Discover the best pizza in London

Franco Manca opened in Brixton Market in 2008, using an 18th-century sourdough starter brought from near Naples. It was the first sustained Neapolitan-style sourdough pizza in the UK. The 2012 wave (Pizza Pilgrims, Sacro Cuore) and the 2018 Naples-flagship wave (50 Kalò, Da Michele) followed. For a full walkthrough of the modern scene, see our guide to the best pizza in London.

Overwhelmingly Neapolitan, in the Naples-diaspora register: leoparded cornicione, fior di latte, San Marzano tomatoes, 60 to 90 seconds at around 485°C. Direct Naples lineage matters more here than local reinvention. Pizza contemporanea shows up too, and a handful of pizza fritta specialists.

Pizzerias cluster in Soho, Brixton, Shoreditch, Hackney and Stoke Newington, Peckham, Camden, and Chiswick. The chains sit alongside the destination single-rooms, and most boroughs now have one of each.

Yes at the destination spots, including 50 Kalò and the Da Michele Soho and Baker Street branches. The neighborhood chains lean walk-in, with peak-weekend waits that can hit an hour in central districts. For a full breakdown of which London rooms take reservations, see the London pizza guide.

Expect £8 to £12 for a Margherita at Franco Manca or Pizza Pilgrims, £12 to £18 at a sit-down Neapolitan room, and £15 to £25 at the destination spots. The cheap-slice tier is rare in London compared to New York.

The serious rooms run AVPN rules and most are staffed by Naples-trained pizzaioli or are direct expansions of Naples houses. 50 Kalò is the London outpost of Ciro Salvo's Piazza Dante room in Naples, and the Da Michele Soho branch is the Naples flagship's UK expansion.

Pizza fritta is fried pizza, a Naples street format that became a meal-replacement during the post-war years when wood was scarce. London has a few specialists serving it as a standalone format alongside conventional Neapolitan rounds. For the full fritta story and other Naples fry traditions, read Neapolitan pizza styles.

50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo is on Northumberland Avenue, a two-minute walk from Trafalgar Square. The Da Michele Soho branch is a ten-minute walk north into Soho.

Most Neapolitan rooms offer a gluten-free base on request, usually with a small surcharge. Check the venue page on OpenPizzaMap for current dietary options.

Pizzeria kitchens in London generally close between 22:30 and midnight. Late-night options cluster in Soho and Shoreditch on Friday and Saturday, usually as part of bar or pub concepts rather than dedicated pizzerias.