South London’s little Italy, offering some of the best pizza for miles (or metres) around.

The Venue
Ignore the Domino’s takeaway as you amble down Battersea Rise, Pizza Metro Pizza is worth walking extra miles for. It has the feel of a taverna, with hanging bric-a-brac and dark wooden fixtures. Long tables run along the windows, and smaller parties get the chance for a prime seat next to the resident Vespa, parked in the centre of the restaurant – it’s too beautiful to be a delivery bike, although you can order takeaway.

The Atmosphere
Packed out, it’s also worth booking a table in advance rather than popping in on the off-chance, especially at the weekends. Yes, the service is a little slow, but the Italian buzz is enough to distract until the food arrives. Bring your loudest friends to compete with the furore; a catch 22 situation of the louder the crowd chats, the louder you have to speak to be heard. An advantage of eating later means that by dessert you can lower the tones a little. The staff add to the authenticity - slick in black, communicating with each other in Italian and rushing around serving with efficiency, not to be condemned as abruptness, to keep up with demand.

The Food
Metre-long pizza is what this restaurant is all about. Mouths start watering as soon as the stainless steel stand is set in front of you, ready to elevate the pizza to eye level as soon as it arrives. Depending on how many of you order, the pizza could be long, with each quarter of a metre dedicated to your chosen topping. The base is crisply thin, but strong enough to hold an array of toppings. The ingredients have the taste of quality, most importantly tomatoes are fresh, cheese is not over-abundant and there is not a hint of grease.

The vegetarian options are well done and plentiful. Ricotta e Melanzane (£9.95) includes nicely grilled aubergines and dollops of ricotta creamy enough to spread. Vegetariana (£9.95) adds a scattering of sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves to the well-balanced mix. Meaty alternatives make the most of Napoli salami, Parma ham, homemade pork sausage, and even meatballs.

Antipasti is good and works as an alternative main, the most popular being Parmigiana di Melanzane (£7.50) baked in thin slices and layered with mozzarella, parmesan, basil and a good amount of flavourful tomato sauce. Pasta dishes (£8.50 - £12.95) offer similarly interesting combination of simple but quality ingredients.

The Drink
A few nice wine options from Italian regions including a Pinot Grigio (£18.50) to a smooth spicy Montepulciano (£18.50), a good house red to accompany the meaty strength of some of the dishes. Beer is, of course, also Italian Menabrea (£3.75) and Italian soft drinks range from the sparkling water (£3.25 for a large bottle), to Aranciata and Limonata (£2).

The Last Word
Pizza Metro Pizza is much more than just a novelty pizza place. Go prepared for good food, loud conversation and the temptation of wanting to ride the Vespa home at the end of the evening.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (4) image gallery (1) venue videos