Pizza Pilgrims started out serving pizzas from a tiny green van with an oven stuck on the back in Berwick Street in Soho and it was a hit; everybody loved their Napoli inspired street food. So much so that they’ve decided to open a permanent pizzeria slap bang opposite a Pizza Express on Dean Street.
On the ground floor there’s the pizza oven and a few stool seats but the larger downstairs area in the basement has more comfortable seating. It’s a nice space with a buzzy atmosphere; the tables are covered with green chequered plastic tablecloths and framed posters hang on the walls. There’s even a foosball table for the lads. The staff are lovely too – our waitress was the epitome of charming.
The menu is small and concise with just eight pizzas to choose from and one calzone. I opted for the salsiccia e friarielli which featured fresh fennel sausage, wild broccoli, fior di latte, Parmesan, basil and olive oil (£11). It was a tomato-less pizza yet it was anything but dry. The toppings were the perfect combination of flavours; strong leafy broccoli against the aniseed of the sausage – yum!
My gentleman companion went for the Napoli salami which was a margherita pizza topped with black pepper salami from Naples (£9). It was absolutely delicious; the salami was really flavourful. It could have done with a touch more mozzarella but that’s only because we’re total cheese fiends. The bases of both pizzas were cooked to perfection and the crusts, dipped into the chilli oil provided, were wondrous.
Being a piggy, I couldn’t resist ordering the Nutella pizza ring (£5.50) for dessert. Now, I once had a Nutella pizza at Spuntino and never quite recovered, it was a weird concoction which didn’t really work. Here however, the pizza ring had been stuffed with Nutella and (rather bizarrely) ricotta cheese thus making it a rather tangy yet sweet treat which I absolutely adored. The perfect end to a lovely meal.
We really enjoyed our time at Pizza Pilgrims. It’s the sort of place I’d gladly recommended to friends as there’s nothing not to like – affordable and delicious pizzas in the heart of Soho.
8/10
You might also like: