Fraternal double act James & Thom Elliot are just like Batman & Robin.
The only differences, really, are that the Elliots are brothers who sell pizzas, don’t own a Batmobile, never wear tights to work and fight no crime.
Other than that, they’re identical.
The journey undertaken by the enterprising duo known as the Pizza Pilgrims commenced with the purchase of a “Piaggio Ape” van, which they kitted out with a pizza oven and drove across Italy slower than you could have crawled across it. Their journey continued on their return to London, with the establishment of a successful street food outfit in Soho and the authoring of a book about their experiences; and then it culminated last summer with the opening of their very own restaurant on Dean Street, Pizza Pilgrims Soho.
Sadly, however, every good journey must come to an end.
Unless you’re them, because they’ve also opened Pizza Pilgrims Carnaby (and many, many more pizzerias across the country since).
A Pizzeria and Frigittoria located just off Carnaby Street on the ground floor of the al fresco Kingly Court, it contains that rare (but highly sought after) combination of Italian food, al fresco dining, table football, arcade games and nineties music. On the pizza front you’ll find authentic Neapolitan pies like Pizza Pilgrims’ popular Nduja, and that one that has Portobello Mushrooms & Truffle on it. And frigittoria-wise you’ll find the types of fried dishes that one might usually expect to find at the pavement cafés and food carts of Naples: from arancini stuffed with oozy mozzarella and fried calzones, to deep-fried breaded artichoke hearts.
To drink there are ‘Sohocello’ shots and cocktails, craft beers from Lazio’s Birra del Borgo and wines by the Nespoli winery in Emilia-Romagna. And for dessert they’ve happily elected to stick to their tried-and-tested menu of olive oil ice cream (it works) and – from a dedicated grab-n-go hatch – Nutella Pizza Rings.
Which is mainly good news because Nutella Pizza Rings.
NOTE: Pizza Pilgrims Carnaby does not accept reservations: just turn up for lunch or dinner whenever you fancy.
Pizza Pilgrims Carnaby | 11 Kingly Court, Off Carnaby Street, W1B 5PW
Want more dough? Check out our guide to the best pizza in London.