Fact: Pizza Hut have opened, on average, one new restaurant every 37 hours since 1958.*
L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, on the other hand, have opened one new restaurant every 1.5 centuries. On average.
And as a reward for being the slowest-growing franchise in history, they’ve been routinely lauded as the world’s best pizza place; no surprise given that they essentially invented Neapolitan pizza when they opened there in 1870. Most recently, they famously made up the “Eat” portion of “Eat, Pray, Love” in which Julia Roberts literally falls in love with their Margherita.
This new venue is in Baker Street (“the Naples of Great Britain” – no-one, ever), and comes with an unassuming retro shop front, and a clean interior sporting basic tables and chairs and a neon sign. So you, know, pretty simple.
Apart from the 2300kg custom-built, gold-tiled, wood-fired oven heated up to 500˚C that can cook pizzas in 60 seconds.
Yeah.
About those: these pizzas are made according to recipes and techniques that have been used in the family business for the past 150 years, but the chefs here are scaling up from the original simple menu of Margherita or Marinara. Here, you’ll find truffle mushroom pizza (which just won top place at the 2019 London Pizza Festival); a Salsiccia & Friarelli; a fried pizza with pressed pork, salami and ricotta; and a monthly changing special.
As for booze, you’re drinking wine from Campania, and the same classic Italian beers they’re offering in Naples, perfectly designed to have with your pizza.
Because it’s only polite to share on a date.
NOTE: L’Antica Pizzeria is open daily for lunch and dinner, and you can only reserve tables for small groups before 7pm. You can find out more, and book, HERE.
*OTHER NOTE: Seriously, we did the maths on this. Pizza Hut currently have approximately 14,000 restaurants worldwide which have opened over the course of the 21,500 days since they opened in 1958. Which comes out to one new venue every 37 hours. Give or take.
L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele | 199 Baker Street, NW1 6UY
Get a slice of London’s best pizza restaurants