Santa Maria

Opened on Valentine’s Day 2010, Santa Maria is the real deal for lovers of pizza – complete with congenial young Neapolitan owners & a traditional Italian wood-fired oven. It’s a tiny place & queues are common (there’s a no-bookings policy), but provenance is important here – from the Caputo flour used for making the crisp pizza bases to the La Donzelletta mozzarella in the toppings, & the Gelati Oddono ices for afters. Perhaps start with some garlicky focaccia or aubergine parmigiana, before deliberating on the choice of nine pizzas: the San Mattia with mushrooms & truffle oil is particularly alluring, or you might fancy a calzone stuffed with salame & ricotta. The drinks list is also a concise read, with wine limited to ‘red’ or ‘white’ by the glass, bottle or carafe, plus beer from Peroni.