Best Pizza in London: The Definitive Guide

London's pizza scene has matured significantly — genuine Neapolitan technique alongside increasingly good New York and Detroit-style alternatives.

Neapolitan

Franco Manca pioneered affordable, properly fermented Neapolitan dough across London and remains reliable at every branch. Sourdough-base, wood-fired, blistered crust — the benchmark style most serious pizza places aim for.

New York—Style

Yard Sale Pizza in East London does the best large-format New York slices in the city — foldable, properly greasy, sold by the slice for a quick lunch.

Higher-End

Several modern Italian restaurants do exceptional pizza as part of a broader menu — worth the premium if you're already eating there for other dishes.

Tips

• Franco Manca is the most consistent choice across all its branches.
• Yard Sale Pizza for a proper New York-style slice — genuinely rare done well in London.

Detroit-Style: The New Arrival

A handful of London pizzerias have started serving Detroit-style pizza — thick, rectangular, with a notably crispy caramelised cheese edge from being baked in steel pans. Still rare enough in London that finding a good one feels like a discovery rather than a given, unlike the now-widespread Neapolitan scene.

Sourdough & Long Fermentation

Several of London's best independent pizzerias have moved toward long-fermented sourdough bases (24–72 hours), producing a more complex, easier-to-digest crust than quick-proved dough. This is where the more serious end of London's pizza scene has focused its attention in recent years, beyond just topping choices.

Tips

• Ask if the dough is long-fermented — it's become a genuine marker of quality at serious pizzerias.
• Detroit-style is still uncommon in London — worth trying if you spot it, purely for the novelty alongside the flavour.