s a good range of pizzas but the Puglian dishes are what makes it special.

This smartly converted pub in Ravenscourt Park offers a full menu of Italian starters and mains, but the highlight for most reporters is the “thin and crispy Roman-style pizza – so good”. (The Bird in Hand at Brook Green is a sibling on similar lines, while the Oak in Notting Hill was relaunched in July 2025 as The Good Oak under new owners).

2022 Review: With its foliage, fairy lights and heaters, this September 2020 newcomer – where tables are predominantly outside – injects a festive spark into a quirky space, next to Shepherd’s Bush market and the Goldhawk Road tube bridge (opposite the station). Founders Will Fuller of Soho House Group and Frazer Timmerman of Incipio Group aimed, apparently, to import a bit of East London groove to this converted railway arch and adjoining large yard, and judging by it being permanently packed they’ve succeeded! Pizza is the menu mainstay and staff try hard. A 120-seater, it’s also available for events.

“Still our pizza favourite no matter how successful and busy they get… the black dough even makes you feel you’re eating healthy!” – this eight-strong chain has grown from its Islington base over the last ten years (est. 2016) and its successful formula revolves around four 48-hour slow-fermented doughs – charcoal, wholemeal, gluten-free and traditional. Of these the first is the most eye-catching: “interesting charcoal-based pizza with delicious toppings”. The original N7 branch near Arsenal and the W14 one (they call it ‘Hammersmith’ but it’s closer to Olympia) attract most feedback, but it’s the food that wins fans: for example, “the original one feels buzzy when Arsenal play at home when it’s packed out, but otherwise can feel a bit grim and loveless”.

“Sneakily good pizza” – double-fermented Neapolitan-style – ensure that many branches are “always packed” at the Elliot brothers’ still-expanding chain, whose new summer 2025 opening at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane marked a return to the site of one of their earliest pop-ups in 2013. Nowadays, it’s one of the more commented-on multiples in our annual diners’ poll. Top Menu Tip – “pepperoni and honey!”

2024 Review: “Great food and drink, especially pizza” makes it worth remembering this stylish (if sometimes noisy) Olympia pub-conversion, a few minutes’ walk from Brook Green (part of the Oak group).

“Top-class pizza at the new outlet by Kew Gardens” (on the site of Hawthorn, RIP) wins a particular thumbs-up this year for this “properly Neapolitan” chain (“down to the shrine to Diego Maradona on the wall” in TW9). It was well-rated this year, if not as stratospherically as days gone by, supporting those who feel: “I don’t seem as keen on this place as everyone else, but it’s fresh and friendly and local”. The group started in Ealing over 15 years ago and – as well as its Kew launch – also added a Paddington branch in 2025 to join those in Fitzrovia, Fulham and Islington.

This seven-year-old independent a couple of doors along from Chez Bruce on the edge of Wandsworth Common is reckoned by fans to offer among the “best pizza in town”. “I only discovered it recently but it has become a favourite”.

“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.

“Top-class pizza at the new outlet by Kew Gardens” (on the site of Hawthorn, RIP) wins a particular thumbs-up this year for this “properly Neapolitan” chain (“down to the shrine to Diego Maradona on the wall” in TW9). It was well-rated this year, if not as stratospherically as days gone by, supporting those who feel: “I don’t seem as keen on this place as everyone else, but it’s fresh and friendly and local”. The group started in Ealing over 15 years ago and – as well as its Kew launch – also added a Paddington branch in 2025 to join those in Fitzrovia, Fulham and Islington.

“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.

“Absolutely knockout pizza” has won a big rep for this Chiswick independent – and No 1 spot two years running in the 50 Top Pizza Europa Awards (excluding Italy). Michele Pascarella, “the owner-chef, is a pizza-dough genius – he’s still hands-on in the kitchen”, and he crowns the pies with an “eclectic range of toppings” that are “a bit different from the standard line-up”. Michele started out with an oven on the back of a three-wheeler Piaggio truck (hence the name) before opening his first permanent site in 2019; there’s now a second in Richmond. Top Menu Tip – “homemade pistachio tiramisu is dessert heaven on a plate”.

“Tapas and pizzas – both very good” win local fans for this “lovely neighbourhood venue” by Chiswick’s Bedford Park, which makes a “reasonably priced spot to catch up with friends”. A second branch in Acton (at 328 Uxbridge Road) is less commented-on but “gives a welcome lift to the dining options in the area”.

“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.

“Believe the hype – these pizzas are the real thing!” – so say all reports on Carl McCluskey’s Hammersmith phenomenon which has stormed social media with its quirky and “glorious” set-up, delivering “perfect pizza in a proper old boozer!”. Set in the (clapped-out looking) Chancellor’s Arms behind Hammersmith’s Riverside studios, it’s “such a weird and good place!” – you can risk it and walk in, or you can book ahead and reserve your dough, then try and bag a seat and if you fail eat take-out style on the nearby river-path. The draw is his “excellent crispy pizza” of the NYC variety, which many consider “simply the best in town”. BREAKING NEWS: As of July 2025, it is rumoured that McCluskey is putting the finishing touches on a new Mayfair sibling at 24 N Audley St, London W1K 6WD.