5 Different Types of Pizza (And Where to Try 'Em)

Pizza the Pizza East way

By Claire Coleman

We don't know about you but pizza is a very personal thing. You're either a deep-pan type or a thin and crispy fiend. It's a bit like being Chelsea or Arsenal - nobody's ever going to convince you to switch (unless you're Ashley Cole). With this in mind, the concept of a 'best' pizza is also pretty subjective, so we thought we'd give you a quick rundown of the different pizza types around and where we like to sample them in London. Don't agree? Let us know in the box below.


Neapolitan
Most of London's pizza offerings are Neapolitan in style - if only vaguely. The base is thin, with a crispy crust and a slight chew to it, and it should be cooked in a wood-fired oven.
Try it: At Santa Maria Pizzeria. Devotees claim the pies at the Ealing pizzeria are as close to Neapolitan as you're going to get this side of the Tyrrhenian Sea, and cheap into the bargain too.

Roman
You can tell Roman pizza at a glance - unlike most pizzas, it's cooked in a rectangular baking tray that gives it a crispness, and often cut up into squares al taglio-style
Try it: At Datte Foco. Located in Stoke Newington, it might not be central, but it's a damn sight closer than Italy, and one of the owners is actually from Rome, so its pedigree is impeccable.

Chicago 
The Chicago, deep-dish pizza may seem a bit odd at first glance - it just feels like there's the wrong proportion of base to topping. But it does have its fans...
Try it: At Otto. Just off Westbourne Grove, this spot not only does the whole deep-dish thing but also incorporates cornmeal into the pizza dough. 

New York 
The perfect New York pizza slice should be huge, piping hot and with a thin crust that's foldable so you can eat it more easily on the go.
Try it: At Brooklyn Bite. The newly opened Chelsea joint offers eat-in and take-away options in the sort of dimensions that New Yorkers appreciate - we're talking 18-inch bases, not a paltry 12-inch. Keep an eye out for a First Look at the place later this week.

Los Angeles
Wolfgang Puck is often credited with creating what could be called an LA-style pizza - think a thin crust with more crispness and crunch than a regular Neapolitan and often with semolina grains incorporated into it.
Try it: At Pizza East. When Nick Jones established the original in Shoreditch, he flew Bryant Ng in from LA's Pizzeria Mozza to consult on the recipe. Now there's also Pizza East Portobello and, coming soon, a Kentish Town branch.