So after deliberating over a number of different possibilities, I decided the One Good Reason to go to Pizza Pilgrims’ restaurant is the fact they’ve a Fußball table.
This is not a back handed complement and I certainly don’t want to suggest that you should only head to their Dean Street site to play table football (though you can – I just beat the barman 5-0).
Rather, I’m highlighting the table because of what it represents.
On a street where lease premiums and rent rates are crippling, it makes no sense to have a bar game taking up space that could be occupied by customers. But the fact they’ve ignored that is typical of the Pilgrims’ highly endearing and seemingly laid back approach. Its existence fits the chilled out, not overly styled, casual decor of the place and helps to set the tone for a fun, cheap and cheerful (in the best sense) meal. Balls to lazy “on-trend” comments: the style and the vibe of the restaurant is one that would fit both a pulsating Italian city, or a sleepy village in the Dolomites. Cin Cin to that.
Oh, the pizzas are as good as you get in central London too. I’ve been a few times and the oven is firing at a cracking temperature now. Which means the bases are just the right blend of bronzed and crisp, and floppy and foldable. The toppings are minimal and uncomplicated (as they should be). I find it hard to venture beyond their classic Nduja or Bufala options, though by all means give others a try.
Where
Pizza Pilgrims, 11 Dean Street, Soho, W1D3RP
One Good Reason
The Fußball table
Thanks very much to Paul Winch-Furness for the use of his photos. More great ones here.
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