Approx 5:30pm-6:30pm
Pizza Pilgrims
Pizza Pilgrims
11 Dean Street, London W1D 3RP
After hearing from an old work colleague that this pizza place is 'better than Franco Manca', I knew that this would soon be coming up on my to-visit list. Surely no pizza - ever - can be better than Franco Manca?! Let's find out...
The place from the outside looks tiny, with a little seating area around the front window, and the large, stone oven at the back of the room. I then realised that there was a downstairs area, and most of the queue were escorted down there as soon as we arrived. When we got to the front of the queue however, we were told that there was no more room downstairs, but that there was room by the window - fine by us! Watching the pizzas cooking, plus people watching, equals win in my book!
In the end, I was very glad we got to sit upstairs. On visiting the loos - which were situated down the stairs - I got to take a look at what we were missing out on. It was a larger area than I expected, with a lot of full tables with little red and white tablecloths. It was very quaint, but I have to say that it was very stuffy down there. Being upstairs suited me just fine!
The menu was fairly good - although I was expecting a wider and more diverse set of ingredients. The pizzas were all very generic, but I was willing to bet that the taste would make up for this.
I decided to go for the Smoked Napoli pizza, which had toppings of smoked anchovies (a personal favourite of mine), black olives, capers and oregano on a margarita base. The pizza arrived in a timely manner, and I was not disappointed! The flavours were very rich, and the base was soft and fluffy. The only thing I will say is that the base could have been a little crispier on the bottom as towards the middle the base seemed to disintegrate into a bit of a tomato-y mush. However, this didn't detract from the taste - it was delicious!
My boyfriend went for the recommended Nduja, which he also rated highly.
Another note here is that the chili oil was actually hot! It was packed fill of tiny chilies, and gave a great kick. Not many paces have chili oil like that.
For drinks, I went with a carafe of house red, which was fairly nice. I would have preferred the quality to be slightly better, but it was cheap and cheerful. My boyfriend went for the beer of the day, which was the Cortigana - that didn't last very long, so I presume that it was rather enjoyable!
The service here was friendly and casual, and we were served promptly.
Overall, a really great pizza at Pizza Pilgrims, but maybe a small notch away from Franco Mancas. I'd definitely visit again, and maybe bring some friends.
ThymeTip: Sit upstairs for a street view and plenty of air!
Food: 8/10
Drink: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Fun-ness: 7/10
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