Pizza Parley: a look at Hackney’s best slices from Stoke Newington to the Wick

Yard Sale Pizza.

Whether you prefer Italian style thin crust or large American pizza pies, there is a lot of excellent pizza in Hackney, so we thought it was time to review a handful of the best independent pizza joints. This is by no means an exhaustive list (apologies to Sodo, Homeslice and Goppa!) but it does cover a spectrum, from the high end when you have something to celebrate, all the way to delivery when you want to stay in your pyjamas and watch Netflix all day.

Crate Bar and Pizzeria

If you can stand the crowds, this canal-side Hackney Wick haunt, which went a long way towards reinventing the area, has great non-traditional pizza, with a crispy thin crust that tastes like popcorn at the edges. As a brewery there is a wide selection of their own very decent beer and other craft brews – and a cocktail boat outside if you want spirits. The gremolata pizza and the middle eastern lamb are perennial favourites, although we lament the loss of the Chicken Laksa and recommend steering clear of the Kashmiri dahl pizza until they remove the banana slices (bonus points for trying).

7 Queen’s Yard, E9 5EN
cratebrewery.com

Voodoo Rays

This was once a single outlet above the now defunct Dance Tunnel in Dalston, where club revellers would go upstairs for a smoke and a slice of New York-style pizza, sold by the slice. This immensely popular venture now has locations in Box Park and Camden, and queues to match. Go and get two big, greasy, floppy slices of New York pizza and wash it down with trendy cocktails named things such as “El Dude”. As an American transplant, I think Voodoo Rays is absolutely unbeatable.

95 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB
voodoorays.com

Well Street Pizza

A new venture in a former launderette, this green-tiled pizzeria and bar serves wood fired pizza and, although it was quiet on a week night, they’ve got all the components (craft beer, Aperol Spritz) to be a local hit. The pizza won’t go down in history but WSP deserves kudos for having lots of veggie options – I tried one with a squash rather than tomato base, topped with rosemary and pumpkin seed oil.

184 Well Street, E9 6QT
wellstreetpizza.com

Yard Sale Pizza

The first time I heard of this Clapton pizzeria was when they had the dubious honour of hosting Macaulay Culkin’s band. Very nouveau Clapton. Now with another outlet in Finsbury Park, these guys specialise in high quality delivery, with limited table space at their cheerful restaurants. A collaboration with Five Points means their beer features heavily on the drinks menu. For dessert, don’t miss Nonna’s homemade gelato.

105 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0NP
yardsalepizza.com

Pizza East

Part of the expanding empire of Soho House, this expansive Shoreditch restaurant has nonetheless been one of my favourites over the years, if you can stand the din. The things that make it stand out above the others are the impeccable, warm service and creativity of the luxurious starters and sides, and the generally upscale atmosphere. The pizza is pretty good too – try the Taleggio and black truffle.

56 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ
pizzaeast.com

Il Bacio

This Sardinian pizzeria has been a Stoke Newington favourite since 2000, and although I find the pizza – and atmosphere – a tad on the cheesy side, if you are looking for carafes of cheap red wine and a jovial local atmosphere, this is your ticket.

61 Stoke Newington Church Street, N16 0AR
ilbacio.co.uk

Finally a special mention goes to Zaza Express which delivers throughout Hackney. It is unpretentious, cheap delivery pizza with friendly staff, the best name, and a permanent honorable mention for all the times it’s perked me up on a dreary cold weekend when no one had the heart to venture outside.

99 Stoke Newington High Street, N16 8EL
zaza-express.co.uk