Our first review in August drew a wide range of reader responses: whilst the pizzas were mostly praised (‘good value and good food’), there were moans about tumblers for wine, and most common was the criticism that the staff need to ‘dial down the service’, and were at times ‘overwhelming’, especially for one rather irate reader, who called it ‘low-level harrassment.’ Yikes.
So since it’s been open a month, we thought we’d have another look at how Pizza East, the flagship of Soho House’s three ventures in NW5, is settling in. Don’t say we don’t take our job seriously. We swung by (unannounced of course) and managed, on a sunny Sunday lunchtime, to land an outside table despite every one being initially taken (it has to be said that the staff were helpful here, only leaving us at the bar for a few minutes).
We ordered four plates to share, all around the cheapskate £5-7 mark: a buffalo marguerita pizza, a beef lasagne, anchovies with aioli and a broad bean and ice gem salad. We’ve said it before but the pizza remains both delicious and incredibly good value, and the meat in the lasagne was tender and rich with herby flavour. Anchovies (at £5) were a generous portion, the aioli lip-smackingly garlicky and moreish. Our only note of criticism? Raw broad beans – healthy, but rather cold and largely tasteless.
Wine was a perfectly chilled Cote De Provence (listed as £30, although they charged us £24). They also messed up our coffee order (bringing decaf instead of double macchiatos) yet not only replaced these straight away but also took them off the bill. Service was the right side of attentive, and they handled one customer barking for an outside table very diplomatically.
On Friday night we returned for impromptu cocktails at the bar to see how the service was in the party hour. Yet we were surprised to see that at 1030pm both restaurant and bar were disappointingly quiet, despite a closing time of 130am (worth knowing for the more sybaritic amongst you). Have people stayed away for fear it to may be too busy? Or maybe K-Towners like to eat early and get some shut-eye on a Friday night.
But the Negronis were delicious, and we agreed it was a perfect people-watching spot to hang out; the only caveat is that service charge for a drinks-only bill doesn’t engender bonhomie, particularly if you’re sitting at the bar (and it pushes the cost of two cocktails to a ghastly £20).
Overall, we think the joint is vibrant and neighbourly, yet glamorous enough to enjoy a ‘proper’ night out in. It also attracts a real mix of generations, from obligatory yummy mummies and bearded fathers to hipsters wheeling along their grannies. And our food bill came to a very reasonable £23 for two people. Yes, drinks are expensive – but isn’t that true in almost everywhere now in London?
So it’s still an 8/10 from us. But please continue to leave your experiences and thoughts below. The building needs its local customers so we are pretty sure your views will be heard.
Words & Pics: Stephen Emms
14 thoughts on “One month later, what is Pizza East Kentish Town actually like now?”
We went a few weeks after opening on a Saturday evening and I agree that the pizzas are top notch! Other than the ubiquitous commentary about the incessant service (we assumed that there were so many staff as some were from other Pizza East locations making sure protocol was being met….are they are permanent?!) my one gripe would be the lighting. There’s atmospheric, and then there’s nightclub….PE is leaning far too much towards the latter!
Oh George, really! The lighting’s spot on. Nothing worse than a bright restaurant. But glad you liked the pizza.
I’m not a fan of brightly lit restaurants either but prefer to be able to read the menu without using my phone as a torch!
Hate to strike a discordant note but…..i think the pizzas are very average: way too much crust and soggy in the middle. Am with George on the lighting, maybe it’s an age thing…how old are you George? My 52 two year old eyes were straining to pick out the outline of the pizza fortunately the large crust provided excellent navigation. Eggs carbonara were served on a thin piece of toast….why no muffin? Come on people this is average stuff!
Agreed about the salad: giant leaves left artfully unshredded and hard mealy beans. Good dressing, though, and the pizza was fine.
Apart from that, their support of the Lady S Rd street party has certainly won them our custom. Glad to have them in the neighbourhood.
Went right when it opened (and was surprisingly half price!) and without a reservation they still managed to get us a seat at the fab pizza bar! I love the attentive service – but perhaps being an American I might be used to that level of harassment 😉 beers are a normal price and I think it’s a great addition to the hood
Thought the rocket salad was way over salted – to the point of leaving most of it on the plate
Having brunched there a couple of times (good but expensive), went for a recession-busting light Saturday lunch. Margarita + Leaf & Avocado salad (actually very good ingredients well dressed and generously served, must have made the right choice versus the broad beans and have a higher tolerance for salt) between two. Water on tap. £11.25 including (perfectly fine) service. Incredible value if you need to play it that way. There was a very tempting haunch of veal chops sitting on the counter though.
Walking past at Saturday midnight the week before last the place was absolutley full, so don’t know whether you caught it on a down night when you went in for cocktails.
Excellent addition to the neighbourhood, with the caveat that I hope it doesn’t destroy The Vine. Daytime weekend crowd more Dartmouth Park than KT, but don’t know how it goes in the week & what trade they get from Highgate Studios.
raw broad beans are poisonous
No, raw kidney beans are poisonous.
Raw broad beans contain the alkaloids vicine, isouramil and covicine, which can induce hemolytic anemia in patients with the hereditary condition glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. This potentially fatal condition is called favism after the fava bean. All beans (legumes) are varyingly poisonous raw.
Pluggyboy
It’s the skin of the broad bean that is slightly toxic (I believe) rather than the little pods, as served here. Probably best to take this up with Pizza East rather than us if you’re concerned though.
Nope.
I like beans, yum yum yum. Not poisonous raw ones though.