Review of 'Pizza Pilgrims'

It started with a small van serving pizzas to the starving working classes but now Pizza Pilgrims have opened a restaurant in Soho - Around the corner from Soho Square. I have been unfortunate to have not sampled their wares before visiting the restaurant but I have heard the hype so was determined to give this a go.

Having opened only two weeks ago we expected queues so made sure to be there right when it opened at 6 pm on a Thursday. The queue was there but it quickly cleared as they opened their doors and we were shown through the small ground floor (the authentic brick oven behind a small serving area with stools at bar-style seating along the window) down the stairs into the, thankfully, far more spacious basement. Though noisy, it seems quite cozy and the lighting is quite subtle. Our somewhat used paper menus arrived (likely grasped with a fervor by the pilgrim's numerous fans) and it is quite small with “Not Pizza” (appetisers, generally), “After Pizza” (deserts) and along with drinks. There is, rather cheekily, a small bit on how to actually eat pizza…as if diners for this particular restaurant wouldn't know!

We headed straight into the main courses. I choose the “Calzone Ripieno” (£11) - “Folded pizza with proscuitto cotto, ricotta & mushrooms, topped with tomato, fior di latte & parmesan” if only for trying something different than those pizzas chosen by my companions - “Artichoke, ricotta and smoked garlic oil” (£9) - “Margherita topped with the above” and “Portobello mushroom & truffle” (£10) - “Portobello mushroom, fior di latte, parmesan, basil, truffle oil”. My calzone was good if a bit heavy on the ricotta (which is a bit odd in a savory pizza). The crust, for which they are known, was slightly chewy but wonderfully charred from the oven imparting a nice smoky flavour. The proscuitto was nice and moist - Generally it was quite tasty and quite a LARGE portion compared to the pizzas of my fellow diners. I tried the artichoke pizza and it was quite nice - thin crust with a generous crust. The artichoke was fresh but not over cooked.

We could not resist the “Nutella pizza ring” (£5.50) but after hearing it used half the dough of one of their pizzas and being slightly full from the mains we shared it amongst the three of us - A good choice. Delicious if a bit odd with the ricotta in it - Generous with the nutella too! A ring of pizza with the nutella and ricotta inside and sprinkled with icing sugar.

The only complaint I have about the restaurant itself was the cavern-like interior meant that it was quite noisy as it got busy. The service was very friendly and enthusiastic.

We will be back.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2013-08-16


Cuisine: Pizza

Address: 11 Dean Street, Soho, W1D 3RP ENGLAND

Public Transport: TUBE Tottenham Court Road

Location: London (England) - Soho

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Telephone: +44 (0) 207 287 8964

URL: http://pizzapilgrims.co.uk/