A go to place to have the most filling pizzas and Italian dishes. The ingredients are always fresh , the staff is highly professional and friendly, the service is prompt and punctual always and the hygiene is optimal always.
There’s no London without Franco Manca! Just the perfect spot for a delicious pizza at a fair price. It gets very busy, but I guess all good places get busy when it’s good. Simple, delicious and cheap-ish!
Gostei do espaco e tanto as pizzas como a entrada (pao de algo) eram optimas. O atendimento foi rapido e para londres o preco e bastante em conta. A limonada era optima e recomendo. Voltarei numa proxima visita a londres ou noutro sitio onde encontrar esta cadeia
Very friendly bunch of people in this quirky location. Enjoyed both pizza and their side salad. I like the fact that they source products locally and responsively. Would recommend to anyone for a casual lunch or dinner! ❤️🍕
Delicious wood fire pizza i have ever had. The pizza taste so good, sauce, toppings etc. Perfect in every bite. THis is the ultimate taste i have been looking for in a pizza
Fantastic Neapolitan pizza. As close to perfect as it gets-- although the daily specials without sauce can run a little dry. Feels like home for this New Yorker.
Super quick and delicious. One of the best wood fire pizzas in UK. Their dough is phenomenal and their selection of toppings are balanced and pizzas well constructed.
The ladies in the shop were super friendly and helped us with the special in the board. The little seats and two places across the street from each other were cool, in a little rad area in Brixton. The beer and house red were tasty and the pizza was delicious! Awesome wood fired sourdough! Loved it!!
Very simple, efficient and tasty experience. The menu offer is short enough for you to make a quick decision, 6 types of pizza + 2 specials. Prices are very cheap and you often pay around 15£ each with a beer. Deserts are also good to give a try.
My brother and I came and had pizza on a quiet Monday afternoon. We had a perfectly delicious chilled out pizza, The staff were attentive but not in our way and everything was extremely affordable. I will be returning!
My goodness - looking at the Franco Manca website today I realised the place has spread like wildfire. During my time in London there was only one or two of these stores, and the mothership was in Brixton Market and the main reason for taking the Northern Line all the way down south. Although the menu is only small, the pizzas are cheap (£5-7 each) and well known for the slow-rising sourdough base. The result is a complex masterpiece of soft gelatinous dough, a gently crisp surface and some nice toppings. Realistically the star is the dough and a Franco Manca pizza was the first one where I enjoyed eating the crust at the end moreso than the topping part.
Great pizza, tasty and perfectly cooked.
The salad (mixed leaves) also deserves mentioning, as it is served with a nice balanced dressing.
Not the nicest of serving staff, but efficient and polite.
Hannah Kacary | That Adventurer
+4
Everyone knows Franco Manca serve fantastic pizza; stretchy, elastic dough thats soft yet thin and crispy, the fact that it's sourdough makes it all the more better.
Their simple menu with only a handful of pizzas means ordering isn't a hassle and when a restaurant has fewer dishes I put more trust in all those dishes being good ones!
However, on this occasion the service let Franco Manca down. I absolutely hate it when staff clear away plates before the whole table has finished, and when there's only two of you at the table it seems all the more worse. The waitress also kept hovering over us waiting for the split second that the last sip of our drink had been drunk, or the last forkful headed towards our mouths. It made us feel awkward.
It didn't even seem to be a case of wanting to turn the tables over, as we were left waiting to pay for a good 10 minutes at least.
Good pizza yes, but maybe not the best of dining experiences!
Outstanding pizza, now a chain but Brixton is where it started. Small menu exceptional ingredients, great price. A must eat.
No frills eating venue in Brixton Market but fantastic authentic pizzas. Toppings are kept to a minimum to ensure maximum flavours from the good quality ingredients.
Franco Manca serves a cracking pizza! The sourdough base is incredibly good. The pizzas are well-sized and really good value for the size of the pizza and quality of the ingredients. My boyfriend and I shared the organic chorizo & mozzarella and Gloucester old spot ham, mozzarella, buffalo ricotta & wild mushrooms. Both were seriously good and the meat used was DELICIOUS; the chorizo was thick and juicy and the ham well-smoked. The only reason I'm giving a 4 vs a 5 is that the venue in Brixton isn't particularly lovely and you're cramped in, plus we had to wait 40 minutes for a table as they don't take bookings. I've heard that some of the other branches are a bit more 'restaurant-like' but, to be honest, for the tastiness of the pizzas and the price I would still definitely go back to the Brixton branch! You can read my full review on my blog :)
My favourite pizza in the whole of London, I come here after work at least once every single month as it is that good. Would recommend to anyone that remotely likes pizza!!
Best sourdought Pizza. Love this place, love the short menu and the small prices!!!. Always full book in advance to get a table. Always check the specials!!!
Best Pizza in South London. The fact you need to wait good 15-20 mins to be seated on average might seem a bit too much at first, but wait and you'll enjoy every bit. Once seated and once you select your pizza it arrives within few minutes and is absolutely delicious. Very brief and simple menu, but the product perfected to 150%. Just never make the mistake of getting a take away. The pizza goes chewy and hard the cooler it gets. Just a fact.
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Pizza Heaven. I have been meaning to check out Franco Manca for some time having heard nothing but good things about it. My first attempt to visit was about 6 months ago but much to my disappointment we turned up just as they were shutting up for the day. As B had headed North for a girlie weekend I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to hook up with an old pal and treat myself to some of South London's finest pizza.
It's situated in the thriving covered Brixton Market and I arrived nice and early so I could pick up a few bits and pieces and have a wander round the market which has changed quite a bit since I was a regular visitor in the late 90's. I came across Franco Manca at about 11.45am and it was already packed with a pretty sizeable queue waiting for a table.
I was meeting my pal in the nearby Prince Albert for a cold beer or two to build up an appetite and it was about 2.30 when we returned for our pizza and the place was still heaving. We joined the queue and after about 5 minutes we were given a copy of the short menu and we ordered while we waited; no more than 10 minutes later and we were seated sipping a very good value Ottavio Rube, Colli Tortonesi 2009 . Big, bold and bursting with flavour this lovely organic wine was a great complement to the pizza at a bargain price of £10.95 a bottle.
Split over two rooms, each side of the walkway through the market, with a few tables outside this is a busy, bustling dining experience. A million miles away from the likes of Pizza Express et al and all the better for it. On this very chilly Saturday we were lucky to get a seat at a table inside which we gratefully shared with two other, very pleasant, pizza loving couples. This room also houses the specially constructed brick, wood burning oven and believe me it's a bad boy. This is a great spot to sit and soak up some top quality pizza porn and watch the lovely and entertaining staff bustle about.
The pizzas have a thin sourdough base which is crispy with a slightly chewy texture and come with a small selection of topping; if I remember correctly the menu had 6 choices with a couple of specials listed on the blackboard. The dough itself is, as you would imagine, just a touch sour and has a very special quality due to the resting period of 20 hours. For those of you who don't like cheese I would say Franco's is still a great place to visit as the sourdough base works very well without a cheese topping.
I went for the number 5 which was an amazing taste sensation. The most flavoursome base I have ever had the pleasure of devouring smeared in a rich tomato sauce, dotted with mozzarella and a scattering of small pieces of luscious dried and semi dried chorizo. Oh my lord, for a minute I thought I had passed away and gone to gourmet pizza heaven. My non cheese loving pal, Geordie boy, had a very simple topping selection of the tomato sauce with some Gloucester old spot ham and was well pleased with his choice.
Despite the fact that there was a continual queue waiting to get in we felt in no way rushed to down our wine, even after we had eaten every last morsel of our pizza. We finished off with a very decent espresso around 4.30pm, declared ourselves to be more than happy with this first introduction to the joys of Franco Manca, thanked the lovely waiting staff and headed off into Coldharbour Lane in search of The Dogstar .........
Note to self - do yourself a big favour and make the effort to visit Brixton and Franco Manca again sometime soon.
Listen to your friends... Everyone's talking about this place now. My friends who are Brixtonites have been telling me about this place for aaaages, but never got round to it. I have now, and they were utterly right - it's fantastic.
Great Pizzas. Best cheap pizzas in London - taste like they're straight from Italy!
Some of the best pizza I've had. It's tough to find, inside the market off the Brixton stop, but worth the effort. The pizzas use sourdough crust & organic ingredients from Sicily & Naples. The pizza is excellent all around. It's also cheap, which is rare in London. I ordered the most expensive 12-13 inch pizza on the menu & paid £6.80.
Lovely but not luxury.. Perhaps thats just what you wanted though, a simple no fuss pizza experience. having a pizza and glass of wine for under 7.50 is a novelty in london that shouldn't be passed up. i wouldn't buy the wine in any other situation but it goes rather well with their pizza.
for one reason or another i had lunch there five days in a row and ordered the special of the day everyday. sometimes the pizza was excellent and other times it was a soggy mess of oil, the topping falling off as soon as i tried to eat it. to make this more scientific i ordered the margarita (#1) a few times and even then the pizza was different every time.
don't get me wrong though, i will be going back and i recommend it to anyone that asks but go expecting absolute perfection.
PIzza the action. Great to see the old fave market pizza reborn - and even better
great new presentation in the covered market. really tasty pizzas and a entertaining market atmosphere
Definitely a hit.
I hope the covered market continues to make progress. (PS Wild Caper is also great for a quick lunch)
Just brilliant . Brave the queues and get stuck in.Superb pizzas, simple overall menu and great service. A must.
Restaurant Reviews Cheap as Chips 0 1 March, 2015 On a freezing Friday evening, Michael and I joined the rather impressive queue that had formed outside Franco Manca in Brixton Market. As annoying as it was to stand and jiggle on the spot to increase the blood circulation to my fingers and toes, at least I knew from the growing crowd and my tripadvisor stalking that I was in for some fine pizza.
Tucked away in Brixton's Food Market, you would expect Franco Manca to be a bit of a no-frills budget eatery but actually it stood out as soon as we saw it as being a really lovely place. Tasteful yet simple contemporary décor, cosy tables and a beautiful pizza oven proudly placed in the window for all to see - we didn't mind at all that we ended up sitting next to a pile of fruit and veg boxes from the grocers next door! We had heard that it was a good idea to get to Franco
Brixton Market has been one of my favorite places for great food in London for a long time. For some reason, we haven't written about any of our experiences there, so we thought it was about time. And for the first post, comes our favorite Pizza place in all of London: Franco Manca . Like Sushi in London as described in a previous blog post , finding good Pizza in London is a difficult task. In the States you are spoiled for choice most places with at least a dozen joints serving decent slices within driving distance, and whats better is that they all deliver. In London this isn't the case. Most delivery pizza's are of the Dominos, Papa Johns, or Red Planet persuasion, the last of which has been written off forever after granting me a fantastic case of food poisoning. There are a number of very very good places to get pizza here, but most, not all, are sit down restaurants. Franco Manca is no different, with several establishments across the city. It is however, the best place
Franco Manca is known for its sourdough pizza bases (all their pizzas are made from this) which are left to rise slowly without adding yeast, resulting in a soft and light base. They also have a special wood burning oven that reaches around 500C, allowing a very quick cook and keeping the base nice and thin. The menu only has 6 options, all hover around £7 (certainly great value), and there are a few more daily specials. The dough is fantastic and the ingredients are very fresh – the menu states the sources of all the main ingredients (including what UK ingredients are used at various times of the year) which is a nice touch.
Franco Manca though, manages to feel like an Italian pizzeria on a cobble street in Naples and, despite the market having roof, even attempts an outside cafe-style row of seating. It's cramped and lively, and actually pleasantly rustic to sit so close to other diners – except for when one needs the loo and a whole row of people have to go toe to toe in the aisles so they can escape.
The London Pizza Blog
+4.5
The original branch of this expanding Neapolitan chain remains a cut above the rest Brixton Market and neighbouring Brixton Village have gradually become a Mecca for South London foodies over the past couple of years. The place is regularly jam packed at weekends, with salivating punters eager to sample the latest pop-up taco stand, mouthwatering burger joint or authentic Thai curry house. However, one of the finest restaurants in the whole operation was one of the earliest to set up shop, with Franco Manca continuing to draw a crowd of dedicated pizza-lovers week in week out. Having opened its doors in the market back in 2008, Franco Manca’s wildly popular operation has since spawned two additional branches (one on Chiswick High Road and another in the Westfield complex in Stratford), but it’s commonly accepted that the original restaurant is the best of the bunch. Whereas subsequent branches have been forced to make concessions to their swankier locations, the Brixton experience rema
Does it get better than this? Pancake thin sour dough base topped with fresh Mozzarella and earthy Chorizo. The bread gently charred from the fierce heat of a wood fired oven. You can tell a lot of love has been put into this Franco Manca pizza. It's a very simple set up is; six different pizza's, two reds, two whites and if you want a beer? Well there is one on the menu. The location isn't exactly glamorous but that just adds to the charm. Simple food cooked well, great service and great value. Like I said, does it get better than this?
i've been wanting to go to brixton market for a while now and a surprise holiday from work provided the perfect opportunity. so a part sunny, part cloudy friday afternoon found a, s and i at brixton tube station. together we walked into brixton market on
Tucked away in two units of Brixton Market, London SW9, this little pizzeria is whipping up a storm in underground foodie circles.
It was simply an excellently crafted pizza and was one of the best I've ever had. It was also pretty cheap, which is rare in London, and very rare considering the long stories behind every ingredient
The crust is superb, if you can then try to bring one of the naysayers who leaves it at the side of their plate, and steal theirs too.
I'm glad we waited to eat at Franco Manca. The chilled midweek service maybe does not have the same vibe as for example a Saturday lunchtime, but strolling up and getting a seat straight away, and also getting a choice of tables was a big big bonus. I'd heard a lot about the pizzas here, and with everything I had read, I kinda knew how good they were going to be. Sometimes knowing too much beforehand can lead to disappointment. Thankfully this time it did not. The homemade sourdough slowly proved overnight makes these the best pizza bases in town. These are true gourmet pizzas in every sense of the word, and at such a low price, a steal also. Both our pizzas were fantastic. My Gloucester Old Spot cured ham, ricotta and mushroom pizza was everything one could hope for in a pizza. The ricotta was smooth and was a nice creamy texture compared to the ham and mushrooms. The chorizo pizza, part picante, part not was one of the nicest combos I have had. It mixed well with the pillowy pizza ba
Everyone has written about the Brixton institution so I shall skip the praises for the pizze, but it will be interesting to note that they seem to be having new pizze every week now (or every other week?) including a very northern Gorgonzola, walnut and r
Its taken me a while, but I have finally managed to make it all the way to Brixton and sample the delights of Franco Manca, a pizzeria making and selling Neapolitan style pizzas located in the heart of Brixton Market. The embarrassing thing is that I live
Franco Manca opened on the a site that serious Pizza lovers will may remember was once occupied by a Pizzeria called Franco that begat both Eco here and in Clapham as well as Casale Franco in Islington. (Hence Franco Manca). Franco Manca is co owned by Ne
If I was to be stranded on a desert island for the rest of my life and had to choose 3 food types to survive on for all eternity I would have to put pizza on the list. So it was with much excitement that I read about Franco Manca "London's best pizza". La
I've heard a lot about Franco Manca since it opened last year so was looking forward to my visit with Niamh and Lizzie . It's only open at lunchtime and its in Brixton which has made it difficult for any of us to get there before. Despite
I've heard many, many things about Franco Manca. Many hail it as the best pizza in London, so off I went to sample it myself. There's a danger of the over-hype, and I was conscious of this - I was fully expecting to be completely blown away. Given that it
Background: People seem to really enjoy the pizzas at Franco Manca in Brixton Market, South London and I've read many a rave review. I must therefore be one of the last food bloggers to make the pilgrimage. When little brother told me that he regularly ea
My only job in catering, if you can call it that, was during the school holidays in Edinburgh, at a deliveries-only Pizza Hut. I took the orders over the phone, folded the boxes, foil-bagged the Ben & Jerry’s and the Irn-Bru. I sliced at the ‘cut table’ w
The first cut. Spongy. The sourdough is risen over twenty hours. The first bite. Squidgy. With a rubbery bounce, lively enough that it required abit more bite in your bite to tear it away. The first taste, appetising, really appetising, I am chewing and I
Franco Manca has had enough buzz on the blogosphere and internet to attest to its pedigree. Located smack, dab in the middle of Brixton market, this is certainly not the place you would expect to find gourmet pizza (or indeed any decent kind of pizza). Th
I have been to Franco manca in Goodge Street and Stratford but I like this one more than those two places. The restaurant has more character although it feels a bit cold if you sit on the side without the oven. Pizza is tasty and my favourite topping is the one with ham. Very reasonably priced so get ready to queue up on the weekends!
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Franco Manca is a legend. In 2008, a pizzeria opened in Brixton Market which was then exclusively a mecca of Afro-Caribbean shops. They were only open during lunchtimes and there was nothing over £8 on the menu. Today, with eight branches all over the city (the ninth opening this summer) and still nothing over £8 on the menu, Franco Manca has definitely marked its territory in London's food scene.
The menu is straightforward: six pizzas on offer and organic beverages two daily specials for vegetarians and carnivores, organic beverages (soft and alcoholic), and pure Arabica coffee. Ingredients are sourced from organic farms and artisan traders in the UK and Italy.
The crust is made from slow-rising sourdough baked in a special brick oven that produces a heat twice as hot as your normal oven and is very, very humid. This means it only takes about 40 seconds to cook your perfect pizza, the edges puffing up nicely and the insides still soft and chewy. I usually discard the pizza edges but this was way too good to throw away so I nibbled them with a bit of garlic/chilli-infused oils. Yum.
Purists, pizza fascists, and Neapolitan fans will definitely bask in pizza glee here. If you're more into the thick, commercial type, just give it a go and prepare to be mind blown. You'll never look at pizza the same way again.
I just love the menu here because it does more than tickle your tastebuds and describe the food to you, but rather takes you on a short journey to explain the ingredients. They've very much bought into the trend of seasonal food and over the summer I pretty much always had the courgette and pecorino pizza, which tasted incredibly fresh.
What makes this place different from most is the sourdough base- it's the main event, and so everything they put on top is going to taste good!
There is nothing too showy about this place and I like its simplicity. The pizza is really good value for money as is the wine. And thankfully, you won't be overwhelmed by a long list of beverages. You may, however, be somewhat intimidated by the queue, but the efficient service means it goes down quickly and although the table turnover is high, I've never felt rushed to leave by staff.
I don't always trust Time Out recommendations because they're on their way to becoming mainstream, but Franco Manca in Brixton Market lived up to its five stars. We were hungry and there was a queue, but service was so fast that we were soon handed menus and seated on a bench. The pizzas are immediately popped into the wood-fired oven, and emerge piping hot and delicious.
Many people prefer the classic margherita, but my order included buffalo ricotta and mushrooms. The creamy ricotta with the fresh sourdough base made the trek to Brixton worthwhile. They may have opened branches elsewhere, but the original joint will always have a special flavor.
Best pizza in London so far, truly Italian, Neapolitan style. Pretty cheap and very good ingredients. Love multicultural location in Brixton Market.
Franco Manca is very good pizza. It's as good pizza as it was when I first visited about 4 years ago and has expanded quite significantly since then, now boasting a healthy ten restaurants across the city.
Their menus are full of information about where the ingredients are sourced from and what exactly 'slow rising sourdough' means. Well, what it means for you is soft, chewy, doughy pizza bases and deliciously serious crusts.
Tip: go with the white pizza (no cheese), it may go against what you think a pizza is but it's so, so good you'll soon let go of any silly ideas that tomato is an integral component here.
Oh, and the organic lemonade is a whole other thing... have the lemonade too.
WHAT A GREAT PIZZA!
It is probably one of the best place for having a Pizza in London. I am not joking !
Friendly people and such an amazing Pizza taste. It is probably most authentic taste of Pizza I have ever tried in London.
They don't have a vast variety of Pizzas but the experts in terms of Pizza say that a Pizza should not have a lot of toppings. Also, they say in order to understand if the Pizza is good you have to try the "margherita" (tomato, mozzarella and basil). So what I did. I went for a simple Pizza and it arrived on the table in less than 15 mins. AWESOME!
Price is absolutely reasonable considering that the quality is high! This place is strongly recommended
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To be clear: I will write this review not only as Italian, but as Italian from Naples (with all that this implies in terms of pizza ;P).
I didn’t know personally this pizzeria, but when more than one person suggest that you need to try, it’s a good idea to accept the advice. For the my first time I chose the Brixton branch, the original as they told me. They don’t take bookings: unusual for London but in line with the Italian philosophy “the first who come, first eat” .
The local is not so big, and this relative size doesn’t allow to serve many people at one time. So it’s very chaotic: we indeed waited about 45 minutes for a 4 seats table. The pizza choice is limited, and the selection is a bit too “international tastes oriented”. But the queens are obviously on the top of the menu: the Marinara (tomato, garlic and oregano) and the only-one Margherita (tomato, mozzarella and basil). Despite the time taken to sit, the service is very fast, as the real Neapolitan tradition. I must admit that I expected a pizza satisfactory, just above the English average. But I was wrong.
The face is inviting. The Margherita is cooked to perfection and it’s well-seasoned. The pizza dough is soft, but when you cut it in 4 the slice does not remain hard as a biscuit, nor it collapse dropping the seasoning. Mozzarella is tasty, definitely above everything pretended to call so in every other part of the world that is not Italy. Tomato sauce is acidic at the right point. Even the wine list has pleasantly surprised me, with a excellent selection of biological Italian wines.
In short, in spite of waiting times, the best pizza in London.
Tip: avoid Saturdays.
The choice to come Franca Manca came about after my friend told me their pizzS are made with sourdough..so they're healthier (yay!) the first thing you must know about Franca Manca is that they haven't got many choices of pizzas, though you add or remove toppings as you please. I tend to stick to the same pizza and toppings, mostly because when it comes to pizza I'm pretty set in my ways..meat, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives and cheese.
The staff are always friendly and atmosphere is alive, its a great place to go have a meal wig a group of friends and it wont leave you empty pocketed as you can get a pizza (large,all their pizzas are the same size) with extra toppings and a drink for about £10 as pizza places go, id have to say that Franco Manca are one of my favourites.
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I've got friends banging on about this place so much that I had to try it for myself. I have to admit, it was not only a delicious pizza but a very novel experience too.
There was 3 of us and we ordered 3 different pizzas to share. It was only after it arrived that we realised they don't slice the pizzas here. No bother, we sliced, we shared. We had a standard margarita, a tomato and garlice and an anchovy one.
The anchovy was the best one, that's not to knock the other ones, they were also good, just not as good as the anchovy. The base is made from sour dough which gives the pizzas a very unique taste. Personally I loved the flavours of the topping and sauce. The base was nice especially with one of their dipping oils but I prefer my pizza bases to be thin and crispy. I preferred the texture of Pizza Union's base over Franco Manca's. I had the Organic Lemonade drink which was great, I'm pretty sure they made it themselves from the look of it.
The unique experience came from firstly where the restaurant is situated. It's in Brixton indoor market covering 2 sides. It's tiny and you share tables with strangers. I believe all the staff are Italian and very colourful and happy. Overall a very good experience eating a delicious pizza with great company.
I love the original Brixton branch of Franca Manca. Their sourdough base pizzas are so delicious. Service not great but you don't go there for that - you go to fill your belly with an outstanding pizza. It's a shame some of their other branches haven't kept up the standard that this one set.
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On a sunny Friday afternoon, B and I met for a spot of lunch at Franco Manca. B had been raving about the quality of this pizzeria for months, so having navigated my way through Brixton's busy Friday market, I had arrived with raised expectations.
To my delight, his assessment of the restaurant, founded by a professor at the London School of Economics, was perfectly accurate; this place is immense. What seems like a simple equation to the everyday customer is actually a complex cocktail of elements that transfuse together to form what are faultless pizzas. We ordered two to share: the Gloucester Old Spot Ham pizza with added chorizo, and a meaty one selected from the specials board.
It seems sensible to reinforce any description of the food at Franco Manca (FM) with information gathered from a quick perusal of the company's website. Starting from the perimeter, the Napolitano chefs bake the sourdough on-site to produce a deliciously soft crust that quite simply cannot be discarded. Next, the cheese and tomato. FM are responsible for their own cheese production, having flown an expert cheese maker from the south of Italy over to the UK in 2008, when their first restaurant was opened. Due to the rich flavour of the cheese produced, less of it is needed on each pizza, with the added bonus that they are healthier and easier to digest. It takes its tomatoes extremely seriously, with an almost commandment-like list of requirements when buying stock. FM clearly take pride in the meat on their pizzas as well, sourcing only the freshest of available ingredients. The strong values of the restaurant are cutely summarised by its refusal to serve coca-cola (or any of its rivals for that matter), either because their pizza's do not 'need' it or because they are better without it.
What is so remarkable about FM is that despite its quality, it is shockingly good value for money. Had i eaten these pizzas blind (and having been to Zizzi's, Strada, Pizza Express etc.), I would have expected to pay £15 or more. But these pizzas were £9 each. I will most certainly be returning.
EXCELLENT pizza...I had never had sourdough pizza before, and I really enjoyed the soft fluffiness, and the fact that you can easily eat almost an entire pizza (some can easily eat a whole and more...ahem). maybe they could have been a bit more generous with their toppings? but whatever you get is scrumptious! friendly service, we arrived at 7pm, so didn't have to deal with the legendary line - seated in 10 minutes, and scoffing in 20. and incredible value for money with a pizza costing 5-7 quid. we had the burrata to start, nothing very special there though, and the whole plate was underseasoned, but it's a quibble.
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Now if there is one food which I can't stand, it is pizza. My husband loves them and no thanks to him, I think I have had more pizzas during my 5 months of my marriage than in my entire life!
But there are a couple of places which did manage to convince me that pizzas are not all that bad! The first one was London's legendary pizza joint in Brixton market - Franco Manca.
Their menu is short and simple - about 5-6 varieties of pizza and some beverages. That's it! No pastas. No lasagnes.No risottos. Just plain old pizza. I ordered one with tomato and chorizo topping along with a glass of lemonade. The service was quick. The lemonade was refreshing and the pizza toppings were delicious, but the star that day was the sourdough base. Sourdough takes much much longer to make than the normal breads, pizza crusts and doughs. And it tastes slightly sour. But it totally enhanced the flavours of the toppings. That sourdough singlehandedly changed my perception about pizzas.
The seating is a bit cramped. And you may have to face possible long queues as this place is immensely popular with the locals and non-locals alike. But the turnover is quick.
This smallish place has been crowned the King of all London's pizzerias and rightly so!
the BEST pizza in London! (yes i am italian and it is not that often that i can find good pizza abroad).
Do not miss it! It's ingredients are all very fresh and imported from the best farms and places.
The staff is very kind and even if you find quite a long tail, because yes you will find it, their service and the pizza preparation is so fast that in less than 15 minutes you wll be seat with a warm and delicious pizza in front of you.
Franco is an Italian who knows pizza. He opened up shop here with pizzas and wines starting at five quid, serving only a selection of what he deemed to be the best pizza toppings and only open at lunch. I made the pilgrimage quite a few times before Jay Rayner (yes, he pops up again) came and reviewed the place to massive acclaim. The next time we visited there was a line snaking down the market with a one-hour wait. That was my last visit - but now there is so much competition close by it is likely the wait will be less.
Franco Manca in Brixton market is an absolute joy. Unassumingly located among a jumble of shops and cafes in this bustling part of London, it serves famously good pizza from a fantastically inventive menu. There are a few tables within and next to the unit, giving a great almost street-food feel to eating in.
Franco Manca's fame does mean that there's usually quite a queue at peak hours, but when the pizza is this good it's always meal time!
I know Franco is trendy right now in London and there a lot of buzz and hype around it, but you cannot help much if the pizza is SOOO delicious! I can say without fear that Franco's is one for the best pizzas I've had in my life, far better than most pizzas you'll find in northern Italy for example.
The signature sourdough is cooked for very short in a custom-made, super hot woodfire oven, giving the base an amazing slightly chewy consistence. Simply topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella the pizza is just perfect, and the broad chewy crust seems to be made just for the purpose of soaking up some of the nice olive oil offered on each table.
All of that for £5-7. Almost perfect. (just avoid mealtime, where everybody in a 5km radius converge around Franco's oven...)
The original, and the best! The closest anyone has come to the best Neapolitan pizza outside of Naples. This is where Franco Manca started, and it is always amazing! Top tip: instead of ordering a starter, just have two pizzas! Vegans like me are well catered for (and the simplest Pizza here is MEGA CHEAP!)
Not long finished and we're already new fans. We did a takeaway, I went to the shops and by the time I came back, it was more or less ready. Will definitely come for a sit down meal next time I reckon.
The pics don't do it justice but I my son and I swapped a slice 😂
Our favourite host, Claudio, was off yesterday, however lovely friendly Monica was on shift and made our experience great. She has been adorable with the children (5 of them!!) they are surely looking forward to our next visit. Pizza and homemade drinks were really nice.
Thank you Monica for your great service!!
Ordered their Number 4, Ham, mozzarella & mushroom pizza.
The pizza is great not much to complain about. Although they could be more generous with the toppings.
I've been served by Monica the waitress in charge. I have several allergies and she helped me going through the menu and choose the right pizza for me given that I have some dietary requirements, I had such a fantastic experience, also Claudio the other waiter in charge made sure everything was perfect with us. All great! Vibe! Food! People!
Took my son to the same Pizza spot my mother used to take me. Pizza tasted the same after 30 years. Must visit if in Brixton
Amazing pizza and amazing staff. Highly recommend. Fantastic meal.
Amazing pizza, atmosphere & perfect service from Monica - couldn’t fault our meal & will make a point of coming back next time we are in Brixton! Very reasonable pricing for the amazing quality of food - 10/10 !!!!!!!!
PSYCHE aka Psyche Thompson
+5
I actually said to myself a week before going to this restaurant that I was desperate for authentic, tasty, real Italian Pizza. A week later a friend took me to lunch and recomended this place which I had never heard of. This is the 'best' Pizza I've ever had (besides being introduced to Pizza when I went to Italy) so much so I'm going to another Branch of it today (Friday) for lunch! You won't be disappointed, an absolutely wonderful experience. Claudo who served me was one of the nicest people I've met in a long time and the customer services was 'sublime'. Thank you Claudo, thank you Chef and thank you Franco Manca!
Best pizza in Brixton without a doubt! i tried number 5, the pizza with anchovies and it was delicious!!
Great pizza 🍕 in a great location! The staff are always quick and friendly with their service. Also the pizzas are always delicious. Very reasonably priced too!
Best ever service. Very helpful with my dietary requirements & other special requests. Management, kitchen staff & waiters were all really friendly. Good summer vibes for open area restaurant. Thank you
One of the best pizzas I’ve had in London, and I’ve tried a lot. The dough was perfectly bouncy, had the perfect amount of leoparding and the ingredients so fresh.
The guys in there are great and provided a really nice atmosphere to compliment really great food. 5/5 cannot recommend highly enough!
Franco Manca never disappoints but the one in Brixton is always the best. Had a great experience there with my friends thanks to Monica handling our table
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