Hold your breath: the best pizza in the world is now in London. This pizza is not just any pizza: this pizza made Julia Roberts fall in love.
I know what you're thinking, we're all thinking it. The pizza place in London? It's like two Julia Roberts movies in one. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you have never seen the two best movies ever made: 'Eat, Pray, Love' and 'Notting Hill', both starring Roberts.
If you're unfamiliar with 'Eat, Pray, Love,' the movie follows Julia Roberts' character on her quest to...well....eat, pray, and love around the world. In her eating stage (this would be the only stage of my worldly journey, just in case you were wondering) she is obvs in Italy. Duh. One of the most famous scenes of the movie takes place in Naples at L'antica Pizzeria da Michele, which instantly gave the small shop all of the tourists and fame it deserved.
Now, bare with me—here is where things get crazy. In 'Notting Hill,' Julia Roberts plays a famous actress who is in London to film a movie. Here she meets Hugh Grant's character in a bookstore— where all great love stories start. BUT IMAGINE if there was a sequel/spin-off where they meet...but in the NEW L'antica Pizzeria da Michele—the one that just opened in London. Could this be the new Travel Book Co.? A girl can dream. (I really, really, REALLY want a sequel; can you tell?)
Is the pizza really that good?
Until this crossover for the ages happens, the least I could do was check out this iconic pizza for myself. Is it really that good that I could fall in love with it? I am the self-proclaimed pizza queen, so this pizza had high standards to live up to—and it passed the test.
We ordered the double mozzarella and the marinara. The double mozzarella had tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil, while the marinara was simply tomato sauce, garlic and oregano—nothing too wild here. When it comes to real italian pizza: the simpler, the better.
Although each pizza looks HUGE, one pizza serves one person. Trust me, your stomach will be bigger than your eyes in this circumstance. If you have a vegan friend, or you are the vegan friend, the marinara pizza is for you! I tried both the mozzarella and the marinara, and both are to die for. No joke.
The dough was so thin and soft, but also crispy at the same time? Witchcraft I tell you. The sauce was just the right amount of sweetness to pair with the saltiness of the dough and the sharpness of the garlic/mozzarella. All in all, this pizza is A+. I can see why Ms. Roberts fell in love.
So for around £10 per person (a damn bargain in London Town) you can eat probably the best pizza you'll ever have in your life. There really are no words to describe this pizza. Was it the best pizza I've ever had? Definitely. The only thing that I can think of that would truly make this pizza better was if I was eating it as an extra in that crossover I won't stop talking about.
The restaurant itself is not in the most central location, Stoke Newington to be exact, but it's definitely worth the overground and/or multiple buses. Don't let the long queue scare you away...it goes by faster than you think. Anything for pizza.
I would lastly like to point out the fact that the exterior is blue just like the Travel Book Co. I'm taking this waaayyyy too far.
L'antica Pizzeria da Michele
125 Stoke Newington Church St, Stoke Newington, London N16 0UH
Hours:
Sunday: 12-10:30pm
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 12-11pm
Wednesday: 12-11pm
Thursday: 12-11pm
Friday: 12-11pm
Saturday: 12-11pm
*me when I go back to L'antica Pizzeria da Michele*