Franco Manca (Brixton)
4 Market Row, Electric Lane, Brixton, London, SW9 8LD - View on a map
Telephone: 020 7738 3021
Franco Manca (Brixton)
| Overall 4.3 |
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| Food 7.0 |
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| Service 2.0 |
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| Atmosphere 4.0 |
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| Value 4.0 |
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| Based on 1 reviews |
what the critics say
Saturday, March 07, 2009 - Big, messy and gloriously, explosively tasty, these are pizzas, Jim, but not as we know them. Their irregular shape and nubbly surface would be rejected by a supermarket buyer on sight. But boy, do they eat well. The bases are crisp and light, with a yeasty, sourdough tang. Each topping packs a huge punch: the careful sourcing of organic ingredients is rewarded by capers that erupt like briny taste-bombs, anchovies that linger like the memory of a holiday romance and a single basil leaf with a flavour so big and blousy you want to swoon.
Sunday, September 21, 2008 - It is indeed extraordinarily good. The crust has a distinctly sour taste, but this isn't overwhelming. The mozzarella, which is made specially for Franco Manca at an organic farm in Somerset, is wonderfully buttery, its richness the perfect foil for the mushrooms. This particular pizza doesn't have tomato - Mascoli points out that it would overwhelm the flavour of the girolles. Within minutes our plate is empty. Mascoli summons the waitress and places a new order - this time for a chorizo and mozzarella pizza (the most expensive, at £5.60). I find it oddly comforting that it will take only 40 seconds to cook.
Franco Manca (Brixton)
We were wandering around Brixton and came across Franco Manca. Had heard lots of great things about this place, so decided to have lunch there. There were already people seated there from about 11:30am. We were seated around 11:45 am. We were initially the only table with a small child (3 year old).
I had issues with the service. Any manger with a grain of sense would move along a table with a small child a bit quicker. We waited and waited for someone to take our order (the menu isn't long, and parent with a toddler are always looking to order quickly as a hungry toddler is a ticking time bomb). All the other tables were brought their drinks and some even their pizza, while my husband tried in vain to flag down a server. I finally literally grabbed the sleeve of a waitress who brought our neighbouring table their pizzas and asked to order. Instead of taking our order, she said she would 'ask her manager' and left. We waited some more while our toddler got even more restless watching everyone else tucking into their meals. Finally someone took our order. The food did not take long to arrive, but unfortunately by that time our son was in full tantrum mode and after a few failed attempts to get him to eat something, I had to bodily haul him out of the restaurant kicking and screaming and take him to a random Brixton stairwell to calm down while my hubby got the pizzas packed up.
Back at home, reheated in the oven, the pizzas were very good, but I supposed they would have tasted better if we had been able to eat them fresher.
Comment on this reader review
4
Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Franco Manca (Brixton)
We went for lunch on a week day a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Without a doubt, the best and most affordable pizza I have had in years! It came to £20 for two pizza, two glasses of wine and a tip.
The service was haphazard but the food was worth it. Would certainly return but only on a week day as I imagine it will be packed on the weekend
Comment on this reader review
D
- View all reviews by this user
8
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Friday, December 17, 2010
what the bloggers say
The Graphic Foodie
Sunday, October 17, 2010 - The 20 hour minimum, slowly risen sourdough base is thin and terrifically aerated and chewy. The wood burning oven used to quickly zap the pizzas is smokily evident, adding to the flavour. I went for a classic margarita as I really wanted to taste the base which is softer than you would expect but folds and eats beautifully. I really liked the way the grassy olive oil pooled into the centre and the sauce was perfect in taste and quantity.
A Rather Unusual Chinaman
Monday, September 07, 2009 - We had also ordered a side salad and I hate to say it, but this nearly stole the show. Not only was it beautiful to look at, but each constituent part was well thought out and tasted fresh and light...And then the pizza's appeared, and they were everything you could want in a pizza. Arriving with that slight char from the wood ovens, dough bubbling at the edges then crisping up to give that requisite crunch. Thin and light throughout, complemented by top quality ingredients, all sourced by the owner himself, the proud providence of the ingredients displayed on each and every menu. This really was quite special.
World Foodie Guide - 8/10
Sunday, June 14, 2009 - I can't say whether Franco Manca's pizzas are the best in London or not, as I don't eat pizza often enough to be able to make that comparison. Fellow food bloggers will hopefully be able to help me out here with thoughts on this subject. However, I can say with confidence that the sourdough base was delightfully crispy, not too thick and doughy, not too thin and floppy (I don't normally finish the crust, but none remained this time) and the two toppings that I did try were excellent. Next time, I'm going to add more extras on my pizza and 'super-size' it up a bit!
London Eater
Friday, April 10, 2009 - The sourdough is risen over twenty hours. The first bite. Squidgy. With a rubbery bounce, lively enough that it required a bit more bite in your bite to tear it away. The first taste, appetising, really appetising…The wines by the glass, horrendous. The salad, don’t even bother. But the dough, or should I say, the memory of it was absolutely surreal. There is no fuss to Franco Manca, no extras and it needs none of the fancy poncy because this is just good pizza. A gem and exactly what food is about: heart and soul.
Oliver Thring
Thursday, April 09, 2009 - Franco Manca is loud, brash and uncomfortable. It serves the worst white wine I’ve ever drunk, a lukewarm blend of bat piss and great-aunt's sherry. The salad, which has a little chopped fennel, is actively boring. But it makes the best pizza in the country… The wood-fired oven roars at 500 degrees, and the dough needs just 40 seconds to form a glorious speckled char, like leopardskin, for the cheese to bubble across the surface, for the tomato to roast until only its sweet, sunny essence, its deep red colour, are left.
An American In London
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 - The most expensive pizza on the menu costs £5.60, and glasses of wine are £1.20 a pop. Amazingly, two pizzas, two glasses of wine and a shot of Monmouth Coffee espresso set us back just £16 with service. But I guess they don’t have to pay for heat, so maybe that explains the low prices. Despite the schlepp, the long wait and the cold, the pizzas were worth it, but barely. I’ll definitely wait for spring before I venture down there again.
Food Snob
Sunday, August 03, 2008 - Franco Manca is a relatively recent arrival on the Brixton restaurant scene, having opened in March this year. New owner, Neapolitan expat Giuseppe Macoli, has some big shoes to fill as this site was previously home to Eco and before that, much-loved Pizzeria Franco. He is determined, however, to establish Franco Manca - literally translated as Franco is missing/missed and a tribute to aforesaid Franco - in its own right by bringing with him a brand new concept: bona fide Neapolitan pizza made from organic, local ingredients.
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