It was edged out only by offerings in Italy and New York in the global rankings
I recently ventured to East London to try the pizza making a name for itself both in the capital and across the globe – and I fully understand why it’s won the accolades it has.
Short Road Pizza’s SRP Marinara was recently crowned both best slice in the country at the National Pizza Awards and third best in the world by TimeOut magazine.
The pie is founder Ugo Galelli’s innovative take on his favourite pizza, the humble marinara.
The pizza, which utilises a cooking method inspired by Ugo’s late grandfather, combines flavours to deliver a unique slice that’s in a league of its own.
I would never usually go for a marinara-style pizza, preferring a traditional sourdough topped with plenty of melted cheese, but I was surprised that I didn’t particularly miss it with the SRP Marinara.
The dollops of creamy stracciatella – the inside of a burrata – prove a worthy replacement which, combined with the saltiness of the Sicilian anchovies and the tang of the garlic confit purée and Argentine chimichurri, packs a punch of competing tastes.
The ‘a bocca o forno’ – or mouth of the oven – method of cooking pizzas is inspired by when Ugo and his family would visit his Neapolitan grandfather Luigi Giangreco’s restaurant in Liguria, Italy, after service had finished.
Luigi, whose restaurant Don Luigi was the first in the region to be awarded a Michelin star, would cook pizzas in the mouth of the extinguished oven for Ugo and his family.
Instead of cooking sourdough pizzas in the heart of the oven for a little over a minute, Luigi would leave the stretched pizzas near the mouth of the oven for four or five minutes, producing thin, slightly crispy slices akin to New York-style pies.
Using this same method with their electric ovens, the SRP marinara has a satisfying crunch to every bite.
Each ingredient complements the contrasting flavours of the others perfectly.
You can really see why it caught judges’ attention at the National Pizza Awards at the end of last year; in a world of sourdough pizzas competing with outlandish toppings, the simplicity of the SRP Marinara really shines through.
The story of the company’s humble beginnings – borne out of lockdown and named after the road where Ugo and his wife Kate live – only serves to make their pizzas more endearing.
Though they’re only based in East London for now, at the Three Colts Tavern in Bethnal Green and the William the Fourth pub in Leyton, Ugo has ambitions of one day opening his own SRP restaurant.
Again, the fact that he doesn’t want to see his brainchild turn into a behemothic, money-making empire, with a franchise in every shopping centre, makes me like SRP all the more.
I plan to return with some friends very soon, keen to share this latest gem in London’s pizza scene and boasting its credentials as the third best pie in the world as one of its latest converts.
Stay up to date about London’s hottest events, latest restaurant openings, and best deals with our Going Out Out newsletter. Sign up HERE!
