Never been to Pizza Union? You're in for a treat. It sits among the top in the list of fave pizza spots for many and for good reason. Think crispy bases, plenty of topping, quick service and really reasonable prices. Now you're starting to see why Pizza Union has the winning combo.
Pizza Union is a casual pizza bar. The interiors are all relatively the same with dark furnishings, long wooden sharing tables, bar stools, exposed brickwork and wooden floors, and their signature red neon lights both for the sign and the logo. Lighting can be atmospheric later into the evening. They also have open kitchens so you can watch the pizza mastery happen.
Service style... Think fancy fast-food.
You order at the bar, get given a flashy buzzer so you can stare at it awaiting the disco lights to tell you your order is ready to collect from the open kitchen, and then you grab your pizza and take it back to your table. You get limited service and contact time with the team, but when we visited the latest opening in Hoxton recently they were super friendly and smiley which is always good.
The food menu can be found above the ordering point and is pretty simple. 16 superfast 12″ pizzas to choose from, with six vegetarian and one vegan option included within that. There are also three salad options for enjoying alongside, a couple of dips and one dessert. On top of this, you can find olives and dough sticks along by the tills should you fancy a little nibble whilst awaiting your pizza - they don't take long but sometimes we still like to share a little something.
The Grissini Aioli, crunchy dough sticks with rosemary were a nice appetiser, especially dunked into the garlic herb dip served alongside. This is great with the pizzas too, so save some, or grab another with your order!
Onto the pizzas, which although it was busy on a Friday we visited, were still ready to collect pretty quickly.
All the pizzas at Pizza Union have a thin and crispy base and are superb. They have plenty of sauce and toppings too.
The Calabria, with a tomato sauce base, mozzarella, mascarpone, Nduja spicy sausage and rocket is a fantastic option. It offers a touch of heat from the sausage and a beautifully deep flavour which is balanced slightly by the mascarpone and mozzarella. The rocket adds a fresh edge too. A great combination for a pizza.
The Milano was another fab option. And if you haven't tried a white pizza we highly recommend you do. With mozzarella, gorgonzola, pancetta bacon, mushrooms and rosemary, it was very rich in flavour - the rosemary, umami from the mushroom and Gorgonzola coming together to taste a little of garlic or truffle. It was one delicious pizza!
Obviously I always support sharing dishes, so if you don't fancy trying a whole Milano I'd highly recommend sharing one so you can try it!
Salad wasn't always on our order before, until we tried the Verdura recently. Consisting of rocket, tomatoes, mixed peppers, black olives and parmesan it was a tasty mix of textures and fresh flavours. There was plenty of parmesan too. It was great to have something a little more fresh on the side, especially with the Milano (The Calabria already has rocket, but we still enjoyed the salad alongside too).
OK so I know that's quite a lot, but when you see this dessert you won't be able to say no. Plus you can have any leftover pizza boxed to take home!
There's just one dessert on the menu, but it's incredible.
The Dolce is a warm dough ring with Nutella and mascarpone, dusted with icing sugar. Drool. The dough is slightly sweet, a little toasted on the outside but soft in the middle. The melted Nutella and mascarpone are inside and literally ooze out when you cut into it. The Nutella is balanced a little by the mascarpone, but it's still one very chocolatey dish. Honestly, you CANNOT say no to this. I'd highly recommend sharing one if you can!
As for drinks, there's a simple menu for these too with only a couple of wine options, beers and softs. But there is also a handful of cocktails including a couple of frozen numbers.
Cocktails are actually very reasonably priced too, with Bellini and frozen options just £3.50/£3.80. Both Bellinis, the classic and frangelo, were slightly sparkling, light and delicious.
The beers are probably the more expensive option of the lot, with a large bottle costing £6. But they have some good well-known names, and it's pretty much the same as a standard pint in London! We're big fans of a Birra Moretti, so had to have one of these to finish... a large as it was a Friday.
Summary - Pizza Union:
- Price: Bargain. It's such good value for money, with pizzas between £3.95 and £6.50!
- Food: Pizza Union never fails to impress. All the pizzas are prepared and cooked superfast, with a thin, crispy base, plenty of sauce and toppings. The Dolce dessert is a must-try too!
- Drinks: There are just a handful of drinks options, but again very reasonably priced! The cocktails are great!
- Atmosphere: Think fancy fast-food. Buzzy, cool, almost edgy atmosphere. Great chilled spot for a catch-up.
- Wait: There might be a queue to the till point to order, but it usually goes pretty fast - and pizzas are super speedy, so even if tables look filled, it shouldn't be long before a spot opens up.
Where's your fave pizza spot? Are you a thick crust or thin and crispy advocate?
*I was invited along as part of the ELG team. All views my own.Chloe xx
