Furnace

Considering this is basically a block away from my house, I’ve lived here over a year and never once been persuaded to go in. In a neighborhood densly populated with interesting, well-​decorated, niche, and hip places to eat, Furnace just blends into a background of blah, more suited to west London than east.
As Vicky L. Said: good pizza, but not good enough. It was FINE, and if you like this sort of place/​food, I’m sure you’ll find it a well-​suited fit (for lovers of standard Italian-​ish food). Given the other options in my area, however, I doubt I’ll go back.

Love this place. The pizzas are some of the best around. Good thin crust and great toppings with good flavour and balance.
Also had the tuna salad which was a twist on the classic nicoise with nice big thick pieces of just seared, peppered tuna. Points for the generous portion size too.
Better than Pizza express or Pizza East and cheaper too.
Prompt service and greeting on arrival, friendly goodbye on departure.
Can’t think of anything to fault. OK the noise level was approaching the high side with the Friday night crowd but the vibe was good.

Went here for a quick pizza lunch and was quite pleased. While their pizza quality isn’t up there with Pizza East, they have very creative toppings (suckling pig, or mushrooms with truffle), service is quick (with a sorta smile but I didn’t come here for a chat with a waitress), and they have a good selection of wine and Italian beer (Peroni or Moretti). Pizzas are around £10 so it’s a bit of a pricey lunch (although sharing one between two is probably the healthy way to do it anyway) or they have a £6 lunch special, but it’s only marinara.

Good pizza, but not good enough. My take on pizza eating? If there isn’t something you are dying for straight away, it’s not a pizzaria for me.
Having said that the Nicoise salad was phenomenal. I felt guilty for talking Zara L out of ordering one.

Tasteless, overpriced pizzas. Not matching the menu description. Slow and not particular friendly service. Paying no attention.

After a few disappointing Italian restaurants in in and around Hoxton Square, I was pleased to dine at Furnace.
The food was ok, granted, it was better than most places I’ve tried in in the area but that doesn’t say much.
It’s been a few months since I dined here, so I’ve actually forgotten the food that I had, but I do remember the feeling I had when leaving the restaurant. I felt, satisfied and kept a mental note to go here again, if ever I was in the area and craving for Italian food.
Overall, the restaurant was clean, the noise level was way to high for my ears, and the food was ok. I would recommend this place if you’re in the mood for Italian food.

I rushed in here for dinner with a friend worried that we wouldn’t be able to get a table at any of the Hoxton hotspots without a booking at 7:30 on a Saturday. At 7:30 on a Saturday (okay, I will admit it was a rainy and windy night) it was pretty much empty.
We had a bit of a wine debacle – when my friend tried the wine, she thought it smelled like vinegar and we both agreed the taste was a bit off. My friend was mortified because in 35 years of living, she had never sent back a bottle. So the waitress decided that she would have her manager take a sniff, and I was witness to the most unprofessional pass-​the-​glass-​around-​for-​a-​sniff amateur wine evaluation amongst 4 of the staff of which they concluded that it was fine, but we could get another bottle. Our waitress thought it smelled vinegary, thus confirming our opinion as she used the same adjective. Needless to say, new bottle, different wine, happy campers.
I thought the pizza and salad were just average. Loved the thin crust, but we ordered a margarita, and it was just blah. No basil, no fresh mozzerella. The salad was ordinary as well.
The waitresses were giving each other massages, and not so great.
All and all… underwhelming experience.

How, how have I not reviewed this place? There was a point during this year when this had become my favorite easy eat spot. I came here 3 times in one month and then kind of killed the place for myself. It was a sad day when I realised I had had enough of their yummy pizza menu.
As pizza places go this one is great, thin crust, non greasy, fresh veggie toppings, rich tomato sauce… mmmmm cheese. Basically they make pizzas how I do at home but the advantage here is that you don’t have to do the washing up. On a whole the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly although the staff can be snarky when it gets busy. I have been here for a few birthday meals and as far as independent pizza places go this one is brilliant for parties.

The Hoxton Furnace is as old as water and just as refreshing in this part of London with its simple, good quality Italian food and charming unpretentiousness. OK, the décor is kind of modern in a faux rustic way, yes, there are exposed brick walls and the like but essentially The Hoxton Furnace excels in good honest food.
The Hoxton’s salads are almost as good as its famous pizzas, the Insalata di Pollo, Porro e Pancetta — that’s chicken breast wrapped in pancetta accompanied by a parmesan and truffle concoction to you and me — being particularly yummy. Staff are happy to bundle up pizzas for takeaway making The Hoxton Furnace just about the poshest pizza place in this vicinity. If you like Italian food this place is a total no-​brainer.

I think, if I was being honest, I am more child than grownup. When I sit in Furnace I should probably be admiring their red brick walls and minimalist décor or examining their extensive and inventive range of pizza toppings which includes suckling pig and octopus. However, I do neither of these things. Instead I gaze at the man in the white chef’s uniform spinning dough as though it was the easiest thing in the world, behind his back and above his head before throwing it into the enormous wood burning oven which dominates the back wall of this restaurant. In my eyes he is a juggler at my 10^th birthday party and everything is right with the world…
Putting that brief day dream to one side, the food at Furnace is also pretty good. Although they have pasta, meat and fish dishes, I’ve never seen anyone stray from the pizza’s. This is no bad thing as they particularly thin and crispy and with generous amounts of topping. My personal favourite is the ‘Funghi Trifolati’, a pizza so stacked with wild mushrooms it laughs in the face of those who claim that vegetarian options aren’t worth paying for.
I’d thoroughly recommend Furnace to anyone, pizza lovers and dough spinning fanatics alike!