The Best Pizza Restaurants in Clerkenwell

It is steadfastly simple inside Santoré, save for a tiled pizza oven, which is just how a trattoria should be – all the focus is on the food. The menu is packed with Italian favourites but it’s the pizza that draws in the crowds. They come in quarter-metre increments so you can build up to a full metre with a combination of pizzas including quattro formaggi, Romana and Americana. Santoré also serves traditional Neapolitan I Panuozzi, which is baked dough filled with fresh ingredients like sweet peppers, aubergines, Italian greens and Parma ham.

It’s pizza Pacific West Coast style at Wedge Issue – that means slow-rising dough, a thin crust, locally sourced produce and equally good meat and vegetarian/vegan options. So whether you go for The Soho (‘nduja, sweet peppers and chilli) or The Liberty of Norton Folgate (butternut squash, feta and rocket), you can rest assured that they’ve been prepared with the same amount of love and care, and you can get any pizza turned into a calzone. Craft beer is the partner for the pizza here and their selection includes Crazy Mountain Brewing Company, TailGate Beer, Prancing Pony and Signal Brewery.

It is panzo rather than pizza at this Exmouth Market spot because instead of traditional pizza dough, the Panzo team have created their own special blend of wheat, soy and rice flours, which makes for a lighter and more digestible crust. The toppings, including fior di latte, ‘nduja, smoked provola and Tuscan pancetta, are classic through and through. None of them creep over the £10 mark either so it’s a great cheap eat.

After taking a pilgrimage around Italy, driving a green van around the city and establishing a permanent presence in Central London, founders Thom and James set about expanding their empire and their Exmouth Market site is part of that. It’s much the same as at the other branches – red and white Neapolitan pizza, a changing guest special and crust dippers – only this restaurant has a scattering of outside seating too.