Ria's

Slipping into Ria’s mellow dining room feels like stepping into a friend’s (exceedingly tasteful) living room - a world away from the heaving pavements of Portobello Road. Lo-fi music fills the blue-panelled space, where tables are huddled together. It’s intimate, but not cramped, and all adds to the charm of what feels like stumbling across a cosy corner of West London.

Served by the slice or whole, the bulk of Ria’s streamlined menu is occupied by Detroit-style ‘pizza pies’ dressed in a range of decadent toppings, which all come with the option of additional hot honey, parmesan cream, or hot butter drizzle. Warning: this is not one for the ascetic.

Detroit pizza is a curious thing. Baked in rectangular dishes to achieve a signature crispy crust, and with an airy, chewy base, it feels almost more like a loaded focaccia. One downside of Ria’s simple menu is that many of the most enticing topping options are only available as a whole pie, though this does make it a great place to come with a group.

Sides and salads tide you over while your pizza bakes. Smashed and fried potatoes with a garlic-infused whipped feta pack a punch, and kofta-esque spiced haggis pops doused in hot honey exemplify where Ria’s goes so right. This is perfectly imperfect, simple, comfort food.

Take the house pie. Though ostensibly a margarita, it’s livened up by a ricotta drizzle, and zippy basil and lemon sauce. The spicy merguez sausage pizza’s meatiness is livened up by sweet pickled shallots and chillies, and vegans can also get involved - vegan nduja, fried basil and vegan stracciatella makes for an amazingly creamy vegan pie, offset with agave syrup.

Another feather in Ria’s bow is the natural wine selection. A solid selection by the glass and bottle brings a light Puglian orange, a change from the heavy yeastiness which often comes with skin-contact territory. A jammy nouveau-style red helps take the edge off the impressively hot vegan nduja.

Ria’s unwavering popularity since opening last year is no small feat in an area spoiled for top-tier restaurant choice - that’s as good a testament as any to Ria’s quality.

Over recent years, London has become saturated with plenty of brilliant spaces to get a delicious pizza. However, Ria’s has managed to bring something new and exciting to London’s pizza scene. This Notting Hill spot has introduced the city to the delights of a Detroit-style pizza, bringing a new sense of life to the much-loved delicacy. Combine this new spin on the ultimate comfort food, with a healthy selection of natural wines, and you’ve got an instant west London classic that regularly pulls queues down the street.

While the foundations remain the same, Ria’s Detroit-style pizza looks slightly different to the circular, Neapolitan-style pies us Londoners have become accustomed to. Baked in a rectangular pan, the pizza is known for its thicker, crunchier crust, more reminiscent of focaccia than it is of a typical pizza dough. The base is then covered in all the usual suspects, with plenty of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese painted on top.

The dough at Ria’s is made using a regenerative flour that goes through a 72-hour fermentation process to create a sourdough-style tang and a light, airy dough that gets deliciously crispy around the edges once baked. The pies can be purchased by the slice, or in their entirety, though we reckon you will be wanting to get the latter. Their house pie is an elevated spin on a margherita, drizzled with ricotta and a basil and lemon sauce. White pizza fans will be excited to see the garlic wild mushroom pie on the menu, which is covered in a bechamel sauce and topped with a delicious burnt onion jam. Be sure to order a side of hot honey to instantly level up any pizza.

Pair your pizza with a glass from Ria’s rotating selection of natural wines. With chilled reds and the hyper-trendy orange wines on offer, we are sure you will find something to suit your tastes. If wine isn’t your thing, you’ll be happy to see Ria’s selection of cocktails on tap, as well as their own brew of lager.