Lamezia pizzeria, for the real Italian pizza lovers.
In recent years, many Italian pizzerias have been opened in London giving a lot of choice to Londoners looking for the famous Italian dish. Some of those places are very popular and yet, I found that they are not necessarily the best ones.
As an Italian always on the mission to find unique gems made in the “Bel Paese”, I love going exploring the city looking for different options.
And so, it happened to discover “Lamezia Pizzeria”, a little Italian oasis which you wouldn’t expect to find (and they also do delivery!). Just a stone’s thrown away by Highbury & Islington station, next door to the more popular “Zia Lucia” (quite over-rated in my opinion), this restaurant suggests an old typical Italian “trattoria”: a very simple ambience, also the name and the décor are definitely not making it to the shortlist of the “coolest” places in London; yet, the pizza I had in here, is certainly one of the best I ever tried so far. I went to Lamezia with two English “foodies” one of whom a former chef and an Italian food lover. As soon as we enter the premises, we were greeted by Rosa, a sweet lady from Calabria (Lamezia is the name of a location in Calabria) who happens to be also the owner of the pizzeria. With her personal service, she did everything to make us feel at ease giving me the feeling of being transported in the past, or better … to Italy.
The food
Classics lovers won’t be disappointed by a selection of pizzas all made with genuine ingredients imported from Italy. After all, where could you find n’duja, the typical Calabrian spicy salami? Of my companions, Simon, (the chef) loves spicy food, and has greatly appreciated his choice entranced by the taste of n’duja, in fact. Tom and I, on the other hand, have shared a Broccolina with sausage, mozzarella (real) and friarelli (the typical tasty vegetables of some part of South Italy and not the sad broccoli which sometimes you find in some “so-called” Italian pizzerias) and a Parmigiana with red base, aubergine, mozzarella, parmesan and basil. Absolutely fantastic!
A very light base from which it is clear that the dough has been left to rise for hours, as well as being delicious, this pizza is also easy to digest.
With a menu offering many options: from appetizers to pasta dishes, pizzas, meat, side dishes and desserts and at reasonable prices, if the other dishes are as tasty as our pizzas, I will certainly have to plan another visit soon! You know… as an Italian, occasionally, I can feel a bit of “nostalgia” for home flavors and when you find it in London it’s always a beautiful surprise.
London is a spectacular city with so many hidden gems around every corner, but sometimes the most authentic places are the most difficult to find … If you are looking for a real pizza and the warmth of Italian service, surely Lamezia is the right place to go.
Leave a comment