Review: Pizza Union, Spitalfields
Style Points: 3/5
Price: £
Overall: 4/5
Pizza Union is a restaurant with an industrial feel to it, but with added Shoreditch chic. The exposed breeze block walls, ceiling vents and long wooden plank tables with high stools work well with this restaurant's industrial theme.
The decor also compliments their unique concept, to serve pizzas fast. Pizza Union specialises in thin and crispy artisan pizzas, fire-baked super fast in three minutes in a traditional pizza oven.
Diners order at the counter, take a buzzer and find a table, and then collect the pizza when the buzzer goes off, usually within just a few minutes of sitting down – simple.
The Pizza bar concept aims to provide all-day convenience, where diners can enjoy delicious fire-scorched pizzas in super fast time.
The open plan kitchen, complete with large wood fire oven is also nice touch as it allows diners to see their pizza’s being created.
Would I Want Seconds?
Pizza Unions serves Superfast 12" Pizzas and the menu includes many of the standard favourites as well as a few new creations. As the pizzas are made to order, diners can remove toppings or add them to suit their tastes.
Popular choices include Calabria (tomato sauce,mozzarella, mascarpone, spicy sausage and rocket) fiery Vesuvio (tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, green chillies and cracked chillies).
We ordered the Florentina (mozzarella, parmesan, egg, black olives and fresh spinach) and Tropicali (mozzarella, cotton ham, pineapple and organo)and when both pizzas arrived they were thin and light with a perfect crispy crust.
These pizzas were just the right size to be able to finish one each, and my Tropicale was a delicious gourmet version of the classic Hawaiian.
It is evident that Pizza Union uses high quality ingredients with fresh fior di late mozzarella cheese and authentic San Marzano tomatoes used along with freshly made hand stretched dough from a traditional Italian reciepe.
Pizza Union also serve snacks such as nuts, olives and sauces as well as scrumptiously crunchy cannelloni. For dessert there are limited options, one of which is the tubs of gelato supplied by London gelateria and the other is their specialty, The Dolce.
The Dolce is a large and rich dough ring filled with Nutella and Mascarpone. The sweet chocolate and mascarpone work brilliantly well as a gooey mixture and a spoonful of the two is bliss. This is a large dessert and after a whole pizza each, one if more than enough for two people to share.
Tropicali
Florentina
The Dolce
Snacks
Could I Afford Seconds?
One of my favourite things about Pizza Union is the rock bottom prices. The twelve inch pizzas range from £3.95 for a Margarita and the most expensive is £6.50, which is ridiculously cheap for central London. These prices allow more scope for dinner to mix up the toppings and add a few more, as extra toppings are only £1 each.
Additionally the delectable Dolce dessert is only £2.95, which makes it a must try. The Pizzas can be washed down with cheap drinks too, including a range of Italian beers for about £2.80, prosecco for £15 per bottle and wines from £11.50 per bottle or £3 glass.
The wood fire oven
Overall: 4/5
Pizza Union is ideal for good, fast pizza. The queues that form at peak lunch and dinner times are testament to just how good it is.
This is a good place to know about as the staff are friendly, the décor is funky with a buzzy informal atmosphere, and the fabulous pizza are super affordable.
Website: www.pizzaunion.com
Address: 25 Sandy Row, Spitalfields, E1 7HW
Tube Station: Liverpool Street
