Franco Manca

I finally got round to trying this place after the excellent reviews. I was aware of the previous incarnation, living in Brixton for most of my life up until 14 years ago. I was pleased to see that this establishment had changed hands and more importantly, brought over wood-fired ovens. As my father used to say, only a neopolitan can make a good pizza and Franco Manca proves this. However, despite being of Italian origin, and eatern many in Italy, I have never come accross one like this. The dough is thicker and moister than most Italian pizzas, but whilst different to the many I've had, it is absoulutely fantastic. The best pizza I have ever eatern in the UK and one one of the best I have ever eaten. If you like Pizza Hut, then this place is probably not for you, but otherwise you will be pleasantly surprised. Finally, onto the wine. My father used to make his own, the glass of red I had today tasted exactly like one of his best ones - nothing artificial, just pure good wine. I highly recommend this place. By the way, it is in an arcade in Brixton, so don't expert high decor.
Comment on this reader review

italiastar - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, August 08, 2008

Great Pizza and at incredible price. I wish there were more Franco Manca around London then McDonalds. The cured meat used on the pizza and the porcini mushroom are top class. The service is good and the waiting staff will be more then happy to tell you about their wonderful products.

Giuseppe, the owner was there telling my party on how he consulted Neapolitan Pizza and Wild Yeast expert Marco Parente to ensure the dough recipe was the very best and also imported the best dough mixer and Forno Napoletano oven to ensure the dough could be prepared and cooked in the best possible way. I have timed the cooking of my pizza at 39 seconds.... Incredible! I am now a weekly regular. NB: Be aware of the queue on Saturdays.
Comment on this reader review

Luca
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Now personally I’m not a huge fan of pizzas, but after reading a glowing review from the Metro and noting that a meal for two cost under £20(!) I decided I simply had to make a pilgrimage to “the best pizzeria in London”. The 200 year old mother, the 500C oven and 90 second cooking was intense cuisine to say the least.

Upon arrival, the waiter motioned for the two of us to sit wherever we felt comfortable so we chose the hard wooden bench on the exterior. It all added to the rustic charm of course, especially being in the midst of the ever-bustling Brixton market. The single-page, unpretentious menus were already on the table as we sat down, and we ordered two of the homemade lemonades Franco was so famed for. Being a City Boy used to sparkling clear lemonades, I did a double take when ours came with a bright tan that no film star would be ashamed of having. I turned my nose up in disapproval when I noticed that there was fluff in my lemonade, but I hope that was from the unclean tumbler rather than the drink itself, which was surprisingly thick but refreshing.

The pizzas were so cheap that I felt like I had to order a summer salad for a starter which wasn’t too bad, still fairly plain though. For the main, the date ordered the pizza of the day which was a margherita base with Parma ham and rocket. I ordered number 4 on the menu, thinking that “calzone” meant meat when it in fact meant a special folded type of pizza. I think that messed with my head a little and was too much change for me to take, so I didn’t enjoy it as fully as I should have. The cornicione was indeed as delightful as the reviews had claimed, moist on the inside and deliciously chewy. In fact, that was possibly the best part of my calzone pizza, since the chef seemed to have been too generous in supplying the ricotta cheese and much of it was a sinful mess oozing out. I couldn’t taste any meat in the filling, and it was a little too salty for me. The date’s one was fantastic though, so I will order a traditional pizza next time. I say next time because of course I will visit again. The total cost of the meal (2 pizzas, 2 lemonades, glass of wine and a summer salad) cost less than £15 in total, I felt so embarrassed that I tipped them £5 to top them up to what I expected.
Comment on this reader review

Arthur Ma
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 10
Friday, May 23, 2008