The outstanding vodka sauce pie at Alley Cats Pizza in Marylebone, from chef Francesco Macri.
Photographer: Clay Williams for Bloomberg PursuitsWhen Did London’s Pizza Scene Get So Good?
There’s a revolution happening, and the city is replete with charred crusts, vodka sauce and hot honey.
It’s a Sunday spring morning in East London, just before noon, and about two dozen people are gathered outside a pub. At the stroke of 12, the door swings open and people stream in, lining up at a beat-up wooden bar. They’re not waiting for drinks, although several guests might order a pint or bottle of natural wine. Nor are they there to find crowd comfort for a Premier League match. They’re at Spurstowe Arms for one of London’s most in-demand pizzas.
Dough Hands pizzas are New York-style pies from chef Hannah Drye, and they’ve turned the two pubs where they’re available (the Old Nun’s Head near Peckham is the other location) into destination dining spots. Within 40 minutes, the Spurstowe Arms is packed, both inside and on the sunny patio. It’s busiest on Saturdays, but business is brisk every day. Between the two locations, Drye pulls more than 2,500 pies a week from the pubs’ PizzaMaster electric oven.