The best pizza in London, ranked for 2026
A proper London pizza ranking for 2026 — Neapolitan, New York, Roman al taglio, sourdough — eaten through, argued about, and finally written down.
London pizza is in a properly good place in 2026. The Neapolitan wave settled into a stable top tier, the New York-style places finally figured out the cheese, and the slice game is genuinely competitive for the first time in years.
This list is the working ranking after eating through the obvious ones plus a few new openings I had to clock. I have not included the chains, I have not included the supermarket-adjacent ones, and I have not included anywhere that puts a single sad basil leaf on a margherita and calls it done.
If you want to find pop-ups and one-night residencies from these places, the London food events filter catches them.
1. 50 Kalo di Ciro Salvo
Sorry, this is the one. The dough is the longest-fermented in London, the leoparding is genuinely art, and the margherita tastes like it actually came from Naples because it kind of did. The space near Trafalgar Square is a bit charmless and the service is occasionally slow, neither of which I care about because the pizza is mental.
Order the Pistacchio Crudo if it is on. Or just the margherita. You will be fine.
2. Pizza Pilgrims (Soho)
The OGs and still in the top three. Soho is the best of their many branches and the Nduja pizza is the most ordered pizza of mine across all of London for ten years running. The Frizzelle, the Carbonara — all of it slaps.
They do a free pizza on your birthday which is a nice touch and means you should definately go in March if it is your birthday month.
3. Crisp W6
Hammersmith pizza place that started as a back-garden slinger and turned into one of the best pies in west London. The base is slightly crispier than a strict Neapolitan and the rotating specials are usually the order — last time I went there was a fennel sausage and chilli honey thing that I think about weekly.
Book ahead, the room is small.
4. Yard Sale Pizza
The best NY-leaning pies in the city. The Holy Pepperoni is not a gimmick, it is just a properly good pizza with cup-and-char pepperoni and the right amount of cheese. Half-and-halfs are allowed and not judged.
The Hackney Road branch is the best of them. Walthamstow second.
5. Crust Bros
Best for a group. Waterloo location, big enough that eight people can sit, and the pizzas are the right size for sharing. The Calabrese is the one. The Diavola is also correct.
6. Homeslice
Twenty-inch pies that are great when you are six people, terrible when you are two and don't know it. Half-and-half is the move and the chorizo and sweet potato is the unexpected hit. Neal's Yard branch is the original and still the best.
7. Voodoo Ray's
Best slice place in London, no asterisks. Big NY triangles, open till proper late, and the queue moves. The white slice is the sleeper. The Greg Roque is the showpiece.
If you live in Dalston you already know.
8. Sodo Pizza
Sourdough base done right, which is to say it does not taste of sourdough — it tastes of pizza. The Hot Honey is the one. Clapton is the original location and worth the journey.
9. L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele
Stoke Newington branch of the Naples original from the Eat Pray Love film. The room is fine, the pizza is genuinely Naples-grade, and they only do margherita and marinara because that is all they need to do.
10. Theo's
South London consistency for a decade. Camberwell and Elephant locations, neighbourhood feel, properly good pizza, and a wine list that is better than it has any right to be. The Bufala is correct.
Worth knowing
A few near-misses. Franco Manca is fine but I cannot put a chain on this list, sorry. Story Pizza in Peckham is excellent and would be top six on a longer list. Brother Marcus does a decent pizza but is a brunch place really.
If you have strong opinions about something I missed, the comments are the place. I will update this list quarterly and a couple of openings are about to land that might shake the top five.
For one-off pizza events, supper clubs and openings, the London food events feed is the place to keep an eye on.
- 1
50 Kalo di Ciro Salvo
Trafalgar Square · Neapolitan · ££Ciro Salvo's London outpost. The dough is mental — long-fermented, properly leoparded, slightly wet in the middle the way it should be.
- 2
Pizza Pilgrims (Soho)
Soho · Neapolitan · ££The OGs of London Neapolitan. Soho is still the best of their branches and the Nduja is consistently one of the best pizzas in the city.
- 3
Crisp W6
Hammersmith · Neo-Neapolitan · ££Backyard slinger turned proper restaurant. Long ferment, slightly crispier base, and a rotating special that is usually the move.
- 4
Yard Sale Pizza
Multiple · NY-style · £Best NY-leaning pies in London. The Holy Pepperoni is correct, get a half-and-half if you must, but trust them on the spec.
- 5
Crust Bros
Waterloo · Neapolitan · ££Big space, big pizzas, properly good for groups. The Calabrese is the one to order, you can thank me later.
- 6
Homeslice
Multiple · 20-inch · ££Twenty-inch pies, half-and-half encouraged, chaotic enough that you stop caring about your camera roll. The chorizo and sweet potato is properly weird in the right way.
- 7
Voodoo Ray's
Dalston / Shoreditch · slice · £Best slice place in London full stop. Open late, big NY-style triangles, and the white slice is the sleeper hit.
- 8
Sodo Pizza
Clapton / Walthamstow · sourdough · ££Sourdough base that does not taste like sourdough trying to be a pizza. The hot honey pie is the order.
- 9
L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele
Stoke Newington · Neapolitan · ££Naples original, London branch in Stoke Newington that takes itself seriously about the dough. Margherita only, basically.
- 10
Theo's
Camberwell / Elephant · Neapolitan · ££South London neighbourhood pizzeria that has quietly been one of the most consistent in the city for a decade.
FAQ
- Best Neapolitan in London?
- 50 Kalo. Sorry to everyone who said Pizza Pilgrims, you know I love you, but 50 Kalo is the one.
- Best for a group of eight?
- Crust Bros at Waterloo or Homeslice if you want big shareable pies and a chaotic table.
- Best slice place?
- Voodoo Ray's in Dalston, still, after all these years.
11 comments
- rob·
50 kalo at 1 is correct, the dough is genuinely a different sport to anywhere else in london
- amelia·
where is santa maria??? i love this list but santa maria in ealing is properly mental
- dan p·
voodoo rays is the correct slice answer, the white slice is genuinely better than most full pizzas in london
- fran·
sodo hot honey is the one, also their pepperoni is severely underrated
- kieran·
theos in camberwell is on this list and i feel seen, it is genuinely the most consistent pizza in london
- priya·
the rifio search found me three pizza pop-ups this month i would never have heard about, properly useful
- matt b·
crust bros calabrese is the move, also the dough balls are mental
- sara·
pizza pilgrims should be number 1 for nostalgia alone but i can see the 50 kalo argument
- jonas·
ah i wish franco manca was on the list, brixton branch on a tuesday is actually really good
- leah·
story pizza in peckham is criminally underrated, glad you mentioned it
- tom·
crisp w6 is the correct hidden gem, the fennel sausage one is unreal
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