London’s best pizza

Give yourself a dose of la dolce vita this lunchtime with our list of the best pizzas in London. Whether you’re hankering after the flavours of a recent holiday, or yearning for the sunshine and sass of this Mediterranean food mecca, there’s nothing better than a pizza done properly. Here are the pizzerias that most deserve a slice of your lunchbreak.

Donna Margherita, Lavender Hill

Kitsch and inexpensive it may be, but this informal Clapham Italian knows its onions, or cipolle. It serves beautifully made wood-fired pizzas, such as the seafood-heavy pizza marinara, that put other restaurants’ versions to shame.

Franco Manca, Brixton

The first restaurant to recognise the potential for Brixton Market’s gentrification, Franco Manca serves a short-but-sweet menu of organic toppings on sourdough bases. Don’t expect a genteel dining experience, and be prepared to queue for the privilege of this pizza.

Fratelli La Bufula, Hampstead

This family-friendly Italian specialises in buffalo mozzarella, always a plus when it comes to pizza. Its wood-fired delicacies are great big saucers and come topped with flavoursome tomato sauce, the cheese in question, and all manner of high-quality toppings.

Harry’s Pizzeria Bar, Blackfriars

For two decades, Harry’s Pizzeria Bar has been turning out classically garnished, thin, springy pizzas with one twist: a wholemeal base. Its piazza-style terrace is perfect for a Venetian-style business lunch in the sun.

Mulberry Street, Notting Hill

Still looking as box-fresh as the day it opened, Mulberry Street is a high-end Manhattan-esque pizzeria named after the main drag in NYC’s Little Italy. Expect giant pizza pies with classy toppings from taleggio to truffles, perhaps washed down with one of the Champagnes on the wine list. Unbelievably, delivery by chauffeur is also available.

The Oak, Westbourne Grove

A charming, unpretentious Italian (and former pub), The Oak was one of the first restaurants in London to install a traditional wood-fired oven, which turns out ‘always great’ pizzas, according to our readers, at keen prices.

Pizza East, Notting Hill (pictured, right) and Shoreditch

The Evening Standard’s restaurant critic summed up the two branches of this pizza sensation by its clientele: apparently, in E1, the punters are ‘painfully on trend’, while in W10, ‘casual means losing the tie but keeping the cufflinks’. Whichever group you fit into, you’re bound to enjoy the inventive toppings and casual vibe at this smash hit.

Pizza Metro, Clapham

Pizza Metro serves a cracking pizza by the metre – try the salsiccia e friarielli (sausage, mozzarella and Italian greens). Note that it’s best to avoid the restaurant at peak times, when its popularity is a curse on service and satisfaction rather than a blessing.

Rossopomodoro, West Brompton

This casual, buzzy venue, with its colourful abstract paintings, tiled pizza oven and fresh herbs on display, makes a mean pizza. All the ingredients are imported from Campania, whose capital Naples is the home of pizza.

Santa Maria, South Ealing

The residents of this unassuming suburb must have been beside themselves with excitement when such a gem of a pizzeria opened in their neck of the woods in 2010. Deliciously chewy pizzas topped with fior di latte cheese are fired in the traditional oven at 400 degrees for 90 seconds – the true Neopolitan way. Note that the tiny dining room fills up quickly with connoisseurs – many of them Italian – so turning up on spec might involve a long wait with a few bottles of cold Italian beer. Trust us: it’s worth it.

Super Pizza

Setting out its stall with its name, Super Pizza is a mecca for hungry hipsters on Brick Lane. The restaurant makes a small batch of each variety, from prosciutto with honeyed figs, ricotta and rosemary to slow-roast porchetta with caramelised red onion and sage, which it sells by the slice.